A note for Software Engineering Interviewers

There are numerous articles on how to prepare for software engineering interviews for an interviewee, but not so much for the person sitting on the other side of the table, i.e. the interviewer. After interviewing more than 200 candidates to date since the beginning of my professional career, I’d like to share a few points for the interviewers.

1. Go prepared for the interview — Just like an interviewee, an interviewer needs to be prepared as well. Research and understand the candidate’s profile. It’ll help you in gauging the candidate better. Be clear with the areas which you have to cover during the discussion and prepare your questions beforehand. It will save valuable time in the discussion.
2. Break the ice — For a smooth interview experience, it’s good to break the ice first. Instead of directly starting with the actual interview, it’s really important to make the candidate feel comfortable during the process.
   a). Introduce yourself — One way is to start the interview by telling them about yourself. What you do in your current role, what your team does, the kind of technologies you use, etc.
   b). Listen to them — It’s equally important to listen to the candidate. Let them explain their role. Sometimes, their introduction also gives rise to questions you can ask them.
   c). Keep the introductions round short to approximately 3–5 minutes.
3. Respect the time — Try to start and end the discussion on time. Also, it is good to join 1 or 2 minutes before to check that there is no issue.
4. Brand Value — You are representing the company and its brand. Your organization is trusting you to bring in your future potential colleague. Maintain that level of trust. Don’t do or say anything which might jeopardize your or your organization’s brand value.
5. Communication — Let your Talent Acquisition (TA) partner know as early as possible if you are unable to attend or going to be late for the interview.
6. Have an open & clear mind
   a). Do not expect the exact answer which you have in your mind. Listen to them carefully and cross-question to understand their perspective and thought processes.
   b). Having a clear set of areas to cover during the interview helps in giving a direction to the discussion.
   c). If you are unable to cover any area which you were supposed to, then communicate it to either the HR/TA person or the next interviewer.
   d). Also, if you feel that the candidate is deviating from the right direction or the candidate is stuck, it’s perfectly fine to give a few hints to bring them back on track.
7. Give feedback and not a judgment — It’s all about the data. Gather as much input as possible during the interview which can help in making a decision and give your suggestion depending on the rating system followed. Let the hiring committee decide and take the final call. Learn to give detailed feedback.
8. Avoid Decision Biases
   a). Throw your biases about the candidate outside the window — their past company, education, gender, seniority level, employment gap, etc. The discussion at hand takes more weightage than any of those things.
   b). Don’t influence the subsequent interviewers’ feedback either knowingly or unknowingly.
   c). If you happen to know the candidate that you are going to interview, it’s better to inform your TA partner and let them make the call to avoid any decision bias. They may miss it sometimes.
9. Remember
   a). It’s a two-way street. You are talking to a potential future colleague.
   b). Don’t be arrogant. The tables can turn anytime.
   c). Near the end of the discussion, always encourage them to ask questions. Allocate some dedicated time for candidates’ questions.
10. Last but not least — Look for the positives instead of the negatives. Interview with an acceptance mindset encourages looking for the goods in the candidate rather than a rejection mindset which focuses on the negative aspects. Having said that, highlight the red flags(if any) to the TA partner or hiring committee.

Interviewing is a necessary evil. Teams would need to grow as the business would grow and interviews will go on. The least we can try is to provide a good experience to the candidate.

Thank you for reading! HAPPY INTERVIEWING! :)
Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Would love to discuss it!

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