Linode starts by giving you a phone screening by their super friendly HR. After that, they will put you on a call with leadership from the support team. This interview is to get a better feel of your technical skills and base knowledge. Support team leadership is also super friendly and obviously knowledgeable!
Then, the fun part starts :) Linode absolutely wants to make sure that you're a good fit. Therefore, they fly interviewees out to their office for an on-site interview. Linode will provide flight, rental car, and hotel stay in order for you to continue in your interview process. Specifically during my interview, I was flown into Philadelphia, and was provided a rental car to get to the hotel about an hour away, in Absecon, NJ. Absecon is about 10 minutes from the Linode office. The hotel was much better than many Marriott Courtyards that I have stayed in, and I was even offered another hotel arrangement by Linode when weather wasn't so great the last day.
The office is located in a building that's not very easy to find, but it's unique enough not to have to u-turn too many times to find it. Once inside, it's very apparent that the office has an awesome start-up feel it to. The office has been thoroughly customized to fit the Linode character. Many of the team members were wearing very casual, comfortable clothing, and the office buzzed of keystrokes and productive conversations.
The next step in the process is to physically sit with HR and the support leadership. Here you'll get more acquainted with the position and responsibility, as they get more acquainted with you, your skills, and customer service experience. The atmosphere of the interview is set more for you to have a conversation, rather than your usual stuffy Q&A. The Linode guys really want to get to know you, and it's very easy to get into a friendly "talk shop" mode.
After that, you're tested in a few areas. They want to make sure you have a good foundation with the technology, as well as with your customer service and writing skills. Due to the nature of the position, it's very important to have good writing and grammar skills.
Linode also provides lunch after your basic skills tests. I was taken to a very quaint, clean restaurant with very tasty food. We were joined with the VP, and another member of support leadership. This really added to the experience, as you're placed in even more company of the support team.
Afterwards, you'll finish up with HR, making sure that all has been explained and all questions have been answered.
I had a very, very positive interview experience. Linode wants to make sure candidates are a great fit for their team, and it shows. I was offered a position, but had to decline for personal reasons. I absolutely recommend interviewing for this position, given you are passionate about the technology, are friendly, and want to work for one of the coolest innovative cornerstones of their market.
TL;DR: 10/10, would interview again.