Would Julius Caesar make a great software engineer? It’s theoretically possible.

He was a successful general, which allowed him to transform Rome from a republic to an empire. So we can assume that Caesar wouldn’t have had any problems with either leadership skills or creativity. *However*, the high-level technical know-how probably wouldn’t have been his forte and that's a huge error.

Modern interviewers prefer to grill candidates assessing a diverse set of skills – soft and strategic. The thing is that those elusive questions on their own won’t help them land the right candidate for the tech industry.

There are heaps of guides about how to ace the interview as an interviewee, but few dwell on the other line of questioning in the interviewing process. Let us share our take on how to conduct tech interviews.

Conduct Fewer Interviews

This may sound counterproductive, but more interviews do not lead to more hires. In reality, there is an inverse relationship between the two.

The limited number of potential candidates allows you to focus on viable interviewees and not to fritter away time on come-and-go applicants. Therefore, it’s essential to preselect candidates before an onsite interview by making use of data and automation.
 

Ask Questions Based on Reality

You can unfold the job audition with basic questions to look into the personality and general qualifications. But don’t forget to test the candidate’s ability in an environment similar to the one they'd be working in. Focus on more relevant skills that make the difference for their day-to-day job. This might include small challenges like practicing SQL join queries on dummy tables or writing some kind of query. Keep it succinct and to the point.

Stay with Formula

It’s super important to keep the whole interviewing process standardized. If you’re bombarding all developers with different questions and tasks, there’s no way you’ll get a fair comparison. We all know that falling back on biases doesn’t bode well for business.

To avoid straying away from the formula, craft a unified set of technical questions and a test. If you have some difficulty developing those on your own, make use of tech comforts like Facecode. This platform offers a ready-made set of 300+ questions and a real-time code editor. You’ll thank us later.

Sell the Job

Surprise – an interview is a two-way street. There was never a story of more woe than an ideal candidate getting away.

In this case, you should act like a salesman advertising your company's advantages. Benefits, compensation, culture, type of work, amount of work, and even location can all be the decisive factors that will tip the scales in your favor.
 

Google Docs for Interview Happiness?

Doubtful.

Although using Google Docs is a common practice to assess technical abilities remotely, this approach reduces employer brand and frustrates candidates.

Instead of sending a link to a document, conduct the interview on a real-time code editor which has pair-programming capabilities and in-built video chat. This will add to the attractiveness of your company. Candidates will take it as a sign that your company “gets developers”.

(But why no Google Docs? The truth is, coding interviews are broken as they are done on Google Docs. Managers choose Zoom and Docs because they get video chat and collaborative space to write code. On the other hand, devs hate this, as they are forced to write code in an improper environment lacking required features and code complier. It’s like making a Michelin star chef cook a gran dinner using a microwave).
 

Tools for Successful Hiring

Let’s say you’re an interviewer. Your interview is about to begin but then you realize that the interviewing equipment is missing or Google Drive and Docs are down.

To avoid such mishaps, use a well-rounded interview tool. Not only does it make the whole process easier and hassle-free, but it also helps with well-informed hiring decisions.
 

Choose Interview AI

The technical interview is different from any other job interview. It is a rigorous process that determines the candidate’s programming skills, high-level thinking, and personality.

To hire the best people and ease the strain, you might need a powerful interviewing solution. Let tech test tech.

Join us today to thank our newsletter sponsor, HackerEarth. HackerEarth matches great developers with world-class companies. HackerEarth provides software solutions such as coding assessment testing, video interviewing — as well as candidate accumulation services through contests, and coding classes— so that organizations can meet their tech-hire needs efficiently. Conduct your tech interviews in the best way with HackerEarth in order to find the right tech talent for your company.