How to identify a fantastic software engineer: an interviewer’s guide

Home | Insights | Technology | How to identify a fantastic software engineer: an interviewer’s guide
Group of programmers in front of a computer


For both novice and seasoned interviewers, interviewing for a technical position can seem daunting. If your company is looking to hire a specialist in-house, it may mean you’re in the position of hiring for a role you know little about. If you find yourself in this position when hiring a software engineer, the below guide will help you get the best out of the experience.

What is a software engineer?

The first thing you need to do in preparation for conducting the interview is to understand the role of a software engineer. Software engineering is a segment of computer science that focuses on building and developing computer and applications software. So, when a company wants to hire a software engineer, they will typically refer to either applications engineers or systems engineers.

You or your business may consider employing a software engineer due to the increasing use and reliance on sophisticated and customised technologies, such as mobile technology.

Key skills to look for in a software engineer

Software engineers are in high demand for their skills in developing business applications, middleware, operating systems and network control systems. So, what specific skills do you need to look for on their CV?

Depending on the purpose of hiring, you should look for experience and knowledge in:

It would help if you also looked for the following soft skills, many of which you might look for when interviewing for other roles within your business:

Ten technical questions to ask a software engineer

To get you started on the right track towards hiring the best software engineer for your needs, you can weave these software engineer interview questions into your preparation:

You might also like to delve deeper into your candidate’s experience in updating outdated systems, designing scalable applications, and working under stress.

Author Rebecca Siciliano Tiger Recruitment Team
Newsletter

Sign up for the latest workplace insights.

Are you: