Nontechnical questions are an important part of the interview process. Some of these questions are asked early in the process to determine whether your experience, education, and goals make you appropriate for the job in question—there’s no point in proceeding with the technical interviews if you’re not the kind of candidate the company is looking for.
Other questions are asked after the technical interviews are over and the company is considering making you an offer. Although you won’t get an offer on the strength of your nontechnical answers alone, a poor performance on nontechnical issues can lose you an offer you otherwise might have received.
Nontechnical questions are challenging because often there is no single right answer. Different people can have different right answers to the same question.
Most interviewing books focus primarily on how to effectively answer all kinds of nontechnical questions. Rather than rehash what these books say, this chapter focuses on the nontechnical questions that are particularly common in programming interviews.
Nontechnical questions are often asked to assess a candidate’s experience and ability to fit in with other employees.
Experience includes your work history and your knowledge. Questions about your experience must be answered carefully and completely to allay any doubts about your ability to perform the job.
For example, suppose you don’t have Linux development experience and you’re asked the question, “Have you ever programmed for Linux?” Your interviewers have seen your résumé, so they probably have a good idea that you haven’t. In effect, the interviewer is saying, “We use Linux—can you do the job even though you’ve never used it?” Don’t lie, but don’t answer “No” if you can avoid it. Instead, emphasize a similar strength: “I haven’t used Linux specifically, but I have done UNIX development.” Even if you don’t have similar or related experience, you can still emphasize your strengths: “I don’t know Linux well, but I’d like to learn it. I’m used to learning new things and I pick them up quickly. For instance, I published my first Android app only four weeks after I started learning the API.” Pay attention to the job description when it’s explained to you. Emphasize any similar and relevant experience that makes you a strong candidate.
Fit is the other key theme of nontechnical questions. Fit refers to how well you can adapt to the organization and become a contributing member. Most people think this just means being a nice person, but that is only half the picture. You must be good at working with others.
For example, suppose you say, “At my last job, I designed and implemented a system to move our HR information gathering to the web all by myself.” You might think this would be a positive comment, but it can set off alarms about whether you can and will work with other people. Therefore, you should emphasize the team concept. If you took the lead that’s definitely a point in your favor, but be sure to present it as leading a team, not as working in isolation. Even if it was a solo project, emphasize how you interacted with other stakeholders in the project to make it a success. Describe how you want to be part of a great team and a contributing team player. Everyone likes hearing the word team—everyone.
Not all nontechnical questions deal with experience and fit. Some of the questions are practical. If the job is located in the San Francisco area and you reside elsewhere, relocation (or telecommuting) needs to be discussed.
When reading the sample questions and following discussions, try to compose your own answer. Think of how you would respond to such a question and what points you would want to emphasize in different situations. (It’s much easier to think of an answer now than when you’re in front of an interviewer.) Don’t be afraid to refine your response if you find that it isn’t effective. Finally, make sure that every response positions you as a valuable employee.
Always pay attention to who asks this question. If it’s a human resource representative scheduling interviews, be honest and tell them what you want to do. The HR rep can generally use this information to set up interviews with appropriate groups.
If you’re asked this question by a technical interviewer, watch out! If you answer this question poorly, you won’t get an offer. These interviewers ask this question partly to discover your goals and ambitions. If you want to do something different from the available job, your interviewer will probably decide that you should look for a different job.
If you want the job, make sure you indicate that you’re interested in doing it, sound sincere, and give a reason. For example, you could say, “I’ve always been interested in systems-level programming and really enjoy it, so I’m hoping to join a large company and do systems-level work.” Or you could say, “I want to do web programming so that I can show my work to my friends. I’m hoping to do this at a startup like yours where my web server experience can help the company grow.”
Sometimes, you may not know what specific job you’re interviewing for. Some companies hire software engineers and match them to jobs after they’ve been hired. In these cases, you can always fall back on describing the company you’re applying to as the ideal company for you. This will be easier and more effective if you’ve done at least a little bit of research about the company before your interview—the Internet is your friend! Mention that you’re hoping to do development that’s exciting and provides a lot of opportunity to contribute and learn. You can say that you see the work as just one part of the package; other important parts are the team and the company. This sort of response shows that you have your act together and avoids talking your way out of a job.
There is a fine line between sounding enthusiastic and seeming dateless and desperate. No one wants an employee who has been rejected by everyone else. Make sure your answer never sounds like you’d be happy to take any sort of job the company would be willing to offer. This sort of response virtually guarantees nothing more than a thank-you-for-coming-in letter.
If you know exactly what you want to do and wouldn’t accept any other kind of job, don’t talk yourself up for a job you’d never accept. Communicating specifically about what you are and aren’t interested in may prevent you from getting some job offers, but those offers wouldn’t be jobs that you want. One advantage to expressing exactly what you want to do is that it may give your interviewers a chance to switch gears—even if you don’t begin the day interviewing with a group that interests you, you may end the day interviewing with such a group.
One final note on answering this question: it’s a good opportunity to mention that you want to work with a great team—don’t pass it up. Make sure that being a member of a great team comes across as one of your priorities.
This may seem like a technical question, and there are certainly technical aspects to it. Your interviewer wants to see that you have enough knowledge and experience with programming to have developed some opinions. You want to give specific, technical reasons why you like any language that you mention, but there is also a hidden nontechnical agenda in this question. Many people develop an almost religious attachment to certain languages, computers, or operating systems. These people can be difficult to work with because they often insist on using their favorites even when they are ill-suited to the problem at hand. You should be careful to avoid coming across as such a person. Acknowledge that there are some tasks for which your favorite language is a poor choice. Mention that you are familiar with a range of languages and that you believe that no one language is a universal solution. It’s important to pick the best tool for the job.
This advice holds for other “favorites” questions, such as “What is your favorite kind of computer?” or “What is your favorite operating system?”
This question usually indicates that the company you’re interviewing with has an unorthodox work style. For example, it may be a startup requiring long hours in cramped conditions or a larger company that’s just beginning a new project. Or perhaps it is a fervent believer in the two-person team programming model. In any case, know what your work style is and make sure it’s compatible with the company’s.
This question is one that everyone should practice and have an answer for. Make sure your answer highlights specific achievements and be enthusiastic as you talk about your projects. Enthusiasm is extremely important!
Talk not only about the factual aspects of your previous assignments, but also about what you learned. Talk about what went right but also what went wrong. Describe positive and negative experiences and what you learned from each of them.
Keep your response to approximately 30–60 seconds, depending on your experience. Again, be sure to practice this ahead of time.
This question gives you a chance to explain why you want this job (apart from the money) and how you see it fitting into your overall career. This is similar to the question about what you want to do. The employer is concerned that you may not want to do the job. In this case, it’s because the job may not fit your career goals. That’s not good for you or the company.
It’s certainly okay to be uncertain about what you want to do—many people are. Try to have at least a general idea of where you see yourself going. Your answer might be as simple as, “I’m hoping to work in development for a while and work on some great projects. Then, I’m looking to go into project management. Beyond that, it’s hard to say.” This answer shows motivation and convinces the employer that you’ll succeed on the job.
Interviewers generally want to know what you don’t like to do. Clearly, you weren’t fully satisfied with your last job or you would probably still be there. In addition, there’s a fear that you may be trying to cover a weakness that caused you to leave your last job. Answer this question by citing a change in environment, factors out of your control, or a weakness that the interviewer already knows. Following are some examples:
One final note: even though money can be a good reason to change jobs, don’t cite it as a primary reason. Perhaps your current employer doesn’t consider you valuable enough to pay you more, and you don’t want a potential employer to agree with that assessment.
This question may appear in any context. It’s most common, though, either at the initial screening or when the company has decided to make you an offer. If it’s asked at the beginning, the employer may want to know if it’s even worth talking to you, given your salary expectations, or the employer may genuinely have no idea what the position should pay. It is generally considered wise to put this question off as long as possible. It is not in your interest to discuss numbers until you’ve convinced the potential employer of your value. If they really like you, generally, any remotely reasonable salary could be possible. If you can’t escape this question in the early stages of an interview, try to give a range of salaries with the amount that you want at the low end. This gives you good bargaining room later.
If you’re asked the question near the end of the process, this can only indicate good things. If interviewers have no interest in hiring you at this point, they won’t bother asking this question. Generally, larger companies have less latitude in compensation packages than smaller companies. If you’re asked this question, it probably indicates the company is willing to negotiate. Realize that companies are often unaware of how to make a competitive offer that works for you. This is your chance to tell them how to do exactly that:
In general, try not to tip your hand too early when answering this question. The person with more information generally does better in a negotiation. Instead of answering a question about salary directly, ask what range the interviewer is prepared to offer. There are four possible answers to your question:
Bearing in mind that negotiation will follow, respond with one number, the high end of your range. This gives you room to negotiate and still receive a favorable offer. For example, if you’re expecting between $75,000 and $80,000, say, “I’m expecting $80,000 a year.” Presenting it like this leaves the other negotiator less room to lowball you than if you give a range. Avoid weaker expressions like “I’m hoping for….” or “I’d really like….” The negotiator may accept your number, or may try to negotiate a slightly lower salary. If you remain professional and negotiate carefully, your final salary should fall within your desired range. Alternatively, the negotiator may respond by telling you that the company has a substantially lower range in mind. In this case, your response should be the same as in response four, which is described next.
Then, try to use this pay strategy to your advantage—and try to change the peer group of employees you’re being compared with. You can cite almost anything, how you’re the first employee with “X” skills, or the first technical employee in a new office, or running a new group, or really anything.
Additionally, there’s often more wiggle room than the negotiator initially may suggest. You may be able to receive a signing bonus (pro-rated if you leave), performance pay, or something similar that is outside of the band.
As a final attempt, try to leave your negotiator with facts. For example, if you can say, “I have competitive offers from other, similar companies that pay more. Perhaps you could update or benchmark your bands.” You may be arming your negotiator to argue for a higher salary internally for you (and your peers).
If the negotiator does not increase the offer but you still want the job, you have two last-ditch tactics:
Here are a few final thoughts on the salary issue:
This is a different question from what you expect to make. In this case, the negotiator wants to know your previous salary—most likely to use this as a guide to determine your offer. In some locations, questions like this are prohibited by law. If the employer is in one of those locations then your response is easy: you can just say that you don’t feel comfortable responding to the question because it’s against the law. If this question is raised somewhere where it’s not prohibited then unless you were completely happy with your previous salary, politely answer that you expect compensation appropriate for the new job and responsibilities and that the compensation that you received for a different set of tasks isn’t relevant. In addition, resist any temptation to inflate your old salary because you may be asked to back up any claim with pay stubs or other proof.
This question implies that there’s no obvious reason why you’re qualified for the job. Clearly, you have skills and experience that make you qualified; otherwise, the interviewer wouldn’t be talking to you. In these instances, avoid becoming defensive and reciting your résumé to list your qualifications. Instead, keep things positive by talking about why you want to work at the company and why the job is a good match for your skills. This response shows you can handle criticism and may deflect your interviewer.
When you get this question, you’re actually being asked, “What do you know about our company?” Most employers would prefer to hire someone who is excited about working for them rather than someone who is willing to take any job they can get. If you don’t know enough about the company to describe something about the company that makes you want to work there, it makes it quite clear you’re in the latter category.
To avoid appearing uninterested or unexcited, do enough research on the company you’re interviewing with to have a good answer to this question. Aim for an answer that’s specific enough to show you know something about the company but not so specific that you limit your opportunities. For instance, “Because I like to program” is too general because it could apply to any software company, but “I think product X has the most exciting technology in the world and can’t imaging working on anything else” may not improve your chances if they were planning to assign you to product Y.
Conventional wisdom has always said to ask a question because it shows enthusiasm. Nothing spoils a good interview, though, like asking a stupid question right at the end. Asking a contrived question just because you feel you should won’t count in your favor.
A thoughtful and articulate question can tell you a lot about the company and impress your interviewer. Often, your interviewers don’t tell you what they do. This is a good time to ask. It lets you know more about what you would potentially be doing and shows genuine interest in the person. In addition, if the interviewer mentioned anything during the interview that sounded interesting, ask for more detail about it. This can yield further insight into your potential future employer.
Finally, if you don’t have questions, you can make a joke of it. You could say, “Gee, I know that I’m supposed to ask a question, but the people I interviewed with this morning answered all my questions. I guess you’re off the hook!”
Nontechnical questions are just as important as the technical ones. Although good answers to nontechnical questions won’t get you hired if you bomb the technical part of the interview, bad answers can definitely preclude a job offer. Treat these questions with the respect they deserve.