Primary reason candidates are being rejected: Strong VMware backgrounds paired with Windows-focused infrastructure experience, but insufficient Red Hat Linux depth. Installation, configuration, administration Virtual Center Server, VMware View, Disaster Recovery, Plate Spin, vMotion, P2V, P2P, V2V, VMWare Update Manager.
Numbers & Facts
Location
Dallas, TX
Description
Our client, a Investment Banking company, is looking for a CW Systems Engineer for their Dallas, TX location.
Responsibilities:
Design, implement, and maintain VMware vSphere virtualization infrastructure, including ESXi hosts (6.5+), vCenter Server, and vSAN
Configure and manage virtual networks, storage, and other virtualization components
Monitor and troubleshoot VMware vSphere environment for performance and availability
Develop and maintain automation scripts for VMware vSphere environment
vCenter integration with AD, DNS, backup or any other applications
Requirements:
Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, computer programming, or similar
Experience in managing Red Hat RHEL Operating Systems
Good problem-solving, communication and collaboration skills.
Preference:
VMWare Certified Professional
Experience in other virtualization technologies - Kernel-based virtual machines (KVM), Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization (container-native virtualization)
Experience in container technologies - Kubernetes
In-depth knowledge in Virtualization and Hypervisor security including hardening techniques for the virtualization platform to prevent attack threats
Experience in managing relationships with vendors.
Education: Bachelors
Top 3 Skills They Are Looking For:
VMware (Top Priority)
Strong hands-on experience with ESXi, vCenter, vSAN, VMware administration, migrations, clustering, and virtualization infrastructure.
Ideal target experience level is roughly 3-5+ years supporting VMware environments.
Red Hat Linux:
This is the biggest gap they're seeing in the current candidate pool.
Candidates should have real administration and troubleshooting experience with RHEL environments, not simply exposure to Linux VMs.
Problem-Solving / Troubleshooting:
The team places significant emphasis on a candidate's ability to troubleshoot infrastructure issues independently.
They are looking for individuals who can explain their thought process, diagnose problems, and support production environments rather than relying on memorized answers.
Automation & Scripting:
While not one of the top three requirements, automation is viewed very favorably.
Python is the preferred scripting language.
Candidates do not necessarily need to be advanced software developers.
More important is having an automation mindset and understanding how to automate infrastructure-related tasks.
Experience with tools such as Python, Ansible, Bash, PowerCLI, or other infrastructure automation solutions is a plus.
Additional Notes:
The role supports VMware infrastructure, Linux systems, and associated on-prem environments.
vSAN experience is highly desirable but not necessarily a dealbreaker if the candidate has strong VMware and Linux fundamentals.
The team stated that if a candidate has strong VMware knowledge and strong Linux experience, client-specific tools and processes can be taught after onboarding.
There may be long-term conversion potential based on performance and business needs.
Solid Red Hat Linux administration and troubleshooting experience
Demonstrated production support experience
Strong problem-solving abilities
Exposure to automation and scripting (Python preferred)
Comfort working in a Linux-centric enterprise environment
Primary reason candidates are being rejected:
Strong VMware backgrounds paired with Windows-focused infrastructure experience, but insufficient Red Hat Linux depth.
Thanks everyone, and please focus screening efforts heavily on Linux/RHEL experience in addition to VMware when reviewing candidates for this opportunity.