Why pre-screen cloud migration specialists before the technical interview
Migration and greenfield cloud work look identical on a resume and are entirely different jobs. Building new workloads in the cloud involves no legacy dependencies, no data reconciliation and no cutover window with a business waiting on the other side. Migration is mostly those three things. A short screen establishes whether a candidate has moved something that was already running, and whether they had a way back when it went wrong at two in the morning.
What actually matters when screening Cloud Migration Specialist candidates
- 01
Technical proficiency
Check hands-on command of at least one hyperscaler: AWS Application Migration Service, Azure Migrate, VPC and landing zone design, Terraform modules, plus database moves via DMS or Data Migration Assistant.
- 02
Systems and trade-offs
Probe how they chose between rehosting and refactoring: dependency mapping, wave planning, cutover windows, rollback plans, egress and licensing costs, and post-migration rightsizing decisions.
- 03
Evidence and rigour
Test how they proved success: pre-migration baselines, latency and error-rate comparisons, cutover runbook validation, TCO models, and reconciliation of data after database or storage transfers.
- 04
Collaboration and communication
Assess how they handled application owners, security review, and change advisory boards: freeze negotiations, runbook handover, and training operations staff on the new cloud estate.
Pre-screening questions to ask Cloud Migration Specialist candidates
12 questions grouped by what they test. Ask the same set in every screen and score answers on a consistent scale, or send them as an async video screen and compare answers side by side.
Platform and tooling depth
3 questions01Can you discuss your familiarity with the major cloud platforms?
Listen forOne platform with real migration depth and an honest level on the others, plus where each one made a particular workload difficult.
Claims equal expertise across all providers, or platform experience limited to console walkthroughs.
02Do you have experience with containerisation tools such as Docker or Kubernetes?
Listen forContainerisation applied where it was justified, with a case where they decided an application was not worth containerising.
Containerises by default, or no view on which legacy applications resist it.
03How have you used infrastructure as code in cloud environments?
Listen forNamed tooling with the awkward parts included: state management, drift, and how they handled resources created manually during a cutover.
Infrastructure built by hand in the console, or no plan for resources created outside the code during an incident.
Choosing the pattern
3 questions04What is your experience with legacy system migration?
Listen forSpecific legacy systems moved with the dependencies they discovered late, and what they left in place rather than migrating.
Experience entirely greenfield, or migration described with no legacy dependency problems at all.
05Can you describe your experience designing and implementing migration strategies?
Listen forDifferent patterns applied to different workloads, with an assessment behind each choice rather than one approach applied to everything.
Lifts and shifts everything, or a strategy chosen before any workload assessment was carried out.
06Can you discuss a migration project where cost savings were achieved?
Listen forSavings verified against later invoices, with honesty about migrations that cost more than the environment they replaced.
Savings quoted from a business case, or no example of a migration that increased running costs.
Verifying the data
3 questions07How have you handled data integrity and loss prevention during migrations?
Listen forReconciliation after the move with record counts and checksums, plus what they found that did not match on the first attempt.
Data verified by spot checks alone, or a migration completed with no reconciliation step at all.
08What is your strategy for managing security and compliance during a migration?
Listen forData residency and access control addressed before the move, with a case where a compliance requirement changed the migration plan.
Security addressed after the migration, or no awareness of where data physically ends up.
09Have you managed a project involving data migration into cloud environments?
Listen forVolume and transfer method named, with how they handled the delta accumulated while the bulk copy was running.
No plan for changes made during the transfer window, or volumes small enough that the hard problems never arose.
Carrying the cutover
3 questions10What methods do you use to ensure minimal downtime during a migration?
Listen forA cutover plan with a rollback point and a decision deadline, plus a case where they used it or came close to using it.
Downtime minimised by working faster, or a cutover with no defined point of no return.
11How do you handle unexpected problems that arise during a migration?
Listen forA specific failure during a cutover with what they contained first, who they told, and how the decision to continue or revert was made.
No example of a cutover going wrong, or problems resolved by pressing on regardless.
12How have you handled training staff on new cloud systems after a migration?
Listen forHandover that left the operations team able to run it, with documentation they wrote and a support period after go-live.
Leaves at cutover, or a handover consisting of a single walkthrough call with no written material.
How to score responses
Score every candidate on the same four criteria immediately after the screen. At this stage you are shortlisting for panel interviews, not making the final call.
Technical proficiency
35%5Names services, IaC tooling and replication mechanics precisely; distinguishes lift-and-shift, replatform and refactor with real examples of each.
Systems and trade-offs
25%5Walks through a wave plan with dependency findings, quantifies downtime and cost trade-offs, and admits what they deliberately left on-premise.
Evidence and rigour
25%5Cites baseline versus post-cutover metrics, data reconciliation counts, and actual spend against the business case rather than vague success claims.
Collaboration and communication
15%5Describes specific pushback from app owners or security and how they resolved it; shows documented runbooks handed to operations teams.
Greenfield cloud work and migration read the same on a resume and share almost nothing in practice. A one-way video screen lets you hear which one a candidate has done.
Try it on HirevireScreening FAQ
Process basics
How long should a pre-screening round for a migration specialist take?
Fifteen minutes across eight to ten questions, answered async. Enough to separate migration experience from greenfield cloud work, hear one cutover, and confirm they have verified data after a move.
How much should cloud certifications count?
They confirm platform training and often matter for partner status. They tell you nothing about migration specifically, because the certification syllabus is largely about building rather than moving. Ask about legacy systems and cutovers directly.
Evaluating answers
What is the strongest signal when screening a migration specialist?
A rollback plan they actually used or nearly used. Specialists who have run cutovers describe the decision point, who made the call, and how long they had to make it. Candidates without that experience treat rollback as a theoretical safety net.
How do I check they think beyond lift and shift?
Ask what they chose not to move, or moved differently. A specialist with judgement can name a system they left in place, one they replaced rather than migrated, and one they rearchitected. Moving everything as it is usually means nobody assessed anything.
Go deeper on this role
Sanat has been hiring since 2012 and watching the recruitment industry change up close ever since, and turned that screening process into Hirevire's video screening platform. LinkedIn
