Guide to help you hire PowerShell Developers

PowerShell is Microsoft's robust task automation and configuration management platform. It's built on .NET. It’s an automation platform with extensive capabilities beyond mere shell scripting. It was initially created for Windows system administration but has grown exponentially in scope and portability, especially with PowerShell Core, which is cross-platform on Windows, Linux, and macOS (previously .NET Core).

One of the features that makes PowerShell is the manipulation of structured data in .NET objects and not raw text data. The decision to have an object-based, and not a text-based, implementation gives you more control and enables you to be more consistent in your automations. This is categorically an advantage of automation.

Besides PowerShell's pipeline model, which suits the command chaining, it allows an entire object to be piped from one command to another, not just a string.

PowerShell is now an integral part of IT automation, DevOps, cloud, and security. It gets along nicely with APIs, REST interfaces, Active Directory, and Azure resources. It can be employed to write small scripts to automate mundane tasks as much as it can be employed to write extensive frameworks to provision, monitor, and remediate extensive environments.

Industries and applications

PowerShell developers are in high demand across industries where systems need to be scalable, repeatable, and secure. Below are some of the most common sectors and use cases:

Enterprise IT

PowerShell is a vital tool in enterprise environments where IT departments manage hundreds or thousands of machines and users. It's frequently used for: Active Directory user provisioning and group management

• GPO (Group Policy Object) updates
• Patch management and software deployment
• Disk cleanup, backup scripting, and system audits
• Automation of onboarding and offboarding processes

Cloud operations

PowerShell has evolved into a go-to language for managing cloud environments, especially in Azure. Developers and admins use it for:

• Creating and managing Azure resources via the Az module
• Automating deployments using ARM or Bicep templates
• Managing hybrid environments where resources span on-premises and Azure
• Integrating infrastructure provisioning into DevOps pipelines

DevOps & SRE

In DevOps and Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), automation is the backbone of scalability and consistency. PowerShell enables teams to:

• Automate CI/CD pipeline actions (e.g., deployments, checks, rollbacks);
• Manage both Windows and Linux infrastructure in hybrid setups;
• Monitor system health and automate recovery workflows;
• Script failover processes and scheduled maintenance tasks.

Cybersecurity

Blue teams and security operations centers (SOCs) often rely on PowerShell for:

• Forensic analysis through event log parsing and memory dumps;
• Automation of routine security tasks (e.g., disabling compromised accounts);
• Hardening of systems with configuration baselines;
• Generating reports on compliance and audit results.

Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

For MSPs managing client environments at scale, PowerShell is indispensable for:

• Scripted deployment and patching across multiple tenants;
• Reporting and monitoring of client infrastructure;
• Centralized automation tools customized per client;
• Consistent configuration management across environments.

Must-have skills for PowerShell Developers

It takes more than just the scripting language knowledge to be a quality PowerShell developer. Your candidate should have an automation mindset, understand security implications and system interdependencies. The basics of the skills to search for are:

1. Deep understanding of PowerShell language and syntax

• Proficiency in cmdlets, pipelines, loops, conditions, and operators;
• Advanced scripting techniques including modules, functions, and classes;
• Familiarity with background jobs, scheduled tasks, and remoting.

2. Object-oriented scripting

Unlike traditional scripting languages that rely on string parsing, PowerShell manipulates objects. Developers should understand how to:

• Access object properties and methods;
• Filter, sort, and manipulate object data using cmdlets like Where-Object and Select-Object;
• Build custom objects for structured output and reporting.

3. Windows server & Active directory experience

This is a baseline requirement in most enterprise environments. Expect your PowerShell developer to:

• Script AD tasks: user creation, group management, OU structuring;
• Query LDAP attributes and set permissions;
• Use cmdlets like Get-ADUser, Set-ADGroup, and New-ADOrganizationalUnit.

4. Automation-first mentality

Top PowerShell developers design scripts that are:

• Idempotent (safe to run multiple times), critical for batch processing tasks;
• Modular and reusable;
• Parameterized for flexibility across environments;
• Inclusion into CI/CD deployment scripts.

5. Version control proficiency

Working with Git or similar tools is a must, particularly when scripts are integrated into DevOps workflows. Look for candidates who:

• Commit code with clear messages;
• Use branches and pull requests;
• Review and merge code with collaboration in mind.

6. Security awareness

PowerShell can be a double-edged sword if misused. A competent developer should:

• Know how to handle secrets securely (e.g., with Windows Credential Manager or Azure Key Vault);
• Avoid plaintext passwords and hardcoded credentials;
• Sign scripts and understand execution policies;
• Recognize potential for misuse or exploitation (i.e., malware);
• Patching/Updating Powershell modules to keep them both current and avoid security-related issues from the modules going stagnant.

Nice-to-have skills of PowerShell Developers

These skills would be quite useful for working with PowerShell:

• Cross-platform scripting with PowerShell Core;
• Azure CLI/Az PowerShell Module experience;
• Integration with CI/CD tools (e.g., Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, etc.);
• Scripting for infrastructure as code (Bicep or Terraform);
• Event log parsing, performance monitoring, and log forwarding;
• Familiarity with REST APIs and JSON processing.

Interview questions and example answers

Here are a few interview questions you can use to evaluate PowerShell experience:

Q1: What’s the difference between Write-Output, Write-Host, and Return in PowerShell?

Answer: Write-Output sends objects down the pipeline, which can be captured or processed by other commands. Write-Host simply prints text to the console and doesn't return objects – it’s mainly used for display purposes. Return exits from a function and optionally returns a value. It’s useful when controlling function flow.

Q2: How would you securely store and retrieve credentials in a PowerShell script?

Answer: You can use the Get-Credential cmdlet to prompt for credentials and store them in a variable as a PSCredential object. For automation, you might use the Windows Credential Manager or store an encrypted credential file using Export-Clixml (protected using the user’s profile). Never store plain-text passwords in scripts.

Q3: How can you check if a service is running on a remote Windows machine?

Answer:

powershell
CopyEdit
Get-Service -ComputerName "ServerName" -Name "ServiceName"

Or for a more robust check:

powershell
CopyEdit
Invoke-Command -ComputerName "ServerName" -ScriptBlock { Get-Service -Name "ServiceName" }

Q4: How do you handle errors in PowerShell, and what is $ErrorActionPreference?

Answer: PowerShell supports structured error handling with try {} / catch {} / finally {}. $ErrorActionPreference defines the default action when an error occurs (Continue, Stop, SilentlyContinue, etc.). For more granular control, you can also use -ErrorAction on cmdlets.

Q5: Can you describe a PowerShell script you’ve written that made a major impact?

Answer:

Look for real-world examples like automating user provisioning in Active Directory, cleaning up stale Azure resources, deploying applications with zero-touch, or automating patching across multiple servers. The answer should reflect both technical competence and business impact.

6: How do you import a CSV file and loop through each row to perform actions in PowerShell?

Answer: Use Import-Csv to read the file into an array of objects. Then loop using foreach. Example:

$users = Import-Csv -Path "users.csv"
foreach ($user in $users) {
  New-ADUser -Name $user.Name -EmailAddress $user.Email -Title $user.Title
}

7: How do you import a CSV file and loop through each row to perform actions in PowerShell?

Answer:

 -eq checks scalar equality (e.g., $a -eq 5), while -contains checks if a collection contains a specific element. For example:
$nums = 1, 2, 3  
$nums -contains 2 # True  
$nums -eq 2       # Returns array of booleans: False, True, False

Q8: How do you schedule a PowerShell script to run automatically?

Answer: Use Task Scheduler on Windows. You can create a scheduled task via GUI or with Register-ScheduledTask. Example with PowerShell:

$action = New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute "PowerShell.exe" -Argument "-File C:\Scripts\MyScript.ps1"
$trigger = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -Daily -At 3am
Register-ScheduledTask -TaskName "My Daily Script" -Action $action -Trigger $trigger -User "DOMAIN\User" -Password "*****"

For automation, prefer service accounts and avoid hardcoding passwords.

Q9: How do you filter logs from the Windows Event Viewer using PowerShell?

Answer: Use Get-WinEvent or Get-EventLog. Example using Get-WinEvent for Application logs:

Get-WinEvent -LogName Application | Where-Object { $_.LevelDisplayName -eq "Error" }

Or for more performance and complex queries, use -FilterHashtable.

Q10: How do you load and use external PowerShell modules in a script?

Answer: Use Import-Module to load a module. Ensure it’s available in $env:PSModulePath. Example:

Import-Module ActiveDirectory
Get-ADUser -Filter *
For scripts that depend on specific modules, always include checks:
if (-not (Get-Module -ListAvailable -Name "ActiveDirectory")) {
    Throw "ActiveDirectory module not found."
}

Summary

It takes more than just scripting skills to find a good PowerShell coder. You need someone who can communicate with system administrators and DevOps, understands infrastructure, and can mentally automate tasks. This person will be a valuable addition to the teams they work with.

In addition to writing scripts, they must be at ease with safe, reusable code that works in the cloud or the larger IT industry. Finding things to automate and then creating the necessary tools are the hallmarks of a great PowerShell programmer. Ask the right questions because the candidate's strong automation mindset is more important than the tools being used most of the time.