5 Interview Tips for Hiring the Right Technical Talent

By: Lissa Harr, senior director of talent acquisition, DataBank

The Challenges of Interviewing Technical Talent

Given the role technology plays in today’s digital economy, finding the right technical talent can make or break success for most organizations. When it comes to the interview process, hiring managers face many unique challenges in making sure candidates fit in well:

• Technical professionals often possess specialized skills difficult to assess through traditional interview methods.
• Technical jargon and the need to evaluate hard and soft skills further complicates the process of assessing expertise.
• The need to determine whether candidates align with the company culture.

It takes a carefully planned strategy to effectively extract critical insights during interviews to ensure hiring decisions sync with organizational goals and values. In this blog, we examine five common challenges when interviewing technical candidates. We also provide tips to overcome those challenges. With this information, you can equip your hiring managers, recruiters, and interviewers with the tools to confidently assess applicants and make sure they will prove valuable for your company.

Interview Challenge #1 – Communication Barriers

A significant obstacle when interviewing technical professionals is the communication gap. If the interviewer isn’t well-versed in technical terms or processes, candidates might struggle to explain complex concepts in simple terms.

Candidates might also focus on niche technical details that don’t convey their problem-solving abilities. This misalignment can lead to underestimating or overestimating candidate skills. Hiring managers may find it difficult to gauge their suitability for the intended role.

To overcome this challenge, collaborate with technical team members. Ask them to review resumes, and bring them to interviews to bridge the communication gap. Involving technical colleagues in the process allows for more meaningful conversations about skillsets and experience.

Also, structure technical and non-technical questions separately. To ensure well-rounded evaluations, separate interviews into technical and behavioral sections. This allows you to focus on different aspects of candidate capabilities without overlapping or creating confusion. By ensuring the interview team has a mix of technical and non-technical experts, you can better interpret candidate responses and extract critical insights into their qualifications.

Interview Challenge #2 – Assessing Hard Skills

While it’s important to evaluate technical expertise, too much focus on hard skills leads to overly complicated interviews. It’s also easy to fall into the trap of relying solely on technical tests or coding challenges. These assessments might not fully reflect practical abilities and teamwork skills.

For this challenge, use real-world problem scenarios. Rather than focusing on abstract technical questions, present candidates with real-world problems. This not only assesses their technical skills but also their problem-solving approach—and their ability to handle practical challenges.

Another effective tool is a structured technical test. This focuses on the core competencies for the role. You can evaluate whether candidates arrive at correct answers and their process for solving problems.

This strategy provides a holistic understanding of their technical strengths. You will also know how they might perform in real-world work environments.

Interview Challenge #3 – Evaluating Cultural Fit

In technical interviews, hiring managers often focus on assessing hard skills. This leaves too little time for evaluating soft skills and cultural fit. Beware, this approach is risky. Technical talent needs to work within the broader company culture. Hires also must collaborate effectively with technical and non-technical team members.

To evaluate cultural fit, incorporate behavioral questions that reveal how candidates work within a team, respond to challenges, and fit with organizational values. For example, ask about a time the candidate dealt with a difficult team member or handled an unexpected problem under pressure.

Soft skill evaluations should assess communication, collaboration, and adaptability. Ask open-ended questions and observe responses in both technical and non-technical discussions.

Finding a candidate who fits into your company culture is as important as finding someone with the right technical expertise. Including soft skills in the interview process ensures hires will integrate smoothly into your team and contribute positively to your company.

Interview Challenge #4 – Overcoming Bias

Unconscious bias can creep into any hiring process. Technical interviews are no exception. Whether it’s an assumption based on a candidate’s educational background, communication style, or previous employers, biases cloud judgment and lead to poor hiring decisions.

You can overcome bias with a structured interview process that asks the same set of questions for all candidates. This ensures you evaluate each candidate based on his or her responses, rather than on preconceived notions.

If possible, use blind technical assessments. The interviewer only sees the work—not the candidate’s resume and background. This focuses attention on the quality of his or her technical skills rather than external factors. By minimizing bias, you can make more objective hiring decisions based on a candidate’s qualifications and fit for the role.

Interview Challenge #5 – Extracting Critical Insights

Technical interviews sometimes feel rushed. The sessions may focus too much on knowledge of specific tools or technologies. This narrow approach can lead to missing critical insights into how a candidate thinks, solves problems, and adapts to challenges.

To extract critical insights, ask probing, open-ended questions. To gain deep knowledge into a candidate’s thought process, you need more than a simple Yes or No answer.

For instance, ask candidates to walk you through how they handled obstacles on a challenging project. This gives you a window into their decision-making, problem-solving approach, and their level of ownership over their work.

Remember to evaluate learning ability. The ability to adapt is often more valuable than knowledge of a technology. Ask candidates how they stay updated with industry trends and how they approach learning new technologies. These questions reveal more about a candidate’s suitability for the role than just their technical knowledge.

Make the Right Hiring Decisions

Interviewing technical talent requires a balance of assessing both technical expertise and soft skills while overcoming communication challenges and minimizing bias. By using structured interviews, involving technical team members, and focusing on real-world problem-solving abilities, hiring managers can capture the critical insights necessary to make informed hiring decisions.

With these tips in mind, we encourage you to evaluate your technical interview process. To make the right hiring decisions, consider adopting these strategies to improve your ability to attract and select the right technical talent. We also invite you to check out the resources below for more information on hiring technical talent.