LincolnBlogs

I get a LOT of emails from headhunters, many asking me to come work for them doing every-damn-thing for no money as a “consultant” on (only) a 6 month contract 🙂 I am sure all tech people do. Occasionally I get email from a recruiter who is actually asking me for help looking for a decent Linux person. I got one of those this afternoon. In summary, the email went like this:

I am looking for (Linux Admin) and you probably aren’t looking but I am having a hard time and could you help point me somewhere I can find one?

I always respond to those emails, and, for posterity and for any recruiters watching, here’s the answer:

Not necessarily true. I am always looking 😉
I get a lot of requests and offers and I’ll tell you what turns me off and that may help you find someone. Linux guys with any experience are in really short supply and they are a unique breed of techie. Most are driven to Linux by the premise of free software and/or open source ideals, and as such they do not necessarily have (current) windows skills and are even more likely to not be interested in using any that they do have. I fit into that category. Also, not every Linux guy is a java programmer/desktop technician/helpdesk/printer mechanic/insert other required skill set jumble here. I see a lot of those. “We need a Linux guy that will fix our windows desktop, program new device drivers, fix our mainframe and telephone system, sweep floors and wash cars” kind of things. Those kind of people do not exist 🙂 Lastly is the compensation. Most companies have dealt with the influx of paper certed, dime a dozen MCSE’s for their technical needs and they truly believe that anyone out of grade school can “do tech” for them. It has greatly devalued the industry as a whole. They do not understand the real high skilled people are rare and expensive and can *easily* find work, which is why most Linux/Unix people have not been effected by the technical recession.

So I guess in short,
Linux guys are almost always staunch Linux guys (and if they are not, be suspicious).
Be specific in what you need but remember that These kinds of tech guys are quick at catching on to related technologies so try and be general where you can. For example, there are a bunch of scripting languages and all of them are capable of getting the job done, so say you need a scripter instead of you need a perl scripter.
Be prepared to offer more compensation for a rarer Linux tech than you would an unemployed Windows tech.
Advertise in the right circles. When I get offers, I often send them out to some of the mailing lists of Linux techs I am on, and there are some great Linux groups on Facebook and Google Plus. There are also websites like Linuxquestions.org where Linux geeks hang out.
Lastly, if all else fails, try a few less experienced Linux guys.