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The Ultimate Guide for Hiring Google Cloud Developers
Skilled Google Cloud developers can be tough to find. Most developers specialize in AWS and Azure, as they control 56% of the cloud computing marketplace. Despite this, Google’s market share has doubled from 6% to 13% since 2017. So, the best Google Cloud platform developers are always in demand. Over the past 15 years, we’ve focused on only hiring the most exceptional tech talent. Less than 1% of candidates make it through our rigorous vetting process. This makes it easy for you to find the right Google Cloud platform developer for your needs.
Since 2009, we’ve gained significant insights into what makes a Google Cloud developer great. In this guide, we’ll show you how to define your role’s requirements, the hard and soft skills your developer should have, and interview questions that will help you make an informed hiring decision. This approach makes sure you will hire Google developers capable of building secure and efficient cloud infrastructure.
Before You Start Hiring
Project Requirements
Each cloud solution is unique. If you handle large datasets, you’ll want a developer who can set up BigQuery. But if you’re focused on global app deployment, you’ll need someone with experience working with the Google Kubernetes Engine. By defining your project scope beforehand, you’ll know what tools/services you’ll need, the performance metrics you’ll need to hit, and the compliance standards you’ll need to meet.
Timeline
Meeting your cloud computing goals often depends on setting realistic timelines. But if they don’t align with realistic goals, developers might deliver a substandard product. After defining your needs, determine how long it takes to deliver quality work. Minimum viable cloud infrastructure takes about 1-2 weeks to set up. But if you need more robust cloud infrastructure, such as a web application that’s cloud-native, the build could take 1-2 months.
Portfolio and References/Testimonials
The shortage of Google Cloud developers has made it harder to find quality talent. On the open market, you might feel compelled to take whatever you can find. However, requesting portfolios and references helps make sure you're selecting top-tier talent. Requiring proof of work limits your applicant pool to serious developers. This increases the likelihood you’ll hire Google Cloud developers with considerable Google Cloud platform expertise.
Collaborative Mindset
Team members across multiple departments rely on your Google Cloud platform. For this reason, it’s important for the incoming developer to have worked with cross-functional teams before. If a candidate can optimize pipelines for data engineering team members, or set up Virtual Private Clouds for the cybersecurity department, they can greatly improve your organization’s effectiveness.
Adaptability
Your business's priorities can change at a moment’s notice, like when news of a security vulnerability breaks. When this happens, your developer needs to reshuffle priorities quickly. When advertising an open developer position, emphasize the need for someone experienced with the Agile framework. Agile professionals are accustomed to changing priorities on the fly, and their adaptability makes them well-suited for dynamic Google Cloud projects.
10 Skills Every Google Cloud Developer Should Have
Google Cloud offers unique advantages that can complement your existing cloud solutions. Its machine learning capabilities are more advanced, yet easier to use. Its data analysis tools are simpler to configure and they offer an outstanding user experience. And Google’s global fiber-optic network is massive, which cuts down on latency and offers more reliability.
If you hire Google Cloud developers who have significant experience, you’ll get cloud services that can handle growing traffic without performance issues. You’ll save capital because of automatic scaling, which leverages Google Cloud’s pricing models. And you’ll get a more secure system, as experienced developers implement advanced encryption protocols and conduct regular security audits.
To enjoy these benefits, you’ll need a Google Cloud developer with a solid tech stack and one with the right “soft” skills. Here are the ones you should prioritize in your new hire:
Technical Skills to Look for in Your Ideal Google Cloud Developer
1. Google Cloud Architecture Design
Google Cloud Architecture Design is the specific process developers use to structure and organize cloud computing resources on Google Cloud servers. They also use it to allocate compute resources, auto-scale servers, and configure assets like Virtual Private Clouds. To avoid the need for “on-the-job” training, you should hire a developer with experience in this area.
2. Kubernetes and Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)
Kubernetes allows developers to automate the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized apps. GKE is the app that facilitates the operation of Kubernetes applications on Google Cloud servers. Skilled professionals can use GKE to create an infrastructure that scales in response to demand spikes. This will keep your web app online even when it gets more popular.
3. Database Management
Database management creates systems that can store, retrieve, and analyze data accurately and efficiently. Developers with experience in database management can migrate data from your current solution to Google Cloud. They can also run data analytics on large datasets, back up your critical systems, build functions that make data mining easier, and improve your system’s overall performance. Because of this, your team members will become more productive, you’ll make better business decisions, and you’ll safeguard your data from disasters.
4. Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
IaC is a process that improves the setup of Google Cloud functions. By creating templates, scripts, and automations, a developer can reduce setup time for repeatable processes. By hiring a developer with this skill, you’ll consume less money and time during engagements. This frees up resources for other important projects within your business.
5. DevOps and CI/CD Implementation
DevOps is a discipline that combines skills used in software development and IT operations. And CI/CD Implementation is a process that makes sure developers thoroughly test their code while facilitating its delivery to staging environments. If you can find a developer with this experience, you’ll get features to market faster, while maintaining product quality and minimizing bugs.
6. Machine Learning and AI Tools
These skills refer to a developer’s ability to use machine learning and artificial intelligence tools to drive engagement objectives. Within Google Cloud environments, they do this by using apps like Vertex AI and BigQuery ML. These tools give developers insights that will give your business a competitive edge. Effective use of AI can also improve operational efficiency, such as using chatbots to direct customers to the services best for them, detecting fraud, and uncovering trends via predictive analytics.
Soft Skills to Look for in Your Ideal Google Cloud Developer
7. Teamwork
No professional can do a Google Cloud engagement alone. They need to work well with your data analysts, software engineering team members, and non-technical end users. By listening to feedback from these stakeholders, they can develop cloud architecture that offers a great user experience while satisfying your company’s goals.
8. Problem Solving
Google Cloud engagements have challenges few can predict, like older software that doesn’t support Google Cloud’s APIs. Therefore, it’s important for your developers to come up with innovative cloud solutions on the spot, such as building middleware between legacy software and modern cloud computing processes. By resolving unexpected issues quickly and finding performance gains in places others might miss, these professionals can reduce project costs and timelines, while improving your system’s performance.
9. Time Management
Cloud development projects usually have multiple goals. Developers may need to connect numerous systems and software applications to the cloud, all while considering scalability and cost efficiency. If they manage their time poorly, this might delay later tasks. Google Cloud developers who can execute efficiently leave themselves time for unanticipated tasks. When setbacks occur, they can handle them while staying on track to hit your project’s deadline.
10. Work Ethic
A developer’s dedication determines whether your cloud infrastructure is average or exceptional. By having a strong work ethic, developers produce clean, secure code and rigorously test their work. It also motivates them to invest in self-education regarding software development. These qualities make them exceptionally skilled and knowledgeable about the latest trends in cloud computing.
10 Questions to Identify Top Google Cloud Developers
When interviewing Google Cloud developers, it's important to ask questions that first assess the candidates' technical skills and knowledge. Employers will also usually conduct a coding test to further assess specific on-the-job knowledge.
The following set of questions aims to uncover not only the developer's technical knowledge but also their problem-solving abilities, teamwork, communication skills, and adaptability—all crucial traits for success in a collaborative environment.
Here are a few examples of technical interview questions:
1. How would you design a scalable and cost-effective architecture for a high-traffic application on our Google Cloud platform?
My first goal would be to understand your web application’s requirements. After assessing traffic patterns and types of workloads, I would design architecture that can scale with demand and withstand traffic spikes, all while using cost-effective processes. After implementation, I would assess your architecture’s performance, which would identify opportunities for iterative improvements.
2. What’s your process for troubleshooting a performance issue in a Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) cluster?
When your GKE cluster is underperforming, I would first define symptoms, like increased latency or the overutilization of resources. Then, I would investigate processes at the pod and node levels to uncover the source of these symptoms. I would also check for bottlenecks like memory/CPU limitations or misconfigurations that prevent auto-scaling. After implementing my fixes, I would use monitoring tools to confirm whether they have resolved the issue.
3. How do you handle security in a Google Cloud environment? Can you discuss specific tools or strategies you’ve used?
I would start by addressing internal risks to your data’s security. To prevent unauthorized access to privileged data, I would assign role-based controls. These give specific individuals the permissions and resources needed to do their jobs but nothing more. Regarding external risks, I would regularly scan your system using Cloud Armor and implement policies like Customer Managed Encryption Keys. These measures would keep your server safe from threats like DDoS attacks and data breaches.
4. What’s the difference between the different Google Cloud Storage classes? How do you decide which one(s) to use for a project?
There are four storage types in Google Cloud: Standard, Nearline, Coldline, and Archive. Frequently accessed data like active databases use Standard storage, as it offers the lowest latency. If you only access specific data less than once per month, it should go in Nearline, as storage costs are lower. Only emergency backups go in Coldline, as it has a 90-day minimum storage duration, and retrieving data comes with significant costs. I would only put historical documents in your Archive because of its 365-day minimum storage duration.
5. How do you implement high availability for applications hosted on Google Cloud?
To make sure your applications have high availability, I would deploy your application across multiple regions using Google Kubernetes Engine. Additionally, I would use Cloud Spanner to establish redundant databases across multiple regions. Lastly, I would divide traffic to your app across the mentioned areas. In the event of a disruption, the resulting failover would be easy.
6. Can you explain the difference between Cloud Run and App Engine, and when you would use one over the other?
Cloud Run is a service that runs containerized apps, whereas App Engine is a platform-as-a-service that only supports specific languages, like Python and Java. They also differ in how they handle scaling. Cloud Run will scale to zero, which makes it ideal if your company is on a budget. However, App Engine offers bandwidth via plans, which still charge businesses the same rate even if traffic drops significantly during a billing period. I would use Cloud Run if I was building a microservice that would not get constant traffic. App Engine is best if your web app needs little customization and gets predictable web traffic.
7. Imagine a situation where a deployed application doesn’t scale as expected during peak usage. What steps would you take to identify and fix the bottleneck?
This question assesses the candidate’s troubleshooting process. It also evaluates their ability to function under stress and time pressure, as there is an expectation to restore optimal function as quickly as possible.
8. Can you describe a project where you had to integrate multiple Google Cloud services? What challenges did you encounter and how did you overcome them?
This question evaluates a candidate’s ability to negotiate their way through complex engagements. It shows if they anticipate integration problems before they occur, allowing them to plan their work appropriately. It also shows how they recover from unforeseen issues.
9. Have you ever encountered a situation where a Google Cloud deployment failed? What caused the issue and how did you fix it?
This question showcases a candidate’s comfort level with vulnerability. It shows their level of humility and how they restored system functionality under pressure.
10. Your team is experiencing delays in deploying a critical Google Cloud function because of unclear requirements. How would you handle this situation to get the project back on track?
This question evaluates a candidate’s interpersonal and communication skills. To resolve this hypothetical scenario, the candidate needs to describe how they would engage stakeholders regarding insufficient information and project delays.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How do Google Cloud developers make sure applications will scale and perform well on Google Cloud?
When developers create Google Cloud infrastructure, automation is one of their primary objectives. Done successfully, the system will allocate resources whenever traffic to its servers spikes, with no outside intervention. They will also set up data analytics tools to evaluate performance metrics like network latency and CPU utilization. So if a server is lagging, developers can diagnose and fix the responsible issue.
2. How do Google Cloud development teams communicate and collaborate across different time zones?
Close collaboration is key to any successful Google Cloud engagement. So, the client should hire developers who work in time zones similar to theirs. These developers should use collaboration tools like Slack, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams to hold meetings and conduct calls. These developers should also update their progress via project management tools like Asana. This way, the client will always know how far along the engagement is.
3. How do Google Cloud developers handle security and compliance during engagements?
Writing secure code is foundational for experienced Google Cloud developers. They start by building secure API gateways and testing initial builds for vulnerabilities. Once they deem the code secure, they make sure it meets applicable standards like GDPR, HIPAA, ISO 27001, and so forth. Lastly, they use security tools like the Cloud Security Command Center to monitor systems for emerging threats.
4. How does a Google Cloud development team optimize bandwidth costs?
Most businesses do not need every Google Cloud function. After onboarding, a development team should assess the cloud computing needs of their client. Then, this team should implement auto-scaling into their client’s infrastructure. That way, their company will never pay for more bandwidth than needed. Also, the development team can recommend a committed use contract if a business knows how much capacity it typically needs.
5. How can a development team use Google Cloud to improve data storage, retrieval, and analytics capabilities?
They would begin by interviewing stakeholders and assessing their current systems. This process would identify where inefficiencies exist. They would then use these findings to set up storage that auto-tiers based on usage, create databases that speed up retrieval times, and hook up tools such as CRM clients to their Google Cloud servers. This would allow Google Cloud’s machine learning tools to uncover actionable insights.
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