Cloud Certifications (AWS, Azure, GCP)
Also written as AWS Certified, AWS Certification, AWS Certified Solutions Architect, AWS Solutions Architect Associate, Azure Certification, AZ-900, AZ-104, AZ-305, AZ-400, Google Cloud Certified, Professional Cloud Architect
Exams run by each cloud provider at roughly three levels. Foundational (AWS Cloud Practitioner, Azure AZ-900) proves basic vocabulary; Associate (AWS Solutions Architect Associate, Azure Administrator AZ-104) shows working knowledge; Professional and Expert (AWS Solutions Architect Professional, Azure AZ-305 and AZ-400, Google Professional Cloud Architect) are much harder and assume real experience. Most must be renewed every one to three years.
Think of it like
Like language exams: a beginner's certificate and a fluency exam both say 'certified in French'.
Junior or senior?
Level matters far more than count. A foundational certificate is a fine start but isn't cloud experience; professional-level ones are genuinely hard. Either way, projects beat certificates — and few hiring managers reject strong experience for lacking one.
Ask them
“Which certification do you hold, at what level, and what have you built on that cloud since?”
Sounds like real experience
Names the exact certification and level, and links it to something they built or ran — a migration, a network design, a cost reduction.
Probe further if
Holds several foundational or associate certificates but describes only course labs, with no production system they worked on.