Hiring for tech job: Interview questions about problem-solving and critical thinking
Many businesses put a significant effort into retaining their tech teams. They organize comprehensive onboarding and mind specialists’ work-life balance. They build comfortable workflows and turn to employee handbook writing services to document those workflows and avoid misunderstandings. And such efforts will pay off only with the right hires.
If you hire and retain the wrong team player, their change can cost your company up to five times the specialist’s annual salary in lost productivity, re-training, and recruitment costs. Therefore, you might need to prepare interview questions about problem-solving and critical thinking. Below, you’ll find some working tips on why and how to do that ⬇️
Why assess problem-solving and critical thinking
Technical problem-solving often involves troubleshooting software bugs, optimizing algorithms, or developing new features based on user feedback. Critical thinking is an ability to analyze information, question assumptions, and exploring different viewpoints.
These skills are vital for several reasons.
- Adaptability. Specialists who can think critically and solve problems adapt to new tools, languages, and methods more effectively..
- Innovation. Specialists who can approach challenges creatively contribute to developing groundbreaking solutions.
- Team dynamics. With strong problem-solvers, you get effective teamwork, as they know how to address conflicts and find common ground.
How to assess technical problem-solving: Questions and tasks
1. Behavioral interview questions
Behavioral interview questions about problem-solving are designed to elicit responses that showcase a candidate’s experiences. Here are a couple of examples for inspiration.
- Tell me about a project where you had to troubleshoot the biggest issue in your career. What steps did you take?
- How do you determine whether to tackle a problem on your own or ask for assistance?
- Describe a situation where you proactively addressed a complex challenge before it became more serious.
- Can you recall a time when you had to find a solution with limited resources?.
- Tell me about an instance where you developed an innovative solution.
- How do you know when a problem is fully resolved?
- How do you evaluate the long-term effects of your solutions?
If you ask these questions, candidates will share specific examples that showcase their problem-solving strategies. So, it will be easier to avoid candidates with a “box-ticking” mentality.
2. Technical assessments
A problem-solving assessment for technical roles may include coding challenges and case studies. Coding challenges are necessary to see how candidates solve programming problems within a set timeframe and think critically under pressure.
By “case studies”, we mean presenting candidates with real-world scenarios, allowing them to demonstrate their analytical skills. For instance, a candidate might be asked to handle a difficult customer complaint or lead a team through a project crisis.
There are 7 main interview questions about problem-solving that we recommend you ask after getting a completed test assignment or conducting a role-playing session.
- Have you encountered similar challenges in your previous work?
- If you found any part of the assignment particularly difficult, what was it, and how did you handle it?
- Were there any aspects of the problem that seemed unclear or open to interpretation? How did you resolve it?
- If you had more time, what aspects of your solution would you optimize, and why?
- Did you create any tests for your code? If yes, could you describe your testing approach?
- How would you approach debugging and maintaining this code if it were part of a larger project?
- How would you expand or adapt your solution if the requirements or scope changed?
3. Group exercises
Group exercises mimic teamwork situations where candidates must collaborate to solve problems. Observers can see how specialists share ideas, negotiate solutions, and manage conflicts.
How to evaluate critical thinking skills
1. Situational judgement tests (SJTs)
SJTs provide candidates with hypothetical situations related to the job and ask them how they would react. This method assesses decision-making abilities and ethical considerations.
2. Analytical tasks
Candidates analyze data sets and draw conclusions. This tests their ability to understand information and make decisions based on data.
3. Open-ended questions
Open-ended questions prompt candidates to explain their thinking in more detail.
- What factors do you consider when deciding whether to adopt a new technology?
- How do you approach learning a new programming language or framework?
These and other look-alike questions provide insight into candidates’ reasoning and analytical capabilities.
How to integrate assessments into the hiring process
To effectively assess technical problem-solving and critical thinking skills, integrate these evaluations throughout the hiring process.
- Pre-screening assessments. Incorporate online coding tests or situational judgement tests as part of the initial screening phase.
- Structured interviews. Use a combination of behavioral questions and technical assessments during interviews to create a comprehensive evaluation framework.
- Feedback mechanisms. After interviews, gather feedback from all interviewers regarding each candidate’s performance in problem-solving tasks.
👉 Lifehack for tech interviewers. Tools like WeCP’s AI Copilot can help you evaluate candidates’ problem-solving abilities by providing tailored questions and tests designed for specific roles.
11 red flags to watch during a tech interview
To conduct a successful problem-solving assessment, it’s important to anticipate potential challenges with candidates.
- Going radio silent. When candidates stop talking or writing, it can suggest they are either stuck or not engaged. This behavior raises concerns about their problem-solving approach and willingness to collaborate.
- Pretending to know everything. A good candidate should be comfortable admitting when they don’t know something and show a willingness to learn.
- Ignoring clarifying questions. Failing to ask for clarification on ambiguous questions can lead to misunderstandings. Candidates should seek additional context to ensure they fully understand the problem before attempting a solution.
- Overcomplicating solutions. A straightforward approach is often more effective than an overly complicated one.
- Not testing their code. Overlooking testing raises concerns about a candidate’s attention to detail.
- Poor time management. Candidates who spend too much time on one question may struggle with prioritization and efficiency.
- Lack of enthusiasm. Passion for technology and the job is typically a predictor of long-term success.
- Failure to relate skills to practical application. Good candidates don’t focus solely on theoretical knowledge.
- Defensive reactions to feedback. Candidates who react defensively when challenged on their solutions may not be open to constructive criticism.
- Giving excessive detail. Providing too much information can overwhelm interviewers and create the impression of wasting time. Candidates should aim for concise answers that directly address the question asked.
- Not preparing adequately. Many candidates underestimate the importance of preparation, leading to poor performance during interviews. Familiarity with common questions, company background, and job requirements is crucial for success.
Being aware of these red flags can help interviewers better assess candidates’ suitability for technical positions.