Best technical interview questions to ask candidates
The most important aspect of any job interview is the questions you ask the candidate.
When interviewing for technical roles, ask questions that reflect the nature of the position and require the candidate to demonstrate their knowledge of what the position entails. Depending on the position you’re hiring for, your questions may vary to ensure you’re getting the details you seek about someone’s suitability for the job.
The following are some of the most common technical questions to consider for various roles:
Technology questions for software engineers
1. What programming languages are you familiar with?
Ask the applicant about the programming languages they’re fluent in and which three they consider their strongest. This question helps you gauge the applicant’s programming proficiency and knowledge, including how well their skill set aligns with your organization’s current needs and technology stack.
2. Are you familiar with object-oriented programming (OOP)?
OOP is a core concept for most software developers and engineers and a qualified candidate will be able to define and discuss several terms. These include:
- Static or class initializer
- Destructor/finalizer
- Constructor
- Method
- The virtual method, pure virtual method
- Class, object (what’s the difference?)
- Class or static method
- Superclass (base class) and subclass (derived class)
- Difference between Java and JavaScript
3. What is your opinion on unit testing?
Ask the applicant if they consider unit testing to be important. A knowledgeable software engineer will be familiar with unit testing and this question can help you understand their attitude toward the process and where it stacks up on their list of priorities.
4. How familiar are you with coding?
Being a software engineer generally requires a thorough knowledge of coding, so this question is important to ask in the interview process. A skilled software engineer will likely be comfortable coding on a daily basis. Ask them how frequently they’re currently writing code and what languages and tools they prefer.
5. Can you explain APIs to me as if I’m nontechnical?
This question helps you evaluate a candidate’s technical understanding and their ability to communicate complex concepts in simple terms, an essential skill when collaborating with nontechnical teams.
For example, a good answer would explain that an API is a term that applies to many operating systems (Windows, Mac) and programming contexts (mobile apps, desktop software and websites). A strong candidate can correctly explain APIs in clear, nontechnical terms.
6. What do you look for when reviewing code?
Test the candidate’s knowledge by asking how they check code written by others. Assess their attention to detail and problem-solving ability in their answers.
Strong candidates often mention checking for readability, efficiency, consistency with coding standards and potential bugs or logic errors. A good code reviewer will also note the importance of pointing out good practices rather than just highlighting potential problems.
7. Can you tell me about a time you solved a problem creatively or unusually with programming?
Programmers may have points in their careers when they find a solution that stands out. A candidate might discuss how an innovative programming solution saved development time, processing time and satisfied end-user requirements.
Tech questions for interviewing IT specialists
IT specialists typically cater to the technical needs of your business, ensuring the correct implementation of software and troubleshooting issues as they arise.
Here are several technical interview questions to consider asking an IT specialist:
8. Which online resources do you regularly refer to?
An IT specialist might not know the solution to every software issue that arises at your business, but they require the ability to apply their problem-solving skills to fix them.
Ask candidates which online resources, forums or documentation sites they turn to when troubleshooting issues or learning new technologies. Having confidence that your applicant understands the resources available to them and can identify a trustworthy resource is important to the success of your small business.
9. What network administration software are you familiar with?
A dedicated IT specialist will have experience with network administration. You can ask them if they’re familiar with the software used at your company and what their opinions are on different software options.
10. What do you do to keep your technology skills up to date?
Technology is ever-changing and most IT specialists are continually furthering their education. Asking this question helps you identify candidates who are genuinely passionate about the field and actively expanding their knowledge.
For example, a great candidate may attend professional conferences or pursue some form of continuing education. They may also have some personal projects underway.
11. What process do you use to determine the best business tools for management?
Your IT specialist might be the go-to person for your small business software decisions and implementation, so it’s important you hire someone with strong decision-making skills. A qualified candidate can understand the business side of IT and demonstrate an understanding of the core needs of your company.
12. Do you prefer cloud-based or local IT solutions?
Many organizations are migrating their local data to cloud-based storage solutions to reduce local storage costs and enable remote access to data. Familiarity with managing local and cloud environments and the ability to articulate the advantages and trade-offs of each are important skills.
Ask the applicant to clearly explain their preference and describe the benefits of both system types.
13. How would you integrate cloud storage solutions?
As a follow-up to the previous question, consider asking the applicant how they would do this for your business.
Interview questions for IT managers
When hiring an IT manager for your company, consider an individual with extensive experience overseeing and implementing software systems. The ideal candidate will be familiar with cybersecurity. Technology questions to ask potential IT managers may include:
14. How do you track technical performance in the IT department?
As the manager of an IT department, it’s important that the applicant can demonstrate they know how to measure the performance of the IT staff using technical metrics. This can include using tools, such as CRM software for tracking incidents or generating SQL reports, that gauge this data.
15. How do you allocate a budget during a project’s planning phase?
The IT manager is responsible for ensuring your company’s software and security needs are met while staying within the department’s budget. During the interview stage, consider candidates who demonstrate experience managing resources, prioritizing expenses and making informed decisions within financial constraints.
16. What are some of the technical projects you’ve supervised?
If you’re hiring someone to manage your IT department, ask questions that provide insight into their previous managerial experience. For example, questions about past technical projects can give you an idea of the kind of work they’ve spearheaded and the number of people they have experience managing.
17. How would you implement new software for the company?
An IT manager constantly reviews the effectiveness of the company’s software and seeks solutions to address areas where gaps exist. During the interview, ask questions that help assess a candidate’s experience evaluating software programs, their understanding of organizational needs and ability to plan and implement strategies.
18. How did you create IT policies that comply with industry standards in your previous role?
IT managers have experience in creating and implementing IT policies, but they are also required to know how to ensure those policies comply with national standards. This type of question can prompt candidates to demonstrate how they stay current with evolving laws and regulations and describe how they ensure compliance while maintaining effective, practical policies.
Technical interview questions for other technical support roles
When hiring for other technical support roles, such as a software architect or technical support personnel, ask questions that require the applicant to draw on their experience and apply that experience to a new role at your company.
It takes time to prepare for a technical interview. When you curate a list of questions that are specific to the nuances of a tech role, you can improve the interview process and outcomes. By asking relevant questions, you’ll get a better sense of which candidate is the right fit for your company.
Where to source tech candidates
Most hiring managers are familiar with the traditional methods of recruiting for new positions. This might include posting on professional social media platforms or connecting directly with tech professionals.
A powerful strategy to recruit top talent is to leverage insights from your current, trusted employees. They’ve often worked alongside many professionals and have a keen sense of who would be a good fit for your workplace and open roles. Many employees have a “shortlist” of former colleagues they’d collaborate with again, making employee referrals a highly effective source of top-tier tech talent.
“Our company was awarded a new contract and we needed to hire six new employees within two weeks. We offered a substantial referral bonus to existing employees if a candidate they referred was hired within the deadline. We ended up with high-quality candidates because they only referred employees they genuinely enjoyed working with in the past.”
—Scott Nameth, CEO and Java programmer
The following platforms can also be great resources for sourcing candidates in the tech industry:
Slack
Many professionals, especially those working remotely, are on Slack. It’s a useful tool that lets you have real-time conversations with your teammates, regardless of where you are in the world. With Slack’s free version, you can use public channels to connect with tech workers.
Tools like Slofile, a public Slack community database, make it easy to discover and join relevant Slack groups, giving you direct access to software engineers and IT professionals.
Quora
Quora is a good platform to find answers online and can also help you find professionals in the tech industry. By building a profile and gaining credibility on the site, you can connect with knowledgeable industry professionals.
Follow relevant topics, like IT specialists or software, and browse those forums regularly. Candidates who consistently provide accurate, insightful answers may be strong prospects for your open roles.
Conducting a successful tech interview
Businesses outside the tech industry increasingly rely on technology experts to stay competitive. As everything becomes digital, having an IT specialist on any workforce team is important for the company to succeed.
If your business is not in the tech industry but requires a qualified technical expert, consider how you can make your company attractive to these professionals.
There are many perks to working for a small or medium-sized business that you can highlight in a job description or correspondence with someone interested in the position. Emphasize a value on work-life balance and flexibility to work remotely on occasion and demonstrate that you understand the value of a tech role.
Once you’ve connected with the right candidate, it’s important to conduct an effective interview and that starts with your etiquette. In addition to important skills-based interview questions, consider interviewing in a quiet, private space where you can speak one-on-one. You can treat the interview as two-way communication.
