Sample Interview Questions for Software Developers (with Answers)

Your chances of being successful at a software developer job interview are greatly dependent on how well you are familiar with questions the interviewers might ask and have practiced with them before the interview day.

By finding out the likely questions that might be asked in a software developer interview and practicing your response to them before the actual interview will help you to be more knowledgeable of your professional and confident in answering the questions that will be put to you.

This post provides a huge list of common software developer interview questions to help you to effectively prepare for your upcoming interview.

Please, read on:

What do Interviewers look for in a Software Developer?

The first thing that interviewers typically look for in a software developer is expertise.

The potential employees should be as knowledgeable as possible about other aspects, such as being able to debug programs, do coding, and develop code for others.

They also want to know that the person is familiar with all the functions and uses of a computer, not just how to develop software.

10 Most Common Software Developer Interview Questions (with Answers)

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions at a software developer interview, with suggested answers, to help you give a superb performance at the interview:

1. Why do you want to work for Company Xyz?

I’ve been a fan of company xyz for a long time and I think being able to work with the products from the inside would be really great. I want to be a part of the vision of this company to change the world.

2. Can you share the years of experience you have gathered in the industry?

I have 7 comprehensive years of experience in the industry. I’ve had experience with a range of different jobs and different company types.

These experiences gave me a lot of insight into what is needed to succeed in this field and how to improve myself.

3. Where have you failed before and what did you learn from it?

One time, I was trying to decide whether or not to take a particular job and I realized that the only way that I could figure out if it was the best choice for me would be to try it out.

So, even though I knew that the position paid less than some of the other ones, I decided to take it.

A few months into working on the job, I found that it wasn’t really what I wanted after all.

It had more responsibilities, required more work hours, and no benefits whatsoever.

After seeing how much this job lacked in comparison to my past jobs, I quickly realized that this is not what I want at all.

4. What motivates you to be successful in this industry/company/position?

As I mentioned before, one thing that motivates me is the idea of changing the world. This company is making products that are used by millions of people and I want to be part of this wonderful change in the world.

5. What does success mean to you for this position?

Success means making sure that the company is always happy with my work. I want to make this corporation so successful because one day I hope it will be used by people all over the world and really change their lives positively too.

6. What are three positive things your previous employer would say about you?

I’m a team player.

I’m self-motivated.

I learn really fast and can adapt to any environment.

7. What was the biggest mistake you’ve made in past jobs and how did you fix it?

The mistake was a malfunctioned server because I did not follow company standard for best practices.

I was able to fix the problem through personal research, process improvement, and more training on how to work with the servers.

8. Why should we hire you when there are many other candidates who also have the required skillset?

I believe that hiring someone with the required skillset is just the first step. Beyond that, it’s important to hire someone who is motivated by the company’s values.

I want to work towards the same goals as you and make sure that your customers are happy with their experience.

I’m also very reasonable and would be more than willing to work with you on scheduling my time, given any limitations or other restrictions you might have.

9. Have you ever been fired? If yes, why?

No, I have never been fired.

10. How did you prepare for this interview?

To prepare for this interview, I read a bunch of articles about what other interviewers have asked candidates and wrote down a list of my own questions.

I also found a great article on the 10 most common interview questions and answers for software developers, which helped me to come up with answers.

More Sample Interview Questions for Software Developers

Here are additional software developer interview questions to enhance your preparation for the interview:

Sample Behavioral Interview Questions for Software Developers

1. What are your greatest strengths?
2. What are your greatest weaknesses, and how do you try to compensate for them?
3. Share with me about a time when you were faced with an ethical dilemma. How did you handle it?
4. Give an example of where you made a mistake. What happened? How did you fix the mistake if possible?
5. Tell me about yourself. What’s the story behind your career choice in software development field etc.?

Sample Case Interview Questions for Software Developers

1. How do you differentiate Static Data from Dynamic Data?
2. How would you create a dynamic calculation to count total sales for any given year?
3. Why do we need partitioning in databases?
4. Describe an algorithm that can be used to find the closest number from a request without having to sort through all of them.
5. Given two sets of data, how would you choose which one is more accurate and why?

Sample Competency Interview Questions for Software Developers

1. When did you know you wanted to go into development? What was the turning point?

2. What’s been your biggest project so far? How did it go?

3. With what technologies do you feel most comfortable working with?

4. Can you share the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome?

5. What can you do to make your work more visible?

Sample Problem-solving Interview Questions for Software Developers

1. What would you do if your code is not compiling?

2. How do you manage your personal time vs. work time?

3. Would you rather get a project 90% complete and working, or get it 80% complete and having more time to debug it later?

4. How does this position compare with other positions/industries that you are looking at outside of this one?

5. What kinds of software have you developed?

Sample Situational Interview Questions for Software Developers

1. What is an object’s life cycle?
2. How would you debug a program to find the cause of a coding error?
3. What are some examples of algorithms?
4. Can you give me an example of how computer systems exhibit nonfunctional behavior and what causes them to do so?
5. When programming, what level of abstraction should be used for each part of your code?

Sample Communication Skills Interview Questions for Software Developers

1. What is your preferred communication style?
2. How good are you at detecting what the listener’s needs are and providing them with a solution?
3. Give an example of a time when you were stuck in a difficult situation.
4. Name three strengths that make you confident in your ability to communicate well.
5. Is there anything else about yourself not mentioned before which might be significant in evaluating whether I would enjoy working with you?

Sample Interpersonal Skills Interview Questions for Software Developers

1. What interests you about this position?
2. Can you tell me a time when your skills helped solve a problem for someone else?
3. When have you been called on to be a leader?
4. Describe the last conflict that occurred with one of your co-workers. How did it turn out?
5. If I were interviewing someone, what question would I ask them first and why might it be important to know the answer before proceeding in an interview process or starting work at my company?

Sample Company Culture Interview Questions for Software Developers

1. What is the company culture like?
2. What is the company’s dress code?
3. What are your work hours?
4. Is this a formal or informal environment to work in?
5. Does the company have an internal culture of learning new technology on their own time?

Sample Technical Questions for Software Developers

1. What is a typical day like for a software developer?
2. How do you debug code in Java?
3. What is a big data problem?
4. Were you involved with any open source projects during your studies?
5. When was the first computer invented, and who designed it?

Software Developer Interview Success Tips

The preparation for a software developer job interview is critical to your success. The following tips will help you prepare for an interview so that you can give yourself the best chance of getting hired:

1. Prepare Your Resume: Make sure your resume is up-to-date, concise, and error free before handing it over at the job interview stage!

If you’re asked about any gaps in employment or other issues on your resume, make sure to provide explanations that show how these experiences helped shape who you are today.

Employers want someone who has learned from their mistakes rather than someone who has not faced any roadblocks.

2. Plan What You’re Going to Say: If there are specific points that you want to make, write them down before the interview so you continue on track with your talking points.

This allows you to come off as more confident during your interview because you will feel more prepared ahead of time if you know what you’re going to say.

3. Prepare Questions of Your Own: This is your opportunity to learn more about the company.

Come prepared with questions so that you can impress the interviewer by showing interest in what they do and how it ties into your future role at their company. 

4. Don’t be Afraid to Ask for the Job: This may seem obvious, but when you’re in an interview with a company that has caught your interest it’s easy to get distracted by everything around you.

This is your opportunity to sell yourself and quantify all of the reasons why you should be hired, so make sure it counts!

5. Consider Signing up for LinkedIn Premium.

Conclusion

When interviewing for a software developer position, it’s important to remember that you are trying to sell yourself to the employer/recruiter.

The more prepared you are for the interview process and the questions they will ask you at the interviews, the better your chances of getting hired for the software developer position.