This article is part of the “Interview tips” series.
When applying for a job, submitting your resume is only the first step. When you get fortunate enough to get contacted by the companies you applied for, the next big hurdle would be to pass the job interview. Job interviews are tough, and preparing for them entails a lot of preparation. As if this weren’t enough of a stressor, a lot of positions also include technical interviews on top of the typical human resource interviews, and this requires an additional set of preparations. In the information technology field, specifically, technical interviews are almost a sure part of the application process, especially for positions that require experienced professionals. If anything, technical interviews in the information technology field are among the most important interviews in the process, as it’s usually the part of the application process that is most difficult to prepare for.
In this article, we take a look at the typical components involved in technical interviews. We explore the things that you should expect in such interviews, give a couple of tips on how to pass these types of interviews, and look at actual examples of technical interview questions that you are likely to be asked.
Typical Hiring Process
The hiring process of a company will largely depend on the type of hiring they will carry out. Employers will often use lateral hiring, employee referrals, or promotion of existing employees to fill new and high-stakes positions. Resumes can be more of a formality in this process and there may be only one interview as the company already knows the applicant on some level.
The default hiring method most people are aware of is to hire employees from the local tech talent pool to work in house. Here, hiring typically begins with job postings that describe the positions to be filled. Applicants then send out their resumes, and applicants will first be screened based on their qualifications and experience as described on their resumes. Those who are qualified will then be invited to a series of interviews with various people: an HR representative, the hiring manager, the domain expert, and so on. Those who will pass the series of interviews will then be given a job offer, and when the applicant accepts, he is then set to begin on the job.
The process is a bit different when hiring remote employees. For example, when hiring freelancers, jobs are typically posted on freelance portals such as Upwork, Freelancer, and Toptal, which employ similar types of competition among freelancers. These job postings usually contain instructions on the application process, such as some initial questions that applicants should answer and sample work that applicants should attach. Interested applicants then apply for these postings and accomplish the applications forms with the necessary requirements. Freelancers who are selected may then be contacted for an interview, and when the applicant passes that interview, the freelancer is then onboarded to the project or job that was posted.
When hiring offshore dedicated developers, on the other hand, businesses usually contact dedicated offshore team providers and provide the profile and skills sets of the employee they’re looking for. The offshore partner then provides them with a list of resumes of available employees with profiles that match the requirements, and the hiring body selects employees from this list, most often based on the technology skills on resume. Those who are selected will usually be scheduled for an interview, and the applicants who pass the interview will then be onboarded to the project. Usually, offshore software development companies are located in places with the biggest talent pool. Evaluate the competition you can face from outstaffing companies like the one you can discover here and use this data to outline why you are a better fit for the job. Regardless of the method of hiring, the application process often involves interviews, and for IT jobs, technical interviews are often unavoidable.
Usual Interview Process
The interview process comes in a variety of formats. Usually, multiple interviews are conducted by different persons, and these interviews focus on different areas. An interview with an HR representative is typical, and such interviews are concerned with behavioral interview questions to evaluate your personality, communication skills, interpersonal skills, and other soft skills. An interview with the hiring manager is also expected, and this involves second interview questions that will assess your suitability for the project or role you’ll be placed in, including your work ethic, work experience, and your responses to different scenarios. Finally, a technical interview will be asking the question concerning technology to test your domain expertise and tech skills. Here, a technical recruiter will ask you questions to reveal how much you know about the field you’ll be working in and how creative and resourceful you are with coming up with solutions to technical problems.
Interviews may also be conducted in different ways. It may be through phone calls, through video conferences, or personally. It may also be an individual interview or a group interview, where you’ll be answering questions with other applicants.
Regardless of the type of interview, it’s important to be on top of your game and be as well-prepared for the interview as you possibly can.
Tips to Ace your Interview
Here are some tips on how to help ensure that you’ll pass your interview with flying colors.
Dress Appropriately
In any job interview, first impressions are very important, and you begin by dressing appropriately. There are different appropriate interview outfits depending on the job position you’re applying for, but for tech roles, it’s safest to wear business casual or business attire. Although most tech companies have relaxed dress codes, it’s best to dress a few steps above the usual dress code of the company you’re applying for.
Know What to Bring
You should never come to an interview unprepared, and this applies to the items that you’ll be bringing with you. You should always know what to bring to an interview. For starters, you to should bring a pen and a small notepad. The pen will be useful for forms that you might be asked to fill up, and the notepad may be useful for technical interview questions that might require you to make some scribbles. Even if these will be provided to you, it’s best to show your interviewer that you came prepared. You also should always bring your resumes with you in case your interviewer asks for a copy.
Be Confident
There’s nothing more discouraging than interviewing an applicant who is unsure of his or her skills and who doesn’t show confidence that he or she is fit for the role. In facing your interviewer, be as confident as you can and let them feel that you’re the best candidate for the role, even when you actually have doubts about yourself. Be as confident as you can when you sell your tech talent pipeline. Most likely, all other candidates have doubts and uncertainties, but it’s the candidate who can hide all these doubts behind a wall of confidence that usually gets the job.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Nothing’s more effective at calming your nerves in job interviews than practicing a lot beforehand. You should engage in sample interviews with friends or on your own by trying to answer as many sample interview questions as you can and imagine how you’ll answer such questions in front of actual interviewers. Chances are, many of the questions you’ll have practiced answering will come up during the actual interview, and you’ll be able to breeze through those questions knowing you’ve answered them plenty of times before.
Sample Technical Interview Questions
Here are some examples of technical interview questions for a software developer to get you started with your preparations.
- What is object-oriented programming and explain the 4 pillars of OOP
- Enumerate the different types of loops, describe each one, and provide the code using your preferred programming language
- How do you say that an application is mobile-responsive?
- Differentiate between a native mobile app and a mobile-responsive app
- Describe the software development lifecycle following the agile methodology
- What is a technology stack?
You should also prepare for task-oriented interview questions, such as:
- Create a simple app to perform a specific task
- Create a short project plan for a project given a certain number of resources
- Create a short proposal to sell a concrete tech product
It’s best to actually try answering these questions and doing these activities to ensure you’re well-prepared to tackle whatever questions and tasks will be thrown your way.
The Takeaway
Job hunting is very tough, and going through the job application process multiple times can be physically, mentally, and emotionally draining. This is especially true with IT jobs, where technical interviews add to the list of things you should worry about. As such, it is best to be well-prepared when applying for jobs to boost your chances of getting accepted.
We’ve taken a look at the different hiring process being employed, some of the tips to help you prepare for job interviews, and some actual technical interview questions you can try your hands on. You’re now on your way to acing that technical interview and getting your ideal tech job!
