The rise in new technologies has resulted in a massive demand for software engineers, system engineers, and web developers. This opens up a world of possibilities, but it also presents unique obstacles during the recruitment process.

The candidates you will be interviewing have access to thousands of resources that can help them prepare for the questions you'll be asking them. YouTube, blogs, coding boot camps, and LinkedIn Learning (to name a few) offer numerous interview preparation tools that will assist them in acing the interview and landing the role of their dreams.

Many junior web developers will come to an interview prepared to answer coding questions and coding interview questions about java, python, and other languages relevant to the role, so your hiring manager or talent acquisition manager should assemble a list of the technical skills required so they can be written into your job description.

We use The Ultimate Interview Checklist to thoroughly prepare for each interview. This resource helps Hiring Managers approach each candidate with an unbiased perspective, evaluating their skills, abilities, and potential without putting any undue stress on them.

As you consider seasoned candidates, advanced software engineer interview questions can be tricky. On one hand; you want to ask them questions that will help you understand their experience and expertise. On the other hand, they've probably been through this process before and have been asked to answer the standard coding interview questions with solutions dozens of times. This can lead to lower levels of engagement in candidates and interviewer bias. 

So how do you solve this?

‍Interview intelligence software solves this challenge by using a video interface to gather video, audio, and other data from every interview to help your hiring team increase efficiency. You can also check out our e-book on How to Hire Great Software Engineers.

Software Engineers Interview Questions and Answers

To prepare an interviewer for a successful interview, make sure you have a clear understanding of the skills and experience you are looking for before you start the interview process. A list of technical questions obtained from a  Product Manager or CTO that cover coding language, problem-solving, or application design and architecture will give you a firm grasp of a candidate's technical skills.

We love this list of Java Technical Interview Questions from Frédéric Desmoulins, Cofounder and CEO of CodinGame.

But to hire the best people, they need to possess more than just technical skills. They need to be able to work well with others, communicate effectively, and think critically.

That's why software engineer behavioral interview questions and answers are so important. A semi-structured list of questions will allow the interviewer to see how a candidate responds and assess whether or not they possess the skills the company needs.

Interview intelligence platforms like Pillar give you the ability to create a standardized list of data-driven questions to ask candidates during the interview process. Questions like; "Have you ever experienced conflict with a teammate - how did you resolve the conflict and what was the outcome?", allow the candidate to showcase their soft skills and help the Hiring Manager make effective unbiased decisions.

The most important thing to remember when asking software engineer interview questions is to focus on the behavioral aspects of the candidate's skill set. How the candidate answers these questions will give you a good indication of their ability to think critically, work well under pressure, and communicate effectively - all qualities that are essential for success in the role of a software engineer.

Entry Level Software Engineer Interview Questions

With the massive influx of new software engineers graduating from universities, boot camps, and coding programs today, there's a high probability that many of the candidates you interview will be doing this for the first time.

So let's say you're interviewing an entry-level software engineer. How do you know if they have what it takes to be successful in the role?

Effective hiring starts long before you even create the job post. By taking the time to sit down with your team and create a list of entry-level technical interview questions including entry-level coding questions to ask in the interview process, you'll set both the candidate and the company up for success.

Map out the skills, experience, and attributes that you are looking for in an ideal candidate and formulate them into semi-structured questions that will help you assess a candidate's fit for the role. Then, write these questions into your job posting.

Entry-level technical interview questions will often be similar and have responses that set a great baseline for an interview intelligence platform to help you analyze candidates without human bias.

Questions like; "What was the most difficult problem you solved as a junior software engineer?" or "What inspired you to become a software engineer in the first place?" will help you gauge a candidate's critical thinking skills, creativity, and motivation.

A best practice is to ensure that entry-level software engineer interview questions are the same for each candidate so you can hire based on skill and merit without being influenced by typical biases like sharing the same alma mater, having mutual friends, or sharing a similar interest.

To eliminate unconscious bias in your hiring process, here’s What NOT to ask in an interview.