A technical interview is frequently very different from a regular job interview, so if you are thinking about a career in technology, be aware of this. Behavioral, situational, and technological problem-solving questions are frequently included in technical interviews. Knowing what to expect during a technical interview will help you carefully plan your responses to highlight your abilities and expertise, regardless of how experienced you are in the technical sector or whether you are just getting started. In this article, we at founderactivity will go over the top technical interview questions along with interview advice and sample responses.
What is a Technical Interview?
The hiring process for technical experts includes technical interviews. These interviews are very focused and rigorous, evaluating your technical capabilities, personality, and problem-solving skills. Similar to the phrase “exhibit, don’t tell,” you must show the interviewer your abilities rather than simply saying them. A technical interview’s goal is not to test your intelligence with puzzles, riddles, or difficult questions, rather to assess how you approach real-world issues that you would face after being recruited. Technical interviews are generally a nightmare come true for us (with 3-4 interview rounds, remote coding challenges, and even full-day onsite interviews). Although they can be frightening, interviews go much more smoothly if you have prepared for them in advance.
It is well known that technical interviews can be unpredictable. As a candidate, you may be asked some of the common technical interview questions from a variety of categories, including behavioral questions, questions about education, situation-based questions, and inquiries about a candidate’s technical knowledge, experience, certifications, and familiarity with project management systems, among others. To name a few:
- Which computer languages do you employ on a frequent basis?
- Do you possess any technical credentials that would qualify you for this position?
- What has been your most fulfilling project to date, please? What exactly did you contribute to it, please?
- What procedures do you take to guarantee that project estimates are accurate?
- Do you have any experience with two-tier architecture? Describe its components and purposes.
Technical Interview Questions
Expect to answer questions about your education and credentials as well as behavioral, situational, and questions about your familiarity with tech tools and design during an interview in the tech sector. You should also be prepared to answer technical interview questions about your working methods and procedures.
For entry-level roles
- Which programming languages do you know best?
- Describe the troubleshooting steps you would take if a program crashed.
- How may a program be debugged while in use?
- What subject matter do you know a lot about and would you like to learn more about?
For senior-level roles
- Have you made major adjustments to an IT infrastructure? What did they consist of, and how did you use them?
- How can user and system requirements be gathered most efficiently?
- Tell about a situation when you had to impart technical information to non-technical listeners. How were you able to change your presentation?
- When reviewing someone else’s code, where do you focus the most?
Assignment review
- If you had more time, what might you have done differently?
- If you were working with a tight deadline and you couldn’t complete the project scope, what would you do differently? Which characteristics would you value most?
- What about this assignment did you find most difficult? What sources did you draw upon to achieve the task?
Resume review
- Which of your prior jobs/projects involved using [A] software?
- Describe [A] project for me. Whom did you collaborate with and what exactly did you contribute? Describe the timing constraints and how you handled them.
- What did [A] project teach you?
Example Technical Interview Questions and Answers
20. What tools and resources do you utilize online to carry out your work?
When they need assistance, most software employees go to services like Stack Exchange or GitHub. Additionally, some people have their own collection of websites, online forums, social media feeds, and other resources that are particular to their hobbies. How involved the candidate is with the larger IT world can be determined by their response to this technical interview questions.
21. How do you stay up to date with technology?
Tech workers put a lot of effort into maintaining their knowledge through reading blogs and discussions, taking online courses, participating in hackathons, and working on personal IT projects. This technical interview questions can be used to determine the candidate’s level of interest for the field and to start a discussion about future career goals.
22. How would you describe [a relevant technology] to a non-technical person?
Nearly every business depends on IT, so being able to communicate effectively with non-technical coworkers is essential. With this technical interview questions, you can evaluate a candidate’s communication abilities. Do they stay away from jargon and obscure acronyms? How well are they able to simplify a challenging procedure and contrast it with a well-known concept? This technical interview questions might also give you a sense of how well the applicant understands fundamental ideas on their own.
23. What skills do you believe are most necessary for a programmer [or another role in technology]?
Such a technical interview questions can disclose the interviewee’s perceptions on their potential contributions to the role. While some may talk more about problem-solving, attention to detail, communication, and other typical job qualities, certain candidates may emphasize their technical talents and IT credentials. Look for people in IT who provide a fair response.
24. What would your coworkers say about you?
The response may disclose facets of the applicant’s character that are not mentioned in their résumé. Additionally, it reveals how the applicant sees themselves and the position they are looking for. For instance, the job might not be a good fit if their response emphasizes their creative side yet the position is more analytical in nature.
25. What happened at work that didn’t go as planned for you, such as a failed project or getting rejected for a promotion?
At a certain point in their career, everyone has difficulties in their profession. You need to understand how people handled those circumstances and what they took away from them. The most effective workers are resilient, leveraging setbacks to spur good change. Therefore, pay attention to both the issue they bring up and what they did as a result of their disappointment.
26. What technological products are your favorites and least favorites, and why?
This technical interview question not only allows you to determine whether potential workers enjoy the technology and software your business employs, but it also allows you to assess their enthusiasm and expertise. Do candidates get heated when arguing the benefits and drawbacks of various tools? Do they value sound engineering, svelte design, simple usability, or some other quality of good technology? This should make it easier to assess how well they will fit within your workplace.
27. What advantages and disadvantages come with working in a fast – paced environment?
The majority of IT teams use some variation of Agile, which is now the most popular SDLC methodology. This results in a lot of brief meetings and a constant stream of input from other team members. You can evaluate a candidate’s response to determine not just how well-versed they are in this common environment, but also how open and cooperative they are.
28. How do you think changes in technology will affect your career?
Numerous IT positions are still being changed by new technology. How knowledgeable about that is the applicant you’re speaking with? Do they realize, for instance, that DevOps, which enables speedier development cycles and deployment, heavily relies on automated testing? A candidate can discuss the automation technologies they employ or the difficulties in working with large data and machine learning. They might also talk about cutting-edge technology, such Web3, AI, or the Metaverse. You can start a discussion on industry developments and improvements with this technical interview questions, and it will also reveal how the applicant views their long-term job.
29. In your leisure time, tell me about a tech project you’ve worked on.
You could want to employ an IT expert who works on side projects in their spare time. Why? These folks are driven and inquisitive, which keeps their skill set current. Find out how they keep inspired, what excites them about the project, and what their ultimate objective is. Better still if they can demonstrate a website or app that they developed.
30. Tell us about your most recent presentation.
Tech workers of today cannot operate alone. They must communicate with other departments, speak up for the platforms they favor, and much more. They must also discuss changes with their coworkers. Even while not everyone enjoys speaking in front of groups, your new hire should be able to do research, put together a compelling presentation, and convince stakeholders that X is preferable to Y.
31. What traits make a team or project leader successful?
Even when you are not recruiting for a management role, keep an eye out for leaders. Because of the nature of IT employment, employees regularly take on project delivery responsibility. This calls for leadership abilities like organization, motivation, positive thoughts, delegating, and communication. This technical interview questions can also reveal how well they will get along with your current bosses.
32. What traits or abilities are necessary to be a productive remote worker?
This is a critical technical interview questions to make in our post-pandemic environment. Remote employees must be self-starters with little supervisory skills. Along with outstanding self-control and time management ability, they also require good communication skills. Not everyone possesses those traits, and some people do not thrive in a non-office setting. When working off-site, you want to make sure your new hire will be both comfortable and productive.
33. What would you like to accomplish in the initial six months of employment?
Depending on the function, the response to this technical interview question. For instance, a developer might want to have completed a small project within that period, whereas a tech manager might have preferred to have examined internal procedures. You can learn more about a candidate’s general understanding of the role from their response. This may not be the proper role for them if their objectives and aspirations do not align with the job description.
34. How do you manage tight time schedules?
IT teams frequently deal with difficult timing limitations. You require a person who can function effectively and precisely under pressure. By asking a possible employee this technical interview questions, you can at least determine how they handle stress and whether they are able keep up with the speed of work at your business. As a follow-up, you may inquire as to if they’ve ever missed a deadline before and, if so, how they handled it.
35. How do you combine your work and personal life?
Some tech workers suffer with the always-on atmosphere of their industry due to on-call responsibilities and several urgent deadlines. In addition to hiring devoted team members, you should look for workers who can unwind and take care of themselves. Top performers have effective methods in place to assist combat burnout, which is a very serious issue in the technology industry. In response to their comment, you may discuss how your business encourages a healthy work-life balance, which can be highly appealing to prospects weighing many offers.
36. What makes you want to work here?
People that actually performed their research will be knowledgeable about your company’s beliefs, goods and services, and technological strategy. They have not performed their due diligence to adequately prepare for the interview if they can’t state at least a few reasons why your organization would be a suitable fit for their abilities and goals.
37. What Special Skills Can You Bring to the Job?
By examining how carefully the potential employee read the initial job posting, you have the chance to determine whether or not they have a sincere interest in working for your organization.
Some job seekers will list their industry on their resumes. You cannot blame somebody for being in a desperate situation, but a desperate willingness to work for anything does not equal a committed, enthusiastic worker.
See how closely their descriptions of their skills match the qualifications listed in the job opening.
38. Do you prefer to work in a team or alone?
You will need to modify this question for each position. You will want to hear a different response if you are seeking for a software engineer to be a member of a sizable team than if you are looking for a research scientist who will be working alone.
However, new study demonstrates that concentrating on teams is significantly more productive than concentrating on individuals. Do what you will with that information.
39. What Aspect of Our Product Is the Worst? What Changes Would You Make?
Not all technical interview questions should be open-ended opportunities for the applicant to extol their merits.
These types of technical interview questions may seem purposefully challenging, but they are not. You can solve problems in the future by hiring anyone. Make sure they can spot technical issues, understand how to fix them, and, most importantly, speak out when they do.
40. Describe the Quality Assurance Procedures.
Each business will have various standards for quality control and different procedures for meeting those standards. Inquire of your applicant which of these procedures they have used successfully in the past, which ones they have not, and what they intend to bring to the table.
You will be able to tell how they will fulfill deadlines, interact with leaders, and how well their talents compare to the competition.
41. What was the first thing you programmed, and how did you learn to program?
You are not evaluating the applicant’s technical programming knowledge in this instance. At least not to the extent that you are observing their fervor for it.
Note the pace, tone, and specifics the candidate chooses to include in their response to this technical interview questions. New employees who are passionate about their work typically outlive those who just got the job for the paycheck.
42. Which Type of Feedback Do You Prefer?
Finding out a candidate’s preferences for feedback can tell you more about their willingness to collaborate on projects with other team members than a more direct question about teamwork ever could.
Since it’s a requirement of the job, most new hires will experience a lot of constructive criticism during their first projects. Make sure the person you hire is capable of handling it, and once they are on board, watch out for not hiring them and then judging them for not being able to handle negative feedback.
43. What is the current biggest problem facing the technology sector?
This technical interview questions, a smart follow-up to the bait of asking where they obtain their industry news, examines if they actually put all that research and thought to good use.
Do they actively engage in problem-solving when thinking about the existential questions that technology raises, or are they merely passive information sponges? You need someone who approaches issues as projects.
44. Which technological developments, in your opinion, will have the biggest impact on your job and why?
Although the sector may be thriving and profitable, jobs there are not always secure. Given how quickly technology advances, a group of software developers earning $100,000 one month can be out of a job the following month.
Test the potential employee’s understanding of industry trends on a broad scale with insightful tech interview questions like these. Someone worth hiring is someone who can anticipate problems and has workaround solutions in mind.
45. How Does the Internet Function?
One more instance of the finest tech interview questions as being the most straightforward. Can they explain to you how Wi-Fi operates? They might be able to draw a layout of the entire data management system used by the business.
This is “knowing exactly where your cow comes from” in the technological era. Do not hire someone who can’t explain the fundamentals to manage the high-level tasks.
46. Do you have any questions for us?
I have a question for you as well. When candidates have prepared proactive questions to turn the interview process around, it is a positive indicator. It demonstrates that they are actively seeking a job, are enthusiastic and career-focused, and are not simply looking for their next paycheck.
Behavioral Technical Interview Questions
- What particular duties and roles did you have on the most recent project you worked on?
- What was your contribution to the project you are most proud of?
Situational Technical Interview Questions
- What would you do if you were given an assignment to do but weren’t sure how to go about doing it?
- Tell me about a moment when, while working on a project, you went above and beyond the duties that were expected of you.
- How would you handle the challenge of working on a team project with a challenging coworker?
Educational Technical Interview Questions
- How well-prepared for this career was your education?
- What technological credentials do you possess?
- What do you do to maintain your technical knowledge and certifications?
Skills Related Technical Interview Questions
- Which programming language are you most familiar with?
- What exactly is a SAN used for, and how?
- When is de-normalizing database design appropriate?
- How do continuous integration tools fit into the automated build process?
How to Prepare for Your Interview
- Before you enter the interview, find out as much as you can about the business as well as the department that you are applying to. Candidates who can articulately respond to inquiries about the business are much more likely to move on to a second interview than those who do not conduct their research.
- Prepare responses for both general and technical interview questions. Employers want to know how you have overcome obstacles in the past and if you’ll fit into their corporate culture. They will also want to know about your short- and long-term professional goals in order to assess your likelihood of staying with their business.
- Expect some unexpected questions. Some hiring managers will test candidates’ problem-solving abilities by asking them difficult questions during the interview. There may also be certain technical interview questions that have no right or wrong answers; in these cases, your demeanor and tone of voice will be just as crucial as your response.
- Prepare a couple inquiries for the interviewer (s). The hiring manager typically asks you if you have any questions for them as the interview comes to a close. Bring a few prepared questions with you; this will show that you are interested in and excited about their business.
- Be ready to leave a positive first impression. You must be well-groomed, dressed in interview-appropriate apparel, and appear early for the interview if you want to impress the interviewer. Additionally, it is essential to maintain eye contact, pay attention to your body language, and pay attention to what the interviewer is saying.
- Avoid rushing your responses. It is acceptable to seek clarification and to “think aloud” as you consider potential solutions to difficulties when technical questions come up during the interview. This will give the interviewer a peek into your thinking patterns and demonstrate your capacity for clear communication and constructive conversation.
Technical Interview Tips
Here are a few more pointers to help you shine in a technical interview as a strong applicant:
- Be prepared to discuss your technical skills and experience in detail.
- Be able to articulate your thoughts clearly and concisely.
- Be ready to answer questions about your code samples and projects.
- Have a positive attitude and be enthusiastic about your work.
- Be able to think on your feet and adapt to new situations.
Express your thoughts.
There is usually one right response to a lot of technical interview questions. This means that you must come up with a strategy to distinguish your response from that of the other applicants. Explaining your approach to problem-solving and the reasoning behind your solution can make you seem like a more qualified applicant.
Understand the many approaches to problem-solving
Some technical interview questions have multiple possible valid responses. Explain your approach to problem-solving when responding to a question with multiple ways to arrive at a solution, and make it evident that you are familiar with all of them.
If more information is required, ask.
It is acceptable to ask the interviewer for clarity if you need more details to fully respond to a question they have asked you. This will demonstrate to the interviewer that you are able to determine when more information is required and that you are not hesitant to seek clarification when necessary.
Explain any responses you don’t understand.
It is acceptable to inform the interviewer you do not understand the answer to a question if it comes up during a technical interview.
Prepare to demonstrate your abilities
The ability to demonstrate your knowledge and abilities through a series of trick questions, whiteboard coding challenges, or remote coding assignments is a common component of technical interviews. It is vital to be prepared for at least one riddle question or whiteboard challenge during the first technical interview, even though this phase usually happens during the second or third interview. It is crucial to keep in mind when answering these questions to describe your thought process and the steps you took to get at your conclusion.
Key takeaways
- Technical questions are asked during interviews to assess your knowledge and information-processing abilities.
- Get ready to talk about your strategy and justify your decisions.
- Ask for a moment to gather your thoughts if required. If more information is required, ask.
Why is the mushroom always invited to parties?
He’s a fungi.
