How to structure an interview with a senior or lead developer?

Remember that this interview is designed to identify candidates who have expert knowledge of the required fields and have the required years of experience as a software developer. As a result, candidates can expect to be asked some tough questions about the technical areas which they have highlighted in their resumes, like frameworks, libraries, and past projects.### Use natural skill tests

Remember that it’s pointless to ask senior developers to complete a test which includes explaining a simple algorithm or data structure.

  • Most candidates for senior posts haven’t dealt with such matters for many years.
  • Stay away from whiteboard-testing.
  • Ask candidates to share a few work samples
  • Ask the candidate to build on existing code

Likewise, instead of asking candidates to take a coding test, it would be better to ask a potential senior developer how they would improve upon existing code. This can be achieved with a [DevSkiller paired programming test See how your candidate approaches and solves problems, including how they prioritize which problems to solve. Additionally, see how your candidate uses in stack resources like frameworks and libraries and observe when they choose to write their own code