10 job interview questions every software developer should know

So you’re looking to become a software developer and join the ranks of highly skilled professionals who have the #1 best job in America. If you’re in the midst of your job search and need some quick tips to get better prepared for the interview, we can help with that.

For some, interviews are nerve-racking and difficult. But as long as you prepare with mock interviews, you’ll be ready for anything your future employer might throw your way – not to mention stand out from other job seekers. If you want to ace the interview and land the job, below are ten questions that every software developer should know how to answer. We’ll follow those with some tips for your interview prep, so you have every chance to edge out the competition.

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10 Questions to Expect in Your Interview:

What is responsive design? Explain the difference between fixed and fluid layouts.
Describe a time where you had to convince a teammate to change their code for a project.
What is an example of a sandbox? What’s the purpose of one?
How do you communicate your progress to your team?
What tools do you like to use to design, develop and debug applications?
What is the best way to collaborate on a coding project?
Describe a time you got something wrong while coding. What did you do about it?
Have you ever worked with someone who didn’t give as much effort as other team members? How did you handle it?
Give an example of a well designed website or product with good user experience. Why do you like it?
Have you ever had a bug in your code that was already in production? How did you communicate/fix the issue?

Tips for Nailing Your Software Developer Interview

Getting the job relies on so many factors: your experience, culture fit with the company, and even just dumb luck. But you can give yourself every competitive advantage by going into the interview prepared. Here are some reminders to keep in mind if you’re in the running for your dream developer gig.

If you don’t know the answer, just be honest. Developer interviews can get very technical, very fast. If you don’t know the answer to a question, be transparent and tell them that – but remind them that you’re excited to learn. You could even describe another skill that you learned on the last job (or taught yourself) to demonstrate your initiative.
Ask questions of your own. Great developers are in high demand. You might get more interview requests, or even competing job offers. So get all of the information you need to decide if the company is a good fit for you, too.
Be ready to show off your portfolio. You should have a few of your best projects in one place, like Github. Even if you’ve never had a true developer job, there are other ways to build a portfolio – like starting your own passion project, or taking a project-based coding course.

Do you know more tough questions that get asked in software developer interviews? Let us know and share your interview tips by tweeting @thinkful.

Whether you’ve already finished Thinkful’s Engineering Flex or Engineering Immersion courses or you’ve acquired your coding skills in a different way, these 10 questions and interview tips will help you get prepared to join the world’s next workforce.