Linux Job Seekers: What Employers Expect

Are you looking for Linux career opportunities? Read on for an overview of the essential experience and skills that key employers look for in applicants for related positions. Our experienced team has compiled a guide to what employers will likely look to find out when asking you questions during your Linux job interview.

Linux. It’s everywhere and most of us don’t even realise it. Its unexpected and exponential growth since its conception in 1991 now means pretty much anyone using a smartphone, tablet, the internet or even a modern refrigerator, is using the Linux operating system. And it’s only set to permeate our lives even more as technology develops at an ever-faster pace and pervades our every day.

With all this technological growth and advancement, the demand for more skilled Linux workers has risen in tandem, and, as an international recruitment agency specialising in tech for the last 8 years, we’ve seen the Linux job market perpetually change as employers command a workforce that can keep up with this express juggernaut.

As a result, we’ve compiled a list of the key skills and experience employers are looking for from Linux job seekers for the budding Software Engineers of today and anyone looking for Linux career opportunities.

Key Skills and Experience Needed to Become a Linux Engineer

• Experience developing in a key area of the Linux Kernel, such as:
  • IOMMU
  • Paravirtualization
  • Drivers
  • Block I/O

Naturally, employers want applicants for a Linux job to have experience developing the core of the operating system – otherwise termed the Linux Kernel – such that they can develop and test software and open-source applications.

• Work on hypervisor development
• Any networking – e.g. SDN or  NFV technologies

Often, having experience with both technologies is beneficial, as advancing the network involves both – for automation and service purposes.

• Contributions to Open Source projects or communities – any repositories from GitHub are always welcome

If you’re a Linux job seeker then we strongly advise you spend some time building a portfolio of your contributions or collaborations for Open Source so you can enhance your programming experience and prove it.

• Expertise in C programming language
• A degree is highly desirable – a PhD is even better!

Those who come from research backgrounds have worked on cutting-edge projects and produced novel concepts will have the advantage, and PhDs excel in these areas.

• Curious mindset – someone who isn’t afraid to learn by getting something wrong and thinking outside the box

A curious mindset will serve Linux job seekers well, as finding opportunities to learn and seeking solutions to problems will come naturally – an invaluable trait for employers in this field.

• Someone willing to ask questions and face up to a challenge

If you’re a Linux job seeker and feel you have the skills and experience required, then get in touch. Our Consultant, Oliver Ward, is currently working with some of the key employers for Linux jobs – you can reach him by email or phone [email protected] / +44 (0)1134 166 644.