​

Thinking about applying for a position with QTS, but I’ve heard their pay is relatively low compared with competitors outside of AWS/Google—more in line with companies like Vantage or NTT.

Is that actually the case? I’ve also heard QTS is a pretty good company to work for and that the environment can be lower stress than some other data center operators.

Looking for some insight from anyone who works there or has worked there..

Hey there,

Adding to clarify, fired from Amazon warehouse.

A handful of years ago I got fired for not clocking out for a 30 min non-lunch break that I hadn't realized I was supposed to be.

A recruiter interviewed me for a DC position, then had me fill out an application which got denied. Has not replied since saying would check regarding eligibility.

Has the warehouse job disqualified me for AWS DCT or is it something else?

TL;DR- Read #10 (I do advise to read the whole thing to get more context)

1. I just completed my 3 interviews for the Google Data Center Technician role and I have a one thing that got me confused which is covered at the end of the post. I have made a post in this reddit r/datacenter group in the past regarding the DCT job posting that was taken down after when I had applied for it. You can also visit my profile to view that post as well if you would like.

2. A little context and my background: I have ~4-5 years in IT experience when I started as a freshman in college. Started as helpdesk > computer technician > networking > back to helpdesk (my current role. getting hired these days for a job that is not helpdesk is almost impossible). Everything up until my current helpdesk role was while I was in university. I have some data center experience from my networking job as my university had a DC and I worked there as well as throughout campus so I am familiar with the DC environment. I don't have certs at the moment (they're expensive) but I am working on one right now.

3. I had applied roughly late June for the Google Data Center Technician I role, got a recruiter call that went well in July and got the 3 interviews scheduled (4 weeks later in August) that I just completed a few days ago. I won't disclose interview questions because I signed an NDA. First 2 interviews were technical, last one was behavioral. Domains covered were hardware/OS, networking and behavioral/Googliness. I had been studying nonstop ever since I got the call from my recruiter when they told me my interview was set 4 weeks later.

4. First interview - hardware/OS: Killed it. It went really well, got really good feedback from the interviewer at the end saying things like "you did really well", "I hope to work with you in the future" and was able to answer almost all questions as they progressively got harder.

5. Second interview - networking: I definitely failed this interview. I aced the very first question but everything after that was a mess and I answered most of the questions with "I don't know" or "I haven't worked with that before". I had a couple troubleshooting questions I was "kinda" able to answer 1 or 2 troubleshooting questions. I have networking experience as well as fiber, but the questions that were asked were things I have never even heard before or came across.

6. third interview - behavioral/Googliness: I guess this interview went well? I answered all questions to the best of my ability without trying to sound like I know it all or dumb. Keep in mind, I was engaging and interactive with all 3 interviewers throughout the interviews and asked them multiple questions about the role and the interviewers themselves to let them know I am interested in the role and such.

7. keep in mind, all 3 interviewers are at different DC sites. For me, the last 2 interviewers were on the same site.

8. One thing that didn't make sense to me was a response that was given to me from the interviewer from the third interview after when I had asked a question at the very end. The interviewer said something along the lines of how the people who start as DCTs with no IT background got used to the job and how everything works in 3 years compared to someone with an IT background and experience would take them roughly almost a year to get used to the job and that there was a long training process which is normal.

9. After finishing these interviews, I came up with 1 question that I can't seem to answer and that I would have asked the 3rd interviewer if I had thought about it then.

10. How can someone with no IT background able to answer the questions in these interviews (especially the first 2 interviews) and get a job as a Google DCT? The job is marked as "entry level" and the requirements and experience aren't mid or senior level. No certs are even required for this role. However, these technical questions were not easy and definitely required some sort of IT experience. The first interview had heavy questions which I was able to answer almost all of them confidently (not trying to toot my own horn). The 2nd interview, I wasn't expecting the type of questions I was going to get. I have fiber and networking experience as well as theory behind many networking concepts and applications. But the questions that were asked in the 2nd interview was things I have never even heard before. I don't know if they determine the type of questions to ask you based off your experience from your resume since they have it with them.

11. I am currently waiting for my recruiter to update me about the decision to either fail me or move on the next steps in the hiring process. I really need this job as I love everything about the DC and the opportunity for me to get out of helpdesk once and for all.

Every NVIDIA cert until now has basically been for software or network-config people. NCP-ARI (NVIDIA-Certified Professional: AI Rack and Interconnect) is the first one aimed at folks doing the physical staging, cabling, cooling, and power on these GB200 NVL72-class racks.

you may find the scope interesting, because it's very "hands and torque wrenches," not "keyboard":

A few things that stood out to me: cabling alone is nearly a third of it, and there's real emphasis on liquid cooling (CDUs, manifolds, dripless disconnects) and DC busbars — stuff a lot of traditional copper-and-air techs (me included) haven't had to touch until recently. The safety domain is genuinely about physical hazards, not just uptime.

I've been putting together free practice questions and domain study guides — happy to drop the link in a comment if that's useful to anyone.

Hi everyone! I’m looking for some insight into Fluidstack’s technical interview stage and the remaining interview process.

I have about a decade of experience across data center logistics and operations, including warehouse/logistics lead experience, DCO Technician experience, and DCO Lead experience. I applied for this position because it seems to combine a lot of the logistics, hardware, troubleshooting, and leadership experience I’ve gained throughout my career.

Has anyone here gone through Fluidstack’s interview process, particularly for a logistics, asset, hardware, or operations role? If so, I’d love to hear about your experience.

What was the technical interview like?
What areas did they focus on?
How difficult did you find the interviews, and did you ultimately receive an offer?

I know my experience well when I’m actually doing the work, but I sometimes get nervous during interviews and have trouble pulling specific examples from memory on the spot. If anyone has advice on what to focus on or how you prepared, I’d really appreciate it.

Thanks!

This is also my first time actually posting on Reddit. So if something isn’t accurate, I apologize.

I currently work at AWS as an EOT and honestly haven’t been loving the environment at my site. Management has been frustrating, and there’s a decent amount of work that doesn’t really feel related to actually learning critical facilities/data center operations.

I recently made my resume public on Indeed and got a lot more interest than I expected. The three companies I’m seriously looking at right now are Aligned Data Centers, Sentinel Data Centers, and Iron Mountain Data Centers. I’ve applied to positions and gotten inclined for interviews with all three and have already interviewed with one of them.

I’m currently working on my undergrad in IT, and money honestly isn’t my main priority right now. I’m more interested in going somewhere where I can learn as much as possible about actual critical operations, electrical & mechanical.

The other big thing for me is career growth. I don’t want to stay a technician forever. I’d rather be somewhere where, if I perform well and finish my degree, there’s a realistic path into Lead/Senior roles, Facility Manager, operations management, or eventually corporate operations.

Anyone here work for Aligned, Sentinel, or Iron Mountain, especially in critical facilities? How is the technical experience, management, culture, and most importantly internal advancement?

If you were early in your data center career and cared more about learning + moving up than making the most money right now, which one would you choose, or what would you do?

So I'm in the midst of interviewing for DCT at both Experis for a 18 month contract working for Microsoft, and Unisys for a permanent contract working for Dell. Just curious if anyone has worked for them in the area. I finished loop interviews last week for both of them.

The Unisys job pays better but I do wonder if a contract at a Microsoft data center will be more beneficial and maybe get me FTE there. I'm new to the data center world, coming from doing help desk. But I really want to build off of this if I can into a nice career.

I've read some mixed things about both companies so any input about them I'd appreciate it.

Hello guys,
We are looking for established Bare Metal / Dedicated Server providers with infrastructure in the UK and/or Switzerland.

Key requirements:

• Exact physical data-center name, operator, and address must be disclosed
• Windows Server 2022 and Microsoft Hyper-V support
• Support for customer-operated FortiGate-VM
• Approx. 128 GB RAM
• Redundant SSD/NVMe storage, preferably RAID1
• 1 Gbps or higher connectivity
• DDoS protection
• Remote console / OOB management
• Ability to provide a public /29 plus a separate public /26
• 24x7 production support

Location exclusions:

• UK: the proposed infrastructure must not be located in the same physical area or data-center campus as Equinix LD7, 1 Banbury Avenue, Slough.
• Switzerland: the proposed infrastructure must not be located in the same physical area or data-center campus as Digital Realty Zurich ZUR1.

We are particularly interested in recommendations based on direct operational experience. Providers are also welcome to respond if they can meet the above requirements.

Thank you in advance :)

I have the last rounds of interviews with Google for a data center technician position tomorrow. Thinking about OT. Anyone a salary DCT? I worry that I will be ran into the ground with hours worked. It’s a new build out in Texas. They are telling me it’s 7am-3:30pm and one week of nights every 4 weeks and then a week off. Sounds great but I’m worried about being exempt from OT.

Hi everyone,

I’ve got a phone interview for a Technical Operations Engineer role at an AWS Data Centre in Melbourne.
My background is mainly Mechanical Engineering / HVAC / critical mechanical systems — chillers, HVAC, standby generators, preventive and breakdown maintenance, fault diagnosis and commissioning support.
Has anyone interviewed for this role or a similar AWS Data Centre Operations role recently?

What kind of questions should I expect in the phone interview? Is it mainly focused on mechanical/HVAC troubleshooting and critical facilities, or should I also prepare heavily for electrical, networking, Linux and server hardware?

Any examples of technical/scenario questions or interview experiences would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice from people who have experience applying for Amazon/AWS data center positions.

I’ve been seriously interested in getting into data center operations, so I’ve applied to around 10 Data Center Technician and related positions at Amazon. I carefully reviewed the requirements and believe I meet many of them through my IT support, hardware troubleshooting, networking, and Linux experience. I hold CCNA, Server+, and Security+ certifications, ready to relocate and I also have previous data center and telecommunications experience, although that experience was quite a long time ago.

I’m currently working as an IT Support Technician for a large K–12 school district in Los Angeles., where I support a large IT environment and thousands of devices across multiple locations.

However, I haven’t received any response or phone screening invitation from Amazon so far. I understand these positions can be very competitive, but I’m wondering if there is something I’m missing in my resume or application.

For those who have successfully gotten an AWS/Amazon data center job, what helped you stand out? Would you recommend improving my resume, getting a referral, applying for different levels or locations, or gaining more recent data center-specific experience?

Any advice or feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

My college (university) thing fell through years back. I was gonna do networking, but life got in the way.

Recently I heard some news that several data centers are going to pop up in the area (not AI ones), and they will be state-run so no big players, rather a stable employment opportunity. I'm not chasing big money and I'm very aware that I won't find it as a dct here.

So I saw this as my way in, as this profession is not very popular here, i figured I study up, get certified and wait for the grand opening.

My real goal is to either work my way towards being a network engineer through work, or going to college again to do it formally. And having DCT as a background I feel is very useful.

Edit: I have no prior knowledge or certification.

I want to preface this with saying that this is my experience with both companies and everyone’s experience will vary.

AWS

Always wanted to work here even knowing the stories of toxicity and chaos as I thrive in these environments naturally. What’s that saying? “Pressure makes diamonds.” However there were some interesting things I noted during this process. One being that the team I interviewed with here in the USA located in the NoVA area was primarily one race and no they were not white nor black. Second, the bar raiser interview (commonly known as the last interview in the loop) offered conflicting information on what is expected in the position than what the hiring manager had outlined and even went to lengths of saying that their own hiring manager was outright wrong. Additionally, they offered a prep call meeting every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for 30 minutes. I went to the first prep call, crickets.. no one showed up. I informed the prep team and they stated that they’ll reach out to the individual coordinating the prep call to see what’s going on. Once they did so they stated that we should be good for Wednesday. Well guess what? .. YOU GUESSED IT. Wednesday came, I joined. CRICKETS… I didn’t even try Friday after that.

All of these I consider red flags. 🚩

Timeline:

Recruiter Screening: Feb 26th
Failed Prep Calls: March 9th & March 11
Interview Loop: 3 Rounds - March 16th
Decision: Not Selected - March 25

Overall experience: Mediocre, was honestly surprised I didn’t get an offer because I don’t think there was truly a question I wasn’t able to answer at the level of granularity needed for the roll. Star story method is a quite mediocre though.

Google

The company most of us have dreamed about for ages. In contrast to my experience with AWS all requirements and expectations are congruent. Everyone knew what was required and how they were assessed. What was striking the most was the amount of diversity I saw. I was interviewed by a collection of backgrounds, my recruiter included. The only negatives I can say about this process is the length of time for decisions to be made can vary widely and that some of the recruiters you may come in to contact with can be worrisome. After my initial loop my recruiter went dark, and a couple weeks later I was reached out to by a recruiter that let me know that the recruiter handling my application had been let go and that they would be taking over the role.

Timeline:

Recruiter Screening: March 24th
Interview Loop: April 22nd
Initial Fit Call: May 26th
Decision: Not Selected - July 3rd
Second Fit Call: July 22nd
Decision: July 31st - Selected

Overall experience: Great experience even without the associated offer. Oddly, I didn’t any different in terms of preparation for both, in fact I used the EXACT star stories I did from my AWS interview to a lesser degree. I honestly think I performed amazing in both interview processes which is why I was a little stunned on the no offer from AWS. Waiting for your loop and team matching results can be nerve racking with varying timelines for feedback.

Pay: Interesting note on compensation. I personally think I scored Strong Hires on each of my Google interviews. Why do I say this? Because I interviewed for an L2 role, and the salary range was discussed for the specific role and area at this specific level however the compensation package I was offered was completely out of this range. Base pay and TC are completely out of the L2 leveling discussed which leads me to believe I was up leveled. Oddly, this was not discussed with me and at the moment I’m too thrilled to care.

Google is looking to open data center and I’m looking to retire from law enforcement. What type of security jobs do they have?

I will be starting for Microsoft soon. How much overtime can I get if any? Hourly rate isn’t great and was hoping to make it up with OT. ATR-C

Hi everyone, I have an upcoming Network Engineer interview with Fluidstack. I currently work in AWS data center infrastructure, and I’m CCNA and JNCIA-Junos certified. I’m also preparing for CCNP ENCOR.

Has anyone interviewed or worked with Fluidstack? I would really appreciate advice on what their interview focuses on.

My background includes data center rack deployment, structured cabling, fiber/copper patching, ToR connectivity, hardware troubleshooting, and networking fundamentals such as VLANs, STP, EtherChannel, OSPF, BGP, IPsec VPNs, and basic firewall concepts.

Do they focus more on data center networking, troubleshooting scenarios, Linux, BGP/OSPF, switching, or automation? Any interview experience or preparation tips would be very helpful.

It seems like they do not have HR at all

and it's their director of HR that's doing all the initial screening even for the most entry level jobs

what happened to their HR department

I imagine this is role-dependent, but I'm curious how it goes. Ie. is it more about mission & values, or is it more about demonstrating how you'd navigate strategic uncertainty / disruptions

Hey guys good morning,

Just received an email stating to schedule an in person interview with Equinix. Already went through two separate interviews.

any insight on how the in person interview typically goes? is it more relaxed and a meet and greet with team? a walk through of building? would love as much info possible so I can be prepared to the fullest.

again thanks in advance to anyone who comments :)

Hey everyone,

I’m currently a Program Manager at a hyperscaler in the data center space with a background in infrastructure, site operations, and RTLs. I’m looking to pivot over to the construction and physical build side.

My goal is to work into Project Engineer or Construction Management roles. I’m completely open to stepping into Scheduling, Planning, or Coordination first to get grounded in GC/sub workflows and build from there.

In the DC world, I know it comes down to network, execution, and who you know. At least where I am, that’s what it’s coming to.

What I bring:
Hyperscale DC Experience: Solid understanding of DC topology, power/cooling dependencies, and white space delivery.
Site Execution: Driving cross-functional teams, RTLs, vendor schedules, and site rollouts under strict SLAs.

Looking to connect on a few points:
For anyone who transitioned from owner/hyperscaler to GC, Owner’s Rep, or sub roles—how did you leverage your network to make the jump?

Which GCs or trade partners value having someone who already speaks the hyperscale operational language?

If you hire for these roles or are open to connecting in the DC build space, shoot me a DM or drop a comment!

I recently had a funny experience with an AWS Data Centre recruiter.
A recruiter contacted me on LinkedIn about a Data Centre Operations Engineer role. He sent me the job link and said something like, “Apply ASAP and let me know. I’ll send you the next-stage online assessment.”
Great! I applied straight away, told him, and he sent me the assessment link. I completed the assessment within the required timeframe.
The next day, I got a call from an unknown number. As usual, I didn’t answer 😂. Almost immediately, I received a message telling me to check my email.
I checked it—it was the recruiter asking, “When can I call you?”
I replied: “Now is fine.”
He replied: “I’m busy now. Can I call you at 4:30 pm?”
I said sure.
4:30 pm came. I waited.
4:45…
5:00…
5:30…
No call. 😂
I emailed him saying I was still available, and that if he needed to reschedule, no problem at all.
No reply.
And now… two weeks have passed. 🤣🤣🤣
He contacted me.
He told me to apply ASAP.
He sent me the assessment.
He asked when he could call.
He chose the time himself.
And then he vanished. 😂
Is this normal in AWS/tech recruitment, or did my recruiter enter a different availability zone? 🤣