Nontechnical Questions

Nontechnical questions are an important part of the interview process. Some of these questions are asked early in the process to determine whether programming candidates experience, education, and goals make them appropriate for the job in question—there is no point in proceeding with the technical interviews if they are not the kind of candidate the company is looking for. Other questions are asked after the technical interviews are over and the company is considering making them an offer. Nontechnical questions are challenging because often there is no single right answer. Different people can have different right answers to the same question. Nontechnical questions are often asked to assess a candidate's experience and ability to fit in with other employees. This chapter focuses on the nontechnical questions that are particularly common in programming interviews.