Technical Interview Questions

Technical interview questions are used by employers to assess candidates’ technical knowledge and experience. Technical interviews are a common part of the recruiting process aimed at filling IT, engineering or science roles. Check out the examples of the best technical interview questions!

➡️ Before we dig deeper into the technical interview questions, don’t forget to download our free Guide for Conducting Job Interviews & The Ultimate Candidate Interview & Employee Onboarding Checklist!

What is a technical interview?

A technical interview is a type of job interview conducted by employers who are looking to find candidates with certain technical knowledge and experience.

Technical interviews are a common part of the recruiting process aimed at filling Information Technology (IT) and engineering roles.

Why should you ask technical interview questions?

When recruiting tech talent, employers should always ask technical interview questions in order to assess candidates’ technical knowledge.

Only by asking great technical interview questions employers are able to check candidates’ level of expertise stated in their resumes.

Asking the right technical interview questions will enable you to see your candidates’ technical skills and knowledge in action.

However, technical interview questions shouldn’t be the only type of interview questions asked in a technical job interview.

Employers should also ask questions that will assess candidates’ motivation and uncover the way candidates think and prefer to work.

Hiring a candidate with the best technical expertise is not enough to guarantee your new hire success. You should also look for a candidate that will fit in with your existing employees and thrive in your company culture.

Examples of the common technical interview questions

Here is the list of the common technical interview questions to ask job candidates.

Asking these technical interview questions will help you uncover the best candidates who are also the best fit for your open job position and your company culture.

Technical interview questions for evaluating a job competencies

• How many years of experience do you have in [specific programming language]?
• What are your technical certifications?
• Do you have experience using [X] software in any of your previous jobs?
• How do you stay up to date with the latest technological trends?
• What online resources do you use to help you do your job?
• Tell me about the biggest IT challenge you have faced in your career so far? How did you handle it?
• What are you looking for in your next position?

Technical interview questions for assessing candidates’ motivation

• How did you find out about this job opening?
• What made you apply for this position?
• What excites you most about this position?
• Why are you leaving your current workplace?
• What kind of tech projects do you work on in your spare time?

Technical interview questions for evaluating a company culture fit

• What type of workplace culture do you thrive in?
• Do you prefer to work alone or on a team?
• Describe the type of work environment in which you can really give your best and be most productive.
• Describe your ideal working situation (work environment, hours, travel, and the like).
• What do you know about our company?
• Why do you want to work at our company instead of somewhere else?

How to use these technical interview questions?

In order to ensure fairness and objectiveness of your interviewing process, you should follow these 6 steps:

1. Make a list of the technical interview questions you want to ask your candidates.
2. Develop a rating system for each question and create interview scorecards.
3. Ask every candidate interviewing for a certain job position the same questions in the same order.
4. Take notes of candidates answers!
5. Score each of your candidates’ answers.
6. Compare candidates’ scores to choose the top ones!

Looking for more great interview questions?

If you’re looking for more great interview questions to ask job candidates, browse our list of interview questions by type.

Make sure you also check out our Complete guide for asking candidates the best interview questions.