Software Developer Interview: Questions & Preparation

After spending a couple of years as a junior software developer, you’ll know that there’s still another step to take. Many people choose to learn to code because they are interested in changing careers to the tech industry, and like with any industry, we all want to progress. So, what’s next after all that hard work? Well, the natural next step is your software developer interview. This article looks at some questions and preparations to consider when you get the call for a software developer interview.

What software developers do

Software developers create the engaging and visually appealing applications we use on our desktop and mobile devices. The term “software” applies not just to the apps we use every day but also to the systems that those applications run on.

A software developer’s job is to write new codes, test the software, find bugs, and fix them.

The goal of Software Developer Interviews

The goal of the interview is to assess the candidate’s technical intelligence, character, and personality to ascertain whether or not they are competent. The interview also allows an employer to see if you would be a good fit for their organisation.

As a result, most discussions begin with a series of broad questions followed by technical questions. Preparing for a job interview by practising typical interview questions and responses will help you relax and deliver more confident answers.

Software Developer Interview Process

Before practising for the interview, let’s get to know about the interview process. In most organisations, the interview process goes in this way,

Telephone interview
On-site (or online) skill tests
In-person (or online) interview

This is the standard procedure followed by nearly every company. However, in recent years, many firms have performed all of the steps remotely.

The recruiter calls you via phone during the phone interview. Recruiters will ask standard questions such as your background, educational qualifications, passions, and others here. Following this interview, the recruiter provides information about the next phase, including the on-site interview venue, guidelines, and so forth.

Firms conduct tests or quizzes to ensure that the candidate is skilled enough for the software developer role. However, regardless of the test subject, the same trend is:

Problem Solving

In this portion, interviewers will ask candidates to solve the coding problems and derive outputs. Or, interviewers will provide an error code, and the candidates will be asked to debug the code.

Software Architecture

A software developer’s pivotal role is to design a system. Therefore, the candidate will be asked to apply their knowledge of software architecture and other concepts in the software architecture test.

Programming Language Knowledge

You may have listed a series of coding languages you have learned in your resume. How does the company know whether you are proficient in those languages? Well, through a language test. You will be asked questions on a specific programming language and asked to solve problems using that language in this test.

Software Developer Interview Questions

There are numerous questions that a candidate can be asked at a software developer interview, but below are some of the more frequent ones.

The “Tell Me About Yourself” Questions

In IT, your action is noted and analysed before confirming your role. The majority of the questions in this category are pretty standard, and you won’t need to wrack your brain to come up with answers. However, a little forethought won’t hurt.

Try answering the following questions in a way that makes you sound smart by using sophisticated vocabulary.

Tell me about yourself.
What are your greatest strengths?
What do you consider your flaws to be?
How did you handle a work-related challenge?
What do you think to be your most significant professional achievement?
How do you like to be managed?
What are you passionate about?
Why are you interested in this position?
What’s your work style?
Why should we hire you?
What type of work environment do you prefer?
In five years, where do you see yourself?
What’s your dream job?

Questions About Your Previous Job or Projects

Another set of questions after general questions would be about your previous job experiences. Again, the questions are asked based on the information you have given in the resume.

When asked experience-related questions, try giving a quick overview of your experience in a cheery tone. The question will be related to any project you have worked on.

Tell me about a time when you showed your leadership abilities.
What are the two most remarkable achievements you did in your previous role?
What about your previous job, what did you like least and most?
Do you have any team-leading experience?
What do your colleagues think of you?
How have you improved your skillset or gained experience in your last position?
Can you tell me about a moment when you had to make a difficult decision and what happened as a result?
Could you tell us about your most recent project?
What was your most successful project?
Describe your previous work experience in this field.

Common Interview Questions

Aside from the specific questions mentioned above, interviewers prefer to ask various other questions. When you’re preparing responses ahead of time, don’t give answers you found on the internet; instead, present your solutions in a solid, clear tone.

How did you hear about this position?
Talk about your resume.
What is the name of our CEO?
What was the last book you have head?
Who are our competitors?
What value can you add to the organisation?
Can you explain why you decided to change careers?
What do you do when you’re under pressure or in a stressful situation?
When can you start?
What do you think our organisation can do better?
What are your salary expectations?

The most common mistake candidates make is failing to research the company they will be interviewed for. Therefore, it is critical for a candidate to understand the organisation’s history and current situations before attending an interview.

Coding Questions for Software Developer Interview

We’ve finally arrived at the heart of the article. For a software developer interview, it’s no surprise that you will be asked coding questions. These questions will be the ones that will reflect your skills.

During this phase, interviewers will ask questions about programming and other key concepts in the software development sector. Since this is an academic round, you must be ready with concise responses.

Here are some of the questions related to software development asked in interviews:

What is software re-engineering, and how does it work?
Names two software tools used to track software requirements.
What is white box testing?
What is black box testing?
How do you differentiate quality control and quality assurance?
What is the definition of a feasibility study?
What programming languages do you prefer using?
How do you figure out the size of a software product?
What is software configuration management?
Distinguish validation and verification?
What exactly is srs?
Describe the differences between alpha and beta testing.
What is the cocomo model?
What is a software metric?
Differentiate a thread and a process?
What is Physical DFD?
What is the Black Hole concept in DFD?
Describe the formula to calculate the Cyclomatic Complexity?
Mention some software analysis & design tools?
Which model is used to evaluate software reliability?
How do you prioritise requirements?
Define adaptive aaintenance.
What is the meaning of wbs?
What is a bucket sort algorithm? How do you use it?
What do you think of Agile Software Development?
What is risk management?
Describe the steps you take to complete a project.
Describe the prototyping approaches used in the software development process.

Depending upon the position you are applying for, you should thoroughly go through the various web developer interview questions, mobile developer interview questions, and full-stack developer interview questions.

Questions to Ask at the End of a Software Developer Interview

The interview process is designed not just for the firm to get to know you but also to learn about the organisation. In interviews, the candidate who confidently answers all questions and asks pertinent questions leaves a favourable impression on the interviewer.

Here are some questions you can ask the hiring manager:

Are this position’s schedule and location flexible?
What qualities does a person need to be successful in this position?
In this role, what learning opportunities might I have?
Who will I be reporting to?
How do you measure performance in this role?
What technology does your software engineer team use?

Software Developer Interview Preparation

The software developer position is one of the most competitive positions in the IT industry. So, developers require intensive practice to ace the interview. Here are some pointers to consider as you prepare for the role of a software engineer.

Learn Programming Languages and Fundamentals

Employment in the IT industry usually requires programming skills. The majority of questions in software developer interviews will be about testing your coding IQ. So, there is no way out; you must have the concepts at your fingertips. The following are some of the essential programming languages for software development. Don’t worry. You won’t need to know them all, as the job description will name the required languages.

Along with the programming languages, you should also be well aware of the fundamentals since tricky coding questions are usually framed from fundamental concepts such as data types, variables, recursion, object-oriented programming, etc.

Data Structures and Algorithms

Not a fan of DSA? Well, sorry to inform you that there are no software developer interviews complete without at least one question about data structures. Learning data structures will not only help you ace the interview, but it will also help you write more efficient code.

You can begin learning breadth-first search, depth-first search, binary search, recursion, and other standard methods in data structures. Then there’s the insert, lookup, and delete operations’ time complexity.

Skills Required to Become a Software Developer

A professional software developer will be asked to operate several software programs, hardware components, test software, and several other tasks in addition to programming. So, as a budding software engineer, you should be well-versed in a variety of talents, such as:

Source Control Management
Testing procedures
Operating systems
Cryptography
Cloud platforms
Software platforms
Spreadsheet software

Books and the Internet Can Be Helpful

To understand programming, it is necessary to refer to and learn its intricate concepts through academic resources. You might refer to various publications on software development and interview questions to help you in the future.

Several websites and courses are available online that provide comprehensive theory in software development. Investing in such classes will also be rewarding.

Practice Coding Projects

The practical training comes next. To excel at something, you must devote hours of practice sessions to it. Building applications and projects are the best way to gain expertise in programming, especially if you are a beginner. Building projects will enhance not only your skills but also your portfolio.

Quizzes, games, and code wars are available on various coding platforms. Participate in such activities if you haven’t already.

Practise Writing Codes in Paper or Whiteboard

During the final interview, interviewers usually ask candidates to write code on a whiteboard or pencil. That is, you will not use a debugger or compiler. As a reason, we suggest that you practice writing codes on paper or a whiteboard.

Conclusion

Anxiety over an interview is entirely normal. And that’s why, to relieve the pressure, you should practice and prepare. We hope this article has shed some light on software interviews and how they operate.

If you’re new to software development and want to take the first step, then try our free 5 Day Coding Challenge. Here you’ll learn the basics of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Register now through the form below.