The 5 Ways to Ace Most Common Software Engineer Behavioral Interview Questions

Lack of eye contact

A lack of eye contact shows that you are not actually engaged with what the interviewer is saying.

You are looking over here, you are turning to the left, to the right while talking.

It is actually really distracting for the person who is on the receiving end. The interviewer in this case.

So, we really want to get into the habit of looking the interviewer in the eye when we are delivering answers and when we are listening to them speak.

Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to maintain creepy level eye contact.

But, good conversation, you generally look the person in the eye while they are talking.

And that is the same thing in an interview.

You just want to show a level of engagement, keep it natural, but try to maintain good eye contact.

Now, I know that there are some people who struggle because of neurodiversity and other things.

I would just let the interviewer know that you may not make the best eye contact throughout the interview, but rest assured, you are paying close attention to what they are saying.

Before we continue, if you struggle with interviews and would like guidance, get the full course on how to ace your interview here.

How Not To Answer The Question Why Do You Want To Work Here

Now, what you shouldn’t be answering the question with saying something like “Well, I need a job.”

So, I think when you are answering this question, it is helpful to put yourself into the perspective of an employer. Pretend for a second that you have your own business and you are interviewing somebody to join your company.

What kind of answers would you like to hear from prospective employee?

And so, in an interview setting, if you ask that question and you are the interviewer and they said “I just need a job”. Do you think that that would impress you?

The same thing goes for comp and benefits. If you just mention that “Well, I hear that you pay the most and that you have the most benefits”. I mean, we all know that that is a great reason for wanting to join a company, but it shouldn’t be the main reason that you are looking for the opportunity.

Because, if you are interviewing that candidate for your own company, and that is what you are hearing, what kind of impression do you think that leaves?

You are going to probably assume that they are really only interested in what they are getting paid or what their benefits are.

Again, we all know that those are important, but we want to know that you are engaged in the position, you are truly interested in the type of opportunity, and the company is the right fit for you.

We want excited people to join our teams.

Because, an excited and engaged employee is going to come in, they are going to stay longer, and they are going to be more motivated to do a good job.

And after all, if you are a business owner, that is the kind of people that you want working for you.

So, we want to avoid anything that is overly generic and is not related to the mission at hand which is impressing them to give you the offer.

Now, there is a time and place to talk compensation and benefits. And I am certainly not minimizing that.

We just want to make sure that we are getting the right first impression.

What is your leadership style?

Now this question has you vetting your boss. Which you absolutely should be doing.

You need to know whether or not you are going to align well with their leadership style and if it is going to be a long term fit for you.

So, how we do is we ask directly, “How would you describe your leadership style as?”

Or you could ask them to spin off a version of this which is more fun. “If I was to enter your department and ask some of your direct reports how they would describe you as a leader. What do you think they would say?”

And then you will get a chance to see if the manager is truly self aware.

Of course they are probably not going to admit that they are a bad boss, but it will be interesting to hear their perspective on how they view their own leadership style.

In many cases, maybe they haven’t even thought about it before.

But it is always good to get an understanding of the type of boss you are going to be working for and whether or not that would be a good fit for you in your career.

What is your strategy to address your biggest competitor?

This question is going to be about the strategy of the organization. Because that is going to be a critical piece. You don’t want to join an organization that doesn’t have any strategic direction or a direction that you don’t really believe in. Or worse, the employees themselves don’t believe in.

And when you know that there is some longevity and some stability in the position. Because you don’t want to leave a solid situation for a new opportunity, and come to find out that they are on shaking ground, and you are getting laid off right away.

So, what I would recommend is you do a little bit of homework before you walk in the door. And know who their biggest competitors are. And if they have got some new technology coming out that seems to be industry shaking, you definitely want to challenge them on that.

“I know some of your competitors came out with a really intriguing new product/process/idea. How is this company planning to address that and stay in front of the market?”

Any respectable company is already going to be aware of what their competitors are doing and have at least and idea of a strategic direction that they are taking. And if they don’t, that is actually a red flag and you should probably be asking more questions.

How Not To Answer The Question Why Do You Want To Work Here

Now, what you shouldn’t be answering the question with saying something like “Well, I need a job.”

So, I think when you are answering this question, it is helpful to put yourself into the perspective of an employer. Pretend for a second that you have your own business and you are interviewing somebody to join your company.

What kind of answers would you like to hear from prospective employee?

And so, in an interview setting, if you ask that question and you are the interviewer and they said “I just need a job”. Do you think that that would impress you?

The same thing goes for comp and benefits. If you just mention that “Well, I hear that you pay the most and that you have the most benefits”. I mean, we all know that that is a great reason for wanting to join a company, but it shouldn’t be the main reason that you are looking for the opportunity.

Because, if you are interviewing that candidate for your own company, and that is what you are hearing, what kind of impression do you think that leaves?

You are going to probably assume that they are really only interested in what they are getting paid or what their benefits are.

Again, we all know that those are important, but we want to know that you are engaged in the position, you are truly interested in the type of opportunity, and the company is the right fit for you.

We want excited people to join our teams.

Because, an excited and engaged employee is going to come in, they are going to stay longer, and they are going to be more motivated to do a good job.

And after all, if you are a business owner, that is the kind of people that you want working for you.

So, we want to avoid anything that is overly generic and is not related to the mission at hand which is impressing them to give you the offer.

Now, there is a time and place to talk compensation and benefits. And I am certainly not minimizing that.

We just want to make sure that we are getting the right first impression.

Happy Interviewing!
Karl