The Most Important Questions to Ask Tech Interviewees
Posted November 15th, 2019
When you’re looking for top-tier tech professionals for your vacant positions, the interview is critical. During the meeting, you can learn more about what the applicant brings to the table, allowing you to dive into topics that aren’t addressed on a resume.
By asking the right questions during your tech interviews, you can quickly learn what you need to know. In the end, it will let you make a smarter hiring decision, ensuring the selected candidate has the technical and soft skills you want to find. Here’s a look at some of the most important questions you should ask tech interviewees.
What do you do when you come across a task you don’t know how to handle?
Most tech candidates are going to have robust skillsets. However, no one knows everything, and even the most capable job seeker will encounter something they are unfamiliar with from time to time. By asking this question, you can learn how the applicant acts in those scenarios. It gives you insights into their research and problem-solving skills, as well as whether they are able to self-manage their work when they face something unexpected.
If you had an opportunity to create your dream tech job, what would it be?
When you ask this question, you get to learn a few things. First, it will give you details about the candidate’s long-term career goals, as they will likely describe something beyond their current level. Second, you’ll gain insight into what tasks the job seeker prefers, their ideal environment, their preferred management style, and anything else they believe are characteristic of their dream job.
Can you describe a time that you failed and how you handled it?
Every professional faces failure at some point in their career. It’s simply inevitable. If a candidate asserts that they’ve never made a single misstep, that’s a red flag. Candidates who can admit their mistakes are accountable for their actions, and that’s a desirable trait.
This question also allows you to assess how the job seeker deals with challenges and adversity. It gives you indications regarding how the candidate is likely to act when something goes awry, including whether they can take ownership of their mistakes, learn from the experience, and move forward in a positive way.
Is there anything you want us to know that you haven’t had a chance to share?
With this fairly open question, you are giving the candidate a chance to discuss anything that they think if relevant. It serves as an opportunity for the applicant to highlight why they should be viewed as a top contender, and you may learn some interesting details that you would otherwise miss merely because there wasn’t a question that addressed a particular topic directly.
Ultimately, all of the questions above are great additions to a tech interview. If you’d like to learn more, the skilled professionals at Bayside Solutions can help. Contact us to discuss your questions with a member of our knowledgeable team today and see how our candidate screening expertise can benefit you.
