Before jumping into the software engineer interview questions, let’s first go over the job description for software engineers. A software engineer designs, write, debugs, and researches new software programs. The role also includes evaluating software systems that instruct computers to accomplish tasks. Software engineers work with computer operating systems, computer games, and business applications. Additional responsibilities include:
- Investigating and using new technologies
- Using program languages such as Java, C++, and Python
- The implementation of new technical designs
- Improving system quality by identifying issues and procedures
The need for software engineers is on the rise in the job market. If you are interested in a career as a software engineer, the following interview questions will help you secure your new position. Note, the following interview questions are not all-encompassing, but they are a great start to prepare for your next interview.
Top Interview Questions for a Software Engineer
What programming languages do you use?
For this question, briefly explain your expertise with each programming coding language. Be concise, yet informative, on your depth of experience with different coding languages. Let the interviewer know that you are proficient in multiple programming languages.
Many interviewers are looking for candidates to have experience with C++, Python and Java. You should, however, have a better idea of what they’re looking for by looking through the job description and requirements. Having a list or portfolio readily available of the work that you completed using the programming languages will be an asset to your candidacy. Furthermore, you should be able to explain past experiences that highlight your level of understanding of each programming language.
How do you handle errors when programming?
During your interview, be prepared to discuss your troubleshooting techniques. Before going into details, always begin with a well-thought-out plan. Provide a standard operating procedure that you use and cater to each problem.
Discuss how you write tests as a check for errors. Next, talk about catching exceptions by wrapping the code. Don’t forget try and catch statements, as well as looking through the WOMM (weak operational memory model) development process. Be prepared to give an example of a time you successfully handled and solved an error to show your skill level.
What is your experience with responsive design?
A topic that is likely to be discussed during your interview is responsive design and fixed and fluid layouts. Responsive design uses media queries that locate breakpoints. These breakpoints can wrap text, adjust the layout, and scale images to fit the screen size of any device. When answering this question, describe in detail any experience you have developing applications for both desktop and mobile use.
Incorporate your knowledge of building fluid designs using percentages as indicators for width. For fixed design, talk about applications that you built relying on fixed pixel weights and dimensions.
If you need a refresher on this topic, visit Mozilla for additional information.
What are the basic operations of a stack?
A stack is a linear data structure with three basic operations. When answering this question, you should highlight the operations of the following:
- Push: the insertion of an element to the stack from the top.
- Pop: the removal of the last element added to the stack.
- Peek: a function enabling you to see an element in a stack without modification.
Make sure you’re prepared to implement a stack, as well as different operations.
Implement Dijkstra’s Shortest Path in the programming language of your choice.
To find the shortest path between nodes with positive-edge weights in a graph, use Dijkstra’s algorithm. Interviewers usually ask classic algorithm questions. The purpose is to test your knowledge of how to implement an algorithm.
To fully prepare for the interview, also review the Bellman-Ford and Floyd-Warshall algorithm. Practice the implementation of different algorithms.
For more interview tips, check out our career advice blog.
