Job Interviews in the IT Industry – How to Prepare?

In most companies, a job interview is an essential part of the recruitment process. How should an IT job candidate prepare for one? What are the most common questions asked during IT job interviews? We answer these and many other questions in the article below.    

How to prepare for a software developer job interview?

  For the recruitment process to go in the candidate’s favor, one must prepare for the interview appropriately. It is this stage that determines whether a person gets hired or not. The fundamental element is, of course, possessing the appropriate skills and competencies.  An IT job candidate must have certificates confirming their participation in courses and training for developers. Another issue is the CV – job candidates must ensure it contains only relevant information. IT companies require it to be prepared in both Polish and English. To increase your chances in the recruitment process, you can also go to interviews at companies you are not actually interested in. This will be a perfect opportunity to see what such a conversation looks like in practice and to find out what questions recruiters ask most often. A very important issue during a job interview is also our attire. If a job candidate wears sweatpants and a wrinkled hoodie, their chances of getting hired – even if they have the right competencies – will drop significantly. Before going to a job interview, let’s also verify our online activity to date. Many recruiters conduct so-called open-source intelligence – they check what candidates publish online on social media portals. Posts from years ago can even cause us not to get the job, so it is better to delete them. Before we take part in a job interview, let’s carefully read the content of our potential employer’s job posting. The information provided there can be a very valuable clue when it comes time to answer the recruiter’s questions.    

What are the characteristic features of IT industry job interviews?

  A common feature of all job interviews in the IT industry is questions regarding the candidates’ programming skills, knowledge of specific languages, etc. Recruiters very often verify whether job applicants are up to date with the latest news from the world of IT. If such a test goes well, the candidate gains a lot in the recruiter’s eyes. It should be known that new solutions are constantly appearing in the IT industry. True IT specialists can be recognized by the fact that they are constantly expanding their knowledge and following technological innovations. As part of job interviews, candidates are also asked to perform specific tasks. Tasks for a developer during job interviews are a frequently used practice, as this way it is easy to verify whether a given developer can use their knowledge in practice and how much time it takes them to complete specific activities. Very often, companies conducting recruitment include information in their job postings about compensation for candidates for participating in the recruitment interview. This is because such interviews are often multi-stage and therefore take a lot of time.    

What questions might a recruiter ask during a job interview?

  What questions might come up during a job interview? Recruiters ask not only about hard skills, such as programming ability or knowledge of specific languages. They are also interested in soft skills, e.g., communication, teamwork, stress resistance, conflict resolution skills, etc.  Here are sample questions a recruiter might ask during a job interview:

• Why did you decide to submit your CV to our company? 
• What is your professional experience?
• What programming skills do you possess? 
• How quickly would you like to be promoted?
• What salary are you expecting?
• Where do you currently get your knowledge about programming?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Are you ready to work remotely?
• Why did you leave your previous job?
• What was your scope of responsibilities in your previous job?
• Which technologies interest you the most?
• Have you applied to other companies? 

   

What tasks might a recruiter ask us to perform?

  A recruitment interview can also be based on performing practical programming tasks. In this way, recruiters want to check the candidate’s actual ability to use technical knowledge.  The tasks can be very diverse. A candidate may be asked to find a missing element or a bug in the code or to write code for a small program on their own. Many companies use the practice where recruiters intentionally give candidates “impossible tasks” that significantly exceed their knowledge base to see how they act in stressful situations, how quickly they give up, etc.    

What questions are worth asking at a job interview?

  At a job interview, questions can also be asked by the person applying for employment. Here is a list of questions worth asking at a job interview:

• What are the opportunities for promotion?
• After how long can I count on a raise?
• How many people work in the department where I am to be employed? 
• What are the non-wage benefits in your company?
• What will my responsibilities be?
• Who will be my boss? 

   

How to dress for a job interview?

  An element that plays a very important role in a job interview is also the candidate’s attire. The outfit must be neat, clean, and elegant. Let’s also pay special attention to the appearance of our footwear. It is absolutely unacceptable to participate in a job interview in dirty shoes or a stained shirt.  What colors should an outfit for a job interview have? A good idea is to opt for white and black, for example, a white shirt plus black trousers and shoes. Colorful, bright patterns will likely not be received positively. Let’s also not overdo it with the number of accessories – an excess of bracelets, necklaces, earrings, or watches will also not positively influence our reception in the eyes of the recruiter. The best solution is minimalism and elegance. The outfit is not everything. The appearance of the face and hair is also important. Under no circumstances should we go to a job interview with greasy hair or a huge amount of styling gel on our head. Such nonchalance is welcome at social parties, not at serious job interviews.