--- title: Do You Know What to Look for While Hiring a System Administrator? description: Looking to hire the best System Administrator? This article will walk you through the system administrator roles & responsibilities, their skills & how to evaluate these skills. --- [Blog | iMocha](https://blog.imocha.io) # [Do You Know What to Look for While Hiring a System Administrator?](https://blog.imocha.io/what-to-look-for-while-hiring-a-system-administrator) Written by [Sanghamitra Sarate](https://blog.imocha.io/author/sanghamitra-sarate) | 11/16/17 12:25 PM So, you are looking to hire a System Administrator? Do you know the requisite skill sets that a system administrator must have? What are the roles and responsibilities of system administrator? Even if you are not aware of these things, no need to worry! Here, in this post, we'll walk you through them! **What does a System Administrator Do?** System Administrator is a person who handles multi-user systems, servers so that system users can have a hassle-free experience without any security threat. StatCounter report released in September 2017 says that the usage share for Windows is 36.34% and for Linux (desktop) is 0.75%.   Also, according to [CIO.com](https://www.cio.com/article/3164125/10-it-skills-that-employers-need-in-2017.html#slide5), Network/ System administration is among the most in-demand skills. Their role is very important in your organization & that is why your role also as a recruiter gains more prominence as you need to hire the right candidate. System administrator skills vary from one organization to other, because of their varying nature of job responsibilities.iMocha an [online assessment software](https://www.imocha.io?imblog-ca)**,** has listed duties of system administration that are broadly applicable for both (Linux as well as Windows system administrator). **What Are The Roles and Responsibilities of a System Administrator?** A SysAdmin is in charge of keeping the complete technology and IT stack up to date. And, in the technology field, this means you're responsible for managing the system that keeps your entire company running. Some of the most typical system administrator job description requirements, with which you can have a better idea of the skills list and technologies that the candidate needs to be acquainted with are: - Planning & implementing system needs of a company - Planning, implementing & monitoring security measures - User management - System management - Identity management - ITIL - Customer service - Hardware related tasks such as storage, backup & recovery - Install, configure, monitor, update software systems - Monitoring network efficiency - Bug handling - Scripting/ Light programming Also Read: [System Administrator Interview Questions](https://blog.imocha.io/system-administrator-interview-questions?imblog-ca) In most cases, whether the company is small or big, hiring one skilled Linux system administrator will work as the processes or tasks in Linux administration can be easily automated. When you need to give responsibility to a single person to carry out the most important job in your company, you must identify & hire a highly skilled person as the productivity, security of your employees, as well as the company, is in his hand. To hire the best fit you need to screen the best candidates. To grab the cream of the crop, iMocha’s scientifically designed [recruitment assessment tests](https://www.imocha.io/pre-employment-testing/all-tests?imblog-ca) and easy-to-use [online assessment platform](https://www.imocha.io?imblog-ca) will help you to find your next best Linux system administrator. ## Let’s have a look at Linux system administrator skills: - Linux Operating System - Linux Commands - Networking Basics - Data Warehouse - Computer Fundamentals - Fundamentals of Linux Shell - RHCE, CompTIA Linux + Certification will be a plus Nice to have skills: - Problem-solving Skills - Writing Skills - Communication Skills So, these are some of the important windows system administrator technical skills list which you need to consider before hiring a SysAdministrator for your company.  But, one of the primary questions here is how can you assess the candidates, whether they possess these skills or not. To help you with it, iMocha #1 Skill assessment software allows you to assess the candidate’s skills as per the job requirement in an easy go! Some of the best and [ready-to-use iMocha skills tests](https://www.imocha.io/?imblog-ca) are:  - [Linux System Administrator Assessment Test](https://www.imocha.io/tests/system-administrator-assessment-test) - [Linux Shell Online Test](https://www.imocha.io/tests/linux-shell-assessment-test) - [Online Linux Command Test](https://www.imocha.io/tests/linux-commands-assessment-test?imblog-ca) - [Linux Files Assessment Test](https://www.imocha.io/tests/linux-files-assessment-test?imblog-ca) - [Linux Assessment Test](https://www.imocha.io/tests/linux-fundamentals-assessment-test?imblog-ca) - [English Aptitude Test](https://www.imocha.io/tests/pre-employment-english-test-advanced-level?imblog-ca) - [Computer programmer aptitude test](https://www.imocha.io/tests/computer-programmer-aptitude-test?imblog-ca) If you wish to assess a candidate for multiple skills, you can do it right here at iMocha; an AI-powered [online assessment software](https://www.imocha.io?imblog-ca)**,** you can even create your own test that includes questions (we support MCQs, MAQs, Descriptive, Whiteboard, Audio, Video, Coding questions) on various topics and that too in your preferred language (English, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Russian, etc.) Cool, isn’t it!   Moving ahead, let's know, What Are The Top System Administrator Interview Questions? Linux System Administrator Interview Questions Below are the sample Linux System Admin Interview Questions to Assess and Hire Linux System Administrator. - The IP masquerading can be done by the following steps. select the right order: **Options:** 1. 4 3 1 2 2. 4 1 2 3 3. 1 4 3 2 - For re-installing Grub in Linux how to use following steps. Select the order: **Options:** 1. 4 1 3 5 6 2 2. 4 5 2 1 6 3 3. 4 2 6 1 5 3 - Arrange the following steps in correct order to boot into single-user mode: **Options:** 1. 2 1 4 3 2. 1 4 3 2 3. 1 2 4 3 - In order to upload files to a remote server using unix utilities, which command should be used? 1. move \[/path/to/local/file\] to \[remote-username\]@\[remote-hostname\]:\[/path/to/remote/file\] 2. scp \[/path/to/local/file\] \[remote-username\]@\[remote-hostname\]:\[/path/to/remote/file\] 3. copy  \[/path/to/local/file\] to \[remote-username\]@\[remote-hostname\]:\[/path/to/remote/file\] - What are the best practices for maintaining security on remote server? 1. Only run services on public interfaces that you are actively using. One common source of security vulnerabilities is in unused daemons that are left running. This includes database servers, HTTP development servers, and FTP servers. 2. Only give users the permission to do what they need to. This includes application-specific users. 3. Use SSH connections whenever possible to secure and encrypt the transfer of sensitive information. - How we can discover which version of UNIX is running on a machine? 1. The pre-login banner, the post-login banner, and the man command 2. The pre-login banner, the post-login banner, and the uname –a command 3. The post-login banner, the whereis command, and the man command - If I rununame –a command, what would be result? 1. The name of the operating system, the password, the version of the operating system, and the machine processor type 2. The name of the operating system, the post-login banner, the version of the operating system, and the machine processor type 3. The name of the operating system, the username, the version of the operating system, and the machine processor type 4. Neither from above Moving further, a scenario is different while hiring a windows system administrator. Let’s discuss the Windows system administrator roles and responsibilities. Windows System Administrator’s job is highly focused on key areas such as WSUS (Windows Update Server), headcount management, security, virtualization, cloud services, mobile device management, data center, and network operations. So, many a time, there is a dedicated team of system administrators for every single function to work on. And then they will be known as a database administrator, virtualization administrators or data center administrator, network administrator, and security administrators. ## Windows System Administrator Skills List: - Windows Operating System - ITIL - Microsoft Azure - AWS (Amazon Web Services) - PowerShell - Networking basics - Fundamentals of Computer - MCSA Certification will be an add-on To validate the skill of the candidate in order to find out the most suited player for the job role, iMocha’s [pre-employment assessment tests](https://www.imocha.io/pre-employment-testing/all-tests?imblog-ca) come to your rescue. The below tests not only gauge the depth of one’s knowledge but provides you a clear picture of the candidate’s skills-related strengths & weaknesses. So it will be easier for you to assign the job to the candidate. - [Windows Administrator Online Test](https://www.imocha.io/tests/system-admin-windows-test?imblog-ca) - [AWS Online Test](https://www.imocha.io/tests/aws-test-online?imblog-ca) - [Microsoft Azure Test](https://www.imocha.io/tests/microsoft-azure-assessment-test?imblog-ca) - [Windows Server 2008 Online Test](https://www.imocha.io/tests/windows-server-2008-online-test?imblog-ca) - [Pre-employment English Test](https://www.imocha.io/tests/pre-employment-english-test-advanced-level?imblog-ca) You can evaluate the skills of candidates at an initial level using our high-quality pre-employment tests that contain application-oriented MCQs, MAQs, Descriptive, Whiteboard, Audio/Video questions. You can also create a customized test as per your specific requirements.   | *Streamline your recruitment with our expert-designed [System Administration Skills Assessment](https://www.imocha.io/pre-employment-testing/system-administration).* | | --- |   Windows System Administrator Interview Questions When structuring your interview, find out which questions you can ask. Below are some sample Windows system administrator interview questions to ascertain the applied knowledge of the candidates. - In which order are steps perform to replicate changes to Server002 when you modify the Policy A from Server001(Server002 is a downstream replication partner for server001) **Options:** 1. 2 6 8 7 9 1 3 4 2. 6 2 8 7 5 3 4 1 3. 6 2 8 7 5 3 4 1 - Group Policy settings are processed in the following order: **Options:** 1. 3 1 2 4 2. 3 1 2 4 3. 3 1 2 4 - The DHCP problems can be resolved by the Super Scope in different ways like the following: - In which order of steps you will Add or Remove the Global Catalog? **Options:** 1. 4 1 2 3 2. 4 3 1 2 3. 1 3 4 2 - Organizational Unit in Active Directory can be created using? - Which is the correct order of steps for determining the RID, PDC, and Infrastructure FSMO Holders of a Selected Domain? **Options:** 1. 4 3 1 5 2 2. 4 5 3 2 1 3. 3 5 4 1 2 - To transfer a role using ntdsutil use following steps below as a template for all the roles. Which is the correct order? **Options:** 1. 8 7 6 1 2 4 5 3 2. 8 1 6 4 5 7 1 3 3. 8 2 6 1 5 4 7 3 - The following information describes the changes that occur during the upgrade process: - In a Windows domain, the PDC emulator role holder retains the following functions: Final Thoughts: System Administrator plays a very crucial role to help you have an excellent user experience. It also implies that you need to hire a skilled system administrator to manage & monitor the systems within your organization. Focus on what exactly you are looking for starting from targeting the right pool of candidates, screening for the specific job-based skills using [right pre-employment assessment tools](https://www.imocha.io?imblog-ca), and interviewing the potential prospects and you won't miss a bright candidate.   [View full post](https://blog.imocha.io/what-to-look-for-while-hiring-a-system-administrator) ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Sanghamitra Sarate" }, "dateModified" : "2024-07-23T10:57:54.909Z", "datePublished" : "2017-11-16T12:25:06Z", "headline" : "Do You Know What to Look for While Hiring a System Administrator?", "image" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "height" : 768, "url" : "https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/820873/Imported_Blog_Media/How-to-Assess-Hire-System-Administrator-1024x768.jpg", "width" : 1024 }, "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://blog.imocha.io/what-to-look-for-while-hiring-a-system-administrator", "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "height" : 60.0, "url" : "https://820873.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/820873/iMocha%20black.png", "width" : 279.70148 }, "name" : "imblog" } } ```