Three Interview Questions You Should Always Ask Software Developers
And one you definitely shouldn’t.
Let’s be honest: No matter how badly engineering leaders want interviewing software developers to be an exact science, it’s anything but — especially when trying to determine how they’ll fit into your culture. “While we believe in the power of behavioral interviewing to achieve this end, the research shows that predicting the weather is more accurate than predicting a great hire,” says Jennie Ellis, founder and CEO of Seattle-based Recruiting Bandwidth.
But in fact, you can increase your chances of finding the right fit if you ask the right questions — and tailor them to your organizational needs. Ellis walked us through the three questions she advises all of her clients to use when screening devs, along with one that should be permanently retired.
“Have you done this kind of work before?”
Obvious, right? If you expect this person to work on Project X, you want to make sure they have the skills to contribute meaningfully to Project X. But, Ellis points out, too many hiring managers will ask the question, get a yes from the candidate, and then move on. Instead, you want to treat this as a jumping-off point. “What you really want to know is, ‘When did you do that? What tools did you use? What was your role on the team? Did you do the design and the development? Did you do the development and the testing?’” she says. “Make sure that you’re digging in to find out what they actually did, when, how, and what the outcome was.”
By the way, a no shouldn’t be an automatic disqualifier. As Ellis reminds us, smart people can learn new things. So if an otherwise-qualified candidate doesn’t have the exact experience you’re looking for, ask specific questions about a problem they’ve faced and how they solved it. “You’re listening for their ability to be proactive, dive in, and teach themselves something new,” she says.
“Tell me about a side project you’ve been working on.”
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, but it may also hint at a lack of innovative thinking. Asking about non-work projects — anything from creating a mobile application to just deploying a home network — will reveal not only how willing a candidate is to tinker, but also how much they enjoy stretching themselves and learning new things. And that will give you insight into how inventive they’ll be when working with your code.
“How would you respond in this situation?”
Technical ability is only part of the equation. In order to determine if a candidate will gel with your organization’s culture, you’ll need to dive into their psyche. (No psychiatry degree necessary.) For a really effective question, start with your company’s values and build from there. To illustrate the point, Ellis references the steps a certain high-profile tech company has taken to improve diversity and inclusivity. Hiring managers have begun asking questions about — no exaggeration — candidates’ willingness to mingle and interact with employees of different seniority level. No matter the company or culture, Ellis says, “the idea is to get at whether they can work well within your values.”
But definitely don’t ask … “What’s your biggest weakness?”
At this point, everyone knows to respond with, “Well, sometimes I just work too darn hard,” so don’t even bother. You’d probably be better off asking, “Would you like to end with a humblebrag?”
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