How to source and shortlist {role_name}

Where can you find qualified {role_name}?

  • Professional network : Leverage your professional network and reach out to former colleagues, industry peers, and tech community members to ask for referrals.
  • Educational Institutions:
    • Universities with strong computer science and cloud computing programs.
    • Specialized training programs that offer Azure certifications, such as Microsoft Learn and Azure Academy.
  • Company Career Pages:
    • Posting the job on your company's career page ensures it reaches candidates who are specifically interested in your organization.
  • Role-Specific Job Boards:
  • Geography-Specific Job Boards:

What are the best practices for headhunting {role_name}?

  • Personalized Outreach:
    • Customize your outreach messages to highlight why the candidate would be a great fit for your company and the specific Azure projects you are working on.
    • Mention specific Azure certifications or projects from their profile that align with your job requirements.
  • Leverage Referrals:
    • Encourage current employees to refer qualified Azure Cloud Engineers.
    • Offer referral bonuses to incentivize participation.
  • Engage in Industry Events:
    • Attend Azure-focused conferences, webinars, and meetups.
    • Network with professionals and distribute information about the job opening.
  • Showcase Unique Selling Points:
    • Highlight any opportunities for Azure certifications, involvement in cutting-edge projects, or unique company benefits.

How to shortlist candidates?

Once you have started to get applications from applicants, a thorough screening process and shortlisting of prospects will help you make the most of your time spent with the most qualified ones. 

Automated shortlisting tools :

Automated screening quickly filters out unqualified candidates, saving time for manual review. This allows the manual process to focus on the most promising candidates, ensuring the best ones are considered for further evaluation.

Screening questions to auto-shortlist based on predefined criteria

like qualifications, location, experience, and skills. Either use job board or use an ATS such as whitecarrot. Here are some questions for {role_name}

  • How many years of experience do you have with Azure services (e.g., Azure VMs, Azure Storage, Azure Networking)?
    • Auto-reject criteria: Less than 2 years of experience.
  • How many years of experience do you have with Infrastructure as Code (e.g., ARM templates, Terraform)?
    • Auto-reject criteria: Less than 1 year of experience.
  • Are you located within [specified location] or willing to work remotely?
    • Auto-reject criteria: Not located within the specified region and unwilling to work remotely.

Skill based question to auto shortlist candidate

Analyze the skill test data to automatically shortlist top-performing applicants. (recommended screening test time - 15 minutes). Here are some skill test questions for {role_name}

Azure Services

  • Question 1: What is the primary function of Azure Virtual Machines (VMs)?
    • Options:
      • To store data
      • To provide scalable compute capacity
      • To monitor application performance
      • To manage user identities
    • Correct Answer: To provide scalable compute capacity
  • Question 2: Which Azure service is used for object storage?
    • Options:
      • Azure SQL Database
      • Azure Storage
      • Azure Functions
      • Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
    • Correct Answer: Azure Storage
  • Question 3: What is Azure Functions used for?
    • Options:
      • To manage databases
      • To automate cloud operations
      • To run code in response to events without provisioning servers
      • To create virtual networks
    • Correct Answer: To run code in response to events without provisioning servers

Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

  • Question 1: What is the purpose of Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates?
    • Options:
      • To monitor cloud resources
      • To define and provision cloud infrastructure using code
      • To manage network security
      • To deploy machine learning models
    • Correct Answer: To define and provision cloud infrastructure using code
  • Question 2: Which language is used to define ARM templates?
    • Options:
      • JSON or YAML
      • XML
      • HTML
      • Python
    • Correct Answer: JSON or YAML
  • Question 3: What is a Terraform module?
    • Options:
      • A single resource configuration
      • A container for multiple Terraform configurations that can be reused
      • A script for running Terraform commands
      • A monitoring tool
    • Correct Answer: A container for multiple Terraform configurations that can be reused

Scripting (e.g., PowerShell)

  • Question 1: Which of the following is a common use case for PowerShell in Azure?
    • Options:
      • Automating cloud infrastructure tasks
      • Designing user interfaces
      • Managing relational databases
      • Writing frontend code
    • Correct Answer: Automating cloud infrastructure tasks
  • Question 2: How would you use Azure CLI in an Azure environment?
    • Options:
      • To create and manage Azure resources through command-line scripts
      • To monitor network traffic
      • To write unit tests for cloud applications
      • To optimize SQL queries
    • Correct Answer: To create and manage Azure resources through command-line scripts
  • Question 3: What is the purpose of a virtual environment in Python when working with Azure?
    • Options:
      • To isolate dependencies for different projects
      • To run Python code faster
      • To debug Python code
      • To deploy Python applications
    • Correct Answer: To isolate dependencies for different projects

Note - Auto reject candidates if scores less than 70% in this section

One way video interview

Recruitment Bullet

Use tools like hirevue, whitecarrot.io to ask candidates pre-recorded questions about their experience and skills.

Recruitment Bullet

Use sample question given in scorecard.

Collect other information 

Recruitment Bullet

Collect data from shortlisted candidates, such as salary expectations and visa status.

Manual candidate profile shortlisting:

Recruitment Bullet

Thoroughly review the CVs of the top scoring candidates from the automated process

Recruitment Bullet

Look for evidence of the required skills, experience, and achievements

Recruitment Bullet

Review the candidate’s portfolio or GitHub repositories to see examples of their work.

Schedule recruiter calls with the candidate

Recruitment Bullet

Use a tool like calendly or whitecarrot to allow candidates to self-schedule calls based on your availability

Recruitment Bullet

Confirm the call details (date, time, dial-in info) with the candidate via email

What questions to ask in the recruiter phone screen?

Recruitment Bullet

 Use scorecard for rating candidates for recruiter

Recruitment Bullet

Sample scorecard : 

Criteria Rating (1-5) Comments
Experience with Azure Services
Knowledge of Infrastructure as Code
Scripting Skills
Problem-Solving Skills
Communication Skills
Cultural Fit
Work Sample Test
Recruitment Bullet

Check for consistency in responses from the candidates.

Recruitment Bullet

Record such scorecards in an ATS like whitecarrot or use google doc