Interview Questions for Developers

for a developer position, it's important to prepare by considering the potential interview questions a hiring manager might ask you. Though the interviewer may ask you general questions to understand who you are as a person and working professional, your answers to role-related questions give them a better idea of your fit for the role they're hiring for.

The beginning of your interview will probably focus on more basic questions. These questions provide the hiring manager with an overview of who you are and your general qualifications for the role you're interviewing for. Here are some general questions you can expect in an interview for a developer position

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General Questions

most common gen. questions

• What do you know about our company?

• How do your career aspirations align with our company mission?

• Why do you want to be a developer?

• What do you do outside of work hours to make yourself a better developer?

• What are your salary expectations?

• What are some of your strengths as a developer?

• What are some of your weaknesses as a developer?

• How do you keep up with the latest trends, advances and programming languages in this field?

• Tell me a little bit about yourself.

• What are your career aspirations?

• Where do you see yourself in five years?

• Why are you leaving your current job?

• Why do you want to work for our company?

• Why should we hire you over other candidates?

• What was your least favorite part of your last job and why?

• Are you willing to relocate?

Along with general questions, it's also important for hiring managers to assess your previous roles and background as it applies to the role you're interviewing for. The information you provide makes it easier for them to determine how your previous experiences can translate into a successful performance at their company. Here are some questions you can expect during a developer interview regarding your experience and background.

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​Questions about experience and background

most common questions

• Have you ever had a project delay or error that you had to explain to your supervisor or client? How did you go about it?

• What is your favorite thing about being a developer?

• Tell me about a time you exceeded job expectations as a developer. Were you rewarded? If so, how did it make you feel?

• What is your least favorite thing about being a developer?

• What operating systems do you have experience with?

• Tell me about a project you completed successfully. Why do you consider it a success?

• How have you previously detected errors that weren't obvious?

• Do you have experience working in a multidisciplinary team? If you do, did you like it and why? If you haven't, would you like to and why?

• What qualities make you a great developer?

• What frameworks are you familiar with?

• How do you handle work-related stress?

In-depth questions are used to evaluate your work ethic in your chosen profession. They also help hiring managers determine how you solve problems and handle certain situations. Here are some in-depth questions you can expect during an interview for a developer position

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In-depth questions

most common questions

• Can you briefly tell me about some projects you worked on recently and the approach you took from start to finish?

• Tell me about a tough development problem you've had in the past and how you solved it.

• Is there anything you would change about how you performed in your most recent role? Why?

• Why should we choose you for this position?

• Tell me about a time when miscommunication impacted one of your projects. How did you handle it?

• Describe a time when you experienced a significant project change last minute. How did you handle it and complete the project on time?

• Tell me about your typical day in your current or most recent role as a developer.

• Have you ever had a failed project? Give me an example and explain why you think it was a failure. What would you have done differently to ensure its success?

• How do you prioritize your tasks as a developer?

• What do you hope to learn from your manager?

• If we gave you several tasks due at the end of the day and you weren't able to finish them in time, how would you handle this situation?

• Can you briefly tell me about some projects you worked on recently and the approach you took from start to finish?