What Strengths Do You Think Are Most Important In A Developer
A question like this can reveal what the interviewee feels they can bring to the position. Some candidates may focus on technical abilities and IT certifications, while others may talk more about problem solving, attention to detail, communication and other general job skills. Look for IT candidates who give a balanced answer.
Do You Work On Any Projects In Your Spare Time
You’re looking for a candidate who lives and breathes tech, not just someone who will clock in, cross each task off their list, and leave.
Asking questions about projects is a way of assessing passion, as well as a chance to learn about technical skills in the development stage that may benefit you in the long run on company projects.
Are There Opportunities For Training And Progression Within The Role/company
Enquiring about development opportunities demonstrates to the interviewer that you’re serious about your career and committed to a future with the organisation.
You don’t want to be stuck in a dead-end job so if you’re unsure of the typical career path for someone in this role, asking this question will help you to assess whether a long-term career with the company is a possibility, or if you’d need to move on to gain further responsibility.
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What Does Cors Mean And How Does It Work
From Mozilla:
Cross-Origin Resource Sharing is an HTTP-header based mechanism that allows a server to indicate any origins other than its own from which a browser should permit loading of resources. CORS also relies on a mechanism by which browsers make a preflight request to the server hosting the cross-origin resource, in order to check that the server will permit the actual request. In that preflight, the browser sends headers that indicate the HTTP method and headers that will be used in the actual request.
Smart Questions To Ask About The Team
The people you work with day in and day out can really make or break your work life. Ask some questions to uncover whether its the right team for you.
- Can you tell me about the team Ill be working with?
- Who will I work with most closely?
- Who will I report to directly?
- Can you tell me about my direct reports?
- What are the teams biggest strengths and challenges?
- Do you expect to hire more people in this department in the next six months?
- Which other departments work most closely with this one and how?
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Tell Me About A Tech Project Youve Worked On In Your Spare Time
You may want to hire an IT professional who devotes personal time to side projects. Why? These are people who are driven and curious, which, in turn, keeps their skill set fresh. Ask how they stay motivated, what interests them about the project and their ultimate goal. If they can demo a website or app theyve built, all the better.
When Was The Last Experiment Run And How Was It Handled By Management And Leadership
Ask the hiring manager when the last time was that the team experimented with a new programming language, framework, or technology. Find out how the experiment came about and what the outcome was. Was it a success or a failure?
If the experiment wasnt successful, what was managements reaction? Did the negative outcome of that experiment impact leaderships appetite for future experimentation? Why was that?
Experimentation is necessary for there to be technical breakthroughs. Its also a way for software developers to unleash their curiosity and hone their craft.
Steer clear of development organizations that frown upon failed experiments and dont foster a culture of trying new approaches to development.
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Where Do You Get Your Tech News
There are tons of places to get industry news and some more reputable than others. There’s no wrong or right answer to this question, but it does give you a window into the operating system, so to speak, of the candidate.
Are they plugged into the pulse or still reading stuffy, antiquated opinions in Bloomberg or AdWeek?
Ask What Matters Most To You
This isnt meant to be a comprehensive list of questions you should ask at every interview. You might have also noticed that each of the questions I listed above leads to lots of follow up questions. Definitely ask those follow up questions based on the answers you get. I bet the most interesting learnings you get will come from those followups.
Ultimately, what you want to ask should really depend on what you value most in the next step of your career. Do you want to work with the latest and trendiest JavaScript technologies and frameworks? Do you care about developing expertise in networking and becoming a leader in this field? Are you interested in exploring other roles like project management? Come up with a list of questions that matter most to you, and make sure you get the chance to ask those questions during your interview.
If this post is helpful to you, Id really appreciate it if you could click on the ? button below. If you have a list of favorite questions you ask during interviews, or as an interviewer have come across insightful questions that make you think, Id love to hear about them in the response section!
If you want even more questions to ask, check out this excellent Medium post on a similar topic of questions to ask founders:
Lastly, if youd like to ask me some of these questions, apply to interview with us at Quora. I might be biased, but I think weve got some pretty good answers.
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How Have You Seen Value X Manifested At The Company
Most companies have values, and theyre usually published on their website. But the question is, do they abide by those values as a company?
To find out, ask the hiring manager for specific examples of where theyve seen those values upheld within the company. Try to spot situations where the company chose to live by its values even though ignoring its values couldve been profitable. Companies tend to show their true colors during difficult times.
Design A Spice Rack For The Blind
Your candidate’s answer to this random question shows a lot about how she makes decisions.
For instance, perhaps your candidate tells you she wants to interview blind people first and do competitive research before making a decision. This tells you she’s someone who places value on research and analytics.
Alternatively, maybe your candidate says she’d create braille labels on each of the shelves. This tells you she’s someone who trusts her instinct to make fast judgment calls.
Neither answer is wrong — it simply depends on the type of person you need to fill the role.
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Have You Applied For Any Other Positions
If the interviewee has been applying for other positions, is a good idea to see what types of positions they have applied for. Are the positions similar to your opening or totally different?
If you speak to a candidate who is applying for many different types of positions in many different fields it may give you an indication that the candidate does not really know what kind of job they want and are just seeing whats out there.
How Would You Respond If You Saw An Error In Your Work Before The Client Saw It What About After The Product Is Delivered
An interviewer may ask this question to understand how good you are at troubleshooting and taking responsibility for your work. Your answer to this question is a good opportunity to describe your own process for checking your work.
Example:”I’m always glad when I catch a mistake early because it gives me time to correct it, so I try to regularly review my own code. If my team members or supervisors point out a problem, I do some research to check whether I understand what went wrong and avoid it next time. If the problem makes it into the finished product, I make sure no one else takes the blame for it. If it’s a small contract, I might contact the client with an apology, and I make sure to fix it right away to minimize security risks.”
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If I Were To Go And Speak To People Who Don’t Think Very Highly Of You What Would They Say
This question is clearly designed to probe the depths of a candidates self-awareness. But Gabriel Otte is also hunting for another quality: empathy.
Self-awareness isnt just about understanding your own shortcomings. Develop empathy for the people who dislike you otherwise youll get caught up in justifications and evasions that make it tough to truly internalize the criticism.
When I pose this question to candidates, Im always looking to see how much empathy they have for the people who dont like them, says Otte, the co-founder and CEO of Freenome . Do they evade or try to justify why people might not like them? Or are they in denial and think no one dislikes them?
What Do You Enjoy About Your Job
Everybody loves to talk about themselves and this question enables you to build up a sense of camaraderie with your interviewer. This question requires a personal response, so you could learn a lot from their answer.
You’ll get an insider’s view of the company culture and working environment and you may even get to discover how your interviewer got their start in the business and how they progressed.
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Conducting A Successful Tech Interview
Even small businesses that arent tech-centric need to hire technology experts to keep up with modern demand. As everything moves to digital, having an IT specialist on any workforce team is critical to the companys success. As a business that isnt in the tech industry but needs to hire a reputable individual for a technical role, consider how you can make your company attractive to these experts. There are many perks to working for a small or medium-sized business that you can highlight in a job description or correspondence with someone interested in the position. Emphasize a value on work-life balance and flexibility to work remotely on occasion, and demonstrate that you understand the value of a tech role.
Also ensure that if youre hiring a tech professional, you have the appropriate technology or software for the individual to do their job well. If youre hiring a tech expert because youre out of your depth and attempting to adapt your business to the modern age, make it clear that youre willing to shell out for software upgrades as necessary.
How To Respond To Illegal Questions
If an inappropriate question comes up, there are a few ways you can reply that wont reveal personal information about yourself. You can:
Redirect the question to the interviewer
One of the most effective ways to handle an illegal question is redirecting it back to the interviewer. Not only does it draw their focus off of you and onto themselves, but it also gives you more information about the person interviewing you. This helps to distract the interviewer from their original question.
Example:
Illegal Question:Do you have any children?
Response: Im committed to a career regardless of my family status. I also noticed the company does a great job promoting a healthy work-life balance for employees. What has your experience been with that?
Avoid answering the question
Avoiding answering the question in a graceful manner could be your best bet when handling an inappropriate question.
Keep your answers broad
Sometimes theres just no way to avoid the question when this happens, keep your answers broad and vague.
Be direct
Sometimes, a situation calls for a direct approach. You are completely within your rights to tell the interviewer that you dont think a question is appropriate.
Address the
Consider what the interviewer may really be asking.
Keep in mind that sometimes an interviewer may be inexperienced or unaware that the questions they are asking are inappropriate. Its best to be diplomatic in your answers and attempt to keep the interview moving.
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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.
What Skills Or Characteristics Make Someone An Effective Remote Worker
This is an important question to ask in our pandemic-changed world. Remote workers must be self-starters who can work with little supervision. They need excellent communication abilities, as well as stellar self-discipline and time-management skills. Not everyone has those qualities, and not everyone thrives working outside an office. You want to be sure your new hire will be both productive and comfortable if working off-site.
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What Does The Company Do To Stay On The Cutting Edge Of Innovation
When you work in tech, you undoubtedly have a high interest in innovation. And you likely want to work for an employer who challenges you to push the envelope and disrupt the status quo.
Unfortunately, not every company fits the bill in that regard. So, make it a point to ask what they do to make sure they’re always staying at the forefront of their given industry.
Do they host hackathons to empower employees to try different things and pursue different projects or interests? Do they have a budget for conferences, courses, tech events, and professional development? Do they encourage team members to own their work and approach leaders with ideas and suggestionsbig or small?
You likely won’t be content with the same-old, same-old, so it’s crucial that you get an understanding of what that company does to stay on the cutting edge.
Can You Tell Me More About The Day
Asking this question enables you to learn as much about the role as possible. The interviewer’s response will provide insight into what skills and experience are needed, and will also help you decide if the role is right for you.
The answer will give you an idea of what the employer’s expectations are, so if you’re offered the job there should be no surprises when you start.
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What To Say When They Say Do You Have Any Questions For Me
Youll go through at least one interview, and probably more before you get an offer from a tech company.
Youll be asked about your experience, your reasons for looking for another job, the expectations you may have from your new job.
Based on your experience, performance in your coding interview, and the meetings that youve had with HR and hiring managers, you may get different offers.
You can increase the chances of getting an offer, and make that offer better, by asking your recruiters questions.
If You Had A Choice Between Two Superpowers Being Invisible Or Flying Which Would You Choose
On the surface, this sounds like a question you heard at sleepaway camp when you were 12. But Forbes found it to be an indicator of potential leadership ability, with 72% of surveyed leaders choosing the ability to fly over being invisible.
If you think about it, this question is really asking, “Do you prefer to be in the spotlight, or more behind-the-scenes?” Of course, this shouldn’t be the only question you ask to determine a candidate’s personality and culture fit, but it’s nonetheless a good initial indicator of where someone will have the most impact on your team.
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What Source Control Do You Use
Asking the hiring manager how source control is handled shows you have standards as a software developer and value a reliable workflow for code changes.
Itll also help you gauge how mature the companys software development organization is. More mature software development organizations tend to have a strict branching model with rules and restrictions to prevent bad merges.
If its a less mature software development organization, ask if there are plans to incorporate source control. Or maybe its something you can help implement if you get hired. But generally, no source control whatsoever is a red flag.
Questions To Ask The Interviewer About Current Events
This section allows you to demonstrate youre on top of whats going on and have done your research.
- How are recent political decisions impacting the company?
- How is regulation impacting your business?
- What are the biggest political, economic, social, or technological forces impacting the company?
- How has the recent New York Times article on your company impacted business?
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Tell Me About The Best And Worst Bosses Youve Ever Had Specifically In Your Career What Was The Difference
As the CEO of Foursquare, Jeffrey Glueck finds that candidates arent usually prepared for this question. They often reveal what makes them tick through their answers, he says. While the best one is interesting for picking up insight on how to get the most growth out of them, I often find that the worst boss answer is more interesting. You might learn that they react strongly to micromanagement, are fiercely independent, or are very individual comp focused.
The key is pushing candidates to get specific. Dont let them off with vague answers, says Glueck. They dont have to name names, of course, but you need to insist they talk about two specific bosses at specific companies, not generalizations.
