Learn how to conduct a technical interview—from prep to bias control—with proven steps, rubrics, and candidate‑friendly tactics.
Introduction
Technical interviews play a crucial role in hiring top talent in engineering and software development. But conducting them well requires more than asking a few coding questions—it takes structure, preparation, and a thoughtful approach that ensures fairness and accuracy. Done right, technical interviews help you evaluate real skills, confidence, problem-solving ability, and cultural alignment.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to conduct a technical interview effectively, what to prepare in advance, how to run the session confidently, and how to evaluate candidates consistently. Whether you’re building a hiring process from scratch or refining an existing one, these strategies will help you improve hiring outcomes and candidate experience.
What is a technical interview?
A technical interview is a structured evaluation designed to measure a candidate’s technical skills, problem-solving approach, and communication style. Unlike a resume review or casual conversation, a technical interview focuses on demonstrating capabilities through tasks such as live coding, system design discussions, debugging exercises, or pair programming.
The goal isn’t just to see whether a candidate can write code—it’s to understand how they think, communicate, and approach real-world engineering challenges.
How should you prepare before the interview?
Decide on the interview format
Not all roles require the same methods. Choose interview formats based on the skills needed for the position. Examples include:
- Live coding challenges
- System design sessions
- Take-home assignments
- Pair programming
- Whiteboard problem-solving
Some companies use a combination to gather a more complete picture of a candidate's abilities.
Tailor questions to the role
Generic questions won’t reveal whether someone is the right match. Align questions with the responsibilities of the role, required languages or frameworks, and the candidate’s level of experience.
For junior roles, foundational problem solving may be prioritized. For senior roles, evaluating architecture decisions or real-world scenario thinking is often more valuable.
Bring real-world scenarios into the process
Whenever possible, evaluate candidates using realistic tasks—such as debugging an existing codebase or designing a component based on actual internal challenges. This gives insight into how someone will perform daily tasks rather than how well they memorize algorithms.
Prepare the interviewers and environment
Everyone involved in the interview should know the format, timeline, and evaluation criteria. Preparation ensures consistency and fairness—and helps maintain a smooth experience for the candidate.
How to conduct a technical interview step-by-step
Start with a friendly introduction
Begin by explaining the structure of the session, expected duration, and assessment format. A welcoming tone reduces anxiety and improves performance—especially in high-stress technical environments.
Begin with a warm-up question
A simple starter question helps candidates get comfortable before tackling more advanced challenges. It sets a positive tone and allows the interviewer to observe initial thought processes.
Progress to the main challenges
Move into more complex or role-specific tasks once the candidate is warmed up. Encourage them to talk through their process, ask clarifying questions, and think out loud. This gives insight into reasoning—not just output.
Follow up with discussion and reflection
After solving the task, ask questions like:
- Why did you choose this approach?
- How would you optimize or refactor the solution?
- What trade-offs would you consider in a production system?
Reflection reveals maturity, depth of knowledge, and adaptability.
Use a structured rubric to evaluate objectively
Avoid relying solely on gut instinct—use predefined criteria that measure both technical and soft skills. This improves fairness, reduces bias, and ensures candidates are assessed on their abilities—not familiarity or personality similarities.
How can interviewers reduce bias and improve fairness?
Creating a fair hiring process requires intentional design. Best practices include:
- Asking every candidate the same core questions
- Removing unnecessary personal identifiers early in the process
- Avoiding cultural or niche references in questions
- Providing clear evaluation criteria before scoring
- Including multiple interviewers or reviewers when possible
A fair and structured interview not only improves hiring outcomes—it strengthens employer branding and candidate trust.
Addressing Common Interview Myths and Concerns
Myth: Whiteboard coding is the best way to evaluate skill.
Whiteboarding can be useful but may not reflect real-world environments. Blending multiple assessment formats offers a more accurate evaluation.
Myth: The first answer must be perfect.
Iterative problem-solving often matters more than getting everything right on the first try.
Concern: Algorithm-focused interviews don’t test real-world work.
That’s why mixing coding, design, debugging, and collaboration tasks leads to a more comprehensive assessment.
Conclusion
Conducting a technical interview effectively means structuring the process intentionally, asking meaningful role-aligned questions, and evaluating candidates objectively. The best interviews balance technical rigor with a respectful, human experience—giving candidates the chance to demonstrate not just what they know, but how they think and collaborate.
A well-run technical interview helps organizations hire stronger talent, strengthen team performance, and build scalable hiring processes.
Next step: If you're looking to streamline and improve your technical hiring workflow, now is the perfect time to standardize your rubric, refresh your question bank, and explore automated solutions like AI-powered assessments to support fair and data-driven hiring.
