The problem is that ‘Systems Administrator’ is a very vague title. It can cover everything from the guy/girl who creates new mail accounts on a daily basis, to the guy/girl who moves tapes around your server room, to the guy/girl who designs some ground breaking geo-redundant self-healing network. This makes giving primers on ‘what the job is’ very tough.

Essentially you want to find someone who has actually done relevant work to the role looking to be filled. Not just been part of a time that’s done it. Not just taken a certification/college degree/read about it on expertsexchange. Actually done it. Whether this be adding those daily email accounts or designing your skynet implementation for world domination. Education rarely matters in reality when it comes to the sysadmin field.

When it comes to higher level jobs, definitely people who can think outside the box and really visualize a problem and come up with a solution are required. Problem solving type questions that are technically relevant but not specifically ‘technical’ questions would be a good way to find these kinds of people. Also a great way to see how someone handles themselves under pressure, which is required for the job usually.

My 2-cents