Top Questions to Ask When Interviewing Remote Tech Talent

As a tech recruiter or CTO, you know that the best way to find and hire talented IT or software professionals is by conducting a thorough interview, plus the necessary technical tests of course. But it can be tough to determine what questions to ask on that first or second interview to get the most out of your nearshore talent interviews.
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To make it easier, we’ve compiled a list of the top questions that will help you gain insight into the technical abilities, experience, and overall personality of your potential remote candidates.

By asking these engaging questions, you’ll be able to better assess whether they’re the right fit for your company and identify potential red flags upfront.
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When it comes to technical questions, make sure you’re asking about specific experiences and skills.

• What projects have you worked on in the past?
• How did you acquire experience in [x technology]?
• How many years have you been working with [x technology]?
• How do you keep your technology skills current?
• What online resources do you use to help you do your job?
• How would you explain [x technology] to someone with limited tech skills?

It’s also important to assess their problem-solving skills and critical thinking abilities so you can gauge how well they’ll be able to think on their feet when faced with real-world challenges.

• Which have been the most complex projects or tasks that you’ve faced?
• Can you tell me about a time when things didn’t go the way you wanted at work and how did you manage to solve it?
• How do you solve technical problems? Can you give us an example of a technical problem you solved?
• How do you handle working with multiple stakeholders and deadlines?
• What methods do you use to debug and troubleshoot software issues?

In addition to technical proficiency, it’s key to determine whether your nearshore team will be successful working with remote teams or partners around the world. Ask questions that will give you insight into their communication skills and willingness to collaborate.

• What strengths do you think are most important in a developer of [x position]?
• How do you handle working with colleagues who are culturally different from yourself?
• What strategies have you used when communicating over long distances?
• If something comes up and you are unable to join a meeting, how do you handle it?
• What do you think are the qualities of a successful remote team leader?

Finally, ask a few open-ended questions at the end of the interview that will give the candidate an opportunity to express themselves without worrying too much about getting it wrong. These types of questions will help identify a potential hire's personality traits which can help ensure a good fit for your team.

Making sure you have the right people on your nearshore technology team is key to success, so consider including some of these questions as part of your tech interviewing process. With these in mind, your next nearshore tech talent interview should be smooth sailing!


References: https://www.roberthalf.com/blog/how-to-interview-candidates/7-must-ask-tech-interview-questions

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