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Interview Questions for Programming Jobs
Purpose of the programming interview
In general, software engineer needs diverse skills such as writing programs, developing algorithms,
writing documentation, good communication skills (to collaborate with your peers, managers, or product
managers). You are also expected to learn new things quickly, work under pressure, etc. So, the purpose
of an interview is to evaluate your skills and knowledge to make sure whether you are able to do the job.
Purpose of the programming interview
In general, software engineer needs diverse skills such as writing programs, developing algorithms,
writing documentation, good communication skills (to collaborate with your peers, managers, or product
managers). You are also expected to learn new things quickly, work under pressure, etc. So, the purpose
of an interview is to evaluate your skills and knowledge to make sure whether you are able to do the job.
Key Things you have to keep in mind
 | When you explain concepts, you first provide definition, and then explain how you used this | |
| concept in your previous project. For example, if you are asked to explain virtual function, then, you can first describe concepts, and then explain when virtual function is useful in real world application. | ||
| When you are asked to write a program, you can write it in iterative or recursive version. | |
| Remember the trade-off between them. So it's a good idea to say like this - we can implement this program in recursive and iterative. But recursive version has a limitation in efficiency (e.g., function call overhead, etc), so I will write a program in iterative version. | ||
| When interviewers ask you behavioral questions, please use specific examples in your past | |
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Areas in programming interview
| Coding. You are expected to write a code on the whiteboard. The purpose of this test is to | |
| evaluate your coding skills. Interviewers will asses whether your code can handle all the boundary conditions and you are able to write maintainable code, etc. | ||
| Algorithm. The purpose of this test is to evaluate your problem solving skills. Almost every | |
| interview I had before, I got 1~2 algorithm questions. | ||
| Design problem. The purpose of this test is to evaluate whether you can define all the necessary | |
| components (requirements, input/output, data structures) that can handle the problem. Sample question would be "design restaurant reservation system". Interviewers will asses whether you are able to define relevant requirements, make reasonable assumptions, whether your design handles all the situations, etc. | ||
| Language specific questions. Java or C++, sometimes Perl. | |
| Other technical knowledge - database (for example, SQL) or computer network (for example, | |
| difference between TCP and UDP, socket programming) | ||
| Resume question - questions on the projects described in your resume | |
| Question in your specialization - for example, if your specialization is data mining, then you should | |
| expect some questions on data mining. | ||
| Brainteaser questions - Also known as Microsoft interview question or puzzle. The purpose of | |
| this test is to evaluate your out-of-box thinking ability. | ||
| Behavioral interview questions | |
Sample Programming Interview Question Areas
Depending on the job requirements, you may have to prepare
Finally, I'd rather recommend you to come up with a list of questions that you want to know about thecompanies. Refer to the following: Questions to ask your future boss and colleague.
| Behavioral Questions in Programming Interview | |
| Java Interview Questions | |
| C++ Interview Questions | |
| Data Structures, Problem Solving and Coding Questions |
Depending on the job requirements, you may have to prepare
| Database / SQL Questions | |
| Computer Network Questions |
Finally, I'd rather recommend you to come up with a list of questions that you want to know about the