Hiring software engineers

All software engineering candidates should be in the habit of regularly reviewing their work to ensure its quality. If they spot a bug, they must know how to fix it without affecting the rest of their code. Attention to detail is critical in this role, since even the smallest errors can lead to major issues.

Users demand a lot from their applications. If an application is buggy, slow to load, or prone to crashing, there’s a good chance that they’ll give up on it and turn to one of your competitors’ apps instead. It’s essential for your software developments to take many attributes into account to ensure a happy user.

An effective workflow not only helps software engineers stay productive, but makes it easier for others to find the right piece of code when they need it. There’s no single right way of organizing code though, so as long as your new hire doesn’t leave all their code and assets in a hodgepodge, they will hopefully be adaptable to your team’s method of organizing code.

Software engineering is a highly collaborative career choice even though the bulk of the new hire’s daily duties will be done on their own. This career requires working with a number of teams and clients, all with different personalities and leadership styles, to identify, solve, and fix software issues.

No one is perfect, and not every project will be a walk in the park. The best software engineers are able to identify their shortcomings and take steps to overcome them. If they have a sense of humor about the challenges they’ve faced, they may also be better equipped to handle the stresses of the job.

It’s always frustrating when someone disagrees with you, especially in a field as specialized as software engineering. To handle these situations gracefully and steer projects toward success, it's important that a candidate knows how to be diplomatic. Candidates must also know when to confidently rely on their logic and analytical skills.

This question can help you screen for both communication and teamwork skills. Would they identify the right people on the project and speak to them privately to share their ideas? Would they feel resentful if they didn’t get credit, or would they just be happy to help their coworkers succeed? You can also take this question a step further by asking what they would do if their idea was dismissed.

You want to know whether your candidate will work well with the existing team and feel at home at your enterprise. Does the interviewee mention traits that support the work, like critical thinking, flexibility, and an eye for detail? Or are they more concerned about traits like empathy and strong interpersonal skills that can help a team get along?

This question is an indirect way of asking whether the interviewee is actively pursuing professional development. Candidates may mention steps like attending conferences and boot camps, taking online courses, following specific message boards, and joining professional groups. To keep up with the rapidly developing field, the best software engineers have a continuous learning mindset.