Rackspace Talent » Michael Long

Considering San Antonio?

Michael Long — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:48:05 +0000

Moving to San Antonio, TX was a big decision for me personally. Last year, I wrote a post called “My Journey to San Antonio” that explored my considerations in moving to the Lone Star State. As I quickly approach the five year mark, life here continues to prove fulfilling and packed with new adventures.

Personal reflections aside, San Antonio has recently made the news as it topped the list of the “Cities With The Best Economies in America” according to Forbes.com.

If you’re on the bubble and not sure if San Antonio is right for you, I encourage you to explore the web and learn more. Here are some resources to get you started:

Choosing the best place to live for you (and your family) is an important decision. Feel free to comment if you have questions that we can help answer!

Email & Apps is Shufflin’

Michael Long — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 17:05:59 +0000

When was the last time you made a music video with your colleagues?

Our Email & Apps group recently created a remake of “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO. Over the course of just over a month, the team practiced, planned and pulled off an awesome Rackerized version of the well-known tune.

Every group at Rackspace has a unique personality… for Email & Apps, it’s about working hard and playing hard.

Enjoy this fun creation courtesy of TopGunRacker!

Explore careers with Rackspace!

#TNL: San Antonio

Michael Long — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:53:52 +0000

On July 29^th, Rackspace will be hosting the first Talent Net Live event to take place in San Antonio. For those of you who have never attended a TNL event, you’re in for a treat!

Over the course of the day, speakers from around the country (and world) will share a variety of best practices and thought leadership on the topic of talent. From Robert Scoble’s opening keynote to Jason Seidon’s presentation on Profersonalism, there will be something for everyone.

From past experience, the TNL events are jam packed with information that’s useful and easy to implement. Whether you are interested in upping your social recruiting game or gaining strategic direction – it’s all there. Additionally, the networking is fantastic!

So, check your calendar and reserve your spot today for TNL. The event is limited to 100 attendees. Can’t wait to see you there and show you around Rackspace!

Click here to register!

Photos from past TNL events:

Rackspace Walkabout – London

Michael Long — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 18:55:30 +0000

Shortly after visiting our team in Blacksburg, I headed to London in order to speak at a recruiting unconference called TruLondon and to spend time with our UK team.

I was excited about the visit because our UK team recently changed offices and I had heard some pretty fantastic feedback about their new space. And, of course, I was looking forward to catching up with the various Rackers I had met just over a year prior when I visited for the first time.

The first part of my trip to London was spent at the unconference. I left on a Tuesday afternoon from San Antonio and arrived early Wednesday morning in London. I thought I was going to be able to check into the hotel and clean up before the day’s events – that didn’t end up being the case. So, after brushing my teeth and a very refreshing face wash in the public restroom, I chugged a couple liters of coffee and headed into the event… dazed, but present.

At 3:00 PM, it was finally my turn to present. I chose to discuss Culture Branding. The topic focused on the reasons behind and the methods used for sharing content on Racker Talent. I also touched on the topic of company culture… the stories, events, involvement and core values that make Rackspace the kind of environment it is. In a nutshell, our goal is to share as many perspectives as possible in order for candidates to make a solid decision as they consider us as an employer. The thought being that we’re not the right place for everyone, but for the right folks, we’re the perfect place.

The conference itself continued for the next two days. Lots of catching up with industry friends and a number of Facetime sessions with home later, it was time to head over to the Rackspace location.

So, first of all… Wow!

Our London team really did an amazing job creating a world-class facility that contains all the Rackspace spirit a building could contain. Large ceilings, cool Racker decorations and tons of culture sprinkled throughout the facility.

Here are a few pictures:

Fanatical Jacket display close to the entrance

Fun break room area towards the back of the facility

The Entrance

View from the top looking down

Cool server room by the conference rooms

My time with the London team was great. It’s always good to get some different perspectives on how Rackspace is performing across the pond… and they’re making magic happen. At the time, they had just rolled out our Cloud offering and you could feel the excitement in the air. With additional roll-outs pending, it was obvious that the team as a whole is pumped to see what the future holds.

While visiting, I had the chance to meet with a number of Rackers who will become bloggers once we launch our UK version of Racker Talent. Great folks and I can’t wait to see their perspectives shared with the world.

One other important point… In the U.K., it’s all the coffee and tea you can drink – right from an all-in-one machine that apparently can fly. Awesome!

As always, it was a pleasure to catch-up with our UK Rackers and visit their new facility. Can’t wait to see them again in the near future!

In 2010, Michael joined Rackspace Hosting in San Antonio, TX to head up global employment branding initiatives. Since becoming a “Racker,” Michael launched RackerTalent.com and has brought together internal bloggers from five continents to share the authentic culture of the organization.

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July 4th and Coming Together

Michael Long — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 22:18:36 +0000

My Grandfather was born on the 4th of July.

When I was little, I remember hearing stories about him and his service in our military during WWII. He spent a good portion of that time in Northern Africa as evidenced by the many small treasures left behind.

I still look through the remnants and try to imagine what his life must have been like… what must have been going through his mind.

Away from home, family and his wife (my Grandmother) must have been an emotional challenge. I would imagine the challenges were similar to what our service men and women are going through today. Political loyalties aside, we should reflect on and appreciate the sacrifices they all make on our behalf.

But, this post isn’t about battle or missing home, it’s about groups coming together for a central cause. The best lesson I learned from my Grandfather was the power of working together.

Wars aren’t won by a single soldier. Business success is rarely a one person show. The results of success are often times a combined effort.

Whether you are fighting for the independence of a nation or the success of your business, remember those around you who have put their hearts and souls into the mix. Together, you are the success story.

One of the things that I love about Rackspace is that we all consider ourselves to be Rackers. It’s a title that you receive once on board and one that you continue to earn by being a part of our larger cause. We are not immune from falling into the “us against them” rut of compartmentalized work, but we resist and we prevail through a passion for the people part of our business and our esprit de corps.

On this 4th of July, I wish you all camaraderie and goodwill. Whether you work for Rackspace or somewhere else, be sure to thank those around you for their efforts.

Ultimately, we’re all on the same team. Team World

After WWII, my Grandparents eventually settled in Merced, CA. Aviation was a shared passion of theirs. The picture above is of my Grandparents with their Christian Eagle biplane. They both had their pilots licenses and enjoyed flying up until his death in 1985.

Parkour at Virginia Tech

Michael Long — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 16:43:31 +0000

On my recent visit to Blacksburg, I had the privilege of meeting a very cool Racker named Hai Thai. Hai is one of our Software Developers and he has a very interesting hobby called Parkour.

Recently, Hai decided to put together a video of himself performing parkour on the Virginia Tech campus. I asked him about it and this is what he had to say:

“This project was produced during the “20% week” of free time allowed to developers in the Rackspace Blacksburg office to pursue development projects outside of their regular focus. At the time, there was a push to increase recruiting and we wanted to return to our roots and focus on our next generation of developers from the pool of current and graduating university students. Taking these ideas into account, I decided to use my undirected time to make a recruiting video which would highlight the idea of fanatical support around the Virginia Tech University campus.

In my spare time, I practice parkour and freerunning; disciplines which focus on utilizing the human body to overcome obstacles in the environment smoothly and efficiently. I think I made a pretty fun little video ”

So, check it out – Hai taking the Virginia Tech campus by storm!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Thanks for the contribution Hai!

Check out opportunities in Blacksburg.

Rackspace Walkabout Begins in Blacksburg

Michael Long — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 23:58:07 +0000

It’s easy to get into a groove and make assumptions about our environments. I’ll admit, it’s happened repeatedly throughout the course of my life and I’d guess it happens to others. Perhaps it’s human nature to strive towards feeling at ease with our surroundings – to feel like we know what’s going on. It’s a much more peaceful disposition than the opposite feeling of uncertainty.

A few weeks back I was sitting with my boss and he recommended that I start a Walkabout. Now, I know what you’re thinking… Mick Dundee and crocodiles, right? Well, not exactly…

When I looked up the term Walkabout on Wikipedia, the first line states:

“Walkabout refers to a rite of passage during which male Australian Aborigines would undergo a journey during adolescence and live in the wilderness for a period as long as six months.”

My goal in starting the Rackspace Walkabout is to get to know Rackspace on a different level. To get to know the people and groups that make us… well, us. It’s also my hope to relay what I learn here on Racker Talent. As always, it’s our goal to open the doors as much as possible for future Rackers. We want you to know us before making a decision to join our team.

The Journey Begins in Blacksburg

Last week, I started my Walkabout by visiting our Blacksburg, Virginia office. This was my first time to our facility there and I was pretty excited about meeting everyone.

I left San Antonio at around 5:00 PM on Tuesday. After a stop in Atlanta, I arrived to Roanoke, VA close to midnight. I proceeded to drive the wrong way on the highway for about 25 minutes before I realized something was off. A quick reference to Google Maps and I was back on the right track. My head hit the pillow at about 2:00 AM. Long day!

The next morning, I headed over to our facility. Well, not exactly. Right after grabbing the largest coffee I could purchase, I headed over to our facility. After the initial “Hi, I’m Michael from San Antonio” and security check, I was off to meet the team.

From there, I was given a tour of one half of the facility. The team was amazing! Super friendly, down-to-earth… just very inviting and warm. I was shown the office areas, the break room, the conference rooms (Fight Club and the soon-to-be Finding Nemo room) and the various other touches that make Blacksburg unique.

After my tour, I met with Doug Juanarena, our new Vice President of Operations over the Blacksburg site. He gave me some history around how Rackspace came to be in the area. It would require another post to explain the full scoop, but it was interesting and put most everything into context for me.

Doug then took me for a drive around Blacksburg. We drove through Virginia Tech and the downtown area. Next, he took me to the one of the research parks in town and explained the innovation that’s taking place. Pretty exciting stuff!

We finished up the day in the office – yes, I still had email and tasks to tend to

Once the day wrapped up, we headed over to Poor Billy’s for dinner – one of a few restaurants located in downtown Blacksburg. The food and environment were excellent and it was a great way to wrap up the day!

Day two started out with snow. I’m not used to waiting for my car to warm up, so it was a new adventure for me.

Huge coffee in hand, I spent most of the day sitting with and getting to know members of our various groups at the site. Teams dedicated to software development, user experience, marketing and human resources. Of course, we also snuck in a pretty intense game of Ping-Pong, which reminded me that I’m totally out of shape.

That evening, most all of the team headed over to Bulls & Bones for Happy Hour. Food, micro brews and some great conversation were the order of the evening.

Day three rolled around and, as you may have guessed, I armed myself with another huge coffee (I’m a bit of a caffeine fan). I headed into the office and met with various Rackers to discuss the upcoming hiring at our facility there – lots of hiring! It wasn’t long before I had to head out to the airport and catch a flight back home. Luckily, this time, I didn’t go the wrong way on the highway for half an hour

Takeaways

For me, Blacksburg was an enchanting town to visit. It’s relatively quaint, but contains most all the amenities one would need. That said, Roanoke is only 45 minutes away and a gentleman at the airport told me that there’s nearly 250,000 people in the surrounding areas.

In addition, Blacksburg boasts a pretty reasonable cost of living – tempting for those who enjoy having the extra land and space.

The other major plus is education. Virginia Tech and Radford University are right next door – no need to travel!

With regard to the Rackers, I’m impressed and I continue to smile over a week later. The team is extremely welcoming, warm and absolutely passionate about our mission. It’s a fun environment and the Rackers genuinely care about each other.

Warm fuzzies aside, they are super focused on software development and making our Email & Apps products top notch. The team is growing rapidly and they are A-critical to the organization’s success. Hiring is a big priority and we’re looking to expand the team.

It was an honor to meet all the Rackers in Virginia and I couldn’t be happier for it being the first stop on my Walkabout. A huge thanks to everyone in Blacksburg and I hope to see you all again soon!

Interested in exploring opportunities in Blacksburg? Check out our openings!

Michael is a graduate of Georgetown University with a degree in International Relations. He has lived multiple years abroad in both Guatemala and Argentina. In his spare time, Michael enjoys spending time with his family, guitar, photography and exploring the social web.

The What, Why, Where and How of Rackspace

Michael Long — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 19:37:22 +0000

It’s not always easy to answer the question, “What is Rackspace?” You see, Rackspace is much more than a company with a product or service – Rackspace feels more like a mission.

As Rackers, we embrace this mission and it’s obvious when you get to know our teams and why we do what we do.

In this video, you will learn about our mission, our approach to customer service and how we go about keeping Rackspace unique and special.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Interested in becoming a Racker? Check out our open positions!

A Fanatical Wonderland!

Michael Long — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 22:51:22 +0000

Snow in San Antonio is… well, rare. As I was admiring the snow covered streets this morning in front of my house, the neighbor said he hadn’t seen snow here for a decade. According to MSN, the last time we had snow was February 13-14, 2004 – a whole 0.7″ – a blizzard for sure!

As I’m sure you could assume, the City of San Antonio isn’t very accustomed to even the slightest amount of snow or ice on the ground. And since Rackspace is a 24/7 operation, we’ve spent the last few days preparing for the possibility that Rackers would need to adjust schedules, work remotely and generally prepare to continue supporting our customers.

As the snow started accumulating last night, a few Rackers from our Email & Apps group managed to take a break in order to enjoy this rare occasion. They created a massive Fanatiguy in the parking lot!

Even better, the Rackers involved had volunteered to stay through the night in order to help out their colleagues that were due to take over in the morning. This would be a great example of how Rackers go above and beyond for their colleagues – we are just as serious about Fanatical Support for our colleagues as we are for our customers!

Special thanks to Shannon Forester for letting us all know about this!

>>Read more

My Journey to San Antonio

Michael Long — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 19:38:05 +0000

I’ll admit, before coming to Texas I had some preconceptions… some thoughts and feelings about how life would be in the Lone Star State.

But first, let me provide some context…

I was born in a small town about two and half hours outside of San Francisco.

Merced, CA was “home” to my Mom’s side of the family. My Grandpa was a dentist in town and heavily involved with aviation. I still remember going out to the airfield and watching him fly. He had a Christian Eagle and a BD-5… the James Bond plane. My Grandmother also had her pilot’s license, so they enjoyed some fun times together in the air.

When I was two, we moved to Dayton, OH for six months in order for my Dad to attend technical school for NCR. After a very brief stint there, we moved to Modesto, CA… about an hour away from Merced.

Modesto was my Dad’s home turf. My Grandparents, on my Dad’s side, had been there for years. For the movie buffs out there, my Dad attended Downey High School, which was the setting for George Lucas’ film American Graffiti. In the film, Downey was called Dewey and the class portrayed graduated a year before my Dad. It’s fun to watch the movie with him.

When I was five, we packed up and moved to Hillsboro, OR in order to be closer to the majority of our family – over a hundred first, second and third cousins on my Dad’s side. The family reunions were out of control!

Hillsboro is where we finally settled down. It was a good place to grow up. The town was small (80,000 people at the time) and we had a pretty good support network of family. The plants, trees and natural surroundings were fun for me as a child. Having the ocean just over an hour away was pretty cool too.

When I was 15, my cousin came back from a year abroad in Australia with Rotary International. After hearing her stories and the adventures she had experienced, I decided that becoming an exchange student was a great next step. I was interested in learning Spanish and experiencing a new culture, so I applied and was fortunate enough to get accepted. At 16, I headed off for my year abroad in Guatemala. The year that followed provided me with enough stories to last a lifetime…

In short, I spent time living in both Guatemala City and a small town called Coatepeque. In total, I stayed with nine hosts families ranging from a bachelor in downtown Guatemala City to ranchers who owned a bullfighting ring in Coatepeque. We even had bullfighters stay with us – quite an adventure for a 16 year old.

After my year abroad, I moved back to Oregon and finished High School. Instead of going straight to college after graduation, I followed a girl to Argentina.

I spent the next year living in Córdoba, Argentina, where I started playing guitar and brushing up on my Spanish. Beautiful country!

A year and many adventures later, I came back to the U.S. and started college in Los Angeles, CA. I had met a few people from this cool little two-year college on the Palos Verdes Peninsula that seemed interesting. Marymount College had small classes, great professors and lots of opportunities to get involved. In fact, I ran and was elected Student Body President in my sophomore year. It was a great experience and the right decision for me at that time.

After graduating, I moved to Washington, DC to finish up my undergraduate studies at Georgetown University. Having developed quite a passion for international topics, I chose to study International Relations with an emphasis in Culture and Politics. Georgetown, like Marymount, offered intimate classroom settings and many opportunities to get involved. Unfortunately (and fortunately), the majority of tuition and living expenses fell on my shoulders, so I ended up working two jobs while attending school full-time. It was a challenging balance, but in May of 2003, I graduated…

Washington, DC, while super fun and interesting, was expensive and I was in no position to continue paying $1,800 a month for a tiny apartment, so I moved to Phoenix, AZ to be closer to my Brother and start my career.

After a few months of new grad career confusion, I was hired to work for a recruiting company. I spent the next four years working in a variety of roles and developed quite a passion for the business of talent acquisition. Finding great people for great companies has a way of growing on you.

Texas or Bust!

In 2007, there was an opportunity to move to Texas. My mind was racing with what I might encounter…

For starters, the whole “Y’all” thing… I didn’t know how I was going to deal with it. The other stigma I had was about Texas Pride… how could these Texans be so proud all the time. Are they just pretentious? As always, I decided to leave preconceptions behind and jump in. Destination: San Antonio, TX.

Over three years later, I can tell you that Texas is much more than I could have ever imagined. It’s home and I love it!

So, why am I writing this and what purpose does it serve on our careers site? Great question!

Many out-of-state candidates ask about life here in Texas. To be perfectly honest, they are usually hesitant. While the road that led me here is unique, I’ve learned that many people contemplate the same questions before making a major move.

Back to what I experienced…

People don’t say “Y’all” all the time… even though I do (sometimes just for fun). The Texas Pride thing is real, but not in a pretentious way. Football is taken seriously – very seriously! The steaks are amazing and if you like Mexican food, you’ll be in heaven.

Moving to Texas, from almost any other part of the country, you’re likely to find the opportunities plentiful and the tax system refreshing… no state income tax (yay!).

Businesses are growing and the overall mood is optimistic and ambitious. If that weren’t enough, the cost of living is very reasonable.

If you’ve yet to visit, come down and see what it’s all about. While here, check out the River Walk and The Alamo, but also be sure to check out the Hill Country. Towns like Boerne and Fredericksburg help make this part of the country special and enchanting. Vineyards, history, great shopping and beautiful countryside.

For kids, we have a Six Flags (Fiesta Texas) and a Sea World. Austin is just over an hour away and, on the way, you can check out some of the largest outlet malls I’ve ever witnessed – huge!

For the museum buffs out there, we are home to two major art museums (McNay and the San Antonio Museum of Art) and an amazing museum of Natural History… The Witte.

Due to our economy, activities available and the cost of living, Forbes.com recently added San Antonio to the “America’s Best Cities for Young Adults” list.

After having lived in 3 countries, 6 states and 11 cities (on both coasts), I’ve become a bit more critical and less attached. I had all but lost the desire to lay roots in any one particular location. For me, Texas has changed that.

If you make it down this way, be sure to let me know. I’d be happy to give you some tips for your visit and, of course, a tour of the Rackspace headquarters – The Castle!

Michael is a graduate of Georgetown University with a degree in International Relations. He has lived multiple years abroad in both Guatemala and Argentina. In his spare time, Michael enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter, playing guitar, photography and exploring the social web.

Connect with Michael on Twitter (@theredrecruiter) or via email.

Photo Credit – Texas Flag – by Brian Romig

Photo Credit – Crater Lake, Oregon – by Stuart Seeger

Photo Credit – Andes Mountains – by Michael Long

Photo Credit – San Antonio Christmas – by Corey Leopold