Applied online and received an e-mail the next day to setup a screening call. Screening was 20-30 basic Linux/Networking questions, such as common port numbers, how to check disk usage, disk space. A couple were MySQL-specific, and a couple were RedHat/CentOS specific. Was contacted by recruiter a couple of days after screening to schedule a "break/fix" session, which was for the next day. The break/fix was done over the phone with a systems administrator, where you're asked to SSH into a remote host to conduct the assessment. The person wasn't personable, outgoing or empathetic at all, which didn't exactly help with the nervousness of the interview process. I felt I did terribly in the session, despite having years of professional Linux Sysadmin experience. This was done on a CentOS system, so be sure to brush up on RHEL/CentOS. The break/fix had some easy scenarios and some that consisted of strange issues or caveats. Tips for candidates: Be familiar with RHEL/CentOS (e.g. yum, where things are located, what they're called, etc). Be familiar with MySQL. Check the simple, easy things first. Be familiar with all components of the LAMP stack. Be familiar with using netstat, tcpdump, and iptables. I was never asked about my resume, past experience, anything personal, etc. It was strictly skills assessments, and I assume that more personal questions would have come later.

The interview process was the toughest I've ever been through but it is definitely fair. They want to make sure that you really know your stuff. After the recruiter reached out to me (he was AWESOME!!!) they had me complete an automated skills test on a live system. Hint: Write down all of the tasks that they give you because at the end of the hour the task list will go away but the server will still be up and you can finish your work if you didn't have enough time! The second interview was a live, technical break/fix session with an actual Rackspace employe. It covered many system administration tasks. Make sure you know Apache, MySQL, file permissions including chmod and umask, how Linux boots up, how to change network settings, how to manage the firewall, etc. Apparently, I impressed someone because I was asked to conduct several more Skype video-conference interviews from my home and then was asked to join a different team than I initially was accepted to. All told, the process took about a month but I had very special needs concerning my family and they bent over backwards to accommodate us! I am highly impressed by this organization. I've only been here a few days but I feel like it's already one of the best, if not the best company I've ever worked for, and I've done it all, startup to enterprise.