Questions to Ask Hiring Manager Software Engineer
Strategic questions that demonstrate your technical knowledge, show genuine interest in the role, and help you evaluate if this engineering position aligns with your career goals.
1What does the day-to-day work look like for a software engineer in this role?
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What does the day-to-day work look like for a software engineer in this role?
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Why this works
Helps you understand the actual responsibilities and work style, giving you insight into whether the role matches your preferences and skills.
2What technologies and programming languages does the team primarily use?
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What technologies and programming languages does the team primarily use?
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Why this works
Shows technical awareness and helps you understand the tech stack you'd be working with and whether it aligns with your skills and interests.
3How does the engineering team collaborate and what's the code review process like?
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How does the engineering team collaborate and what's the code review process like?
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Why this works
Reveals the team's development culture and processes, helping you understand how you'd work with colleagues and maintain code quality.
4What are the biggest technical challenges the team is currently facing?
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What are the biggest technical challenges the team is currently facing?
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Why this works
Shows strategic thinking and helps you understand the problems you'd be solving, which can indicate the complexity and interest level of the work.
5How does the company approach technical debt and legacy code maintenance?
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How does the company approach technical debt and legacy code maintenance?
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Why this works
Demonstrates understanding of real-world engineering challenges and shows you're thinking about long-term code quality and maintainability.
6What opportunities are there for learning new technologies and professional development?
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What opportunities are there for learning new technologies and professional development?
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Why this works
Shows your commitment to continuous learning and helps you assess whether the company invests in employee growth and skill development.
7How does the team handle testing, deployment, and DevOps processes?
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How does the team handle testing, deployment, and DevOps processes?
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Why this works
Reveals their approach to software quality and deployment, which is crucial for understanding the development workflow and engineering practices.
8What's the engineering team's approach to architecture and system design decisions?
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What's the engineering team's approach to architecture and system design decisions?
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Why this works
Shows you understand the importance of technical architecture and helps you assess the team's engineering maturity and decision-making processes.
9How does the company balance feature development with technical improvements?
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How does the company balance feature development with technical improvements?
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Why this works
Demonstrates understanding of the tension between business needs and technical health, showing you think about engineering trade-offs.
10What's the team's approach to performance optimization and scalability?
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What's the team's approach to performance optimization and scalability?
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Why this works
Shows technical depth and helps you understand whether you'd be working on systems that require advanced engineering skills.
11How does the engineering team work with product managers and other stakeholders?
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How does the engineering team work with product managers and other stakeholders?
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Why this works
Reveals the cross-functional collaboration style and helps you understand how technical decisions are made in the broader business context.
12What's the company's approach to code quality, standards, and best practices?
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What's the company's approach to code quality, standards, and best practices?
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Why this works
Shows you value code quality and helps you understand the engineering standards and practices you'd be expected to follow.
13How does the team handle on-call responsibilities and production support?
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How does the team handle on-call responsibilities and production support?
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Why this works
Important for understanding the operational aspects of the role and whether you'd be responsible for maintaining systems in production.
14What opportunities are there for mentoring junior developers or leading technical initiatives?
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What opportunities are there for mentoring junior developers or leading technical initiatives?
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Why this works
Shows your interest in growth and leadership while helping you understand opportunities for advancement and technical influence.
15How does the company approach security and data privacy in software development?
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How does the company approach security and data privacy in software development?
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Why this works
Demonstrates awareness of important engineering concerns and helps you understand the company's approach to security and compliance.
16What's the team's experience with agile methodologies and how do you handle sprint planning?
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What's the team's experience with agile methodologies and how do you handle sprint planning?
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Why this works
Shows understanding of modern development processes and helps you assess whether the team's approach aligns with your preferences.
17How does the company handle remote work and distributed teams?
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How does the company handle remote work and distributed teams?
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Why this works
Important for understanding work arrangements and whether you'd have the flexibility and tools needed for effective remote collaboration.
18What's the most interesting technical problem the team has solved recently?
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What's the most interesting technical problem the team has solved recently?
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Why this works
Gives you insight into the complexity and type of work you'd be doing, while showing your interest in the team's technical achievements.
19How does the team approach documentation and knowledge sharing?
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How does the team approach documentation and knowledge sharing?
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Why this works
Shows you understand the importance of documentation and helps you assess whether the team values knowledge sharing and maintainability.
20What excites you most about the company's technical direction and engineering challenges?
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What excites you most about the company's technical direction and engineering challenges?
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Why this works
Demonstrates interest in the company's vision while helping you assess alignment with your career goals and technical interests.
Mastering Software Engineering Interview Questions
Expert tips and techniques for getting the most out of these questions.
Best Practices
Show Technical Depth
Ask questions that demonstrate your understanding of software engineering principles, system design, and modern development practices.
Focus on Engineering Culture
Ask about code quality, collaboration, and engineering practices to understand whether the team's approach aligns with your values and growth goals.
Demonstrate Problem-Solving Interest
Show genuine curiosity about the technical challenges they're facing and how you might contribute to solving them.
Question Sequences
The Technical Deep-Dive
The Culture Explorer
Common Pitfalls
Don't Ask About Salary Too Early
Focus on the role, team, and technical challenges first. Salary discussions typically come later in the process.
Avoid Generic Questions
Don't ask questions you could answer by looking at their website or job posting. Show you've done your research.
Don't Sound Overly Critical
While it's good to ask about challenges, avoid questions that sound like you're looking for problems or criticizing their approach.