Azure Developer Archetypes
"Azure developer" is broad. Clarify which role you need:
1. Cloud/Platform Engineer
Focus: Infrastructure provisioning, CI/CD, developer productivity
Primary Services: Virtual Machines, App Service, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Azure DevOps
Daily Work: ARM templates, Bicep, Terraform, deployment pipelines, resource management
2. DevOps/SRE Engineer
Focus: Reliability, monitoring, incident response
Primary Services: Azure Monitor, Application Insights, Log Analytics, Azure Automation
Daily Work: SLA management, on-call rotation, performance optimization, alerting
3. .NET Developer with Azure
Focus: Application development on Azure services
Primary Services: App Service, Azure Functions, Azure SQL Database, Service Bus
Daily Work: Building .NET applications, serverless functions, API development, database integration
4. Data Engineer
Focus: Data pipelines, warehousing, analytics
Primary Services: Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Data Lake, Cosmos DB
Daily Work: ETL development, data modeling, analytics pipelines, big data processing
5. Solutions Architect
Focus: System design, cross-team technical leadership
Primary Services: All of them—breadth over depth
Daily Work: Architecture reviews, vendor evaluation, technical roadmaps, cost optimization
Core Azure Competencies
Must Understand for Any Azure Role
1. Identity and Access Management
Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) is central:
- Azure AD vs. on-premises Active Directory
- Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
- Managed identities for services
- Conditional access policies
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
2. Resource Management
Understanding Azure's resource model:
- Resource groups and subscriptions
- ARM (Azure Resource Manager) templates
- Bicep (modern IaC language)
- Tags and resource organization
- Cost management and budgets
3. Compute Options Trade-offs
- Virtual Machines: Full control, Windows/Linux support
- App Service: Managed web apps, auto-scaling
- Azure Functions: Serverless, event-driven
- Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS): Container orchestration
- Container Instances: Simple container hosting
4. Networking
Azure networking fundamentals:
- Virtual Networks (VNets) and subnets
- Network Security Groups (NSGs)
- Azure Load Balancer and Application Gateway
- ExpressRoute vs. VPN Gateway
- Private endpoints for secure connectivity
5. Cost Awareness
Azure billing can be complex. Good candidates discuss:
- Reserved Instances vs. Pay-as-you-go
- Cost management and budgets
- Azure Cost Management + Billing
- Right-sizing resources
- Architecture decisions affecting cost
Certification vs. Experience
The Certification Reality
Azure certifications signal:
✅ Baseline knowledge of Azure services
✅ Ability to pass structured exams
✅ Investment in learning Microsoft technologies
Certifications don't guarantee:
❌ Production architecture experience
❌ Debugging skills under pressure
❌ Cost optimization intuition
❌ Security best practices in practice
❌ Understanding of .NET/Windows integration
How to Evaluate
Ask about real projects:
- "Tell me about an Azure architecture you designed from scratch"
- "Walk me through a production incident you resolved"
- "How did you reduce Azure costs at your last company?"
- "How did you integrate Azure with existing Microsoft infrastructure?"
Red flags:
- Can only speak in certification terminology
- No experience with Infrastructure as Code (ARM, Bicep, Terraform)
- Never worked on high-availability systems
- Doesn't understand Azure AD integration
Interview Questions That Reveal Skill
Architecture Understanding
Q: "How would you design a highly available web application on Azure?"
Good answer includes:
- App Service with multiple instances across regions
- Azure Front Door or Application Gateway for load balancing
- Azure SQL Database with geo-replication
- Azure AD for authentication
- Azure Monitor for observability
- Cost considerations
Red flag: Only mentions putting everything in a single region
Security Awareness
Q: "An Azure Function needs to access Azure SQL Database. How do you grant access securely?"
Good answer:
- Managed identity for the Function App
- Azure AD authentication for SQL Database
- Least privilege RBAC roles
- No connection strings in code
- Discusses private endpoints if needed
Red flag: Suggests embedding connection strings in app settings
Cost Consciousness
Q: "You've inherited an Azure subscription with a $50K monthly bill. How do you approach optimization?"
Good answer:
- Start with Cost Management + Billing analysis
- Identify unused resources (stopped VMs, unattached disks)
- Evaluate Reserved Instance opportunities
- Consider architecture changes (serverless, right-sizing)
- Review and optimize App Service plans
Common Hiring Mistakes
1. Over-indexing on Certifications
A developer with Azure Solutions Architect Expert cert but no production experience will struggle. Prioritize hands-on experience over credentials.
2. Testing Console Knowledge
Clicking through the Azure portal is different from writing Infrastructure as Code. Modern infrastructure is code. Ask about ARM templates, Bicep, or Terraform.
3. Ignoring Microsoft Ecosystem Integration
Azure's strength is Microsoft integration. Candidates who understand Azure AD, .NET, and Windows Server integration are more valuable than generic cloud engineers.
4. Ignoring Cost Awareness
Azure makes it easy to overspend. Candidates who've never thought about cost optimization may rack up bills. Ask about their cost management experience.
5. Hiring Generalists When You Need Specialists
An App Service expert may not know Azure Data Factory deeply. Clarify which services matter for your use case and hire accordingly.
Recruiter's Cheat Sheet
Technical Terms to Know
| Term | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Azure AD | Microsoft's cloud identity and access management service |
| App Service | Managed platform for web apps (PaaS) |
| Azure Functions | Serverless compute for event-driven code |
| AKS | Azure Kubernetes Service (managed Kubernetes) |
| ARM Template | Infrastructure as Code format for Azure (JSON) |
| Bicep | Modern Infrastructure as Code language for Azure |
| Resource Group | Container for Azure resources |
| VNet | Virtual Network (Azure's networking) |
| NSG | Network Security Group (firewall rules) |
| Managed Identity | Azure-managed identity for secure service authentication |
Resume Green Flags
- Specific Azure services used ("Built microservices on App Service and AKS")
- Infrastructure as Code experience ("Managed infrastructure with ARM templates and Bicep")
- Azure AD integration ("Integrated applications with Azure AD for SSO")
- Cost optimization ("Reduced Azure costs by 30% through Reserved Instances")
- Multi-service architecture ("Designed solution using App Service, Functions, and Cosmos DB")
- Production scale experience ("Managed Azure infrastructure serving 1M+ users")
Resume Red Flags
- Only lists "Azure" without specifics
- No mention of Infrastructure as Code
- "Expert in Azure" but only certification projects
- Claims Azure expertise but only knows portal clicking
- No understanding of Azure AD or Microsoft integration
- No cost awareness or optimization experience
Modern Azure (2024-2026)
Bicep
Modern Infrastructure as Code:
- Simpler syntax than ARM templates
- Better tooling and IntelliSense
- Compiles to ARM templates
- Microsoft's recommended IaC language
Growing adoption, replacing ARM templates for new projects.
Azure Functions
Serverless computing:
- Event-driven, auto-scaling
- Pay-per-execution model
- Integration with Azure services
- Support for multiple languages (.NET, Node.js, Python, etc.)
Standard for event-driven and microservices architectures.
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
Managed Kubernetes:
- Simplified cluster management
- Integration with Azure services
- Security and compliance features
- Cost optimization options
Growing adoption for containerized workloads.
Azure AD Integration
Identity and access:
- Single Sign-On (SSO) for applications
- Conditional access policies
- Managed identities for services
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Essential for enterprise Azure deployments.
Cost Management
Azure Cost Management + Billing:
- Cost analysis and budgeting
- Reserved Instance recommendations
- Cost alerts and optimization
- Multi-subscription management
Critical for controlling Azure spending.