What to expect in a technical interview

If you’re applying for an engineering, science or IT-based role, expect to face technical questions in your job interview. Unsure what these questions would be and how you’d answer them? Dive into our technical interview guide.

We’ll cover:

• What is a technical interview?
• What are technical organisations looking for?
• What types of technical interview questions can you expect?
• Tips for a positive technical interview

A technical interview is where an employer asks you questions that assess your technical ability – usually specific to the role you’re applying for. So, if you’re going for a web design job, they’ll ask you about coding. Sometimes, they’ll ask you to give an example of when you’ve used a specific skill. Other times, they’ll ask things to test your knowledge of the subject matter.

Technical interview questions assess your job-specific expertise and your problem-solving skills. Technical interviews often go hand in hand with assessment centres – literally testing your abilities.

Many technical interview questions will relate directly to the job role. Before your interview, always read the job description carefully and brush up on the skills they require.

Job interviews that ask you questions about your broad experience, skills and goals (such as the classic “Where do you see yourself in five years?”) are biographical interviews. Some interviewers will mix technical and biographical questions together so that they get a fuller picture of the interviewee. Be prepared to answer both types of questions when applying for a technical role.

In a technical interview, employers are asking you questions to figure out if you’re a good fit for the role.

They want to know if you’ve got:

• Strong technical knowledge (specific to the job role)
• A thirst to learn more about relevant technologies and the industry
• Problem-solving abilities
• Good reasoning and analytical skills
• The ability to handle pressure

If you tick all those boxes, you’ll impress.

The exact questions that come up in a technical interview will depend on the role you’re applying for. An aerodynamics engineer needs different technical knowledge than a lab technician.

It’s still worth thinking about the types of questions that might come up though.

An interviewer will quiz you on things like:

• The technical work required in your day-to-day role
• Your understanding of the broader technical activities of the organisation
• Modules in your degree course (if relevant to the sector or role)
• Technical problem examples (ie. where you’re asked how you’d respond to a problem that’s likely to occur in the role)

Interviews don’t have to be scary. They’re your chance to impress. You’ve done a great job getting this far in the recruitment stage, so have confidence in your skills and show that you’re the right person for the job.

To wow your interviewer, follow our tips:

If you know you’ll be using a particular program or system in the job, practise – whether you’re familiar with it or not. You want it to be at the forefront of your mind on interview day. That way, you’ll be able to speak about it clearly and will avoid muddling it up with other similar systems.

Yes, you’re the one being interviewed here but it’s always good to ask the interviewer questions. It shows that you’re eager to learn and want to know more about the organisation and the role. Need some tips? Check out our handy list of questions to ask in an interview.

Your interviewer doesn’t expect you to know everything. If you make a mistake, it’s OK. Sometimes, an interviewer will ask you something that they don’t expect most people to know. Try not to let an error throw you off your stride. Technical interview questions challenge even the strongest candidates, so it’s not all over if you don’t know the answer to something.

Don’t lie or embellish your skills. It’s better to say you don’t know how to use a program than to pretend to be an accomplished user. If advanced technical knowledge of the program is essential, it isn’t the right job for you – and it’s better to find that out sooner than later. If it’s a ‘nice-to-have’, you’ll receive training while in the role. Don’t miss out on getting the support you’ll need by pretending you know something you don’t. If you get the role, you’ll come unstuck later.

It's OK to have some knowledge gaps. Just make sure you always express a willingness to grow your skill base.

Technical interviews are job interviews that focus on the technical aspects of the role. Technical questions for interviews are less “Tell me about yourself” and more “Tell me what you know”.

Employers use technical interviews because they want to assess how much you know about the role and if you’ve got the skills necessary to do the job. As technical questions are specific to each role, it’s hard to predict what exactly an interviewer will ask you. However, if you read the job description thoroughly, practise what you can and follow general interview advice and etiquette, you’ll give yourself the best chance at success.