Employers who recruit for engineering, science, or software positions commonly conduct technical interviews. In essence, it is an interview to assess your technical competence for the position and the depth and breadth of your knowledge in the field of your choice.

As part of a technical interview, you’ll also be asked to demonstrate problem-solving skills, communication skills, and the ability to think under pressure. Employers are interested in the process you use to solve a given challenge as it gives them an idea of how you would approach a problem at work.

This blog post is going to help you outline everything you need to know to ace your interview with us. Navigate yourself with the table of contents below

–       What is a technical interview?

–       Common questions you can face

–       How to prepare for a technical interview?

–       Questions you can ask during a technical interview

–       Mistakes to avoid in a technical interview

What is a technical interview?

A technical interview is a key part of our hiring process. As you enter the world of technology it is crucial to be tested to learn what it’s like to work #atthelab. The assignments and problems you solve in a tech interview help our interviewers evaluate your skills as if you were working with us.

A technical interview #atthelab typically includes behavioral questions, brainteasers, scenario-based questions, and technical problem-solving questions. The tech professionals conducting our technical interviews will evaluate your technical knowledge, skills, and abilities according to the job you are applying for. Additionally, to assess your technical skills and knowledge, the interviewer will want to know how you solve problems and how you will fit into the company’s culture.

Assignments will vary based on the practice you wish to join, but common tasks include:

–       Debugging existing code

–       Building a small project

–       Adding a feature to an existing code base

–       Explaining the design and architecture for a real-world technical problem

Common questions you can face

Knowing the types of questions to expect during a technical interview can help you prepare your answers carefully to display your skills and experience, regardless of whether you are just starting out or a seasoned professional.

 An interview question can fall into several categories:

1.    Behavioral interview questions

Behavioral interviews are merely based on how you’ve acted in a specific situation in the past. With behavioral interviews, interviewers are able to get a much better understanding of you as a candidate and if you really are a good fit to the team.

When answering behavioral interview questions, it is best to try to answer using the STAR interview technique by clearly identifying a Situation, Task, Action, and Result of an experience you have that is relevant to the question being asked.

–       S for Situation. Describe the situation where everything happened.

–       T for Task. Describe the task you had to complete in order to solve the problem/issue at hand.

–       A for Action. Explain what actions you took to complete the task.

–       R for Results. Talk about the results of your actions and try to be as detailed as possible. How did your actions lead the company or organization to function better?

2.    Situational interview questions

In industries that are constantly evolving such as the world of technology, interviewers may put you in a hypothetical situation that the business may face. The objective of this is to see how you as a candidate would solve a business problem in the real world and if you have the required skills and knowledge to solve a problem purely based on your experience and problem-solving skills.

This is your chance to highlight how you use your professional experience, abilities, and personal strengths to overcome business challenges and meet goals.

How to prepare for a technical interview?

Some elements of interview preparation should ideally start well before you even land the interview.

Preparation is always key. It shows the interviewer that you have an interest in the job role and that you are actually keen on landing the role which can seem impressive to some employers.

Here are a few tips you may find useful:

1.    Know your language

–       The world of technology is huge! With almost 1000 programming languages out there, it’s a good idea to know what type of technologies you will be working with. The tech skills and knowledge you’ve developed along your career path could be the deciding factor.

Always double-check the type of technologies with the job description and familiarize yourself with them.

2.    Know your audience

–       Research is key. Research the company by visiting the corporate website and exploring its organizational structure of the company. You never know who might be in that room with you, but you can adapt and adjust if you know who reports to who.

3.    Practice, Practice, Practice

–       You may think writing down your points to present may just cut it but putting yourself in that room will help you better ace your technical interview.  

Technical interview questions could just be one part of many if you’re at a company with a long interview process, and you will have to answer some version of this question when you meet new interviewers. It’s a great time to demonstrate soft skills and passion.

Common technical interview mistakes to avoid?

Technical interviews can be challenging and scary. The tech guru’s #atthelab share a few common mistakes you can avoid in your next technical interview.

1.     Not preparing enough – It’s never too much. You might have all the skills to do the job, but do you know how the company operates? Check the ‘About Us’ link on the corporate website and read their mission statement – memorize their values and find opportunities to mention this in the interview.

Don’t stop there. Take the next step and take your search to Google! Search the company’s competitors, the way they operate and use their information against them.

2.      Don’t be a know-it-all – People would rather work with a humble person than an arrogant know-it-all and maintain eye contact. By considering your “soft” interview skills and choosing your words carefully, you can avoid these misunderstandings. 

Be simple and make conversation with the interviewers, ask them questions too it’s not a one-way street. 

3.     Speaking negatively about current or past employers – Never complain about your current or former employers. No matter how ineffectual or bad the situation was, badmouthing will not reflect well on you.

At Axiata Digital Labs we share the knowledge and skills we apply to the innovative solution our clients sue. Explore more about the world of technology and the advancements across digital transformation via the ADL tech blog.