36 IT Interview Questions (With Sample Answers and Tips)

Applying for jobs, like in the information technology (IT) field, can lead to an interview based on an effective resume, highlighting your capabilities. When you’re interviewing for an IT role, a hiring manager or a recruiter can ask you questions about your technical credentials, unique skills and ability to work across functions and collaborate with others. Understanding how to answer these questions effectively to a potential employer is essential to securing a job.

In this article, we discuss 36 IT interview questions to give you an idea about common questions you may encounter, including example questions with answers and tips.

General IT interview questions

Here are some general IT interview questions that a hiring manager may ask at the start of an interview to get to know more about you and your personality before getting into the technical topics and job-specific questions:

1. Can you tell me about yourself?
2. What three words may a colleague use to describe you?
3. How did you hear about this opportunity?
4. What interests you about this position?
5. Why do you wish to work for this company?
6. What do you already know about this role and company?
7. Do you prefer to manage people or ideas?
8. What is your greatest strength and weakness? How do you compensate for your weakness?
9. Have you worked with software vendors? How do you handle vendor relations?
10. Do you have any other questions?

Questions about experience and background

After a few minutes of conversation, the interviewer can start asking you more questions about your qualifications for the job you applied for and why you think you’re the right fit for it:

11. Why did you pick the school you attended?
12. How do you keep your IT skills current?
13. What’s a new software or technology you recently worked with, and did you enjoy it? Were there any challenges you encountered?
14. What development tools have you used?
15. Why do you think you’re the right candidate for this job?
16. Can you describe the most innovative change you initiated and how you implemented the change?
17. How do you ensure quality in your deliverables?
18. Why are you leaving your current role?
19. What is your greatest achievement in your career so far?
20. Can you tell me about a time you worked under pressure? How did you handle it, and what was the outcome?

In-depth questions

Some other questions a recruiter or hiring manager may ask you during an interview can relate to your experience with IT methodology and demonstrate you have the knowledge required to do the job successfully:

21. What strengths do you think are critical for this position?
22. What technical websites do you follow, and why?
23. What is your approach to handling multiple deadlines?
24. Do you prefer service-oriented or batch-oriented solutions, and why?
25. What elements are necessary for a successful team, and why?
26. Can you define authentication and authorization and the tools used to support them in an enterprise deployment?
27. How might you explain a complex IT challenge to someone with limited subject knowledge?
28. Can you tell me about a time you experience failure? What happened, and what did you learn from it?
29. Are you familiar with the various types of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, such as central processing unit (CPU), a virtual private network (VPN) and Domain Name System (DNS)?
30. What is your troubleshooting process?

Example IT interview questions with sample answers

Here are six examples of IT interview questions with sample answers you can review to help you prepare for your next meeting:

31. Can you describe your process for deployment to a production environment?

In software development, deploying code changes to production requires adept individuals to combine technical skills with attention to detail. For example, a small oversight like deleting a folder on one server but not the other places it exists can result in usable features for a web application in production. For that reason, your methods of deployment are vital. This question allows an opportunity to impress the interviewer with your technical knowledge, so use examples and details to help them visualize your process.

Example: “When preparing for deployment, I start with preplanning strategies. During the implementation, I automate where possible and ensure to document every change accounting for production setup and configurations. I also check that the monitoring and logging system is active in the production environment in advance of deployment. In my last role, almost all of the production deployment process was manual initially. I saw this as an opportunity and started automating deployment tasks wherever possible, which led to faster, more accurate deployment and a 5% increase in overall production.”

32. How do you feel about Agile? Can you explain its benefits and drawbacks?

Agile project management adoption is becoming the industry standard among many business IT units. Your response can reflect your knowledge of this framework and show you can operate within it effectively. Answering this question requires the ability to think critically about Agile, but you may also respond openly with opinions about the framework and your experience using it.

Example: “Agile is an essential project management philosophy and can be less predictable than Waterfall when implemented incorrectly. Transitioning to Agile is also a huge investment of time and resources, but when properly implemented, development and operations teams benefit from processes that foster communication and collaboration and lessen the likelihood of scope creep. I worked for a software development company that used Agile exclusively. I believe we were able to deliver projects quicker than other companies creating the same product as us with regular feedback from the client, so we were able to offer a product with increased customer satisfaction.”

33. What coding languages are you comfortable with or have the most experience using?

Depending on a company’s needs, it may require IT personnel to have skills in specific coding languages. For example, a company hiring a database architect to work on their cloud customer relationship management database may require the candidate to know a proprietary coding language like APEX. In your answer, respond with languages you have advanced knowledge of and explain how you learned them or when you used them. Before the interview, it may help to review the job description to see if the company uses any specific languages so you can mention those if you’re proficient in them.

Example: “I’m proficient in six coding languages: Python, JavaScript, Java, C++, CSS and HTML. I’m also a quick learner and passionate about coding. When I began coding at my first job, I was working on a landing page in a CMS editor and realized no one at the company knew how to code in CSS, so I taught myself CSS by researching the topic online. Due to my desire to learn, I completed the project successfully, and the landing page went up ahead of the deadline.”

34. What online resources and utilities do you use to help you manage a business?

When answering this question, consider what tools and resources you use daily to get quick answers to IT questions and explain how they help you on the job. Your answer can show the interviewer how engaged you are with the broader IT environment and how resourceful you are when encountering a challenge.

Example: “I follow IT forums on several niche websites. One time, I had an issue when an analytics tool I was implementing failed to integrate with my database properly, and I immediately sought help from an online IT community dedicated to the product. Another community user walked me through a common installation issue between the two pieces of software, and I resolved the issue. The company then used the integrated analytics tool to discover valuable insights about their existing customers leading to more sales.”

35. What IT or other relevant certifications have you obtained?

When interviewers ask for a list of current certifications, they’re looking to see your commitment to learning and confirm your knowledge. Having a certification before you enter your IT interview shows your strong work ethic and your eagerness to master critical business technology. Certifications can also be helpful to supplement work experience for those beginning their IT careers. This question gives you a chance to discuss your current educational pursuits and prospects, and if you have a certification in mind that you wish to pursue, mention it with the steps you’re taking to achieve it.

Example: “When I started as an IT manager at Southern IT Company, I realized the business might be more productive if it switched to a multi-cloud infrastructure. I earned a Certified Professional Cloud Architect certification, which allowed me to develop cloud-based apps for the company. The business increased production by 20% as a result. I’m also currently enrolled in a course to get my C++ certification.”

36. Can you explain an IT concept in simple terms?

It’s helpful for IT personnel to explain highly technical ideas in terms relatable to people outside the IT industry. Your response can show how you present ideas to those who work with you. When answering this question, you can include an example of a time you spoke on a complicated technical project or idea and did it successfully.

Example: “When describing technical concepts, I like to make it simple by paying attention to word choice and avoiding jargon. Last year, I gave a presentation on the concept of DevOps to a group of high schoolers. I defined DevOps as a program combining different tools and practices to help a company deliver software or services quicker than typical software. I also used analogies, like comparing the development team to the athletic department and the operations team to the academic department. Several students approached me after and told me my presentation inspired them to pursue coding in college.

Sourced from Indeed: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/it-interview-questions