With the rapid advancement of technology worldwide, millions of new opportunities are opening up for people to get involved in the tech industry.

According to CompTIA research, as many as 8.9 million jobs have been created because of technology, and in 2021, tech companies posted 3.6 million jobs to be filled. Keep in mind that this was mid-COVID when the world was shut down.

This massive opportunity shift represents a huge challenge for HR teams and hiring managers.

Hiring senior software engineers is now more difficult than ever because there is such a high demand for these roles.To begin, what are the main responsibilities of a senior software engineer?

The main responsibilities of a senior software engineer include leading and mentoring a team of engineers, creating, designing, developing, and maintaining software products, ensuring the quality of the software product, and working closely with other departments such as sales, marketing, and customer support.

The most important soft skill for a senior software engineer is communication. Because they will be working with many different teams; product, marketing, sales, and customer success to name a few. Effective communication skills are paramount to achieving the best results.

But they must also possess hard skills like coding and problem-solving. They must have behavioral traits to be able to work with customers and understand their needs to develop the best software solution.

Teamwork, leadership, organization, project management, communication, attention to detail, knowledge of coding languages, and code testing procedures.

How can you assess each of these during an interview process?

When interviewing a senior software engineer, you want to ask questions that will give you an insight into their technical abilities as well as their ability to lead and manage a team.

Questions about their experience with different coding languages, development tools, and code testing procedures are essential.

You also want to inquire about their experience leading and mentoring a team of engineers.

And finally, don't forget to ask behavioral questions to get a sense of how they interact with others, and handle difficult situations.

Semi-structured questions can help you analyze their problem-solving skills and ability to think on their feet.

Here are 13 dynamic semi-structured questions to help you win the interview:

1. "While researching this role, you've probably seen some ways we can improve our technology. What are the first 3 and how would you prioritize them?"
2. "What was the most difficult technical challenge you have faced in your previous role? Tell me how you overcame it?"
3. "We're thinking about using technology X on this project. What are your thoughts? Is there a more efficient product or stack we could be using?"
4. "Two team members are not getting along. How would you approach resolving the conflict?"
5. "How do you stay up-to-date with the latest trends in your field?"
6. "What is your experience with the agile methodology?" Tell me about a time you helped a team transition to agile or ran into difficulties when trying to implement agile methods."
7. "What do you think is the most important thing to remember when mentoring someone?"
8. "If a customer were unhappy with their instance of our product, how would you handle the situation?"
9. "Tell me about the last time you had to solve a problem. How did you approach, process, and solve the problem?"
10. "What development tools are you most comfortable working with?"
11. "What coding languages are you most comfortable working with?" What piqued your interest in those languages?"
12. "Have you ever had to deal with a difficult customer? How did you handle it?"
13. "What do you think is the most important attribute of a great leader?"

These questions should give you a good starting point when interviewing senior software engineers. Remember to assess both their technical abilities as well as their soft skills to get a well-rounded picture of each candidate.

Check out our ebook, "How to hire great software engineers,” to learn more!

If this list of questions feels daunting to remember in an interview, consider using interview intelligence software to prompt you with the next question so you can focus your attention on the candidate.