What To Expect in the Software Developer Interview
1. The Recruiter
Whether you are meeting an internal recruiter, an agency recruiter, or a HR person, this person wants to understand if your career experience and expectations match those of the Technical or Business Leader. They will also be assessing how you might fit with the team and keep an eye out for any concerns or red flags in your background.
The recruiter is assessing you on the following areas: –
Does your experience match the Technical/Business Leader’s brief?
Do you have the necessary qualifications?
Do you have the necessary software experience?
What are your motivations for changing roles?
Would you be a good fit for the team?
Does the salary/hours/location match your expectations
Are there any red flags in your work history?
Are you telling the truth about your background and experience?
2. The Technical Leader
The Technical Leader may include people such as the CIO, CTO, Technical Services Director, Head Of Engineering, Head of Software Development etc. While definitely interested in your business and team fit, the Technical Leader will have a much greater focus on your technical suitability for the role than others during the interview process.
When you are interviewing with a Technical Leader they are assessing you on:
Your ability to solve complex technical challenges
Your level of competence within specific frameworks and languages
Whether you “code clean”
How you test your code
How you optimise your code
How well you collaborate when developing in a project team
How well you provide documentation on your code
3. The Business Leader
If you are interviewing for a senior role, or within a small start-up environment, it’s likely that you may have an interview with the Business Leader.
This person might be the Managing Director, General Manager, Owner, Founder etc. They may also be overseas. While the Business Leader shares the same interests as the Recruiter and Technical Leader, they will place an emphasis on your ability to help to business achieve its goals.
The Business Leader is assessing you on:
Your ability to drive positive commercial outcomes
Are you able to help grow their business?
How will you positively contribute to the culture?
Can you meet deadlines?
4 golden rules for answering interview questions:
Now that you know what to expect from the Recruiter, Technical Leader, and Business Owner, how should you respond to their questions? Here’s our biggest tips:
Always talk about past employers in a positive manner.
If you discuss past employers in a negative way, potential new employers will see this as a red flag – no matter how bad your previous experience might have been. Try to find the positive elements of your past role – or simply stick to the facts about the projects you worked on and technologies that you used.
Always be honest about your experience. There can be a temptation to embellish your experience during an interview, but this rarely works out well for you. As an example, if you are asked about your experience in Java 8, and you are proficient in Java 7, you might simply answer “Right now I am highly capable in Java 7 but not 8. I am very interested in upgrading my skills and I am focusing on this in my spare time”.
Use practical examples as evidence. When asked questions about how you like to work and your technical skills, use practical examples from your background to help demonstrate your proficiency. Talking about live examples helps give you credibility, makes it easier to talk about the type of work that you have done, and helps you stand out from other job applicants.
Can we help you find your next role in software development?
Spark Recruitment are dedicated IT recruitment specialists and can connect you with the best permanent and contract software development opportunities.
Our team of dedicated specialists understand the technology and have good insight into our client’s businesses. They also have regular training to keep up-to-speed with industry trends.
Software Developer
What To Expect in the Software Developer Interview
1. The Recruiter
Whether you are meeting an internal recruiter, an agency recruiter, or a HR person, this person wants to understand if your career experience and expectations match those of the Technical or Business Leader. They will also be assessing how you might fit with the team and keep an eye out for any concerns or red flags in your background.
The recruiter is assessing you on the following areas: –
2. The Technical Leader
The Technical Leader may include people such as the CIO, CTO, Technical Services Director, Head Of Engineering, Head of Software Development etc. While definitely interested in your business and team fit, the Technical Leader will have a much greater focus on your technical suitability for the role than others during the interview process.
When you are interviewing with a Technical Leader they are assessing you on:
3. The Business Leader
If you are interviewing for a senior role, or within a small start-up environment, it’s likely that you may have an interview with the Business Leader.
This person might be the Managing Director, General Manager, Owner, Founder etc. They may also be overseas. While the Business Leader shares the same interests as the Recruiter and Technical Leader, they will place an emphasis on your ability to help to business achieve its goals.
The Business Leader is assessing you on:
4 golden rules for answering interview questions:
Now that you know what to expect from the Recruiter, Technical Leader, and Business Owner, how should you respond to their questions? Here’s our biggest tips:
Always talk about past employers in a positive manner.
If you discuss past employers in a negative way, potential new employers will see this as a red flag – no matter how bad your previous experience might have been. Try to find the positive elements of your past role – or simply stick to the facts about the projects you worked on and technologies that you used.
Always be honest about your experience.
There can be a temptation to embellish your experience during an interview, but this rarely works out well for you. As an example, if you are asked about your experience in Java 8, and you are proficient in Java 7, you might simply answer “Right now I am highly capable in Java 7 but not 8. I am very interested in upgrading my skills and I am focusing on this in my spare time”.
Use practical examples as evidence.
When asked questions about how you like to work and your technical skills, use practical examples from your background to help demonstrate your proficiency. Talking about live examples helps give you credibility, makes it easier to talk about the type of work that you have done, and helps you stand out from other job applicants.
Can we help you find your next role in software development?
Spark Recruitment are dedicated IT recruitment specialists and can connect you with the best permanent and contract software development opportunities.
Our team of dedicated specialists understand the technology and have good insight into our client’s businesses. They also have regular training to keep up-to-speed with industry trends.