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Software engineer first-round interview questions

A first round won't prove someone can code, and it doesn't need to. These questions check how an engineer makes decisions, solves problems and works with a team, so later technical rounds go to the right people.

The questions

  1. 1Tell me about a technical decision you made that involved a real trade-off. What were your options, and why did you choose the one you did?Scores: Technical judgement
  2. 2Walk me through a system or feature you built that you're proud of. What was your part, and what would you change now?Scores: Technical judgement
  3. 3Tell me about the hardest bug you've tracked down. How did you find the cause?Scores: Debugging
  4. 4Describe a time something you shipped broke. What did you do, and what changed afterwards?Scores: Debugging
  5. 5Tell me about a time you disagreed with a teammate on a technical approach. How did you settle it?Scores: Working with others

The rubric

Technical judgement
Weighs real trade-offs and explains why they chose one approach over another.
Listen for: At least two real options, the constraints that mattered, and an honest view of what the choice cost.
Debugging
Works through hard problems methodically and learns from what went wrong.
Listen for: A step-by-step search for the cause, and a fix that stopped the problem from coming back.
Working with others
Communicates clearly with teammates and handles disagreement well.
Listen for: They understood the other person's view, used evidence, and kept working well after the decision.
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