Hiring top engineering talent is one of the most critical responsibilities of a hiring manager. A well-structured technical interview not only identifies the best candidates but also ensures a positive candidate experience that reflects well on your company.
However, many technical interviews fall into common traps — overly abstract algorithm challenges, unclear expectations, or an intimidating process that drives great candidates away.
This guide provides a strategic approach to conducting effective technical interviews, covering best practices in designing assessments, evaluating candidates fairly, and ensuring a smooth and professional hiring process.
1. Defining the Right Technical Assessment
Before conducting an interview, hiring managers must determine what skills and qualities are truly essential for the role.
Many interviews focus heavily on abstract problem-solving rather than assessing practical engineering skills that align with the job.
Aligning Interviews with Real-World Work
A strong technical interview should reflect the type of work the candidate will do if hired. Instead of focusing solely on whiteboard coding exercises or tricky algorithms, consider:
- Take-home assignments that simulate real-world tasks (e.g., building a small feature, debugging a broken system, or designing an API).
- Pair programming exercises where the candidate collaborates with an interviewer to solve a coding problem.
- System design discussions for senior engineers to assess their architectural thinking and trade-off analysis.
For example, a SaaS company hiring for a backend engineer might ask candidates to design a RESTful API rather than solve an abstract tree traversal problem.
This ensures the interview is relevant and predictive of future success.
Avoiding Bias in Technical Evaluations
To evaluate candidates fairly, hiring managers should establish a standardized evaluation rubric that measures candidates against objective criteria. This includes:
- Defining clear scoring metrics (e.g., correctness, efficiency, problem-solving approach, and communication skills).
- Using structured interview questions to reduce interviewer bias and ensure consistency.
- Training interviewers to recognize and mitigate unconscious bias in decision-making.
Companies like Google and Facebook use well-documented evaluation rubrics to ensure fairness across all candidates, reducing the impact of personal biases in hiring decisions.
2. Conducting a Positive and Engaging Interview
Interviews should be a two-way conversation where both the candidate and the company assess mutual fit. A stressful or adversarial interview process can turn away top talent. Hiring managers should focus on creating an engaging and transparent experience.
Setting Clear Expectations
Many candidates feel anxious about technical interviews because they don’t know what to expect. To create a better experience:
- Share the interview format in advance, including the types of questions and assessment methods.
- Explain the evaluation criteria so candidates understand what aspects of their answers matter most.
- Provide a reasonable timeline for responses and next steps after the interview.
A company like Stripe, known for its thoughtful hiring process, provides detailed guides to candidates before their interviews, reducing anxiety and setting them up for success.
Encouraging a Collaborative Approach
Rather than treating the interview as a test, frame it as a “collaborative problem-solving session.” Great engineers often think out loud, ask clarifying questions, and refine their solutions as they go. To encourage this:
- Ask open-ended questions, that allow candidates to explain their thought process.
- Provide hints if necessary, as interviews should assess problem-solving ability rather than just memorization.
- Observe how candidates approach challenges, including how they break problems down, ask for clarification, and iterate on solutions.
This not only makes the interview more engaging but also gives hiring managers a clearer view of how a candidate will perform in a real work environment.
3. Post-Interview Evaluation and Decision-Making
After interviews, hiring managers must ensure an objective and well-informed decision-making process.
Gathering Feedback from Multiple Interviewers
To minimize bias, “collect structured feedback” from multiple interviewers before making a hiring decision. This prevents one interviewer’s opinion from overly influencing the outcome.
Key best practices include:
- Using a scoring rubric, where each interviewer provides ratings and justifications.
- Holding debrief sessions, to discuss observations and resolve discrepancies.
- Avoiding groupthink, by collecting individual feedback before discussions.
Providing Constructive Feedback to Candidates
Candidates appreciate feedback, regardless of the hiring decision.
Providing “specific, actionable feedback” enhances your company’s reputation and keeps the door open for future opportunities.
A well-crafted rejection email might include:
- Acknowledgment of the candidate’s strengths.
- A brief mention of areas for improvement.
- Encouragement to reapply in the future if appropriate.
Companies like Airbnb and GitHub are known for sending personalized feedback, improving their brand perception among technical talent.
Final thoughts
An effective technical interview process balances rigorous evaluation with a positive candidate experience. By aligning assessments with real-world work, fostering a collaborative atmosphere, and using structured evaluation criteria, hiring managers can attract and hire top engineering talent while maintaining a fair and engaging process.
Ultimately, the goal is not just to assess candidates but to build long-term relationships with top engineers — whether they join now or in the future.
Hey, I’m Mikel. You can read more of my stories here.
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