Hiring a software developer isn’t about catching candidates off guard with tricky questions or testing how much theory they can recite. The real challenge is knowing how to evaluate whether a developer can think clearly. They should be able to do this while communicating effectively and building software that actually works in the real world.
This guide is designed to help founders and decision-makers ask the right interview questions to assess a software developer’s skills to understand their problem-solving approach and overall fit before making a hiring decision.
What are some Important Interview Questions for a Software Developer Role?
Below are the most important interview questions companies ask today, and what they truly want to understand through them.
Can You Tell Us About a Challenging Project That You Worked On?
Interviewers often start with this question because it opens the door to a dev’s real experience. They want to hear about the pressure and decision-making that developers have faced, not the success stories.
This question helps companies understand how deeply a developer worked on a project and how well they handled real problems.
What interviewers should listen for:
- Their role and responsibilities in the project
- The technical challenges they faced
- How they approached problem-solving
- Whether they take ownership of outcomes
Why Did You Choose This Tech Stack or Architecture?
This question tests those skills that are related to making decisions. Interviewers want to know if the developer blindly followed trends or made informed choices based on requirements.
Strong developers always choose tools for a reason, not because they look impressive on a resume.
Key things you should evaluate:
- The understanding of trade-offs
- Performance and maintainability thinking
- Alignment between business needs and technical choices
- Ability to justify decisions clearly
What Would You Do Differently If You Rebuilt This Project Today?
Every real project has its flaws. Interviewers respect developers who can reflect honestly and learn from the experience that they have gained.
This question checks the developer’s growth and self-awareness.
What good answers might include:
- Clear identification of weak areas
- Lessons learned from mistakes
- Improvements in structure or performance
- Better tooling or workflows, they would adopt now
What Part of the Project Was the Most Difficult for You?
This question digs into the developer’s problem-solving depth. When asking this question, interviewers want to know how you behave when things stop working.
They care less about the problem and more about how the developer has handled it.
You can look for:
- Logical thinking under pressure
- Step-by-step debugging approach
- Willingness to ask for help when needed
- Persistence and adaptability
How Do You Handle Code Reviews?
Code reviews play a big role in professional software teams. At any company, the interviewer would ask this to assess the developer’s collaboration and communication skills.
They want developers who improve code quality without ego. Because for many developers, this becomes a problem.
Strong answers mention:
- Giving constructive and respectful feedback
- Focusing on clarity, not personal preference
- Accepting feedback positively
- Using reviews to improve shared standards
What Would You Improve in This Code?
This question appears in code-review-style interviews. Instead of writing code, the developer should analyze existing code. Based on this assessment, the developer can suggest improvements.
This reflects real engineering work more than whiteboard problems.
Interviewers evaluate:
- Readability and naming suggestions
- Separation of concerns
- Performance or memory improvements
- Testability and structure
Does This Code Violate Any SOLID Principles?
Many interviews test core software engineering principles rather than syntax. They often do this when they prioritize principles more.
SOLID principles show how well a developer designs maintainable and scalable systems.
Common things you can expect to spot:
- Single Responsibility violations
- Tight coupling between components
- Lack of proper abstraction
- Difficulty in testing or extending the code
Where Would You Add Tests in This Software?
Testing questions appear frequently because teams want stable and reliable software. As the developer, they need to know where testing is needed.
Interviewers want practical answers, not textbook definitions.
Good answers cover:
- Unit tests for business logic
- Integration tests for APIs
- Edge case handling
- Balance between coverage and effort
How Would You Design a System That Does X?
System design questions test big-picture thinking about a developer. Even mid-level roles now include simplified versions of these questions.
Interviewers want structured thinking. They are not looking for the perfect architecture.
Good interviewers usually explore:
- High-level components
- Data flow between services
- API structure
- Scaling and failure handling
How Would You Scale This Software If The Traffic Increased?
This question tests the developer’s foresight and real-world awareness. Interviewers want to see if they understand growth challenges in technology.
You should care about logic, not those technical words.
Expected discussion areas:
- Database optimization
- Caching strategies
- Horizontal vs vertical scaling
- Load balancing basics
What Is the Difference Between Monolith and Microservices?
This question appears often because many teams struggle with architecture decisions; So do developers. That’s why the one you select needs to know the difference well.
Interviewers want balanced thinking for architecture.
Strong answers explain:
- When monoliths make sense
- When microservices help
- Operational complexity trade-offs
- Team size and deployment considerations
How Do You Handle Null Values or Errors in Your Code?
This question checks the defensive coding and reliability mindset when hiring a software developer.
Production systems fail, and developers must handle failures gracefully.
This shows responsibility and maturity.
Good answers include:
- Clear error-handling strategies
- Validation at boundaries
- Meaningful error messages
- Avoiding silent failures
Can You Explain a Complex or Technical Concept to a Non-Technical Person?
Communication skills matter as much as coding. Many developers lack this is why interviewers ask this. It helps them to see if you can work with clients, managers, and designers.
Clear communication builds trust.
They assess:
- Simplicity in explanation
- Avoidance of jargon
- Use of real-life examples
- Confidence and clarity
What Is Your Favorite Feature in Your Primary Programming Language?
This question tests the developer’s curiosity and learning mindset in software development. It might feel a bit miscellaneous, but this question is important.
Developers who stay updated bring long-term value.
Interviewers must expect:
- Genuine interest, not memorized answers
- Practical use cases
- Awareness of recent improvements
- Enthusiasm for the language
How Do You Keep Yourself Updated as a Developer?
Technology changes fast. Trends appear overnight. Interviewers want to hire software developers who are ambitious enough to grow consistently.
This question shows discipline and passion.
Strong answers mention:
- Reading documentation and blogs
- Learning from real projects
- Following industry discussions
- Improving through practice
How to Evaluate a Software Developer Before Hiring
Evaluating a software developer goes far beyond checking resumes or asking technical trivia. The goal is to understand how a developer thinks, builds, and collaborates in situations. A strong evaluation process helps you identify candidates who can deliver reliable software and grow with your product.
Review Real-World Project Experience
A developer’s past work is one of the most reliable indicators of future performance. Ask candidates to walk you through projects they have worked on and explain their role. It should include the challenges they faced and the decisions they made. Focus on how they approach problem-solving.
Assess Core Technical Understanding
You don’t need to be deeply technical to evaluate technical fundamentals. Strong developers can clearly explain basic concepts and trade-offs in simple terms. Look for clarity. Prioritize logical thinking and confidence when they discuss technologies they claim to know.
Evaluate Problem-Solving and Thought Process
Instead of focusing only on correct answers, pay attention to how candidates approach problems. Ask open-ended questions and observe how they break down requirements. Do this while asking clarifying questions and reasoning through solutions.
Test Communication and Collaboration Skills
Software development is a collaborative role. Evaluate how well the candidate communicates ideas and receives feedback. The way they explain complex topics needs to be understandable. Clear communication is essential for working with designers and non-technical stakeholders.
Review Code Quality and System Thinking
If possible, include a light code review or discussion around system design. The goal is not to test perfection, but to see how the developer thinks about things. This will show their mindset for maintainability and structure. Strong candidates can identify improvements right away.
Understand Their Learning and Adaptability
Technology changes quickly, so adaptability is critical. Ask how the developer keeps skills up to date or approaches unfamiliar tools. Developers who show curiosity and structured learning habits are more likely to grow with your business.
Assess Professionalism and Reliability
Beyond skills, evaluate the reliability and honesty. Strong developers are transparent about what they know and what they don’t. Their professionalism shows how they handle mistakes. These traits are often more valuable than raw technical ability.
Final Thoughts
Modern software developer interviews focus on thinking and communicating. Most companies value practical experience far more than memorized algorithms. If you explain your decisions clearly and show strong fundamentals, you already stand ahead of most candidates.
At Linkitsoft, we believe great developers grow through real problems, not artificial tests. That same belief shapes how modern interviews work today. If you prepare around these real-world questions, you prepare for the interviews that actually matter.
