Being well prepared for a job interview – both held on-site or remotely – is a precondition for getting the job, and the first step towards achieving this goal is getting acquainted with questions that might be asked by the recruiter, here – full stack developer interview questions. Next, you should practice answering them – in a brilliant and impressive way, of course.
In this article, we’ll focus on the specialized full stack interview questions, giving some examples of full stack engineer interview questions that you might hear during the employment interview as well as of other requirements (including the most sought-after technologies) that you may face.
These tips and pieces of information are definitely worth knowing – especially if we take into account that full stack web development is an extremely broad term. Also, these IT specialists are immensely versatile, which makes them desired in many industries, companies, and workplaces on one hand, but bound to learn new technologies regularly on the other. And that is what the recruiter might want to verify.
The point is not, however, to learn by heart answers to the questions about the full stack we expect to hear but to gather relevant facts and details to feel self-confident and carefree enough to impress the recruiter and present them with your best self.
In this article, the following threads will be discussed:
- Full-stack developer interview questions – what can you expect?
- List of 4 full stack interview questions worth repeating
- The most popular full stack developer interview questions – why it’s good to know them
Full stack developer interview questions – what can you expect?
But what exactly do full stack developers may expect during their job interviews? First and foremost, they may be asked about technologies known and utilized. And those which are required most often these days include JavaScript (mentioned in every third job ad), Java, and Git (enumerated in one in every four job listings) – the NoFluffJobs survey brought to light. The report on its findings also named .NET, HTML, and CSS as the current (as of 2020) must-haves for candidates in the full stack development area.
This versatility is what makes full stack developers so unique. They are the well-known multi-taskers who combine the working knowledge of technologies – let it be a programming language, a framework, or a library – associated with both the front end and the backend. Thanks to this, they can develop both client and server software, and, ideally, build the whole web application without any help. Designing, coding, debugging, and implementing software are what a full stack developer should be able to do.
What’s worth mentioning, is that although software developers and other IT people belong to the most sought-after specialists in the job market, getting the dream job in this area might not be that easy. Qualities such as proper experience, useful skills, and extensive knowledge as well as high quality and efficiency of services provided have simply become increasingly important in the COVID-19 era.
Accordingly, senior software developers and other IT specialists have become even more appreciated than before, and it was more difficult for juniors to get a decent job fast, an interesting survey by NoFluffJobs unveiled. It also showed that, in 2020, the number of full stack job offers grew, too (by 31% year to year), constituting the second biggest category in the Polish IT job market, only losing to backend ones.
Companies hire full stack specialists in a bid to leverage their businesses and take them to a whole new level. They are willing to pay well for a promise of achieving this goal But to receive a chance to do this, a software developer needs to showcase their abilities, skills, and full potential first.
List of 4 full stack interview questions worth repeating
There are many interesting questions full stack developers might be asked during a job interview. Due to their flexibility and versatility, there are many frameworks, programming languages, or other technologies they are expected to master and talk about freely. Here are some of the major full stack or JavaScript developer interview questions.
1. What is pair programming and do you have experience in this area?
Simultaneous work on code, algorithm, or test may be very beneficial in many regards, with delivering greater, error-free results faster topping the list. These days, pair programming, a part of the Extreme programming software development methodology and a popular Agile technique may be performed on the very same computer but also remotely, in a real-time collaboration mode.
Apart from talking about it, some real-life experience would be very appreciated, too. Also, a candidate’s pair programming competencies, including coding, communication, and teamwork skills may be verified during a live pair programming interview.
2. Discuss the latest trends in the area of full stack web development
Before attending the job interview, you should study not only the company’s portfolio, history, or mission and vision but also the latest trends regarding the full stack development itself. This will enrich you in professional terms plus, it can make you look more authentic, and seem to be a better fit for a given position.
Be well-informed – and gather relevant data, statistics, and facts. Know the latest trends concerning stack web development that include object-oriented programming, low-code software development, Internet of Things, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, and Augmented Reality, to name but a few.
3. What tools and dedicated resources for writing and debugging JavaScript code do you use?
Being highly efficient and self-sufficient is what employers often expect from newly hired software developers. For this reason, it’s good to know, utilize, and be able to enumerate during the job interview some specific tools for writing and debugging JavaScript code that software developers take advantage of. And some of the best ways to achieve this goal is making use of IDEs (like VS Code or Webstorm) that usually come with debugging tools.
4. What do you do in your day-to-day job to maintain high code quality?
The ability to deliver high-quality code is a hallmark of good programmers. Some of the ways to improve code deliveries include taking care of areas such as using transpilers and polyfills, performing automated tests with the Mocha or Jest frameworks, avoiding explanatory comments and describing the architecture instead, as well as debugging right in the browser.
Apart from direct questions that are to verify candidates’ level of expertise, they may also be asked to solve a programmatic problem. This is totally understandable because – as the saying goes, programming concerns „90% problem-solving and 10% writing code”. Live coding is, however, regarded as too stressful and too demanding by many IT juniors who prefer taking the task home instead.
The most popular full stack developer interview questions – why it’s good to know them
If you, too, represent the full stack specialization, or want to become a part of it, full stack developer interview questions and answers are definitely something you should know and exercise before the meeting that can possibly change your life begins. Revise as many areas of expertise as you can and try to figure out what other JavaScript or full stack interview questions might be asked by a recruiter.
If you feel well-prepared to answer JavaScript or full stack developer interview questions like those shown above, but still, they aren’t asked, just put on a brave face and show off what you’ve learned when preparing for the interview, anyway. Plus, knowing a lot will make you feel more self-confident, strong, and relaxed – a person any manager would like to have in their team.
But to make an IT recruitment process fruitful and successful, recruiters should be well-prepared, too. Indeed, this is the area software developers often complain about. As many as 34% of junior IT candidates admitted that they were asked some inadequate questions by interviewers, and 42% said that recruiters didn’t know the IT industry specificity – Junior Candidate Experience 2021 Report by NoFluffJobs indicated.
And you, which full stack developer questions do you recommend to revise for a recruitment process? Are there any important thoughts or tips regarding the job interview you would like to share? What competitive advantage can a full stack candidate master to become a part of the development dream team?
