Tech recruiters share their 6 favorite interview questions

“What are your strengths?” “How would your colleagues describe you?” “Why do you want to work for us?” It’s easy to anticipate standard interview questions like these as you go into an interview for a job in tech. You’ve likely planned and maybe even rehearsed your answers. While recruiters often stick to the tried-and-true to glean important information about candidates, they often rely on a favorite question to make their hiring decisions.

We asked tech recruiters, “What is your favorite interview question? And why?” Prepare for your next job interview by pondering these six questions you may encounter:

1. Explain how a tool works in a nontechnical way

“We often need to explain complex concepts to a nontechnical audience,” says Robyn Brooks, cyber and IT recruiting manager at financial services provider Aon. “With this question, I want to understand if the candidate can take a complex idea and break it down.”

Brooks says she is looking for the ability to convey a concept through easily understood words and anecdotes. “I would also be looking for tone,” she says. “Is this person condescending or encouraging questions?”

Sonya Vance Brown, director of recruitment services for Revature, a tech talent enablement firm, likes this question, too. She says it’s a good sign when candidates want to know what their colleague already understands about the information, so they know where to start, and when they display a willingness to help nontech workers become more comfortable when speaking about the project.

“I want to know that candidates can be patient with coworkers who have limited knowledge around their project, offering explanations free of jargon and acronyms and asking them questions to see that they are grasping the information,” she says.

2. What specific version of software do you work with?

Shahan Avedian, lead technical recruiter for Yoh, a tech recruiting firm, says this question helps him quickly uncover the qualified candidates without a test. For example, a candidate who uses vague generalities, such as “I’ve worked with all versions of WebLogic” or “I work with the latest version of WebLogic,” likely doesn’t possess a level of expertise.

“I can almost immediately tell if they truly know what they are talking about or if they have misrepresented their professional background,” he says. “Those candidates who can succinctly and clearly define the bounds of their expertise, such as saying, ‘I’ve worked with versions 15 through 17,’ are in a much better position to move forward to the next round of interviews and succeed in the role.”

It doesn’t matter if candidates aren’t working with the latest version of a software program, adds Avedian. “If they admit to working with an older version and express frustration because of that—maybe their current employer has elected not to upgrade just yet—I’m often more impressed,” he says.

3. What new competencies or skills have you recently developed?

Nick Curry, senior manager, emerging talent pipelines at Amazon Web Services, says he asks this question for two reasons. First, it aligns with one of Amazon’s Leadership Principles, which is “Learn and Be Curious.” And second, he says having curiosity makes learning fun.

“I often hear candidates talk about how they recently took up a new hobby or started learning a foreign language,” says Curry. “This means they put themselves in new and challenging situations to increase their knowledge and practice flexibility. They recognize that all situations provide an opportunity to learn—even the negative ones.”

Learning something new also shows intentionality about self-development. “It shows that they’re not afraid of change even if it brings discomfort sometimes,” says Curry. “If they prioritize it, then we know they’ll thrive at Amazon, where everything will be new to them if they’ve never worked here before.”

4. What does the saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mean to you?

Lisa Sterling, chief people officer at Perceptyx, an employee survey and analytics provider, says the response helps her determine how someone thinks, challenges the status quo, and brings new perspectives to the workplace.

“It’s especially helpful when candidates provide examples of when they tore something apart to make it better,” she says. “Understanding their processes validates how they work and ultimately allows me to see if they’d be a good fit for the organization.”

5. What are you not getting in your current position that has prompted you to look for a new position? 

Brandon Muncy, senior recruiting manager at Excella, an agile technology firm, says this is how he learns about the growth a candidate is looking for, and how Excella can demonstrate that value and provide a career path and opportunity that they will find exciting and engaging. 

“I am generally not looking for one specific answer, just a better understanding of what is important to them,” he says. “That way, I am more able to accurately describe to candidates the value that Excella can provide them as a next step in their career. There are times when our goals do not intersect, and I am able to quickly explain what we are looking for to candidates and then we agree to mutually part ways.”

6. What position, if different from the one you are interviewing for, would you like to grow into?

Getting insight into their career goals can be very important, says Melissa Maloul, senior director of people operations and culture at Nordis Technologies, provider of customer communications management and payments technology.

“It can also give you a feel for the future retention of this employee and whether they’ll put time and effort into learning and growing with our company or run after an opportunity elsewhere in a few months,” she says. “Sometimes the answer can spark ideas of a possible development path for this new hire. It can also give you some impressions of how realistic their goals are, which can be a quick test for critical thinking.”

Maloul says she looks for truthful answers even if the answer is “I have no idea.” “It’s easy to sniff out someone simply telling you what they think you want to hear versus an authentic, realistic response,” she says. “The answer can say a lot about an employee’s character, which can outweigh someone with their future completely mapped out attached to an outcome.”