How Employers Can Master Technical Interviews for Developers

Finding the right Software Developer for your team isn’t just about their coding skills. It’s about uncovering how they think, solve problems, and adapt under pressure. Technical interviews are your chance to do just that, but asking the right questions is only half the battle. To truly assess a candidate’s potential, you need to dig deeper and create an interview process that challenges, excites, and reveals their full capabilities. 

In this technical interview guide, we will explore how to master technical interviews, ensuring you identify developers who not only excel in coding but also align with your team’s culture and goals.

First, let’s explore what you should avoid during the technical interview process:

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

A poor interview process can lead to ineffective hires and wasted resources. The good news is we are here to guide you on common pitfalls to avoid during the technical interview process. It’s important that you know exactly what to do and what not to do from the very beginning. We are here to give you a step-by-step guide on how to perform an interview that ultimately gets you the candidates you require for your software development team.

Let’s start by outlining common mistakes you should avoid during a technical interview:

1. Overloading Candidates with Too Many Technical Questions

It’s tempting to ask candidates as many technical questions as possible to test their knowledge. However, overloading them with too many questions can cause stress and hinder their performance. Be mindful of the length and difficulty of your technical assessments, and ensure that they’re relevant to the job at hand.

2. Not Giving Enough Time for Candidate Questions

It’s essential to allocate time during the interview for candidates to ask questions. This allows them to learn more about the role, the team, and the company culture. Their questions can also provide valuable insights into their priorities and how well they’ve researched the role.

3. Relying on Technical Tests Alone

While technical tests are an essential part of the interview process, they shouldn’t be the sole basis for your decision. Combining technical assessments with soft skills evaluations can provide a fuller picture of a candidate’s potential. This includes considering their communication, teamwork, and adaptability skills, which are just as important in a developer role.

4. Inconsistent Evaluation: Why Structure Matters

Unstructured or inconsistent interview processes can lead to poor hiring decisions, often resulting in hiring candidates who may not be the right fit for your company. Without a clear structure, interviewers may fail to evaluate all relevant factors, leading to biases or misinterpretations of the candidate’s abilities.

For example, one interviewer might focus too heavily on theoretical knowledge, while another might only ask about practical coding skills. This inconsistency could lead to skewed assessments, making it difficult to gauge a candidate’s true potential. A lack of standardisation also makes it harder to compare candidates objectively, increasing the chances of hiring someone who may not have the right skills or mindset for the role.

A structured interview process with clearly defined stages and criteria can help ensure that candidates are evaluated fairly and comprehensively, covering everything from technical ability to cultural fit.

A Step-by-Step Technical Interview Guide

Interviewing software developers requires a careful blend of technical skill assessment, behavioural evaluation, and attention to candidate experience. As we mentioned, an ideal interview structure not only evaluates the candidate’s coding and problem-solving abilities but also ensures they are a good cultural fit for your team. 

First, it is important to consider what you must ensure before you start conducting the technical interview. How many candidates do you interview? What should your job description look like? How do you truly know whether a candidate is fit for the role purely based on their CV? 

Here, we answer the questions for you:

How Many Candidates Should You Interview?

Determining the ideal number of candidates to interview is a crucial step in ensuring you don't waste time and resources. While you might be tempted to cast a wide net, it's important not to overdo it. You need a manageable pool of candidates that will allow you to evaluate technical skills and cultural fit effectively.

Most hiring experts recommend interviewing between 3 and 5 candidates initially, narrowing it down further to 1 or 2 for second-round interviews. This balance ensures you have enough options to compare skills and qualifications without getting overwhelmed by too many applicants. If you're inundated with applications, a strict pre-screening process can help streamline your shortlist.

Qualifying Candidates with a Clear Job Description

For software development jobs, a well-written job description is crucial. Software development positions require specific skills, and a vague job posting could attract a flood of applicants with the wrong expertise. Clearly outline the programming languages, frameworks, and certifications required for the role. Additionally, be specific about whether prior experience in certain areas (such as front-end, back-end, or full-stack development) is required.

For example, if you're hiring for a JavaScript developer, your job description should specify the need for expertise in frameworks like React or Angular, and any experience with Node.js would be a bonus. This clarity will attract candidates who meet the specific technical requirements of the role, reducing the likelihood of interviewing candidates who are not a good fit.

To learn more on how to attract Software Developer talent to your business through job descriptions and more, discover our insightful guide - How to Attract Talent to Your Software Development Jobs.

Checking for Accuracy: Identifying Lies on CVs

Software developers are often skilled in a wide variety of programming languages and tools, and unfortunately, some candidates may exaggerate their skills on resumes to make themselves more attractive. 

Recent research shows that a large proportion of job seekers in the UK exaggerate their CVs, with 92.5% acknowledging some form of dishonesty and 1 in 12 fabricating formal qualifications. 

Hiring individuals based on inaccurate CVs can result in significant costs. A bad hire can result in significant expenses, with an average of £9,730 lost on recruitment and training and an additional £9,625 due to reduced productivity. The ripple effect on team performance is even more impactful, with productivity losses reaching approximately £30,000—three times greater than those caused by toxic employees. This can be especially prevalent in technical roles, where candidates might overstate their proficiency in certain programming languages or frameworks.

To ensure you're making an informed decision, thoroughly verify the information on the candidate's CV. Cross-check job titles, dates, and claimed skills. Look for inconsistencies between their resume and LinkedIn profile, and ask candidates to clarify any ambiguous claims, especially regarding their technical expertise or specific achievements. 

For example, if a candidate claims to have led a major software development project, ask for details about the technologies used, the challenges faced, and the outcomes.

For further pre-screening support, partnering with a technology recruitment agency could be a great option. Partnering with an agency can significantly reduce the risks of hiring candidates with inflated CVs. Technology recruitment agencies are equipped to conduct thorough skill assessments, reference checks, and technical testing, ensuring that candidates genuinely possess the developer qualifications they claim. Their expertise in evaluating both technical skills and cultural fit helps ensure that hires are well-suited for the role and your company’s environment, ultimately saving you time and resources.

Now that we have covered how to prepare and identify the right number of potential reliable candidates, let’s explore the key steps to conducting the technical interview:

1. Create a Structured Interview Process

A well-structured interview ensures consistency and fairness throughout the hiring process, making it easier to compare candidates and select the best fit for your team. 

Here’s how to structure your interview process:

• Technical Assessments: Tailor coding exercises or tests to reflect the actual tasks that developers will perform on the job. These tests could include algorithm challenges, debugging tasks, or system design exercises. Ensure they align with the technologies your team uses.
• Problem-Solving Scenarios: Offer real-world coding challenges that simulate situations candidates might face. Tasks like optimising an algorithm or debugging a broken codebase are useful for assessing critical thinking and the ability to handle pressure.
• Behavioural Scenarios: Focus on scenarios that are relevant to the role, such as working in teams, managing deadlines, or adapting to unexpected challenges. This gives you an idea of how they might contribute to your team’s culture. We will discuss this more later in the guide.

2. Design a Technical Interview that is Inclusive

Live coding sessions and pair programming exercises allow you to observe how candidates approach real-time problem-solving. These exercises offer insights into coding skills and how a candidate collaborates and communicates under pressure.

However, not all candidates thrive under the pressure of live coding challenges, and some may not prefer this format. To create a more inclusive technical interview, consider offering flexible approaches that cater to different strengths and preferences.

For example, live coding sessions can still be effective for assessing problem-solving skills but ensure the environment feels supportive rather than overly intense. Encourage candidates to explain their thought process as they work through a coding problem, which allows you to evaluate their technical abilities and communication skills without added pressure.

Alternatively, provide options such as take-home assignments or collaborative problem-solving exercises. Pair programming sessions, where candidates work alongside a senior developer or interviewer, can also be useful for evaluating adaptability, teamwork, and problem-solving. Observe how candidates respond to challenges, like debugging or receiving feedback, while ensuring the experience remains constructive and fair.

By offering flexibility, you can better accommodate diverse candidates and gain a more accurate understanding of their capabilities.

3. Assessing Problem-Solving and Creativity

Evaluating a candidate’s problem-solving abilities is one of the most important yet challenging aspects of a technical interview. While theoretical questions can provide insight into a candidate’s knowledge, real-world scenarios reveal how they perform under pressure.

Assessing problem-solving and creativity skills involves two key elements:

• Real-World Coding Challenges: Provide candidates with a coding challenge that mimics real-world problems they might encounter in the role. For example, ask them to debug a codebase or optimise an inefficient algorithm. This type of exercise helps you gauge how they approach problems and find solutions in a practical context.
• Creativity in Problem Solving: Encourage candidates to think creatively and explore multiple solutions. Ask open-ended questions like, “Can you think of another way to solve this problem?” This gives candidates the chance to demonstrate innovation and critical thinking.

By giving candidates the opportunity to solve real-world challenges, you can assess their creativity, problem-solving skills, and ability to apply knowledge to complex situations.

4. Assessing System Design Skills

While coding is essential, a developer’s ability to design systems is just as important. System design interviews help you assess a candidate’s understanding of software architecture, scalability, and performance optimisation.

Below are the best ways to assess system design skills:

• Design Challenges: Ask candidates to design a scalable system or to optimise an existing system. For example, you might ask them to design a messaging system capable of handling millions of users. During this process, look for candidates who can discuss trade-offs between performance, security, and scalability.
• Evaluate Architecture Decisions: Focus on how candidates approach system-level problems. Do they think about modularity, maintainability, and testing? How do they handle potential bottlenecks? Are they able to explain their design decisions clearly?

System design interviews provide valuable insights into a candidate’s ability to think beyond individual code snippets and understand the bigger picture of how software systems function.

5. Assessing Soft Skills and Cultural Fit

While technical skills are essential, a developer’s ability to work effectively with the team is crucial to long-term success. Soft skills such as communication, collaboration, and adaptability are equally important.

Here are the key things you must focus on:

• Behavioural Questions: Ask candidates about experiences that reveal how they approach teamwork, conflict resolution, and change management. For example, “Describe a time you had to collaborate with someone from a different department on a technical project.”
• Preferred Working Style: Discuss whether the candidate thrives in collaborative or independent environments. Ask, “How do you prefer to work with a team?” and “What is your approach to handling tight deadlines?”

Understanding how a candidate’s work style aligns with your company’s culture ensures that they’ll integrate well into the team and contribute positively to the overall work environment.

6. Collaborate with the Team

Involving your senior developers and team members in the interview process ensures a more thorough evaluation of candidates. Senior developers can assess the candidate’s technical abilities with greater depth and accuracy.

So, why is team collaboration essential for a technical interview?

• Team Collaboration: Senior developers bring a wealth of experience and can ask more advanced, role-specific questions. They can also offer valuable insights into whether a candidate’s skills align with the team’s needs and technologies.
• Simulate Team Dynamics: By including multiple team members in the interview, such as an HR representative, you can simulate the collaborative nature of software development. Other colleagues may identify different attributes others may miss. This helps you gather an all-around idea of how the candidate will interact with colleagues and whether they will integrate smoothly into the team.

7. Asking the Right Technical Interview Questions

Asking the right technical interview questions is key to evaluating a candidate’s technical and soft skills. Tailor your questions to cover both coding capabilities and the candidate’s approach to problem-solving, communication, and teamwork. 

Here's how you can structure your technical interview questions:

General Questions

These questions help you understand the candidate’s background and motivations. They provide insight into whether the candidate aligns with your company culture and the role itself.

Sample Questions:

• What made you decide to pursue a career in software development?
• Can you describe the type of work environment where you thrive?

Technical Skills Questions

For software developer jobs, these questions should probe into the candidate's proficiency with specific programming languages, frameworks, and development methodologies.

Sample Questions:

• Can you walk me through a project where you used [insert specific technology] to solve a problem?
• How do you approach debugging a piece of code that isn’t working as expected?

Behavioural Questions

As we briefly discussed earlier, these questions give you insight into how a candidate has handled challenges in the past and whether they can apply those lessons in your environment.

Sample Questions:

• Tell me about a time when you worked on a software project with a tight deadline. How did you manage your time?
• Have you ever worked with a difficult colleague or stakeholder? How did you handle the situation?

Situational Questions

Situational questions assess how candidates think through problems and make decisions, especially in hypothetical scenarios.

Sample Questions:

• If you were given a project that required using a new technology you're unfamiliar with, how would you approach it?
• How would you handle a situation where a critical bug is discovered just before a product release?

Managerial Questions

For senior or leadership roles, these questions assess the candidate's ability to manage teams, prioritise work, and handle decision-making responsibilities.

Sample Questions:

• How do you ensure that your team stays on track with project deadlines?
• How do you handle conflict among team members, especially in high-pressure situations?

Avoiding Discriminatory Questions

While interviewing for software developer jobs, it's crucial to avoid questions that could be deemed discriminatory. Focus on asking questions that assess the candidate's skills and fit for the role rather than their personal life. For example, avoid asking about age, marital status, or future family plans.

Instead, ask questions that assess availability and flexibility, such as:

• Are you willing to work overtime or during weekends if a project requires it?
• Do you have experience working remotely or in different time zones?

These questions ensure you're gathering the information you need without crossing any legal boundaries.

8. Evaluating Candidates' Responses

As you interview candidates for your software developer jobs, it's essential to evaluate their responses effectively. Here’s how you can make the process more objective:

Taking Effective Notes

As you conduct interviews, take notes on key points such as:

• How well the candidate communicates technical concepts.
• Whether the candidate can explain complex technical issues clearly.
• Their approach to problem-solving and collaboration.

Effective note-taking will allow you to compare candidates later and identify who stood out based on their answers.

Active Listening

While candidates speak, listen closely not only to their answers but also to how they communicate. Pay attention to:

• How clearly they explain technical concepts.
• Whether they demonstrate problem-solving skills through examples.
• Whether they appear confident in their responses.

The ability to listen actively can help you assess if the candidate truly understands the technologies they’re claiming to know.

Using the STAR Method

The STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) is a great way to evaluate a candidate’s problem-solving ability and technical expertise. When asking situational or behavioural questions, encourage candidates to use the STAR format to provide structured answers.

Example:

• Situation: Can you describe a situation where you had to learn a new programming language quickly?
• Task: What was your role in the project, and what was the objective?
• Action: What steps did you take to get up to speed with the new language?
• Result: How did your efforts impact the success of the project?

This method ensures that you receive comprehensive, clear, and actionable responses.

9. Enhance the Candidate's Experience

A positive interview experience can help you attract top candidates, even if you don’t ultimately hire them. Candidates who are respected and valued are more likely to speak positively about your company, enhancing your employer brand.

To maximise the candidate experience, consider the following:

• Transparency and Communication: From the moment a candidate is contacted, make sure they understand the interview process. Inform them about the interview structure, the types of questions and assessments they will face, and the expected timeline. Clear communication helps reduce anxiety and allows candidates to prepare effectively.
• Provide Constructive Feedback: Regardless of the outcome, providing feedback after the interview is vital. Reputation is everything, and constructive feedback demonstrates that you respect the candidate’s time and effort. It also creates a more positive experience, which can encourage them to consider your company for future opportunities.

10. Negotiation and Final Decision

Once you’ve evaluated all candidates and made a shortlist, it’s time to decide who to hire. Negotiation, especially in the tech industry, can be tricky. Software developers often have specific expectations regarding salary, benefits, and remote work options. Be prepared for discussions around compensation and be transparent about what your company can offer.

To navigate this phase effectively, you should:

• Understand Market Standards: Research competitive salaries, benefits, and perks for similar roles in your industry to ensure your offer aligns with market trends.
• Be Transparent: Clearly communicate what your company can offer in terms of compensation, growth opportunities, and work environment. Transparency builds trust and helps avoid misunderstandings.
• Offer Flexibility: If a candidate values remote work, professional development opportunities, or flexible hours, demonstrate your willingness to accommodate their preferences within reason. This can make your offer more attractive.
  A 2024 study by WTW reveals pay is the top factor driving both attraction and retention, with 49% of Irish employees citing it as their main reason for staying. Job security (44%) and flexible work arrangements (34%) also rank highly among employees’ priorities.
• Highlight Non-Monetary Benefits: While salary is important, other factors such as career progression, team culture, or unique perks can also influence a candidate’s decision. Tailor your pitch to what matters most to the individual.

To ensure your offer is competitive, working with a technology recruitment agency like MCS can provide you with extra support. Recruitment specialists can help you save time and resources by ensuring your offer is both competitive for the role and aligned with market standards. Whether you need permanent or temporary software developers, a strong negotiation offer is vital for securing the talent your business needs.

Final Word on Mastering the Technical Interview

Mastering technical interviews for developers is an essential skill that can significantly elevate your hiring process. By following structured, well-thought-out strategies, you can not only uncover the right technical expertise but also judge how well a candidate will fit into your team culture. It is important to balance technical assessments with an understanding of the candidate's communication, problem-solving, and teamwork abilities. 

To ensure you hire the right talent, focus on creating a fair and consistent interview process that’s tailored to the specific needs of your role. Avoid common pitfalls like overloading candidates with questions or relying too heavily on technical tests. With the right approach, you can identify the developers who will thrive in your organisation, bringing both technical skills and a positive attitude to the table. The result? A stronger, more cohesive development team that drives success for your business.

Need Technical Interview Support?

Partner with us to take the stress out of technical recruitment and interviewing. Our expert team is here to streamline the entire process, saving you time while ensuring you secure the talent your team needs to thrive. From advising on bespoke technical assessments to guiding you through structured interviews, we’ll help you uncover candidates who excel not just in skills but also in cultural fit. 

Don’t let the perfect hire slip away. Contact us today to learn how we can support you.