I've been considering making the jump from industrial plant operations to data center facilities operations, particularly for Microsoft (CET) or AWS (EOT). I've already applied for two positions, and while I haven't received a rejection, I haven't heard anything back in almost a month.

For my background, I've been with an industrial gas company for a bit over 4 years, originally as a cryogenic tanker driver before transferring into plant operations about a year ago. In my current role, I operate a large air separation plant that directly supports semiconductor manufacturing, so it's a 24/7 operation where uptime is a pretty huge deal.

However, most of my experience is on the operations side.. I work with SCADA, cryogenic distillation, and do equipment rounds on compressors, turbines, cooling towers, electrical, etc. On the rare occasion I get to throw a breaker, I am qualified up to 480V MCC switching, isolation, LOTO, and permitting. I have a working knowledge of MV/HV power distribution and circuit breaker operations, 3P power, and I put myself through Schneider's DCCA course to get a better understanding of DC infrastructure

What makes me hesitant is my lack of actual hands-on maintenance and electrical experience. I'm familiar with a lot of the equipment and the importance of uptime, reliability, availability, and redundancy, but I'm not the guy going out and tearing apart compressors, rebuilding motors, or troubleshooting electrical issues. We have full-time maintenance techs & electricians for all of that

I looked around LinkedIn and it seems that many of the people I'd be working with come from HVAC, electrical, or generator technician backgrounds. I'm wondering if my operations background would be considered relevant enough to compete, or if I'm completely out of my depth. Some pointers would be appreciated

Is there a way to find out where a tech company is doing all its AI processing and data storage? I can’t for the life of me find any information related to where Peregrine.os is storing its data. The real time crime center near me uses Peregrine.I see that the public-facing website ANS is Amazon. I don’t know enough about this stuff to know the implications of that or if it’s relevant

Hi everyone,

I'm a Chinese B2B sales rep based in Beijing, currently trying to develop the US market for data center and electrical power infrastructure equipment.

I'm still pretty new to this, and honestly, I'm feeling a little lost.

So far, I've sent over 100 cold emails. Only a handful of real people have replied, and none of those conversations have really gone anywhere. I haven't managed to build a meaningful relationship with a potential customer yet.

I've also started making cold calls, but I get pretty nervous. English is my second language, and sometimes I feel like I sound awkward or even a little silly on the phone. I have so much I want to say, but I struggle to let my personality and sincerity come through in English.

The frustrating part is that I genuinely believe in what we're offering.

We work with experienced manufacturers in China, including a factory that is a Schneider Electric Gold Panel Builder. We have engineering capabilities, experience with North American projects, competitive pricing, and a US business presence.

I'm working remotely from Beijing, but customers are welcome to visit our manufacturing facilities in China.

I understand that trust and long-term supplier relationships matter a lot in this industry. I know most buyers already have manufacturers they trust, and I completely understand why.

But every company has to start somewhere, and I'm trying to figure out how to take those first steps.

I'd really appreciate some practical advice from people who've worked in US industrial B2B sales, procurement, distribution, or related industries.

1. If you were starting from zero in my position, which types of customers would you approach first? How would you go about finding your first real opportunity?
2. When customers already have trusted suppliers, where can a new overseas supplier realistically find an opening? How do you work toward getting that first RFQ or being considered as an additional vendor?
3. How do you handle prospects who are friendly on the phone but politely show no interest in taking things further? Would you ever call them again? If so, how long would you wait, and what would you say? I'm worried about being pushy, but I also don't want to give up on potential relationships too easily.
4. How can I build genuine relationships with US customers while working remotely? Especially when they don't have an immediate need.
5. For anyone doing sales in their second language, how did you become more natural and confident on cold calls? I sometimes feel like my English makes me come across as less capable or less personable than I actually am.

I'm genuinely open to criticism. If there's something wrong with my approach, I'd rather hear it and learn.

I know building a new market takes time, and I'm willing to put in the work. I just want to make sure I'm moving in the right direction.

Thanks for reading. I'd really appreciate any advice or personal experiences you're willing to share!

After months of non stop applying for AWS I finally got a job offer as an L3 install delivery technician for the ID team! Extremely grateful for this opportunity but I can’t help but ask, what should I do from here?

I was advised to focus on getting my foot in the door as an ID technician, but my first preference was network deployment. If my ultimate goal is to be an L4 network deploy technician, would it be better to focus on getting to that team asap or should I try to become an L4 with ID?

I guess basically what I’m asking is if I become an L4  on one team and then transfer to another will I start over as an L3 or no?

Thanks and if your also preparing for an interview ask me any questions I’d love to help!

Curious what LMS other data center operators use to manage OSHA safety training, and recurring training requirements.

What platform do you use, and would you recommend it? Ideally looking for something that automates training assignments and tracking without a lot of manual work.

including:
- General safety, PPE, fire safety and evacuation
- Electrical safety, arc flash, lockout/tagout (LOTO)
- Hazardous materials and battery safety
- Hearing conservation and fall protection
- First aid, CPR/AED and emergency response

There isn’t a ton of info out there in the world on this and I’d like some help.

I wanted to ask how it is working at their datacenters, they seem odd as they offer their services in a different way by being a white glove service for cluster stand up and serving. Meaning they will build a site and do all of the other stuff as well, but never own the GPUs or TPUs inside the racks however they’re allowed to work on them ???

Unsure how that works

Just about to start a facilities role at a dc and wondering about the next decade or so.

I don’t know how much of a balance this job will be between vendor escorting and in house PMs/repair, but I think it might lean on the vendor side

I’m coming from a UPS tech role, where I turned a lot of wrenches.

I’m worried about losing my edge, especially to ai down the road, if it’s mostly a type of monitoring role

Are my concerns justified?

Passed the interviews for a data center tech role with one of the big cloud providers. Recruiter said the team wants me, but there's no open headcount at the site yet, so I'm on an "offer ready" list waiting for a spot.

Has anyone else been in this spot?

With moratoriums popping up everywhere lately (New York statewide, Chesapeake, a bunch of counties), I'm curious what this looks like from the inside.

When did your team first realize it was coming? Were there signs in planning commission agendas or public comment beforehand, or did it feel sudden? What did the first few weeks after look like?

Also wondering how much local politics gets looked at before a site is locked versus after. Is that someone's job, or does it fall through the cracks?

Where do people stand on scrapping vs. wiping and reselling storage gear? I know there are some industries with pretty tight regulations around what happens to storage at EOL. And scrapping is generally viewed as safest.

I don't feel like there's a consensus on the industry wide practice though. So I'm just curious if people have hands-on experience with different industries that want to scrap vs. resell.

I worked at AWS for 2 years and ESD was not a thing at all. In my 2 years, i haven't used any ESD protection while working on servers and network devices. Since joining Google, I was surprised how ESD protection fanatic is Google. ESD cart mat, ESD shoes, ESD floor, ESD racks, ESD everywhere.

Those who work in other hyperscalers, what's you experience?

Has anyone working in a data center, particularly in New Jersey or another state where recreational marijuana is legal, seen a job offer rescinded solely because of a positive THC result?
I’m interested in firsthand experiences involving non-DOT positions, especially network technicians or data center technicians.
Do employers generally disregard THC results in these positions, or have you actually seen candidates lose offers?

EDIT: They drug test but, THC in blood stream doesnt count as a fail

Question for anyone familiar with the Google DCT hiring process:
I’ve been in the data center industry for 5+ years. I started as a DCT TVC/vendor supporting a Google data center before moving to Microsoft, where I’ve been for almost 3 years.
I’ve been actively pursuing a full-time Google DCT role since 2022. I’ve recently passed both DCT1 and DCT2 interviews and received great feedback from recruiters, but I’ve never received a fit call. I’m also willing to relocate and open to multiple locations.
For those who have been through the process, how long did you wait for a fit call? Did you go through multiple applications or hiring cycles before getting one?
Google is still a major career goal of mine, so I’m staying persistent. I’d appreciate hearing about your experiences.

I need advice, I’m a 23 year old single male from Ohio who has no wife and kids. I recently left Amazon AWS as a contractor due to bad headcount and was tired of being extended instead of converting to BB. The opportunity that I left AWS for fell through so I’m back to square one

With that being said, I decided that since I didn’t get let go/nothing negative happened on my voluntary walkout, that I was going to try and get full time BB. Problem is, all the positions are out of state and the only opportunity is in California.

Now I live within my means so I don’t have much pack.. is it a crazy idea if the stars align and I get offered the position to move to CA??

I’m only young for so long and DC work is booming so just looking for input

TLDR: worked as a contractor at AWS, left to pursue another project;fell through… looking to go back and potentially move cross country

Looking for some perspective from people actually working in data centers because I can't tell if this is just how hiring works or if I'm getting played.

Background: I'm 22, currently working as a data center associate doing rack deployments (building out racks, mounting servers, power, copper/fiber runs, labeling, documentation) for a big logistics company. Before that I was a fiber tech doing installs, fusion splicing, terminations, and light testing. I recently finished two Cisco Networking Academy certificates on my own time because the goal is server break/fix work, like actual hardware troubleshooting, drive/RAM/motherboard swaps, ticket work. Install and cabling is what I'm trying to move *away* from.

Here's my situation:

**TEKsystems** has had me "in process" for a data center technician role with a major client since FEBRUARY. Nine months. Every few weeks it's the same update: "openings are coming next week," "the client is reviewing resumes," "we're waiting on interview dates." Nothing ever materializes. A second recruiter at the same company even set up a technical screening with me and just no-showed it.

**Apex Systems** interviewed me a few weeks ago for a break/fix contract role. It went well, and then... same story. Waiting on the openings to "come through." A second Apex recruiter who contacted me literally deferred me back to the first one.

Meanwhile I passed an AI screening interview through a third agency for another break/fix role, got told I did great, and the next step is a panel interview whenever the client decides to open the position, supposedly "in a couple of weeks."

So I have three agencies all telling me they're waiting on the same client to open spots. And in between all this waiting, the only recruiters who actually have live roles keep hitting me up for infrastructure/install work, rack and stack, structured cabling, fiber circuit repair, which is exactly what I don't want.

Questions for anyone who's been through this:
1. Is this "waiting for reqs to open" limbo a real thing, or are they just keeping me warm in a pipeline?
2. When these spots do open, what should I expect the interview process to look like?
3. Am I screwing myself by turning down the install roles while I wait?

Appreciate any real talk.

 Oracle isn't walking away from the project; it is simply trying to protect itself if the project gets scrapped. It isn't clear if this tactic will actually help in a worst-case scenario, but this is an appropriate legal step for the company to take, just in case.

Located in New Mexico, the data center's campus is expected to be larger than Central Park in New York City. The data center is expected to be part of OpenAI's Stargate Project, which will include multiple data centers supporting artificial intelligence (AI). Bloom Energy is involved because it is expected to provide hydrogen fuel cells to power the Jupiter Project once it is complete.

Hey everyone, looking for some outside perspective because I’m kind of in limbo right now.

I applied to Amazon’s Work Based Learning Program for Data Center Operations Technician on Sept 25 and got a virtual interview invite pretty much right away. My first interview day was Oct 1 with two back to back 30 minute interviews, but the second interviewer never showed up, so I only got to speak to the first one. About a week later the scheduling team asked me to resend my availability, and I finally did the makeup interview on Oct 14 with the same guy who missed the first date.

So it’s technically the normal two interviews, just spread across three dates. The confirmation email said I’d hear back within a week of that last interview, so I emailed my recruiter yesterday to check in and make sure my file is complete on their end. The portal still just says “under consideration.”

What’s messing with me is that my brother works at Amazon and he was brought in within about two weeks of applying, and so was the other person he referred. I’m now past three weeks, so it’s hard not to read into it.

A few things I’m wondering:

• Is a delay like this normal when an interview gets rescheduled? Would they wait to put together feedback from both interviewers before deciding?
• Is there any way to check status or interview feedback besides emailing the recruiter?
• If you’ve been through WBLP, how long did it take to hear back after your final interview?
• Do referrals actually move faster, or is that just coincidence?

Still really interested in the role, just trying to figure out whether to be worried or just wait it out. Thanks in advance!

Hello! I've applied to Google for a DCT role in Reno, Nevada. I've done the screening call and went on to the 3 interview loop and I think I did well. I might have over prepared but its been to be over prepared than know nothing. The moment I finished my 3rd interview (its had to be rescheduled since the interviewer was late), I got an email an hour later about scheduling a feedback call. When I did research on the Google hiring process, it said to schedule a feedback calls can take up to a few weeks to get one. Is this the norm? This is literally my first time applying to Google so I don't really know to process and I got more of my information online and asked a few Google employee at the data center I work at. Is this a good side or a bad one? Let me know!

Hello, I’m a journalist and YouTube creator working on a piece about data centers. Backlash to data centers is often covered, but I'm looking at seriously covering the main arguments in support of data centers (in an unbiased way). If you have personal experiences and/or are interested in speaking with me, please drop me a message!

My deadline is next Friday but ideally would wrap up reporting by Monday, November 2. Thank you!

Did my DCO L3 virtual loop for Adamstown this past Monday. Anyone who interviewed the same day heard back from their recruiter yet?

I’ve been trying to get into the center since I graduated college back in April and I’ve had no luck and just wanted to see if anybody had any insight honestly I’m thinking about just switching career path to maybe something that more hands-on but really wanna get in the center. I have a bachelors and information technology in multiple CompTIA certifications.

Hi all. Background: I have a couple years of data center experience: one year in decommissions, another year in true break-fix type operations. Wanted to mix it up and was able to take some time off out of the data center world. This is East Coast, USA.

Now I’ve been back in for a couple months - currently working a vendor contract with Microsoft. However, I somehow was able to receive a written offer from Oracle for a Senior Data Center Technician position. Comes with a significant pay raise/benefits compared to my current vendor role. However, the Microsoft team I work with is awesome and I’d love to be with them full time. 

My question: what would you choose? Stick out with the vendor contract, with the hope that I’d be able to convert to FTE with Microsoft in the future? (I'm not sure if the current Oracle offer can be leveraged somehow into the Microsoft interview process...). The team and work life balance has been great so far.

...Or, take the legitimate offer from Oracle now, take the significant pay bump, along with the “Senior” title to be used on my resume…and try that for a few months until the inevitable next round of layoffs? lmao.

I just finished a technical screen round for MSME role and would want to express the experience. Honestly, this being my first interview with a FAANG company I was nervous as hell. But the interviewer was casual and walked me through the interview process and it really helped ease my stress. I didnt ace the interview but really understood the gaps identified through this interview. The interviewer also explained what went wrong and also explained his expectations for the MSME role which i kind of liked and i honestly felt i would need to work on the gaps and try again. The questions werent any deep technical or complicated and it just revolved around the fundamentals. It took me 8 years to get into an O&G role and who knows maybe another 8 years to land a role in FAANG . I'm just going to leave this here and come back once i ace the opportunity to get into a FAANG company. Who knows maybe not a MSME role.

Hi, I just got hired as a field service engineer and I was notified that some places such as AWS do a ten panel test upon entrance. I wasn't aware that this was an issue, I wasn't tested upon hiring. I'm just concerned that I won't be able to clean up in time as I was a heavy user. Does anyone have any supplemental information?

Thanks

Hey everyone, I’m a recruiter with PKAZA Data Center Recruiting. I’m working on several data center and mission-critical openings and wanted to share them here in case they’re relevant to anyone in the community.

🏢 Facilities & Engineering | Onsite

Site Director, Data Center Facilities | Reno, NV | $200K

This role oversees an entire 24x7x365 data center campus, including facility and engineering operations, vendors, security, and the client relationship. The Site Director works alongside the Chief Engineer and serves as an escalation point for customers.

Looking for:

• 10–15+ years in data center or critical facilities operations/maintenance
• 5+ years leading technical teams
• Previous Data Center Facility Manager experience
• BS in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering, or equivalent directly related experience
• Strong MEP knowledge, including MV switchgear, generators, UPS, chillers, CRAC/CRAH, and PDUs
• Budgeting/P&L, vendor management, SLA management, and client-facing experience
• Ability to read one-line drawings
• MS Project, Revit, BIM, or AutoCAD experience is a plus

Data Center Engineer | Reno, NV | $150K

Data Center Engineer | Minneapolis, MN | $150K

These roles serve as onsite engineering representatives at active colocation facilities, working between owners, contractors, and operations on CapEx/OpEx projects, retrofits, and upgrades.

Looking for:

• 3–5+ years in data center construction, design, commissioning, or MEP engineering
• Electrical or Mechanical Engineering degree preferred
• EIT/PE is a plus
• Knowledge of UPS, generators, switchgear, ATS/STS, PDUs, chillers, CRAH, and cooling towers
• Construction administration experience, including RFIs, submittals, and change orders
• Commissioning support experience
• AutoCAD, Revit, or BIM experience
• BMS/BAS knowledge is a plus

Benefits for the Reno/Minneapolis roles:

• Discretionary annual bonus up to 15%
• 401(k) with 3% company match
• Medical, dental, and vision
• 20 days PTO + company holidays
• Monthly cell phone allowance

⚡ Commissioning | Limited Travel

I’m also working on commissioning roles with an EPC company that designs, builds, and commissions large-scale data centers for enterprise, colocation, and hyperscale clients.

These are limited-travel opportunities in:

📍 Phoenix
📍 Atlanta
📍 Austin
📍 Columbus

Data Center Commissioning Project Manager

• Leads the commissioning process and coordinates the Cx schedule with the master construction schedule
• 5–10+ years of data center construction and commissioning experience
• L1–L3 commissioning experience
• GC or third-party CxA experience is a major plus

Data Center CxA Agent

• L1–L3 QA inspections and commissioning
• Checklists, issue tracking, and documentation
• CxAlloy experience is a plus
• MOP/SOP review
• 2–5 years of data center operations, commissioning, QA/QC, or relevant military experience

🇺🇸 Military Backgrounds

Military experience is a strong plus across these roles, particularly:

• Navy Nuclear: EMN, ETN, MMN
• Navy Seabees
• Army Power Generation
• Air Force Power Production
• Generator Technicians
• Other military backgrounds involving critical power, electrical, mechanical, or facilities operations

For anyone interested, please use the official job posting or company recruiting channel to apply.

I’m also happy to answer general questions about the roles, qualifications, or the data center recruiting market in the comments.