As a Black tech worker in the beginning stages of your software engineering career, you’re here to make sure you’re doing your due diligence. You’re doing everything you can to be as prepared as possible for your upcoming software engineer intern interview, and we’ve got your back.
We’ve compiled this comprehensive list of interview questions you should anticipate being asked — and prepare answers for.
You’ll likely be asked a combination of technical interview questions, queries about past experiences, and prompts intended to gauge your soft skills — and we’ll prepare you for all of it.
We’ll also discuss some ways to help quell any nervousness and provide additional tips so that you can nail your internship interview.
Coding and Programming Language Specifics
Let’s begin with the technical questions. It should come as no surprise that you’ll be asked about coding and programming.
Be prepared to discuss the coding languages you’re familiar with. You should be ready to describe:
- JavaScript
- HTML CSS
- Python
- SQL
Be ready to answer coding questions — including trick ones — intended to test how well you understand the general structure and concept and how the different aspects interrelate.
Whiteboard Challenge
You may be tasked with a whiteboard challenge. This involves being given a coding problem to solve right then and there during the interview. The purpose is to help the interviewers gain better insight into your skills and knowledge.
If the idea of this makes your palms sweat, don’t worry; you’re not alone.
The best way to prepare is to practice. Work through problems of your own, and rehearse, discussing each step you take and why. As awkward or silly as it may sound, practice discussing them out loud. This is an excellent way to ensure you’re articulate and concise, and it helps to slow down the cognitive processes so you can adequately explain each step.
Another tactic to help prepare for a whiteboard challenge is to use the acronym “UMPIRE”:
- Understand the problem
- Match the problem with the interviewer
- Plan your approach and solution
- Implement your solution
- Review your solution
- Evaluate your solution
In lieu of or in addition to a whiteboard challenge, you might be provided with a link to an independent coding test to complete within a specific timeframe.
Be prepared to explain each step of the process as you work through it.
Data Structures and Algorithms
In addition to coding, anticipate being asked questions about different data structures and algorithms.
The interviewer will want to see that you understand how data structures catalog and index information and that you’re knowledgeable about algorithms and how they serve as mini-programs independent of the code in which they reside.
Be prepared to discuss:
- Arrays
- Data structures
- Binary search
- Debugging
- Reversing a string
- Defining a framework
A clear understanding of data structures and algorithms is an important component of software engineering knowledge, as it’s essential to both organization and problem-solving.
Sites like TestDome let you take practice tests, which are great for assessing your strengths and helping you identify the concepts you should brush up on.
Describe the Software Engineering Process
Software engineering is an exciting role that requires creativity, collaboration, documentation, monitoring, and top-notch problem-solving abilities.
Due to the variety of skills required, you may be asked about your experience in each aspect of the role—not just the coding and structure.
You may need to describe:
- Your experience with Agile
- How you worked with others as part of a team
- How would you analyze business and user demands and create a system that meets the requirements of both
- How you would provide training or support to users
- The difference between software development and software engineering
- The software development process
- The software development life cycle
- Object-oriented programming (OOP)
- Unit tests
- How you would visually represent the relationship between different parts of a system using a graph
In addition to those questions, the panel may also be interested to know:
- Your career aspirations
- Any past programmer experience you’ve had
- Your software engineering strengths
- The aspects of the job you’re excited to learn more about — and improve upon
- How you stay current with the different coding practices
- What you hope to get out of your internship
These questions are there to help the interviewer assess how passionate you are. Your intrinsic desire to immerse yourself in the career is something that usually makes an impact on interviewers.
Someone excited and motivated about the prospect of being given the opportunity stands out.
Questions Related to Soft Skills
As we move into the behavioral interview questions, let’s take a closer look at soft skills.
Soft skills describe personality attributes that help candidates excel at the job. These skills are essential for a budding software engineer.
They center around things like:
- Communication
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Initiative
- Time management
- Adaptability and creativity
- Emotional Intelligence
These personal attributes are incredibly important qualities for those in the computer science field. Recruiters always look for them because they determine problem-solving skills and much more.
For each of these, we highly encourage you to think of examples demonstrating your competence in each category.
Communication
Communication skills are incredibly important for software engineers, who frequently need to collaborate with other departments.
Communication involves conveying information clearly so that the other person understands. It also has to do with listening well — and asking questions if needed — so that you fully understand the task.
It’s imperative to learn how to communicate professionally and well in all sorts of high-stakes scenarios without obliterating personal boundaries or agreeing to something that, realistically, you won’t be able to complete.
Teamwork
Being part of a team involves collaborating and sharing ideas, letting other departments know how far along you are on a project, and maintaining that big-picture perspective.
It also requires asking questions or getting clarification if needed and contributing your skills alongside others who are doing the same.
As you navigate each project, it’s important to keep the relevant people appraised of your progress at every step.
Initiative
This highly sought-after soft skill stems from a passion for the project.
Showing initiative involves asking questions or volunteering to take on a project. If the task reaches a hurdle, rather than give up, someone who shows initiative will reach out or try a different approach.
They are invested and present, determined to keep going even when it gets hard.
Time Management
Time management can be learned if you make it a point to be aware of it.
When you consider your software engineering internship, let the panel know how you’ll pay attention to your estimate of how long a task will take and then track the amount of time it actually takes.
It’s important to convey that you’ll do your best to utilize your time well.
Adaptability and Creativity
Problem-solving and the ability to source other ideas when something isn’t working are other soft skills that lend themselves well to software engineering.
Tenacity, the ability to work through frustrations to find viable creative solutions, is a trait that serves software engineers well.
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize and respond to emotions in a beneficial way.
For example, in a highly stressful situation, an emotionally intelligent person understands that rather than getting swept up in anxiety or the fight-or-flight response, they must approach these situations calmly and rationally.
Emotional intelligence affects how we interact with others through eye contact, body language, and verbal communication. It’s also an indicator of resilience, our ability to recover from setbacks and disappointment.
Tips to Help Prepare for Your Interview
As the interview draws near, the best way to quell any worries you have about whether or not you’ll land the position is to prepare.
Here are some of the best ways to do that:
Research the Company
Check out the company website, social media, and LinkedIn profile:
- Who are they?
- When were they established?
- What do they produce, and who is their customer?
- How large are they?
- Do they have a global presence?
Read through the job description carefully, and be sure to jot down any questions you have. For example, will the position focus on web development or something else?
Then, during the portion of the job interview where you’re asked if you have questions, ask the questions from your list. This shows hiring managers that you’re invested, and you’ve done your homework.
Practice Regulating Nerves
As uncomfortable as it feels, being nervous and slightly jittery before an interview is normal.
Deep breathing, meditation, and visualization are all excellent ways to invite a sense of calm into your nervous system. You can breathe into the count of four, hold that breath for four counts, and then slowly exhale to the count of five.
Some find it incredibly beneficial to visualize the interview going well. There are plenty of resources online that can help; just don’t leave it until the last minute.
Practice so that when you need these tools, you know how to use them.
Rehearse the Interview
The best way to prepare for the interview process is to practice.
Go through the interview questions and recite your answers out loud.
Have real-life examples ready that demonstrate how you’ve handled challenging situations: how you helped out a co-worker or functioned as part of a team.
If this is your first experience in the tech industry (likely for an internship), use examples from previous jobs, school, or even those you’ve had working with team members while playing sports.
It’s Okay Not to Know
If you’re asked a question during the interview that you don’t know the answer to, that’s totally fine. There’s no shame in not knowing.
Tell the interview panel that you’re unfamiliar with the topic but excited to have an opportunity to learn more about it.
Think about it from the company’s perspective: someone who arrives each morning brimming with enthusiasm and who can’t wait to tackle each task is a great prospect for an internship, even if they’re not currently proficient in every aspect of the role.
Be Resilient
Rejection stings and it can be a huge disappointment if you’re not chosen for the internship. However, don’t lose heart. There are plenty of incredible opportunities out there.
Helpful Resources
As you anticipate each step of the interview, hone in on the areas where you feel as though you may struggle. The more prepared you are, the better.
Here are some resources that can help:
Software Engineer Intern Interview Questions Templates
Templates like these can be a great way to structure a mock interview, and ensure you know the answers to each of the questions.
Obsidi®
Obsidi® links Black tech professionals with exciting career opportunities in tech. By becoming an Obsidi® member, you have access to a wealth of resources to guide you on your path toward success.
And, for those who qualify, Obsidi® Academy is a once-in-a-lifetime paid opportunity to launch your skills to the next level. This high-quality three-month bootcamp is centered around equipping its graduates with the exact skills industry titans in tech are looking for in their new hires.
Obsidi® also has volumes of game-changing resources: check out our Obsidi®Tech Talks!
Conclusion
Whether you aspire to work for Microsoft or Amazon, or you’re just excited to enter the tech field, one thing’s for sure: you’re headed in an exciting and rewarding direction.
We hope that wherever you land, this piece will encourage and support you on these first steps of an incredible career.
For Black tech professionals just starting to look for their next opportunity, become an Obsidi® member and start applying today!
