Recruiter's Glossary

Examples: SAN • Jenkins • GitHub Actions

Terraform

Term from Information Technology industry explained for recruiters

Terraform is a popular tool that helps companies set up and manage their computer systems and cloud resources automatically. Think of it like a blueprint system that lets tech teams write down exactly what computer resources they need (like servers, databases, or networks), and then automatically creates everything instead of doing it manually. This saves time, reduces mistakes, and makes it easier to create identical setups for testing, development, and real-world use. It's similar to other tools like AWS CloudFormation or Azure Resource Manager, but Terraform can work with many different cloud providers at once. When you see this on a resume, it usually means the person has experience with automating cloud infrastructure and making sure company systems are set up consistently and efficiently.

Examples in Resumes

Automated cloud infrastructure deployment using Terraform to reduce setup time by 80%

Managed multi-cloud environment with Terraform scripts for AWS and Azure resources

Created and maintained Terraform configurations for company's entire cloud infrastructure

Implemented infrastructure as code using HashiCorp Terraform for scalable cloud solutions

Typical job title: "Infrastructure Engineers"

Also try searching for:

DevOps Engineer Cloud Engineer Infrastructure Developer Platform Engineer Site Reliability Engineer Cloud Architect Infrastructure Architect

Where to Find Infrastructure Engineers

Online Communities

Job Boards

Events & Conferences

• HashiConf (Official Conference)
• DevOps Conferences

Professional Networks

Example Interview Questions

Senior Level Questions

Q: How would you manage a large-scale infrastructure across multiple cloud providers using Terraform?

Expected Answer: A senior candidate should explain how they would organize code into modules, manage different environments, handle state files securely, and coordinate changes across teams. They should mention version control practices and testing strategies.

Q: How do you handle sensitive information in Terraform?

Expected Answer: Should discuss various approaches to managing secrets and sensitive data, including vault integration, encrypted files, and variable management across different environments. Should emphasize security best practices.

Mid Level Questions

Q: Explain how you would structure a Terraform project for a medium-sized application.

Expected Answer: Should be able to describe organizing files into logical components, using modules for reusable parts, and managing different environments (development, staging, production).

Q: How do you handle Terraform state files in a team environment?

Expected Answer: Should explain remote state storage, state locking to prevent conflicts, and backup strategies. Should mention tools or practices used for collaboration.

Junior Level Questions

Q: What is Terraform and why is it used?

Expected Answer: Should be able to explain that Terraform is a tool for automatically setting up and managing cloud resources, and why this is better than manual setup.

Q: What is the basic Terraform workflow?

Expected Answer: Should describe the basic steps: writing configuration files, checking what changes will be made (plan), and applying those changes (apply). Should understand basic commands.