Behavioural Interviews
Table of Content
Table of Content
Table of Content
Soft Skills & Signals
Not sure what interviewers are really looking for in behavioural questions? This guide explains the soft skills and “signals” being assessed in tech interviews — and shows you how to tailor your answers to demonstrate common soft skills.
What are soft skills?
The key to answering a behavioural question well is understanding what the interviewer is really looking for in your answer.
They're assessing your soft skills, like how you communicate, collaborate, solve problems, and adapt to challenges.
What are signals?
In big tech companies, like Meta or Amazon, these are often referred to as “signals”.
Interviewers listen carefully for evidence that you demonstrate behaviours that the company values.
What should I talk about in my answer?
Below, we deep dive into some behavioural questions for tech roles.
For each one, we identify the soft skill being assessed, along with ideas for stories you could prepare to demonstrate that skill.
Tell me about a time you had to troubleshoot a difficult problem?
This question is mainly testing your problem-solving skills.
You could give examples of:
handling unexpected issues
anlysing problems logically
being proactive
How do you manage competing priorities?
This question is about your time-management skills.
Think about how you've:
Prioritised tasks to meet deadlines
Managed multiple tasks
Used tools to track progress
Tell me about a time you had to explain a technical topic to someone non-technical
The focus here is your communication skills.
Give examples of times you have:
Explained complex concepts clearly
Adjusted explanations to different stakeholders
Documented processes in a user-friendly way
How do you make sure your code is production-ready?
For this question, you could focus on your attention-to-detail.
Talk about a time you have:
Caught issues early
Written detailed documentation
Tested thoroughly before release
What are soft skills?
The key to answering a behavioural question well is understanding what the interviewer is really looking for in your answer.
They're assessing your soft skills, like how you communicate, collaborate, solve problems, and adapt to challenges.
What are signals?
In big tech companies, like Meta or Amazon, these are often referred to as “signals”.
Interviewers listen carefully for evidence that you demonstrate behaviours that the company values.
What should I talk about in my answer?
Below, we deep dive into some behavioural questions for tech roles.
For each one, we identify the soft skill being assessed, along with ideas for stories you could prepare to demonstrate that skill.
Tell me about a time you had to troubleshoot a difficult problem?
This question is mainly testing your problem-solving skills.
You could give examples of:
handling unexpected issues
anlysing problems logically
being proactive
How do you manage competing priorities?
This question is about your time-management skills.
Think about how you've:
Prioritised tasks to meet deadlines
Managed multiple tasks
Used tools to track progress
Tell me about a time you had to explain a technical topic to someone non-technical
The focus here is your communication skills.
Give examples of times you have:
Explained complex concepts clearly
Adjusted explanations to different stakeholders
Documented processes in a user-friendly way
How do you make sure your code is production-ready?
For this question, you could focus on your attention-to-detail.
Talk about a time you have:
Caught issues early
Written detailed documentation
Tested thoroughly before release
What are soft skills?
The key to answering a behavioural question well is understanding what the interviewer is really looking for in your answer.
They're assessing your soft skills, like how you communicate, collaborate, solve problems, and adapt to challenges.
What are signals?
In big tech companies, like Meta or Amazon, these are often referred to as “signals”.
Interviewers listen carefully for evidence that you demonstrate behaviours that the company values.
What should I talk about in my answer?
Below, we deep dive into some behavioural questions for tech roles.
For each one, we identify the soft skill being assessed, along with ideas for stories you could prepare to demonstrate that skill.
Tell me about a time you had to troubleshoot a difficult problem?
This question is mainly testing your problem-solving skills.
You could give examples of:
handling unexpected issues
anlysing problems logically
being proactive
How do you manage competing priorities?
This question is about your time-management skills.
Think about how you've:
Prioritised tasks to meet deadlines
Managed multiple tasks
Used tools to track progress
Tell me about a time you had to explain a technical topic to someone non-technical
The focus here is your communication skills.
Give examples of times you have:
Explained complex concepts clearly
Adjusted explanations to different stakeholders
Documented processes in a user-friendly way
How do you make sure your code is production-ready?
For this question, you could focus on your attention-to-detail.
Talk about a time you have:
Caught issues early
Written detailed documentation
Tested thoroughly before release
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