Screening checklist
Cloud Architect Screening Checklist
Thorough Cloud Architect screening checklist covering cloud design, cost optimization, security architecture, and multi-cloud strategy.
The short answer
Screening Cloud Architect candidates well means fixing the pass criteria before the first résumé is opened. The checklist below covers résumé triage, a short phone screen with model answers, a technical check with passing criteria, and the deal-breakers that end a conversation early.
- Must have: Deep expertise in at least one cloud platform
- Must have: HA, scalability, and security architecture design
- Must have: Infrastructure as Code proficiency
- Deal-breaker: Cannot design beyond basic architectures
Cohesyve scores every applicant against a role-specific assessment. Ten candidates free, no card.
This checklist evaluates Cloud Architect candidates across platform expertise, architecture design, security, cost optimization, and cloud transformation leadership.
Résumé screening
- Major cloud platform expertise (AWS, GCP, Azure)
- Cloud architecture certifications
- Multi-tier HA architecture design experience
- Cloud migration or modernization projects
- FinOps and cost optimization experience
- Cloud security architecture
Must-have qualifications
- Deep expertise in at least one cloud platform
- HA, scalability, and security architecture design
- Infrastructure as Code proficiency
- Cloud networking and security knowledge
- Technical communication skills for diverse audiences
Phone screen questions
Ask every candidate the same set, in the same order, and note the answer against the model before you form a view.
Describe your most complex cloud architecture design.
A strong answer Explains requirements driving design choices, discusses trade-offs, highlights reliability patterns, and demonstrates cost awareness.
How do you optimize cloud costs without sacrificing reliability?
A strong answer Covers right-sizing, reserved capacity, spot instances, auto-scaling, architectural optimizations, and FinOps practices.
Your approach to cloud security architecture?
A strong answer Discusses zero-trust, IAM, network segmentation, encryption, secrets management, compliance, and monitoring.
Managed services vs self-managed: how do you evaluate?
A strong answer Considers TCO, operational burden, vendor lock-in, customization, SLAs, and team expertise.
Tell me about a cloud migration you led.
A strong answer Describes strategy, dependency mapping, data migration, testing, rollback plan, and lessons learned.
Cohesyve
Let the screen run itself
Cohesyve puts a Cloud Architect assessment between the application and the phone screen, so the calls you make are with people who have already cleared the bar above.
Technical screening
| Area | What to test | Passing criteria |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud Architecture | Multi-tier design, HA, DR, scalability patterns | Designs resilient architectures following well-architected frameworks |
| Security & Compliance | IAM, network security, encryption, compliance implementation | Implements comprehensive security meeting compliance requirements |
| Cost Optimization | FinOps, right-sizing, reserved capacity, monitoring | Optimizes costs while maintaining performance and reliability |
| Infrastructure as Code | Terraform/CloudFormation, module design, state management | Designs reproducible, version-controlled infrastructure |
Fit and deal-breakers
Good signs
- Strategic thinker aligning tech to business
- Strong communicator across audiences
- Stays current with cloud evolution
- Collaborative with dev and ops teams
- Balances innovation with pragmatism
Deal-breakers
- Cannot design beyond basic architectures
- Ignores security or cost in design
- No hands-on cloud experience
- Cannot communicate to non-technical stakeholders
Scoring rubric
Architecture Design
35%- Scalability patterns
- Service selection
- DR planning
Security & Compliance
25%- Security depth
- Compliance knowledge
- Risk management
Cost & Operations
20%- Cost optimization
- IaC proficiency
- Operational excellence
Leadership
20%- Communication
- Team influence
- Strategic alignment
Common questions
How important is multi-cloud experience?
Deep expertise in one platform is more valuable than shallow multi-cloud knowledge. Cloud-agnostic principle understanding is sufficient for strategic planning.
Should Cloud Architects write code?
Yes, hands-on with IaC, automation, and prototyping. Maintains credibility and ensures practical, implementable designs.
How to evaluate migration experience?
Ask about strategies used, assessment process, challenges encountered, and outcomes. Look for both lift-and-shift and re-architecture experience.
Cohesyve · Skill assessments for hiring
Assess Cloud Architect candidates before you interview them
Cohesyve turns a job description into a role-specific assessment with a scoring rubric. Each candidate gets a different version, so questions cannot be shared between applicants.
1,500+
assessments completed
50%
faster time-to-hire
90%
completion rate
5 min
from JD to assessment
No credit card · 10 free candidates · Plans sized to your hiring volume
From the blog