- First, a quick tech screening with recruiter, which had relatively quick turnaround. She explained that most candidates preform a 2nd interview, but I did it in one phone call as I was available at the time of her call (unscheduled). She asked about salary, my current job, availability, and very basic questions to verify Linux experience. Expect trivia on things like HTTP, DNS, ports, run levels, RAID, etc.
- Another phone screening followed, more technically in-depth, to gauge familiarity with Linux environments from one of the current technical team members. This was a positive experience. It would be helpful to understand multi-tenant environments (hypervisor-level troubleshooting) with redhat-based systems.
- One on-site interview after that, where the manager was not present (The recruiter was not aware he was out of the office). I spoke with the same tech who did the 2nd phone screening. After some generic questions, we spoke candidly, which was not a bad experience but did not exactly strike me as professional. He mentioned that IPSoft has trouble communicating between departments, and I saw exactly that in the next few interactions.
- Finally another on-site interview with a manager, who asked generic interview questions. I got the impression he was testing my limits and weighing my personality.
- My first interviews were very positive, yet this did not seem to reflect with the hiring manager whatsoever.
- It is also worth noting, the only person who seemed to have questions ready during the process was the recruiter. Everything else was very contrived, so definitely be prepared for traditional questions that do not actually allow you to show your skills.
- Overall, I was not impressed. None of the employees could tell me what Linux skills would be used for their platform, nor could they summarize what the product actually was. The interviewing seemed not to be about Linux, but "culture" specific to the team.
In short: Don't waste your time if you're expecting to actually be interviewed for your technical prowess. Based on my experience and forewarning from the employees, the end result has nothing to do with how qualified you are.
