How to prepare for technical interviews: Top tips and question examples

This has resulted in a new wave of uncertainty and confusion around what they are, how they are used and how best to prepare. In response to this we have conducted our own research and interview with an industry expert to reflect on the use of technical interviews within the early careers space. This article is the ultimate guide, giving you top tips for preparing for a technical interview as well as real-life examples of interview questions you could be asked.

What is a technical interview?

A technical interview assesses your technical knowledge and ability for the role. Questions and tasks are used to assess the breadth and depth of your knowledge within the relevant field. Questions and tasks are further designed to evaluate your ability to communicate this information to both technical experts and those who do not work in the IT and technology sector.

How do you prepare for a technical interview? Our top tips

• Read the job specification - Use this to your advantage! Be sure to hone in on the key skills and technical knowledge relevant for the job.
• Brush up on the basics - A common mistake is being overconfident that you remember all the basics you learnt some time ago. When interview nerves kick in its easy to forget these or stumble over your words. Practice explaining basic concepts to a friend and applying the information to different situations and questions.
• Potential not perfect - Particularly if you are early in your career, remember the recruiter doesn’t expect you to know everything! Nobody is perfect and the key thing they want to see is your potential as well as current ability.
• Online resource: Pluralsight is a great website for you to practice the basics and brush up on key skills dependent on the role and sector you are interested in.

Top tip: In addition, BCS members can access Springboard our e-learning platform with modules on transferrable skills including commercial awareness, leadership, and communication. If you’re just starting out in the industry, check out our new early careers rate of membership.

How many technical interviews are there?

There is typically three different types of technical interview to prepare for:

Pre-screening: Prior to being called to an in-person interview, you may be asked to complete a task online. This can be used to test one’s technical ability and problem solving before narrowing down competent candidates to come in for interview. These tasks will be mostly focused on your technical abilities themselves with little application of knowledge or need to explain your findings. The decision to invite you to interview may be partially based on this pre-screening activity.

Pre interview task: Slightly different to the pre-screening task, you may be sent an activity prior to your interview and be asked to prepare something to present or discuss. The key here is to utilise the time you have to explore the activity in detail and ensure you understand what is being asked of you and complete the questions in detail with clear evidence of your thinking and reasoning behind your findings.

A top tip: Ensure you can explain your findings to someone who does not understand technical jargon and go into detail about your workings to evidence a deeper level of understanding and knowledge.

If possible, go slightly beyond what the task asks you to do. For example, come up with other solutions or give evidence of possible limitations to the project. This can help you to stand out amongst other candidates and reflect your ability to think beyond the information given to you.

Main interview: A very common method of interview is to make part of your main interview for a role focused on the technical questions. The types of questions asked can vary heavily depending on the role you are applying for.

A top tip: The main thing recruiters are looking for is to see how you think on your feet and your ability to communicate your ideas and technical knowledge effectively. Remember to take your time, read the information and don’t be afraid to ask questions. This can help to showcase your thought process and understanding of the problem as well as your method to solutions and problem solving.

What is the purpose of a technical interview?

There are two key things recruiters are looking for candidates to showcase in a technical interview.

1. Technical ability: They are looking to see whether you really know your stuff. From the basics all the way through to advanced information recruiters are checking your abilities against the information on your CV.
2. Communication and transferrable skills: The focus on transferrable skills within the tech industry has only become more prevalent in the past few years. Recruiters are much more concerned now with one’s ability to communicate technical information to a non-technical audience. They want to see how you would fit into the wider business and collaborate across departments in order to integrate the importance of technical knowledge across the wider business.

Transferrable skills recruiters will be looking to see in a technical interview or task:

• adaptability
• commercial awareness
• communication

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• creativity
• decision-making
• leadership
• negotiation
• organisation
• persuasion
• teamwork
• time management.

IT technical interview questions / tasks - real examples from our industry expert

Following our discussion with an industry expert, this list may give you some ideas of what to expect in a technical interview. However, it is worth noting that tasks will vary heavily across companies and the type of role you are applying for.

• ‘White Board session’ - You may be given a problem and asked to document your thinking and ideas to solve the problem. Key here is to showcase thinking and take your time to ask questions and discuss ideas.
• Evaluate the code - This is more likely to be used in a pre-screening activity. You may be given a piece of code and be asked to find the bug in it. Once you have found it be sure to discuss and evaluate how you would resolve it. Often there is one problem but multiple solutions. Recruiters are looking for communication, creativity, and your application of the fundamentals to lead to successful problem-solving.
• Exam based - Basic questions such as writing a code or building a network diagram. This is where you can clearly show your knowledge of the basics.

Our conclusions

This article has given you all of the key knowledge to succeed in your next interview, teaching you how to answer technical interview questions as well as providing top tips from an industry expert. There has been a great shift recently in how recruiters in the tech industry utilise interviews and the process of applying for roles with a strong focus on technical ability.

The key takeaway from our discussion with a recruiter in the industry is the move to recognising the importance of softer, transferrable skills just as much as technical ability. With this in mind, we hope this article helps you understand how technical interviews are being used to respond to this change and our top tips to prepare you for your next steps into the industry.