Updated June 9, 2023
When applying for jobs, employers may ask you to take part in a technical interview. Technical interviews allow employers to determine whether your skills and technical knowledge qualify you for the open position. By learning more about technical interviews and how to present yourself, you can enhance your professionalism and your chances of landing the job. In this article, we define technical interviews, review why it’s important for you to prepare for a technical interview and answer a few questions about what to expect at each stage of the technical interview process.
A technical interview is a type of interview format that employers use when they want to gauge a candidate’s relative technical skills to the job in question. Employers typically use technical interviews when evaluating candidates for roles in information technology, healthcare, engineering and science. However, employers may also decide to conduct a technical interview to determine a candidate’s knowledge for a variety of different specialties like marketing, human resources, education or hospitality. Why is it important to prepare for your technical interview? It’s important to prepare for your technical interview because it allows you to maximize your potential to get a second interview or a job offer. Here are some additional reasons preparing for a technical interview can benefit you:
- Helps you build confidence: By preparing for your technical interview at least a week in advance, you can increase your confidence level and go to your interview excited to discuss the job further. Your confidence during a technical interview also helps you show your technical knowledge and capabilities to an employer.
- Ensures you’re prepared for technical questions: During technical interviews, employers ask a variety of questions related to the company, job role and areas of expertise. Researching potential questions before your interview can help you mentally prepare to answer those questions in a professional manner.
- Allows you to showcase additional technical knowledge: Your technical interview is an opportunity to showcase your relative job skills, but it’s also an opportunity to discuss additional skills or knowledge that you can bring to the job. By reviewing your other technical skills and mentioning them to employers, you have a chance to stand out from other candidates.
What are companies looking for during a technical interview?
During a technical interview, companies are looking for a candidate who can articulate industry terms that relate to the job in question. Review these additional items that employers look for during a technical interview:
- Examples of technical skills and knowledge: Because employers already reviewed your resume and cover letter documents, they want to use the technical interview to learn more about how you gained those skills. They also want you to give examples from previous jobs so they can assess your experience level.
- Honesty about areas with less technical knowledge: Although employers want candidates who have the right technical skills for a job, they also value honesty. During your technical interview, make sure you stay transparent about the skills you have and the ones you want to gain more experience in. Employers might be more willing to hire someone who understands the areas they need to improve, rather than someone who claims to have certain skills.
- Passion and enthusiasm when discussing technical knowledge: Employers also want to hire a candidate who shows a genuine interest in the job and its technical aspects. This is because their passion hints to employers that they have the self-motivation to go above and beyond in their job.
- Desire to continue learning and expanding technical knowledge: Technical interviews also give employers the chance to evaluate an individual’s perspective on learning, and whether they have the desire to continue learning throughout their careers. A willingness to keep learning is an important trait employers look for, especially in industries that constantly evolve.
What kinds of questions should you expect during a technical interview?
Here are some examples of the types of technical questions employers may ask you during your interview:
- What do you do to make sure you maintain your technical knowledge and skills?
- Can you tell me a bit more about your educational background and how it prepared you for the position?
- What’s one area you think you need more experience with in order to do this job well?
- Can you tell me about a time when you had to teach yourself a technical skill on the job?
- Are there any additional knowledge areas you feel you could contribute to this role?
- Can you give me an example of how you would approach a technical problem as a member of a project team?
- How would you measure quality performance in this role, based on your previous experiences?
- How do you go about troubleshooting problems at work?
- In your opinion, what are the three greatest challenges our business faces?
- Do you have experience using the software programs mentioned in our initial discussion?
Tips for before the technical interview
Review these tips to determine how to maximize your preparation before a technical interview:
- Review employer instructions
- Before technical interviews, an employer may contact you with information about what to expect. This could include sample topics, potential assessments and other information. They might also ask you to bring a personal laptop or give a presentation as part of the technical interview process. Reviewing their expectations can help you prepare for the interview and provide employers with a fair assessment of your capabilities. It also ensures you present yourself as someone who can follow directions in a professional setting.
- Research standard technical questions you might expect for your job role
- Every job has different technical questions pertaining to specific responsibilities and situations. Because of this, review online resources that provide sample technical questions for your job or industry. This can help you get a better idea of potential questions to expect at your technical interview.
- Practice your answers to technical questions
- Using the sample questions you find online, think about how you’d answer them in an interview setting. This can help you polish your answers and develop examples to use in your interview. You can also enlist the help of a friend or family member to read you random questions to see how well you respond.
- Identify areas you aren’t familiar with
- Think about which technical skills or knowledge you know you need more experience in. This allows you to develop answers to questions about certain skills you have yet to acquire. With the right preparation, you can develop answers that showcase your ability to learn and your commitment to improving in those areas.
- Complete online skills assessments
- It’s helpful to take online assessments if you know you need to complete one as part of your technical interview. By taking online assessments prior to your interview, you can anticipate potential topics or exercises. You can also identify areas you need to improve from taking online technical skill assessments.
- Develop questions to ask about technical job responsibilities during the interview
- Come up with questions to ask your interviewer regarding specific technical responsibilities for the job. Asking technical questions demonstrates your interest in the position and shows the interviewer that you thoroughly reviewed the job description.
Tips for during the technical interview
- Here are some tips for how to conduct yourself during a technical interview to show your technical knowledge and employable qualities:
- Ask for clarification about terms you don’t know
- Asking for clarification is important during a technical interview, as you may be familiar with another name for a technical term. This is also important, as it prevents miscommunication with your interviewer and shows your honesty.
- Focus on accuracy instead of fast-responses
- When you need to complete a verbal or written assessment as part of your technical interview, you need to make sure you prioritize accuracy over timeliness. Employers are likely to focus more on whether you answered questions correctly rather than how quickly you completed the assessment.
- Think out loud to demonstrate your thought process
- If an interviewer asks you to discuss how you’d approach a certain situation at work, this is the perfect opportunity to showcase your thought process and how you problem-solve. By talking through potential options, you also prevent long pauses and keep the conversation moving forward.
What should you do after your technical interview?
- Review these tips to determine what to do after your technical interview:
- Ask your interviewer about follow-up information
- When concluding your technical interview, make sure you get your interviewer’s business card or contact details if you don’t already. You should also ask about a projected time frame in which you can expect to hear from them. Asking about follow-up expectations can also act as a transition to additional questions about the next steps in the interviewing process.
- Send the interviewer a thank-you letter
- This is important after any interview, but with a technical interview, a thank-you letter gives you the chance to relay important parts of your discussion and which technical topics you enjoyed talking about the most. You should send your interviewer a thank-you letter within one business day of your original interview date.
- Make a list of the terms or topics you want to learn more about
- Technical interviews can provide you with valuable insights into the areas you need to learn more about and gain more experience with. After your technical interview, make a list of terms or processes that you wish you’d known more about use as a guide in your future professional development initiatives.
- Continue applying for industry jobs
- You might not hear about a technical interview right away, so you need to continue looking for relevant job opportunities, sending applications and interview with other companies. This can help you stay focused on your job search and find an even better opportunity, should the company decide to go with another candidate.
