Have You Ever Run A Hackathon
A hackathon is a short event, either a few days or a week, where software developers get together to collaborate on hacking a software project together.
Companies that run hackathons are great because they care about engineering culture and strive to give developers the freedom to try new things. Its even better when those hackathon projects have the chance to inspire actual features of the companys product. Ask for examples of features that were the result of a hackathon challenge.
Software Engineering Interview Question Tips
As youre expected to show off both technical and soft skills, software engineering interview questions can be daunting but its possible to crush the interview process when youre prepared for whats coming.
- Practice your coding skills. Coding is a highly valuable and integral part of software engineering, especially for entry-level roles. Use practice problems to help refresh and strengthen your skills, and get comfortable explaining your problem-solving process.
- Know your technical terms. Some interviewers will ask technical questions to see how familiar you are with software engineering concepts. Youre not expected to know everything. However, its crucial to understand the software development lifecycle, including how to ensure quality software development. Knowing how to explain technical concepts in simple terms is also a plus. It shows your soft skills in communicating with non-technical coworkers and stakeholders.
- Show why youre uniquely interested in the role. Theres a lot of opportunity in software engineering, so you should show the hiring team why youre specifically interested in their company. Do your research and talk about how their mission and work align with your values and goals.
How Comfortable Are You In A Startup Environment Or Do You Prefer Working In A More Established Company
Working in a startup is very different than being at a more established company. You want to make sure a candidate is a good fit for your company environment and expected workload that comes with working in a startup. What to look for:
- Understanding of expected workload
Example:
There is something to be said for the predictability of working in a more established company with its set goals and office hours. However, I must say I really enjoy the unpredictability and excitement of working at a startup. Yes, the hours are long and everything moves at a breakneck pace, but theres nothing quite like building something from scratch and seeing where it goes.
Don’t Miss: How To Prepare For A Dental Assistant Interview
Junior Software Developer Interview Questions To Practice
You’ve worked hard to land your Junior Software Developer interview. You’ve built your skills, created a , applied to jobs, and now, you’re this close to launching your new career. All you need to do is impress the hiring manager.
While it’s impossible to know exactly what questions you’ll face during your interview, rehearsing with common interview questions is a great way to prepare. Here’s a list of technical and behavioral Junior Software Developer interview questions.
Amazon Junior Software Engineer Interview Questions
- – San Salvador and Rum Cay
- – Central Andros District
- – Ar Rifa’ wa al Mintaqah al Jan
- – Al Mintaqah al Gharbiyah
- Bosnia and Herzegovina – All Cities
- – Federation of Bosnia and Herze
- – Bosnia Serb Republic
- – Région de la Ville de N’Djaména
- – San Andrés and Providence and
- Democratic Republic of Congo – All Cities
- – Baladiyat al Jabal al Akhdar
- – Baladiyat an Nuqat al Khams
- – Shabyat Wd al ayt
- – Shabyat al Wt
- Papua New Guinea – All Cities
- – Baladiyat az¸ Z¸aayin
- – Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija
- – Sveti Andra v Slovenskih Gori
- Trinidad and Tobago – All Cities
- United Arab Emirates – All Cities
6144.7K
I interviewed at Amazon
Interview
Behavioral questions then technical question, back to back to back to back, 45 mins each. Easy to medium difficulty for technical questions. For behavioral questions, one interviewer specifically asked for STAR answers before starting the interview.
Anonymous Employee in Canada, KS
Application
I applied online. The process took 3 months. I interviewed at Amazon in Jul 2022
Interview
I submitted my application for the role, then a recruiter reached out to me by mail to ask if I was still interested. I then received a link for the coding assessment To phone interview and on-site interview where you have a series of interviews
Read Also: What To Say To Interview Questions
The Cultural Interview Or Initial Conversation
This interview will feel most like a conversation. It may happen near the start of the interview process, or later on, once your technical potential has been established. The interviewer is trying to answer a few basic questions about you:
- Would you work well inside the existing team?
- Are you a nice person? Are you likeable?
- Do you seem to be passionate about technology?
- Do you seem smart?
- Can you communicate?
The interviewer cant ask you these questions directly, so they will ask proxy questions to try to discover the answers about you. A few of the most common questions Ive encountered are:
- What kind of technologies are you excited to learn more about?
- Can you tell us about a cool project you completed recently?
- What is your favourite programming language?
All of these are proxy questions. In truth, the interviewer is trying to figure out whether you truly care about technology. As a Junior developer, the extent to which you are curious about and excited by technology is a good predictor of your rate of skill growth over time. Interviewers will, in general, be more concerned with where they can see you in a year or two than your skills right now.
Its important to come to a cultural interview with some ideas on how you would answer these questions. Be friendly, curious, and conversational. Do a little bit of research about the company before-hand, but also ask the interviewers questions to broaden your understanding.
What Programming Languages Frameworks And Libraries Do You Use
When asking this question, pay attention to the answers and ask follow-up questions. For example, if the programming languages being used are unusual for that industry or type of application, ask the interviewer why it was chosen. This shows you understand the use cases for different programming languages and are curious about the companys approach to software.
Keep an eye out for legacy applications. You may choose to avoid working on them if youre specifically focused on modern technology.
Recommended Reading: What Makes An Outstanding Teacher Interview Question
It All Starts With Having Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the ability to be aware of, understand and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others.
When a deployment doesn’t go as planned, you need to be able to empathize with your team and work to find a solution.
Emotional intelligence is about being able to regulate your emotions, respond effectively to emotions in others, and create positive relationships.
And although some people will be naturally gifted in this field, like with any other aspect of intelligence, it can still be cultivated.
Showing emotional intelligence and developing good people skills will make a world of difference in how you interact with others, making you a better leader and problem-solver.
We all want to work with people we like and trust, so it’s good business sense to focus on developing these skills.
Just remember that, like with anything else, it takes practice. The more you work on it, the easier it will become.
Top 9 Questions To Expect In A Software Developer Job Interview
1. Why Did You Choose to Become a Software Developer?
Here, the employer wants to see how passionate you are about the role and how dedicated you will be to the profession, and the company. The answer to this question will look different for everyone but, ultimately, companies are looking for keen individuals who are truly passionate about Software Development and the wider industry, and are not solely driven by competitive salaries or popularity.
When forming your answer, we recommend that you include a little bit of information about how you got started with coding, your personal experiences in development and what you enjoy most about the industry.
2. What are Your Preferred Programming Languages and Which Do You Use Most?
Check out our blog on the best coding languages to learn for more information.
Don’t Miss: What To Bring To A Teacher Interview
What Is Software Prototyping And Poc
A software prototype is a working model with limited functionality. The prototype may or may not contain the exact logic used in the final software program, and therefore is an additional work that should be considered in the calculation. Users can review developer proposals and try them out before they are implemented through prototyping. It also helps in comprehending user-specific details that may have been missed by the developer during product development.
POC is a method used by organizations to validate an idea or concept’s practicality. The stage exists prior to the start of the software development process. On the basis of technical capability and business model, a mini project is built to see if a concept can be executed.
Craft Your Answer To The Introduce Yourself Question
Tell me about yourself is a guaranteed question in nearly every interview. Prepare for it by crafting a 1-2min story of the key points in your professional life.
One of the videos I recommend to people is the one about answering the question “Tell us about yourself”: If you’re being interviewed by 4-5 people total, then you need to have a well-prepared and, yes, rehearsed answer ready. You need to treat it like an elevator pitch. Boil your story down to the key points . Use these points to craft a 1-2min max description of yourself and practice it every day in front of the mirror. –Anna, Junior Software Engineer at Novatec GmbH
Read Also: Interview Questions To Ask Potential Managers
What Does A Junior Developer Do
A junior software developer is an entry-level role. Their job is to assist the tech team with all manner of coding and software development, including writing code and code management. The work of a junior software developer can be divided into back-end and front end development.
The role continues to be one of the most sought-after hires in the tech world. This is because, although juniors require more training than more experienced tech employees, juniors can easily learn the new skills needed to make them the perfect role fit for your company. As the DevSkiller IT skills report 2022 put it:
The potential that relatively inexperienced developers offer is highly desirable for companies because they can be groomed within a particular company structure and culturejunior developers were again the most highly sought after in 2021.
How Do You Determine A Projects Success
While releasing high-quality software is vital, software that doesnt address the needs of the user and the business produces little value. Employers want to know that you are thinking beyond the technical aspects and aim to solve real-world problems. This often comes down to identifying a metric to improve and creating a testable hypothesis of your expected project impact.
Example:”Before a project is even started, success metrics are laid out. I will identify the key performance indicator that we are hoping to impact and begin gathering information to formulate ideas. These ideas are stated as a falsifiable hypothesis. For example, We believe that reducing checkout steps will increase sales conversion. An increase of 2% will be considered a positive signal. This keeps the team focused on the impact of our projects on the businesss bottom line.”
Also Check: How To Ask Good Interview Questions
What Programming Languages Are You Familiar With
A software engineer should have experience with a wide range of programming languages. This knowledge is vital to having success in this role. Before your interview, review the job description to see if they mention whether or not you’ll need programming language experience for the role. Respond with languages you’re familiar with that match the employer’s needs.
Example:I am proficient in Java, C++, JavaScript, C#, Ruby and Python. Of these programming languages, I feel most comfortable working with Java, C# and C++. In my previous role, I worked mainly with Java to create applications that worked across multiple platforms. I also used C++ to develop a new operating system that worked with the applications I engineered. Using C#, I was able to improve my productivity when developing web-based apps and software.
Behavioral Senior Software Engineer Interview Questions
Take a look at the next seven behavioral senior software engineer interview questions, which will help you find out more about your candidates behavior, attitude, and reactions to particular work-related circumstances.
Also Check: Creative Interview Questions For Administrative Assistant
Tell Me About A Time You Were New To A Situation Or Environment How Did You Adapt
This question allows you to show your ability to take on responsibilities that are not included in your job description, such as independent research and how you adapt to dynamic work environments. If you are unsure how to answer this question, consider describing your experience starting your previous job.
Example:”When I started my last job, I had never worked as a full-time software engineer and knew that I had a lot to learn. However, I made sure to ask many questions and take notes about what I learned, reviewing them at the end of each workday. Eventually, I became familiar with the systems and protocol and exceeded my goals within the first six months of employment.”
What Questions Do You Have For Us
When interviewing a potential software engineer, it is important not just to ask them questions but to allow them to ask their own questions.
If an engineer doesnt really care about your company and is just interested in making money, they probably wont have a lot of questions.
In addition, a good software engineer who cares about their work is in high demand, and cares about working with a great team will probably have a few questions for you as well.
They might want to ask about the company culture, the work-life balance, your company values, the goals you are trying to reach, what you are looking for in a software developer and more to figure out whether you would make a good fit for them and how they will fit in with your overall company goals.
Don’t Miss: Do’s And Don Ts Of Interview
Prepare Answers For The Other Questions You Know Youll Be Asked
This is really important, especially If youre changing careers into tech or transitioning from a non-technical role. You have the extra hurdle of convincing the interviewer that you can handle the technical side before youve gotten to that stage in the interviewing process. So what should you be ready to answer? Heres whatAzra, Software Engineer at LinkedIn says:
Hands down the most common couple of questions as a career changer are 1) Why are you switching into engineering and 2) How do you learn new technical skills? For #2, the key is to make sure you point to an example of a skill you picked up on your own, how you did it, what roadblocks you came across and how you resolved them. Utilize the STAR method even if you’re being asked a general question. I’ve found interviewers really appreciate concrete examples.
If you’re not familiar, the STAR method is a tool for answering behavioral interview questions. The acronym stands for:
Situation: Introduce the situation and set the scene
Task: Describe what your responsibility was in that situation
Action: Explain the actions you took
Result: Share what outcomes your actions achieved
Another question you’ll likely be asked is the desired salary question. How you respond is so important that we’ve developed an entire guide forhow to respond when you’re asked about target compensation.
General Senior Software Engineer Interview Questions
This first set of 12 senior software engineer interview questions will help you learn more about your candidates general skills, attitude, personalities and whether they fit your organizations culture.
Don’t Miss: How To Pass A Phone Interview
