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For candidates applying for jobs in the tech space, the interview process may look a little different from a traditional question-and-answer format. Candidates for technical roles can take specific steps to prepare for an upcoming interview.

A technical interview, or tech interview, is a type of interview to assess a candidate’s specialized skills for a particular role. It’s common for computer and information technology positions.

The interview can range in format, depending on the position and employer. Common formats can include:

• A phone or video screen to discuss a candidate’s technical background, skills and experience
• A system design discussion where candidates explain how they would design system architecture based on user requirements
• A in real time
• A pair programming session where candidates write code with another programmer
• A take-home project to complete a job-related assignment

Employers use the interviews to evaluate how candidates solve problems and communicate their decisions. Depending on the role, interviewers may assess candidates’ domain knowledge, code quality or architecture decisions. Interviewers may ask direct questions about programming concepts or data structures, or they may provide a hypothetical scenario and ask candidates to work through a solution.

The length of the interview can vary. A coding exercise may take between 30 and 45 minutes, while a take-home project may take longer.

When preparing for tech interviews, candidates can start by making a plan to study or review topics that may be part of the interview, such as algorithms, data structures, system design and technical support. Other preparation techniques, including focused practice problems, timed coding exercises, mock interviews and sample projects, can help candidates get ready for a technical interview.

Focused practice problems can help candidates become comfortable working through technical challenges in real time. This practice can also help them come up with an approach to solving problems in an interview.

For a coding exercise, a common problem-solving approach might look like this:

1. Clarify the requirements: Read the question or prompt carefully and ask follow-up questions if any requirements seem unclear.
2. Outline a solution: Determine how to solve the problem within the time allowed.
3. Write code: While writing the code, explain the reasoning or process clearly.
4. Test the solution: Check the code to make sure it works as expected, and make adjustments as necessary.

While working through practice questions, candidates may set a timer to help them get used to working within a specific time limit. Timed practice can prepare them to pace their work and leave enough time to explain their decisions.

Along with practice problems, mock interviews can be helpful. In a mock interview, a candidate practices with another person, like a friend or family member, to simulate a real interview. A mock interview can help candidates practice communicating technical concepts and explaining their logic and reasoning out loud.

For hands-on assignments, like take-home projects or pair programming, the preparation may look slightly different. Candidates can review past projects they’ve done to refresh their knowledge of technical concepts or programming fundamentals. They may also do a simple project, such as creating a webpage or summarizing a small dataset, to help prepare for the actual assignment.

Candidates should practice questions similar to ones they can expect in an interview. Here are some examples of interview questions for different technical roles:

In a coding interview, questions may focus on how candidates would solve a problem using programming languages. Interviewers may also ask questions to test an applicant’s familiarity with different concepts, such as loops, arrays and strings.

Some questions in this area might include:

• How can this list of values be searched or sorted?
• How can a duplicate value be found in a dataset?
• How could this function be tested with different inputs?
• How can this solution be made easier to read?
• What’s the error in this code, and how can it be corrected?

For those questions, candidates should use the full time they have to think through the problem, choose an approach and explain their reasoning. Their response should show an interviewer how they identify requirements, consider constraints, check for errors and make improvements.

For roles that involve building or maintaining technical systems, candidates can expect some questions about system design. Interviewers may ask candidates how they would structure functions, applications or systems. 

For example, an interviewer might ask the candidate how to design an appointment scheduling app or a reporting dashboard. A candidate then works through the question out loud, demonstrating how they approach system design.

When answering system design questions, candidates can start by clarifying what the system needs to do, who will use it and which real-world constraints may affect the design. From there, candidates can explain their high-level design ideas, which may include major parts of the system and how information moves between parts. They can also mention architecture trade-offs to support those decisions.

During this discussion, candidates should communicate their ideas clearly and use logical reasoning to explain their approach. Interviewers may have follow-up questions, which can give candidates the opportunity to discuss the design in more detail.

For support roles, like a computer systems analyst, a technical interview may include questions about computer networks, hardware and software. Interviewers may ask candidates questions about how they would troubleshoot common problems, such as helping a user who can’t log in.

Candidates should approach such questions the same way they would on the job. They can ask questions to understand the issue and explain what steps they would take to fix the problem. Interviewers want to assess the candidate’s technical skills, but they also want to see how the candidate would interact with clients or co-workers who may have limited technical knowledge.

For support roles, like a computer systems analyst, a technical interview may include questions about computer networks, hardware and software. Interviewers may ask candidates questions about how they would troubleshoot common problems, such as helping a user who can’t log in.

Candidates should approach such questions the same way they would on the job. They can ask questions to understand the issue and explain what steps they would take to fix the problem. Interviewers want to assess the candidate’s technical skills, but they also want to see how the candidate would interact with clients or co-workers who may have limited technical knowledge.

Along with technical questions, an interviewer may also ask candidates some behavioral questions. The questions may focus on projects or tasks a candidate has handled in a previous role to predict how they would manage similar responsibilities in a new position.

For behavioral questions, it’s helpful to use the STAR interview technique. The acronym stands for situation, task, action and result. When discussing a past project, for example, a candidate can start by outlining the problem or challenge they faced, the work they needed to do, the steps they took and the result. This strategy can help candidates stay focused when discussing past projects and technical work.

If the interview will take place on an online platform, an applicant can beforehand so it looks tidy and professional. They can also check to make sure they have access to any tools or editors they may need for coding exercises or take-home assignments. Right before the interview, candidates can practice stress management techniques, like deep breathing exercises, to calm their nerves.

Candidates often focus on the questions they’ll get during an interview, but the questions they ask an interviewer can be just as important. Asking questions about the role, the team or the company can show a candidate’s interest and enthusiasm for the position. 

Candidates should come prepared with some thoughtful questions, such as what tools the team uses, how members work together on projects and how the manager measures success in the role. At the end of the interview, a candidate can also ask about the next steps in the process.

After a technical interview, candidates can send an email to the interviewer thanking them for their time and consideration. In the email, candidates may reference a specific point from the interview, such as an interviewer’s follow-up question about system design, to show their attention to detail. Candidates should send this email within a day or two after the interview.

If candidates don’t hear back after an interview, they can follow up with the interviewer or recruiter. It’s appropriate to wait about two weeks after an interview to send a short follow-up email about the status or next steps.

Preparing for a technical interview involves study and practice. If you’re interested in technology and want to learn more, ������ý offers these IT programs:

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