8 Behavioral and Technical Interview Questions Asked by Top Tech Companies

Behavioral interview questions may be posed during your job interview. These focus on your character, talents, and abilities rather than your experience and educational background. An interviewer may ask you about a challenging issue, which can assist you in understanding how you manage it.

You can also ask some questions to recruiters. This will give the employer a clear picture of your capabilities and suitability for the role.

In this blog, we will go through the top eight software engineer behavioral interview questions and answers that you can come into during a job interview. We'll then go through some pointers for efficiently answering behavioral questions.

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.

What are behavioral interview questions

All sorts of businesses use behavioral job interview strategies. Unlike standard job 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.

Why do employers ask them?

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.
The key to answering a behavioral interview question well is to provide specific instances of how your abilities and experiences have prepared you for the position you are interviewing for.

So, now let’s get to know some sample behavioral interview questions and answers?

25 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.

Let’s categorize the questions to understand easily.

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 such behavioral interview questions 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 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 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 how to respond to this question, consider detailing your first day at your prior employment. Recall all the tips for cracking software developer job interviews and go for it!

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.

3. 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 interview question helps hiring companies to understand more about how you respond to mistakes, which is all that counts when an error occurs. To correctly answer such developer behavioral interview questions, 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 at 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 endeavoured 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 recognised 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 utilise a time zone software to assist limit the odds of an error when booking an overseas meeting.

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

Most occupations need some kind of collaboration. While hiring developers, an employer may ask you this behavioral 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 to such behavioral interview questions, 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.

5. Describe a mistake you've made and the lesson you took away from it.

Everyone makes errors, but not everyone takes the time to grow from them. The interviewer wants to see that you are able to develop from your mistakes. Consider typical errors that engineers make. Ever run a query that completely destroyed a crucial portion of the database? What about forcing something onto the main branch or messing up a merge conflict?

Sample Answer: I was given the assignment to build a solution for a feature that was required for a customer project earlier in my career. The systems engineering team and my lead met with me to discuss the design, and after I presented it to them, everyone gave their approval.

We discovered there was a misinterpretation of the criteria after the customer pointed up several design issues after I showed the concept to them. The main problem was that we were in danger of falling behind schedule with the development because we had already used up all of the time allotted for the design assignment.
This experience taught me a crucial lesson: I should have included the client in the design process early on and iteratively as necessary. In this case, if I had done it, I could have identified the problems early rather than waiting until the last minute, which caused me to overwork myself that week.

6. Tell me about a time when you had to work well under pressure.

When interviewing you for a high-stress position, the interviewer will inquire about your ability to perform well under pressure. When responding, give a concrete example of how you've handled the pressure.

Sample Answer: A significant project that I was working on was due to the client in 60 days. We must move quickly and complete it in 45 days while maintaining the timeliness of our other projects, my supervisor told me. I turned it into a challenge for my team, and we successfully added a few hours to each of our schedules and, by splitting the effort, completed the task in 42 days. Of course, I had a fantastic team to work with, but I believe that a key factor in the project's success was my efficient task distribution.

7. Describe a decision you took that wasn't well received, then describe how you went about carrying it out.

There are times when management must make tough choices, and not all workers are pleased when a new policy is implemented. The interviewer will want to know your procedure for implementing change if you are applying for a decision-making position.

Sample Answer: I once took over a team of workers after their manager moved to another city. Without management approval, they had been allowed to cover each other's shifts. The unfairness, where some people were given more opportunities than others, bothered me. To ensure that everyone who desired extra hours and was available at specific times could be used, I instituted a policy where I required my assistant to approve all staffing changes.

8. Give me an example of a time when you failed to complete a team project and how you recovered from it.

Be sincere and demonstrate your ability to learn from mistakes. Instead of blaming your team members for your failure, concentrate on the impersonal factors that contributed to it and the lessons you gained.

Sample Answer: For queries like this, giving instances from times you've taken part in a hackathon usually works well, especially if you had a strong concept and received some credit for it. In a short period of time, you would have worked as a team to come up with a lot of ideas and solve a lot of problems. A wonderful method to show that you can collaborate well with others in a "tech" atmosphere while still producing beneficial results for your team.

9. If you disagree with someone at work, what should you do?

The interviewer's goal in asking you this question is to learn more about how you deal with problems at work. Think about how you've reached a compromise during a business conflict or addressed a problem.

Sample Answer: My former boss wanted me to find a method to outsource the majority of the work my department was performing a few years ago. I believed that having the employees on-site had a significant influence on my department's effectiveness and capacity to connect with clients. She developed a compromise strategy after I made a compelling argument for her.

Questions about professional growth

10. 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 these kinds of behavioral interview questions 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 organisation. 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.

11. Tell me about a recent project you worked on. Can you explain the technical difficulties you encountered and how you overcame them?

This is when having a thorough understanding of the technical specifications for each section of your resume really helps. The interviewer may pose a general question, like in this illustration, or they may specifically mention a project or function on your resume and inquire about that. Therefore, be ready to discuss this in both scenarios.

Sample Answer: It was the first time I had built a Node.js production application from scratch. The asynchronous nature of Node.js made the transition from mostly using Java for development a little difficult. I eventually discovered a solution to this problem by leaving the HTTP request out of the TLS mechanism. Since the request was being cached, I sent it when the server first started, cached it, and then set a timeout function to send the request once more when the value had passed. By doing so, we could have simply retrieved the item from the cache instead of initiating an async call during the TLS handshake. The project ultimately met all the objectives and was a big success.

12. What makes you wish to work for the given company?

It is helpful to research the business in advance for this query. Investigate the company's values on its website, any active projects it is working on (if any are available), and the technology it employs.

Sample Answer: The technology that the company is adopting was what initially interests me about the role. I really want to focus more of my career on that tech stack because I have been working with React and Node.js on my side project and have fallen in love with the entire JavaScript ecosystem. Seeing that the team is utilizing AWS encouraged me because I also want to keep using cloud services.

13. Why are you quitting your present job?

Give believable justifications for your want to go, but avoid seeming as though your current position is making you miserable. That could harm your negotiation position and give them the impression that you are a bad person. Another way to approach this question is to phrase it so that it sounds more like you would prefer to stay with the firm you are interviewing with than that you actually want to quit your job. Then, explain why you prefer working there to your current employer.

Sample Answer: Despite being generally content in my current position, there are a few reasons why I am seeking a new job. I believe that I have reached a point in my professional development where I am not learning as much as I would like to. I saw that your business uses AWS, which is a technology in which I've been hoping to gain some experience. Generally speaking, I am eager to work with cloud platforms. This kind of transitions into my second justification, which is that I'm seeking for more difficult employment.

14. Give an example of your goal-setting process.

The purpose of this question is to gauge how well you organize your goals and plan your course of action. Sharing instances of goal-setting that have been successful is the simplest way to respond.

Sample Answer: I knew I wanted to work in the fashion industry a few weeks after starting my first job as a sales associate in a department store. I made the decision that once I reached the position of a department manager, I would have amassed sufficient savings to be able to enrol in design school full-time. I succeeded in doing just that, and thanks to an internship I had the summer before graduating, I even managed to secure my first job.

Questions about communication in workspace

15. 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 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 while answering such behavioral interview questions, don’t forget to 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.

16. 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 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.

17. Describe a situation in which you either delivered or received strong criticism. How did you respond to the circumstance?

Consider answering this question with some constructive criticism you have received and how it has helped you better your work as constructive criticism can be beneficial for your overall professional development. You can demonstrate your capacity to respond positively to constructive criticism and your desire to learn and grow. On the other hand, it's crucial to be able to provide constructive criticism to your co-workers. This demonstrates your ability to work well with people and your concern for the welfare of those around you.

Sample Answer: I can think of one instance where I gave input to a member of my current team who is a software engineer. These engineers would frequently interrupt our group meetings to share their thoughts and opinions, but it seemed as though they hadn't really thought through what they were attempting to say. They would seem to get a little off track and seem to lose themselves in their own thoughts while attempting to formulate their views.

Although our organization does semi-annual performance assessments, I believe in providing feedback as soon as I notice something that I think my colleague could do better. They even agreed with what I had to say and claimed to have observed it themselves as well, but they weren't aware that it was clear to others. So, one day I spoke with them and told them what I had noticed. I gave them some advice, saying they shouldn't feel pressed for time to get their thoughts across during the conversation. We're all on the same team, therefore we want to make sure that everyone has a chance to voice their opinions and is in agreement with the choices our team makes.

Questions about skills/competitiveness

18. 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 utilising 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 to a performance interface design team last summer, while I was organising 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 arranging and prioritising 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.

19. What do you consider to be one of your weaknesses?

You want to identify a real shortcoming, but you also want to focus on how you are growing or have grown to overcome that issue.

Sample Answer: Public speaking is perhaps my biggest weakness. I occasionally have problems speaking in front of others, and speaking in front of a large gathering makes me incredibly uneasy. When I was younger, I used to do everything in my power to avoid having to speak in front of a group, but when I started college, I began to understand that I needed to face this fear rather than avoid it.

I've gotten much more at ease speaking in front of groups as my professional career has progressed. I give presentations in many various meetings today, such as design reviews or client demos, so I've gained a lot of expertise in addressing audiences and facilitating discussions with many participants. I still get nervous when I have to speak in front of a lot of people, but I've gotten used to it and have discovered that the nervousness goes away as soon as I enter the meeting and feel confident about what I am going to say.

20. Tell me a little bit about yourself and your background.

From reading Cracking the Coding Interview, it is discovered a fantastic structure for this general question. The breakdown is as follows:

• Current Role [Just the Headline]
• College [Include Internships]
• Post College and Onwards
• Current Role [Detailed]
• Outside of Work
• Wrap Up

Sample Answer: I've been the team leader of a small agile group of senior software engineers where I presently work as a software developer. I earned a bachelor's degree in computer science and engineering in 2018. I paid for my college education by working as a waiter and a Java Consultant for the institution. I would assist students with their coursework as a Java consultant, helping them to comprehend Java principles and effective coding techniques.

21. Describe a time when you helped a team or organization by using your problem-solving abilities.

Show how you seek out solutions for the benefit of the firm as a whole. Not only solutions for your benefit and the benefit of your team.

Sample Answer: Thinking aloud is the best approach to show that you can solve problems (especially if you're seeking a software engineering position). The interview at Facebook for software engineering positions combines both behavioural and technical questions. Since interviewers want to know how you think, be honest about it while using the advice they provide you. Facebook also advises being familiar with the organization's core principles and mission and joining their online talent community to connect with recruiters and other professionals.

22. Describe three upgrades you made in your most recent role.

To avoid stumbling over your words during the interview, make a list. Concentrate further on the answer you came up with for this question, and be prepared to address the "3 things."

Sample Answer: Consider an instance when you came up with a solution to an issue by using a methodology like Design Thinking or Lean Startup. This shows that you are knowledgeable with common problem-solving techniques employed by professionals in advanced technology. Ask yourself for whom and why you created the improvements. What impact did your improvements have on the lives of your customers?

23. How do you deal with obstacles? Give an instance.

It won't always be business as usual, no matter what job you have. The hiring manager uses this kind of question to find out how you would respond in a challenging circumstance. When you react, concentrate on how you handled a difficult circumstance. Think about explaining what you did and why it worked in detail.

Sample Answer: One day, we were in the midst of challenging talks with a new sponsor when my supervisor unexpectedly had to leave town. I was given the job of creating a PowerPoint presentation based only on the notes he had written and some information from his manager. My presentation went well. We received the sponsorship, and the management group even suggested I be honoured.

24. Have you ever had to offer advice to a troubled teammate? Describe that time for me.

Pick an instance when you had to give a team member uncomfortable advice.

Sample Answer: Here, you need concrete instances of times when you stood out as a leader in the correct ways. You must exhibit your ability to choose the proper goals to aim for, and know when to take the initiative and when to follow. Describe a time when you effectively articulated a goal, oversaw a team, battled valiantly, rendered a service to others, or encouraged and developed others.

25. Give an example of a time when you were successful in inspiring staff members or co-workers.

Do you possess strong motivating qualities? What methods do you employ to inspire your team? The recruiting manager is searching for a specific illustration of your capacity to inspire others.

Sample Answer: In an effort to prioritize profits over customer satisfaction, our department's management was once taken over by staff members with experience in a completely unrelated industry. I was able to persuade my co-workers to give the new method a chance to succeed despite the fact that many of them were opposed to the drastic changes that were being implemented.

Next, shall we look into how to prepare for a behavioral interview?

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 products 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 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.

Questions about experience and background

Along with the behavioral interview questions, it's crucial for hiring managers to evaluate your prior positions and background in relation to the position you're interviewing for. They can more easily determine how your prior experiences can convert into a successful performance at their business with the information you supply.

The following are some inquiries about your background and experience that you might anticipate being asked in a developer interview:

• Tell me about a project that you successfully finished. Why do you deem it successful?
• How have you previously found errors that weren't readily evident?
• Do you have prior multidisciplinary teamwork experience?
• What traits distinguish you as an excellent developer?
• Which frameworks and programming languages are you familiar with?
• How do you manage stress at work?
• Have you ever had to explain a project delay or inaccuracy to your boss or client? What method did you employ?
• Tell me about an instance when you, as a developer, went above and beyond your duties. Were you given anything in return? If so, how did you feel afterward?
• What aspect of becoming a developer do you find the least appealing?
• What kinds of operating systems are you familiar with?

Time to wrap up!

Final Thoughts

Behavioral interview questions are frequent and may be asked at any point in the recruiting process. Interviewers employ behavioral 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.