Guide to Technical Interviews
Guide to Technical Interviews is a Villanova Career Center resource for students preparing for interviews in IT, software engineering, computer programming, and other technology-related roles. Technical interviews are often used to assess technical knowledge, coding ability, problem-solving skills, critical thinking, communication, and fit for the company or role.
This guide explains that a technical interview process may include an at-home technical assessment, a phone screen or first-round interview, technical questions, logic or problem-solving questions, and behavioral or “fit” questions.
To prepare for a technical interview, students should focus on five areas:
- Review the job description
- Research the company or organization
- Practice solving technical problems and coding questions
- Review the fundamentals of their technical skillset
- Practice general interviewing skills
This guide includes information about:
- What to expect in technical interviews
- How to prepare for company-specific technical interview processes
- How to approach coding exercises
- How to answer logic and problem-solving questions
- How to think out loud during technical interviews
- How to ask clarifying questions before solving a problem
- How to explain your thought process clearly
- How to prepare for behavioral and fit questions
- How to use technical practice platforms to build skills
Company-specific examples in the guide include:
- Google: Technical interviews may include coding exercises, multiple technical interviews, and a fit interview. The guide emphasizes asking questions, thinking out loud, clarifying the problem, and focusing on the problem-solving process.
- SAP: Students are encouraged to create job alerts, apply thoughtfully to relevant roles, and use project-based learning opportunities to build practical experience.
- Fast Enterprises: Technical interviews may include a problem-solving test, logic activity, and interview questions to assess fit. The guide emphasizes showing your work, staying teachable, and explaining your thought process.
Sample coding and technical practice topics include:
- Reversing a string
- Finding the prime factors of an integer
- Reversing a singly linked list without recursion
- Adding an element to the middle of a linked list
- Practicing with coding questions and technical interview problems
Sample logic and problem-solving topics include:
- Using three mislabeled fruit boxes to determine the correct labels
- Matching three light switches to three light bulbs in another room
- Estimating how many pennies stacked on top of each other would reach the top of the Empire State Building
For logic and problem-solving questions, the guide reminds students that interviewers are often more interested in how they approach the problem than whether they immediately reach the correct answer.
Sample behavioral and fit interview questions include:
- Tell me about yourself.
- What do you know about this company or organization?
- Why are you interested in us?
- What is your greatest strength or weakness?
- How do you keep your technical skills up to date?
- What are the pros and cons of working in an Agile environment?
- Tell me about a side project or technical project you have completed.
- Explain a technical term, such as inheritance or database, to someone nontechnical.
- What questions do you have for me?
Coding practice resources highlighted in the guide include:
- Hackerrank
- Leetcode
- CodeSignal
- CoderPad
- Forage
- Big Interview
Students can use this guide to prepare for the technical, behavioral, and problem-solving portions of technology interviews while practicing how to communicate their reasoning clearly and professionally.
