8 Behavioral and Technical Interview Questions Asked by Top Tech Companies

What are behavioral questions, and why do employers ask them?

All sorts of businesses use behavioral job interview strategies. Unlike standard job technical interview questions, which ask you to discuss your previous roles or share your qualifications, these questions seek actual examples of expertise and experiences directly related to the position.

Behavioral questions are intended to understand how you would behave in a particular professional circumstance and how you handle difficulties to get a good solution. When the interviewer asks how you dealt with a problem, you must react with an explanation of what you did. The theory is that your past success is a good predictor of your future success.

8 behavioral interview questions and sample answers

Here are some examples of common behavioral interview questions for technical positions that you may be asked during a job interview. Examine the replies and think about how you would respond to the questions to provide a solid response. What experiences you would like to share, and how you would express them to the interviewer. Your examples should be clear and concise.

1. When you disagree with a coworker, how do you handle it?

There may be times when you and a co-worker disagree on how to complete a task. The hiring manager may ask this behavioral interview question since they want to learn about your abilities to collaborate with other team members. The interviewer seeks to obtain insight into how you manage difficult circumstances at work by asking this software engineer behavioral interview questions, therefore emphasizing how you have addressed a problem with a co-worker in the past.

Use the STAR approach to outline your response in your response. This acronym, which stands for "situation, task, action, and outcome," is a guide for responding to behavioral and technical interview questions with enough context regarding the example you're referring to and how you effectively addressed it.

Sample Answer - Last year, during a new project, one of my team members proposed we utilize a coding style that I thought was not in line with our processes. In this case, I met with my colleague one-on-one to discuss our project ideas and the coding approach we found most effective. Following our talk, we both understood each other's proposals and presented our ideas to the rest of the team, allowing everyone to express their thoughts. As a group, we were able to reach a conclusion.

2. Tell me about an instance when you had to juggle multiple tasks. How did you handle this situation?

As a software engineer, you may have several responsibilities to manage at once, and the interviewer may ask this question to assess how you would function in a high-stress situation. These behavioral questions tech allows you to discuss your efficient time management abilities as well as your capacity to remain flexible while adapting to new obligations. Consider utilizing the STAR approach to talk about a period when you had several duties in a professional context and how you handled it.

Sample Answer - My manager put me on a performance interface design team last summer, while I was organizing software installation for a customer. While I was first intimidated by having two large projects on the go at the same time, I committed a day to arrange and prioritizing which activities needed to be completed first so that I could make the deadlines for both assignments. As a result, I was able to complete both tasks on time.

3. Can you give me an example of how you establish your own goals?

Setting objectives is a crucial element of your job as a software engineer since it demonstrates your dedication to doing a good job. Hiring managers may ask you this question if they want to know how you develop career-oriented goals that are both ambitious and attainable. Consider answering these behavioral interview questions for software engineers by describing a moment when you established a plan and then achieved it.

Sample Answer - I knew I wanted to go from my entry-level position on a software innovation team to a post as a programmer analyst at my previous firm. Programmer analysts normally had three to five years of experience, and I knew that six months after accomplishing this objective, I'd be celebrating my third anniversary with the organization. As a result, promotion became a difficult but feasible goal. I worked hard hours and one-on-one with my supervisor, and on my three-year anniversary, I was promoted to programmer analyst.

4. Tell me about a moment when you were unfamiliar with the scenario or surroundings. How did you cope?

These behavioral questions for software engineers allow you to demonstrate your capacity to take on activities that are not part of your job description, such as conducting independent research and adapting to changing work situations. If you are unclear about how to respond to this question, consider detailing your first day at your prior employment.

Sample Answer - I had never worked as a full-time software developer before starting my last job, so I knew I had a lot to learn. However, I asked several questions and took detailed notes on everything I learned, which I reviewed after each workday. I eventually grew acquainted with the systems and process and outperformed my expectations within the first six months of work.

5. Tell me about a situation when you required information from someone unresponsive. How did you deal with it?

If the hiring manager asks you this behavioral/technical interview question during an interview, emphasize your communication skills and capacity to deal with issues with your teammates. The hiring manager may want to demonstrate your grasp of your colleague's point of view in the circumstance, so stress your ability to be thoughtful of others while gathering the facts you want.

Sample Answer - I was responsible for drafting a plan of action for my team at my previous job, and the deadline was quickly approaching. My boss explained that she was swamped with numerous projects at the time and wouldn't be able to answer my emails for two to three days. Rather than becoming irritated, I solicited feedback from my team members, and we developed a fully-formed strategy, which we then submitted to my management, who accepted it instantly.

6. Tell me about a moment when you messed up. How did you correct your mistake?

Everyone makes errors; it's a part of life. This behavioral/technical interview question helps an interviewer to understand more about how you respond to mistakes, which is all that counts when an error occurs. To correctly answer this behavioral/technical interview question, you should include an example of when you accepted responsibility for a mistake, followed by a discussion of the steps you took to correct your mistake.

Sample Answer - In my previous position in the accounting business, I discovered that I had planned a meeting with our worldwide leaders at the incorrect time. This has the potential to disrupt the schedules of several of our senior executives. We endeavored to tell all executives that the event had been booked at the incorrect time, and then we attempted to reschedule the call at a new time. When I recognized my error, I promptly escalated it to my manager, who expressed gratitude for my transparency.

The other executives recognized the error and were grateful for the few days' warning before the call. Since making this blunder, I constantly double-check meeting hours and utilize time zone software to assist limit the odds of an error when booking an overseas meeting.

7. Give me an example of how you've worked as part of a team.

Most occupations need some kind of collaboration. An employer may ask you this behavioral/technical interview question during a job interview to better understand how you work with others, especially if the career you are seeking requires a lot of cooperation.

To reply, describe a specific example of working in a team and detail how you engage with your co-workers.

Sample Answers - At my previous job, I was a key member of our SEO team. My supervisor was in charge of a project to assist us in increasing our domain authority, and I was tasked with optimizing a lot of our current articles. Every day, I participated in a stand-up meeting with my co-workers to keep them updated on my progress. During this brief meeting, we also gave each other our assistance and support if anybody was experiencing any difficulties. I continuously checked in with my team members to ensure we accomplished our targets, and I also opted to partner up with another team member who was assigned to a similar project so that we could discuss best practices.

8. What is the most helpful piece of feedback you've ever received about yourself?

Constructive criticism may be beneficial to your overall professional development, so consider answering this behavioral/technical interview question with a piece of constructive criticism you got and how it helped you better your work. You may demonstrate your ability to respond positively to constructive criticism and your willingness to learn and grow.

Sample Answer - My boss brought me into her office a year ago and gave me some critical comments. While I wasn't aware of it at the time, her criticism assisted me in challenging myself and improving my job without asking me to spend long hours. I am grateful that she pointed out a problem in my organizational ways so that I might rethink my strategy.

How to prepare for a behavioral interview with a software engineer?

Now that we've covered a few of the most common behavioral questions for software engineers in a job interview, it's time to look at how you might prepare for them.

• Do some preliminary research on the company. Before the interview, spend as much time learning about the organization and the position you have applied for. Reread the job advertisement, visit the company's website, and become acquainted with their goods and services. This will assist you in providing responses at your interview that are more relevant to the position you seek.
• Practice answering behavioral interview questions. Use the behavioral/technical interview question in this article to help you prepare for some of the questions you may be asked during your interview. Asking a friend or family member to conduct a mock interview is an efficient technique to prepare for your interview. This will allow you to practice for your actual job interview and receive real-time feedback based on your responses.
• Before the interview, consider several instances. In addition, make a mental list of examples that you can use in your interview. For example, if you're planning to discuss obstacles you've faced, you might wish to consider a specific circumstance where you confronted a challenge. Having this in mind means that if you're asked about job problems, you won't have to come up with a fresh example: you'll already have one prepared.

Final Thoughts

Behavioral interview questions are frequent and may be asked at any point in the recruiting process. Interviewers employ behavioral and technical interview questions to understand who you are and how you have handled professional settings. Your responses will assist an employer in determining whether you are a good match for the position. You'll be able to prepare for many of the frequent questions you're likely to be asked if you practice for a behavioral interview using the questions in this article.