Hays’ Christine Wright gives her top tips for tech professionals looking to sell themselves in a cloud computing interview.
Cloud computing is a very well-paid industry, with professionals potentially earning more than £60,000 per year in the UK and around $100,000 in the US according to the Hays salary guide – and with demand for such roles increasing greatly in recent years.
The pandemic is also accelerating the number of cloud migrations, further increasing demand for a host of IT cloud jobs. This trend shows no signs of stopping.
With this level of demand, now is the perfect time for many tech professionals to start applying for cloud computing jobs. But if you do not have much experience in the cloud, how can you stand out from the crowd during a job interview?
Demonstrate your business acumen
Every company has a reason to migrate to the cloud. But if you can position yourself as a candidate who understands why a cloud migration is important to an organisation, this exhibits your wider knowledge.
Remember, every company is at a different stage of its cloud migration. While 81pc of companies have at least one application running on the cloud, most are still developing their cloud migration strategies. However, the majority of businesses will also know what they want to get out of the cloud – even if they are still not sure how to get there.
That’s where you come in. If you can link your previous tech roles to the wider enterprise, you are clearly demonstrating that you understand the big picture. It also shows that you’re a well-rounded candidate who is willing to adapt to the business, which is another important skill to emphasise.
Highlight your expertise and adaptability
During any interview, you are usually asked about your qualifications and career development plans. This is your opportunity to not just reel off a list of exam results and past projects, but to also demonstrate your knowledge of the latest cloud computing advancements.
So, before your job interview, ensure you’ve researched the industry thoroughly. You can then use this research to structure your responses to any questions about your continuous education and professional development.
If you’re moving from a role as a solutions architect to a cloud solutions architect, for example, try to demonstrate and explain how you have prepared for this shift. You may have taken on additional responsibilities in your current role or completed a continuous education course, for example.
This prep would certainly be worth your while. An AWS/Azure cloud architect earns more than £100,000 on average per year in the UK. And in the US, a cloud solutions architect could earn around $150,000. Whereas an infrastructure architect earns around £83,000 in the UK.
Brush up on cloud-native applications and tools
Cloud-based applications development is a growing field and one that is attracting a lot of talented software developers. During an interview, it is important to highlight your understanding of developing applications specifically for the cloud.
To start, you must be familiar with a range of cloud platforms and understand the implications of designing a tool with scalability in mind. Also, while a cloud-based app can technically be unlimited in size, remember cloud hosting is not free. So, data size optimisation and condensed user requests could help, for example. And don’t forget to brush up on your cloud security knowledge, too.
Cloud-native development also covers emerging development areas such as containers, continuous delivery, orchestration and microservices. Even if you are still developing your skills in this space, it is important to show your awareness and understanding as much as possible.
If you are unsure on the technical details, focus instead on how such areas can help the business and show your willingness to learn.
Explore the link between DevOps and cloud computing
Cloud DevOps is an emerging area where cloud computing and DevOps are both essential for any digitisation initiative. Now, cloud professionals often find themselves working under a DevOps methodology.
DevOps essentially empowers developers to respond to the business in near real time. In other words, your development efforts are highly accelerated. The centralised nature of the cloud provides DevOps efforts with a standard platform for development, testing and production. As such, the cloud and DevOps are often intrinsically linked.
During your interview, it is important to have an understanding of DevOps and demonstrate your familiarity with some best practices in this space. You may want to ask questions about how the organisation embraces DevOps practices, for example, to further showcase your knowledge.
Understand why multi-cloud management matters
Multi-cloud initiatives are growing in popularity and, as a result, there is now demand for tech professionals that can work across multiple vendors, developing cloud-agnostic tools.
If you want to demonstrate your expertise in this area, you could work towards a certification in AWS, Google Cloud, Azure or another popular cloud platform. Then, learn how other organisations manage their workloads across multiple clouds.
The world has changed a lot in recent times, massively accelerating many organisations’ digital transformation efforts. This has provided tech professionals with the perfect opportunity to explore new skillsets and careers.
Cloud computing is an area that is predicted to grow and grow in the years ahead. And if you can market yourself effectively, you could secure one of these highly lucrative and in-demand cloud jobs.
Christine Wright is senior vice-president of Hays US. A version of this article previously appeared on the Hays Technology blog.
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