How to Ace Your Technical Interview (For Job Seekers & Employers)

You’ve made it through the first round of the application process, and then you see this in your inbox: Reservation for Technical Interview. You might wonder what a technical interview is? What happens in a technical interview? Is a technical interview difficult? 

Before your brain implodes, you should know that a technical interview is just another stage of the application process. It’s an important stage too, often being the make-or-break for candidates applying to jobs within the tech sector. 

In addition to being a chance for candidates to communicate their skills and experiences, a technical interview is an opportunity for employers to see what you’re really capable of by testing your hard skills, ie. you said you were proficient in Python in your resume, can actually you prove that by writing this code? 

Sounds challenging? Want to find out what happens in a technical interview and how to prepare for one? Let’s get started!

Technical interviews are usually a part of the software engineering interview process, but they can also be asked for jobs in computer science, data analysis, product management, and design.

In other words, a technical interview is just another way for employers to assess candidates. However, technical interview questions do have a particular emphasis on “technical fit”, realized by testing hard skills and technical abilities, as well as problem solving and communication skills. 

This is unlike other types of interviews, such as technical screens, which are just behavioral interviews that assess your soft skills while asking about technical experience.

A technical interview is therefore an easier way for employers to see if you actually know your stuff (ie. technical abilities), all while getting a good look into your thought process. While they might not be the end-all in the application process - some companies like to add another round of “company fit” interviews - technical interviews can be the deciding factor for you getting the job.

Which is why it’s so important to prepare.

Acing a technical interview takes a lot of preparation and will hardly ever be achieved through last minute anxiety-inducing cramming. So, here’s how to prepare for a technical interview.

Step #1: Research the specific technical skills and knowledge required for the job.

In other words, whip out that job description and start reviewing. Without this step, there’s no way for you to know what technical interview questions to expect during the interview.

Step #2: Build a strong foundation of your hard skills by reviewing the fundamentals.

For computer science related jobs in particular, make sure you have a strong foundation in coding, data structures, algorithms, and system design. It may also help to review past coursework if it’s relevant. 

Step #3: Gather resources from books, online courses, and practice platforms. 

Self-study and taught classes can catch you up on skills you may be lacking or need a refresher course in. They can also give you tips on how to talk about the skills and experiences you have, as well as how to practice for certain tests you may need to take during the technical interview.

Strategy  #1: Time management

What happens in a technical interview? If you’re doing a test for one of the technical interview questions, keep an eye on the time.

Strategy  #2: Communication 

What makes a good technical interview? In addition to flaunting your technological prowess, a good technical interview shows your effective communication skills. When recalling a past experience, clearly communicate your thought process and be concise in your recount (aka no rambling).

Strategy  #3: Remain calm

Why do I fail technical interviews? Like all interviews, the best performance you can give is when you’re calm. Practicing tests, brain teaser questions, and potential technical interview questions with friends and family during your preparation should help you handle unexpected challenges and stress during the interview.

The early bird gets the worm. Or in this case, the formal attired punctual candidate is more likely to get the job. Make a good first impression by showing up on time and by not wearing tight white skinny jeans.

What to do if you can’t answer a technical interview question? First, stay calm, then be honest with the employer. While you may not know the answer, you can always flip it in a way that shows your willingness to learn and grow. Remember that this is your chance to express your passion for the position. Keep calm and carry on!

Now we know what happens in a technical interview for job seekers, but what about employers? As an employer crafting a technical interview, its difficulty, length, and content is entirely up to you. That’s because the spectrum of questions to ask is fairly broad, as is the variety of different tests. But what makes a good technical interview? Here’s a few pointers on how to prepare for a technical interview as an employer.

Define clear job requirements.

Start by clearly defining the technical skills, qualifications, and experience required for the position. This will form the basis for your interview criteria, as well as help candidates know what is expected of them and what to prepare for the technical interview.

Create a structured interview process.

Develop a well-structured interview process that includes specific technical questions, coding challenges, or problem-solving scenarios relevant to the job role. You should ideally link these technical interview questions to the specific skills that you’re looking for.

Select a competent interview panel.

Choose interviewers who are knowledgeable in the technical domain related to the position. Although there may be a few non-technical behavioral questions throughout the technical interview, you need interviewers who understand the job requirements and can effectively assess candidates’ technical abilities. 

Review the candidate’s resume.

Review each candidate's resume thoroughly to understand their background, skills, and experiences before the interview. This will help tailor your questions for the technical interview.

Prepare technical questions.

Craft a set of technical questions that evaluate a candidate's knowledge, problem-solving abilities, and practical skills. These questions should align with the job requirements.

For example, if you were interviewing for a Product Manager position, one of the technical product manager interview questions could be: ‘What product management system do you most often use? What’s the best for scalability?’

Another example of a technical interview question, for a UX designer this time, could be: ‘What design software do you know? Which do you prefer?’

Consider adding behavioral questions to technical interview questions.

In addition to technical questions, a technical interview should also include some behavioral and “toe dipping” questions. These are useful to assess a candidate's soft skills, thought processes, teamwork abilities, and cultural fit within the organization. 

Use realistic scenarios.

Incorporate real-world scenarios or case studies that the candidate may encounter in the role to help assess their ability to apply technical knowledge. This also helps see if the candidate is a good fit for your organization.

Provide a clear interview agenda.

Share the technical interview agenda and format with candidates in advance, so they know what to expect during the interview process. This is key to getting candidates to perform to the very best of their ability and for you to appear in a positive light.

Set up the interview environment.

Ensure that the interview environment is conducive to the technical assessments that you’ve chosen to go with. If necessary, provide access to relevant tools, a quiet space, and any other equipment required to complete the technical interview tasks.

Training for interviewers.

Train your interviewers on how to conduct an effective technical interview. You should offer guidance on evaluation criteria and scoring.

Standardize evaluation criteria.

Establish clear evaluation criteria and scoring rubrics to ensure consistency in assessing candidates across different interviews.

Review legal and ethical considerations.

Familiarize yourself with the legal and ethical guidelines related to interviewing, including following anti-discrimination laws and privacy regulations. Please additionally be aware of, and take care to avoid, these illegal questions to ask during an interview.

Gather feedback and debrief as a team.

Encourage interviewers to provide feedback promptly after each technical interview. This helps in making informed hiring decisions. You could additionally hold debriefing sessions with the interview panel to discuss candidate performance, share insights, and collectively decide on the next steps in the hiring process.

Continuously improve and update.

Continuously assess and refine your technical interview process, based on feedback from interviewees and candidates, and the effectiveness of your evaluations. You should also strive to stay updated with industry trends and technologies to ensure that all the technical interview questions remain relevant.

In addition to direct questions, candidates may also encounter testing questions. Although the interview may be conducted over the phone, online, or in person, forms of tests in technical interviews, such as whiteboard interviews, timed assessments, and take-home exams, are more commonly held online and in person.

Technical interview questions are dependent on the form of technical interview, which may, among many other possibilities, require candidates to:

• Write out code or perform a live coding test;
• Complete an individual or group PowerPoint presentation;
• Design features for an app;
• Manipulate example data structure and algorithms;
• Complete a set of brain teaser questions. 
  

Less testing and more verbalizing questions are another form of interview technical questions that candidates may encounter. They are especially important for showing a candidate’s problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

Conclusion

While being invited for a technical interview may seem daunting, this is the opportunity for candidates to strut their stuff, and for employers to really see the extent of the candidate’s technical abilities.

Whether it be through whiteboard interviews writing out code, a take-home app-building assignment, or simply a sit-down interview, the variety of technical interview questions is endless. Regardless, both employers and candidates should ensure that their technical interview and interview prep remains relevant and tailored to the job that’s being offered - when in doubt, check the JD.

With all of these strategies in hand, there’s no doubt that you’ll excel in your technical interviews (and crafting them), but if you want more information on how to ace your next job interview, check out the CakeResume blog! It’s packed with loads of helpful interview tips for job seekers and employers, plus guides on how to get hired for jobs in tech.

— Originally written by Eva O'Mara —