Got a technical job interview coming up? It will be no surprise to learn this will mostly focus on proving the depth of the technical skills on your CV.
But even as an experienced web developer, software developer, or tech professional, you could risk selling yourself short. Don't forget these five interview tips for technical jobs to stand out and showcase your full potential.
At this point in your career, you’ve probably had plenty of interviews before. You know that you need to research the company, their history, products, services and industry reputation.
But it is in your interest to dig a bit deeper when preparing for your technical interview.
Doing extra research will set you apart from the competition. Research will also help you feel more familiar with the company on the day of your technical job interview. Consider questions like these:
Make sure you also know the names and job titles of the people you are interviewing with. Use LinkedIn to look for similarities and common touch points. However, it’s important to be subtle when using this information in the interview.
You may prefer to work in tech companies with an informal working environment. But don’t assume anything about this new organisation.
Your recruiter or the hiring manager will have all the key information you need. However, it is always important to:
Your interview may include a mix of the three standard assessment methods:
It’s important to make sure you are ready for any eventuality. Let’s start with scenario-based questions.
Scenario-based questions usually involve a coding problem for you to solve in real time. These coding problems are usually on a whiteboard or piece of paper. For example:
"Given a stack, reverse the items without creating any additional data structures."
Writing down your approach is often trickier than tackling this scenario with the help of an IDE or compiler. Additionally, a written approach is probably something you have yet to experience.
At this stage it doesn’t matter if you are not entirely correct. The aim is to get a better understanding of your thought processes and problem-solving abilities under pressure. The best way for the interviewers to judge this is by giving you a pen, a whiteboard, and asking you to show your working.
Before your coding interview, I would advise researching typical whiteboard scenario-based questions. Practice writing out your answers on paper and under mock interview conditions.
The next type of common technical interview questions are competency-based ones.
Competency based questions focus on your achievements and specific projects that you have worked on. For example:
"Your CV highlights how you successfully built a trade surveillance and monitoring tool. Take me through the process, from first identifying the business challenge, through to roll out."
Make sure you review your CV before the interview process begins. Try to pinpoint which competency questions they are most likely to ask, based on your skills and experience.
Have a structure in your mind for answering these questions, so that you get your key points across without going off topic. I recommend using the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action and Result) which includes:
These questions test your technical knowledge. For instance:
The types of interview questions will heavily rely on what kind of role you are interviewing for. Study the job description again. You’ll often be able to easily identify the topic areas the interviewer is most likely to focus on. You could also ask your recruiter if you aren’t quite sure what kind of technical questions to expect.
Assessing your technical knowledge is going to be the focus of the interview. But remember that employers are also looking to hire for soft skills.
Soft skills are the abilities which stand the test of time. These skills go above and beyond any technical or digital changes to a business.
Some obvious examples are problem solving skills and good communication skills. But there are many more valuable skills that you may need to prove in order to impress a hiring manager:
Ahead of your technical job interview, determine how you communicate your explanations to both tech and non-tech experts. Ask for feedback on how concise and clear you are.
As a tech expert you have a wealth of knowledge and skills to offer up. Don’t undersell yourself by turning up to your technical job interview poorly prepared. Cover all your bases in terms of what to expect and how best to prove yourself. Importantly, be ready for any technical job interview questions the interviewer throws at you.
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James Milligan Global Head of Hays Technology
James Milligan is the Global Head of Hays Technology, having joined in 2000. In his role, he is responsible for the strategic development of Hays' technology businesses globally.
