You can find more than 11,000 Linux-related jobs on any given day on tech jobs site Dice.com, for example, and demand for Linux experience there is growing at a rate of 31 percent year over year, compared with just 20 percent for job postings overall.

A similar situation can be found on the Linux Foundation's Jobs Board, meanwhile, where more than 30 Linux job ads were recently posted in a single week.

Demand for Linux skills far outstrips supply, in other words, so it's no wonder companies are about finding the staff they need. Of course, is the Linux expert's opportunity.

I had a chance to speak recently with both Alice Hill, managing director of Dice.com, and Jennifer Cloer, director of communications for the Linux Foundation, about the Linux hiring market today. What follows is a collection of best practices for all those hoping to land a Linux job.

1. Networking