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Preparing for a tech interview is tough – there are hundreds of technical and non-technical questions an interviewer could ask you. So, where should you start? 

In this article, we share six popular interview questions for developers compiled by Jeremy Schmidt, our Director of Talent Acquisition, and Nataliya Pasichnyk, one of our amazing Engineering Managers. Practice answering these questions to get an idea of what to expect in an interview and to increase your chances of success. 

Popular interview questions for a developer

1. What kind of challenges are you looking for?

Employers like to ask this question to determine if the position can meet your expectations and to learn about your goals, interests, and motivations.

When answering, think about your goals: Would you like to level up to a leadership position or be considered an expert in your field? Then consider how you can achieve these goals and what challenges are involved. For example, what skills do you need to develop to attain a management position, or what can you do to get invited to a panel discussion at your favorite conference? 

2. How do you envision your career unfolding?

With this interview question for developers, employers want to find out whether your goals and plans match theirs. Most companies want to hire committed developers who will stay with them for years. To this end, they want to evaluate whether you are ambitious and committed to the job and whether you can achieve your goals with mutual support.

Before you go to the interview, think about your long-term career goals, what success looks like for you, and what role work will play in your future. Also, think about what you want to accomplish for others: What contributions do you want to make to the company, it’s employees, and clients?

3. What are your expectations of working with your engineering manager?

Based on this question, the employer learns more about your expectations for daily and long-term cooperation with the technical manager. In addition, it can provide information about whether you can work independently and on your own responsibility and whether you fit into the existing team. And since companies are always looking for potential leaders, this question also tells them about your idea of leadership and growth potential.

To answer this question, consider the following about your engineering manager:

  • What expectations do you have of them in your day-to-day work? 
  • What would you like to be supported with? 
  • How should they manage their team?
  • How can you help them do their best?
  • What qualities should the ideal technical manager have? 

Be completely honest about this question because it is also in your interest to determine whether the manager’s role matches your expectations early on.

More like this: Five Javascript Coding Interview Questions You’re Sure to Encounter

4. How do you think technological progress will affect your work?

This question allows employers to determine how you see the future, how it may affect your work, and whether you’re up to speed with trends and technologies. It could also be an opportunity to chat about current technology topics like AI or the Metaverse, where the employer can learn more about your interests and passions.

Chat about your favorite tech topics of the future and consider what they might mean for your industry or workplace. Also, talk about smaller-scale technologies and developments that specifically affect your area. Let your interviewer know what you’re doing to stay current and that you have an opinion on new advancements while also considering how they might affect the future of your work.

Take time to practice answering common interview questions for a developer questions, so you know what to say in the interview.
When it comes to developer interview questions, you’ll likely get a mix of technical and non-technical questions, so be sure to practice both!

 

5. How would you define good code?

Companies want to deliver applications and software that reliably serve them and their users now and in the future. To achieve this, they want to hire developers who can write high-quality code and care about the topic.

Note that this question isn’t necessarily about whether your definition of good code matches the company’s. Instead, it’s about showing that you’ve thought about the subject and that it’s important to you. 

However, if you take too long to answer, the employer can take this as a sign that you’ve never dealt intensely with the topic.

So practice discussing topics like readability, simplicity, efficiency, etc., before the interview.

6. Tell me about a project that is dear to you and your role in it.

Your favorite project can tell employers what you’re passionate about. For example, maybe you liked a project because it served the greater good; perhaps you liked it because it allowed you to use your favorite technology. Additionally, they can get a better picture of your real-world experience and its relevance to the job based on your role in the project.

Think about a project you enjoyed and what parallels you can draw to the job you are applying for. For example, is the company in the same industry? Do teams use the same technology? Or were your role and responsibilities similar? Perhaps the project also impacted why you applied for the job in the first place. 

The more parallels you can find between the project and the job, the better. 

Keep practicing your answers for developer interview questions

We hope this list of popular interview questions for developers will give you a good starting point for your preparations. Make an effort to think about possible answers ahead, so you don’t come up empty-handed during the interview.

Next, you may want to learn some tips and tricks for preparing for a virtual whiteboard test or programming interview

We wish you the best of luck with your interview!

Want more tips on preparing for a coding interview? Check out Codility Developer Training – an app where you can develop your coding skills with our lessons and participate in our challenges. 

Codility is the leading technical hiring platform for companies to test the coding skills of developers and make evidence-based hiring decisions. Codility predicts the real-life skills of candidates at all stages of the hiring process and for more than a decade, has evaluated the problem-solving skills of over 15 million developers and counting.

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