Common Non-Technical Questions and How To Answer Them
In this chapter, we will tackle the main aspects of the non-technical interview questions. This part of the interview is commonly carried out by a hiring manager or even an HR person. To prepare for this interview means getting familiar with the following questions:
- What is the purpose of non-technical questions?
- What is your experience?
- What's your favorite programming language?
- What do you want to do?
- What are your career goals?
- What's your working style?
- Why are you looking to change jobs?
- What is your salary history?
- Why we should hire you?
- How much money do you want to make?
- Do you have a question for me?
We will discuss each question in its own specific section. Let's start.
What is the purpose of non-technical questions?
The non-technical interview questions are meant to measure the match between your experience, character, and personality, and your ability to fit in with other employees and teams. Being a good fit in the existing team(s) is a must. These questions are also useful for creating a human connection between you and the company and seeing whether there is any compatibility or chemistry between their ideal candidate and your education, beliefs, ideas, expectations, culture, and so on. Moreover, non-technical questions cover the practical and pragmatic aspects of the job as well, such as salary, relocation, medical insurance, work schedule, willingness to do overtime, and so on.
There are companies that reject candidates based on this non-technical interview, even if they were initially minded to make an offer.
Some companies hold this interview before the technical one. These companies try to determine right from the start whether your experience and goals make you a good candidate for the job in question. It is like saying that the human part has priority over the technical part.
Other companies hold this interview after the technical one. These companies try to determine what is the best offer for you. This is like saying that the technical part has priority over the human part.
Non-technical questions don't have right or wrong answers! In these situations, the best answers are sincere answers. As a rule of thumb, answer as you feel; don't try to say what the interviewer wants to hear. It's like a negotiation – there will be trade-offs. Don't forget to be polite and respectful.
Further, let's see the most common non-technical questions and some answer suggestions. Don't learn/copy these answers! Try to come up with your own answers and focus on what you want to highlight. Shape and repeat the answers at home and be prepared when you come in front of the interviewer. Don't rely on your spontaneity; rely on sincerity and balance the trade-offs.
What is your experience?
Most probably, after the formal introduction, you'll be asked about your experience. If you don't have an answer prepared for this question, then you are in trouble. Let's highlight several important aspects meant to help you to prepare an appropriate answer:
- Don't detail your experience as a boring list of chronological facts: Choose the most representative projects and achievements and talk about them with enthusiasm. Talk about your work with enthusiasm (but don't look desperate and don't exaggerate), and place your achievements in the context of the team/project. For example, avoid saying,... and I did this and that on my own! It is better to say,... and I helped my team by doing this and that. Don't say,...I was the only one capable of doing that. Prefer saying...I was nominated by the team to accomplish this delicate task. If you are in your first job, then talk about your school projects (think of your colleagues as your team) and about your independent projects. If you have participated in programming contests, then talk about your results and experience.
- Don't highlight only the positive things: Experiences can be positive and negative. Talk about what went right, but also about what went wrong. Most of the time, the truly valuable lessons come from negative experiences. These kinds of experiences force us to go beyond our limits to find solutions. Moreover, such experiences are proof of resistance to stress, tenacity, and power of concentration. Of course, balance positive and negative experiences and highlight what you've learned from both sides.
- Don't provide too short or too long an answer: Calibrate your answer to fit in 1-2 minutes.
What is your favorite programming language?
Since we are talking about a Java position, it's obvious that your favorite language is Java. But if such a question arises, then it is meant to reveal whether you are Java-addicted or an open-minded person. In other words, the interviewer considers that it's hard to work with rigid people who are addicted to one programming language and want to use it exclusively in all situations. Being a Java developer doesn't mean that you should consider Java for all your tasks and ignore everything else. So, a good answer might be, Obviously, I am a big fan of Java, but I also consider it important to pick the best tool for the job. It is absurd to believe that Java is the answer to all problems.
What do you want to do?
This is a hard question and your answer can have a lot of interpretations. Be sincere and tell the interviewer exactly what you want to do. You read the job description; therefore, you know that you want this job. Explain to the interviewer the main reasons behind your decision. For example, you could say, I want to become an excellent Java backend developer and your projects are quite challenging in this area. I want to be part of the team that works on these projects. Or, you could say, I want to be part of a major start-up in an important company and this looks like a great opportunity for me. I heard that a new team is being formed and I would be very excited to be part of it. Don't omit saying something about working in a great team! Most probably, you won't be working alone, and being a team player is a major aspect of working in almost any company.
What are your career goals?
Via this question (or its sister, Where do you see yourself in five years?), the interviewer is trying to see whether this position fits with your career goals. They seek to understand if you see this position as part of your career path, or if you have other reasons (apart from the money) for doing it. It is hard to describe a detailed career path, but you could give an answer that shows your commitment and motivation to do your job right. For example, you could say, My current goal is to work as a Java backend developer on challenging projects that will help me to accumulate more experience. In several years, I see myself involved in architecting complex Java applications. Beyond that is too far away to think of right now.
What's your working style?
This kind of question should ring a bell to you. Most of the time, this question is specific to companies that have an uncommon working style. For example, they often work overtime or they work on weekends. Maybe they work long shifts or they have metrics or deadlines that are hard to achieve. Or, they put a lot of pressure and responsibilities on this position. Explain to the interviewer your working style and underline indirectly the things that you do not agree with. For example, you could point out that you are not open to doing night shifts by saying, I like to start working in the morning with the most difficult tasks, and in the second part of the day, I will deal with the planning of the next day. Or, you could point out that you are not open to working on weekends by saying, I like to work hard for 40 hours/week from Monday to Friday. I like to spend weekends with my friends.
If you are asked directly about a specific aspect, then provide a clear answer. For example, the interviewer may say, You know, if you work on weekends, then you'll be paid double. What do you say about this?. Well, think twice, and answer as you feel but without leaving room for interpretation.
Why are you looking to change jobs?
Of course, if you are at your first job then you will not get such a question (or its sister,How and why did you leave your last job?). But if you had a previous role (or you plan the change your current role), then the interviewer will want to know why you took this decision. The key here is to detail clear and solid arguments without saying anything bad or offensive about your previous company, bosses, coworkers, and so on – follow the principle that if you can't say anything nice about someone, don't say anything at all.
Here are some tips that will help you with this question (pay attention to how this question is interleaved with the previous one – if the working style of this company relates nicely to the style of your current or ex-company, then most likely, the same reasons for leaving that job will apply to avoiding this job as well):
- Don't cite money as the first argument: Money is often a good reason to change jobs but citing it as the first argument is a dangerous route to take. The interviewer may think that all you care about is money. Or, they may think that your current employer didn't raise your salary because you were not valuable enough. Sooner or later, they might think, you will want more money and you'll proceed with the approach of looking elsewhere if they cannot offer you the desired raise.
- Invoke a factor out of your control: Invoking a factor out of your control keeps you in the secure zone. For example, you could say, My team was assigned to a project that required relocation. Or, you could say, I was moved... to the night shift and I couldn't adapt my life to this schedule.
- Invoke a major change in the environment: For example, you could say: My company does mass layoffs and I don't want this risk. Or, you could say, I worked for 5 years in a small company, and now I want to put my experience to use in a big company.
- Invoke an aspect that you don't like and is known by the interviewer: You could say, I was hired as a Java backend programmer, but I spent a lot of time helping the frontend guys. As you saw in my resume, my experience is rooted in backend technologies.
What is your salary history?
Obviously, this question is meant to determine a landmark for the new offer. If you are satisfied by your current salary, then you can give a number. Otherwise, is better to be polite and say that I don't want to mess things up, and I am expecting compensation that is proper for the new position and its requirements.
Why should we hire you?
This is a pertinent and slightly offensive question. In most cases, this is a trap question meant to reveal your reaction to criticism. If it comes at the beginning of the interview, then you should consider it as a misleading formulation of the question,What's your experience?.
If it comes at the end of the interview, then it is quite obvious that the interviewer knows very well why the company should hire you, therefore, he doesn't expect to hear a strong argument based on your resume or experience. In this case, stay calm and positive and mention why you like this company, why you want to work in this company, and what you know about it. Showing your interest (for example, showing that you've researched the company and visited their website) should be flattering for the interviewer, who can then quickly pass to the next question.
How much money do you want to make?
This question occurs right at the start (for example, in the non-technical phone screen) or at the end, when the company is ready to prepare an offer for you. When it occurs at the start, it means that whether the interview will continue will be based on your answer. If your expectations are beyond the potential offer, then most probably the interview will stop here. It is wise to postpone a clear answer as much as possible by saying something like, I don't have a clear number in my head. Of course, money is important, but there are other important things as well. Let's see first if my value meets your expectations, and we can negotiate after that. Or, if you must give an answer, then it's better to give a range of salaries. You should know the common salary range for this position (because you've done your homework and you've researched on the internet before the interview), therefore, provide a range that fits your expectations and respects your research.
Ideally, this question occurs at the end of the interview process. This is a clear signal that the company wants you and is prepared to make you an offer.
Now, you start the art of negotiation!
Don't jump into saying numbers! At this point, you should be pretty aware of how you did in the interview and how badly you want this job. Start by asking the interviewer about the range of the offer, what other bonuses are available, and what is included in the total compensation package. There are several scenarios you have to consider further:
- In a very happy scenario, the offer will be higher than your expectations: Accept it!
- More likely, the offer is near your expectations: Try to squeeze a little bit more. For example, if you got a range between $60,000 - $65,000, then say something like, I had in mind something pretty similar – more precisely, I will be very satisfied if we can go for $65,000 - $70,000. This will probably help you to obtain around $63,000 - $68,000.
- Getting an evasive answer: Instead of getting a range, you can receive an evasive answer such as, We customize the salary depending on the applicant, therefore, I need to know your expectations. In such a scenario, say the higher number you have in mind. Most probably, you will not get this offer, but it gives you room to negotiate. Be short and direct; for example, say, I'm expecting to $65,000 a year. You should get around $60,000 or an answer that will disappoint you like, Sorry, but we had a much lower number in mind. This leads to the next section.
- Getting a disappointing offer: In this scenario, try to be very prompt and start by expressing your disappointment like, I have to say that I am very disappointed with this offer. Continue by reiterating your strong skills and experience. Try to make clear arguments that support the requested number and underline that you do not want anything outlandish. If you are not open to accepting this job with these conditions, then finish your response with an ultimatum like, If this is your final word, I cannot accept such an offer. If the company was impressed by you, it's possible they'd require more time and get back to you with another offer. If you're thinking about accepting the offer, then ask for a written agreement for renegotiation in six months for now. Moreover, try to squeeze other benefits out of the negotations, such as flexible hours, bonuses, and so on.
Important note
As a rule of thumb, try to keep in mind the following aspects:- Don't get shy or embarrassed when talking about salaries (novices often do).- Don't start from low numbers that don't give you room for negotiation.- Don't underestimate yourself and sell yourself short.- Don't lose time trying to negotiate non-negotiable things.
Do you have a question for me?
Almost any interview ends with this question. The interviewer wants to clarify any remaining doubts that you may have. You can ask whatever you want, but pay attention not to ask something stupid or something that requires a long answer. You can ask details about something that the interviewer said but that was not very clear, or you can ask for their personal opinion about you. Or, you could ask something like, How did you come to this company? What has been most challenging for you? If you have nothing to ask, then don't ask. Simply say something like, Well, I have to say that you've answered all my important questions. Thank you for your time!.
Summary
In this chapter, we covered the most common non-technical questions that you can face in an interview. These questions should be seriously trained for before the interview because they represent an important part of a successful interview. It's true that great answers to these questions will not bring you an offer alone, without a solid demonstration of the required technical knowledge, but they can impact your salary offer, your daily job expectations, your working style, and career goals. Therefore, don't go unprepared to such an interview.
In the next chapter, we'll see how to face the delicate situations when we don't manage to obtain the desired job.