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If you are an individual who enjoys being creative while working with computers, a career in web development might be the right fit for you. Web developers take web designs and turn them into websites.
This is done by writing lines of code using a variety of digital languages. Web developers essentially must take something we understand, such as the English language, and translate it into a computer language like HTML or Python.
Web programming can be time-consuming, heavy on the details, and require a lot of effort and dedication. It requires the developer to be fluent in computer languages, which is no easy feat.
We’ll walk you through the types of web developers, the steps to prepare for your job interview, and provide commonly asked interview questions and their answers.
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There are a few different types of web developers that might specialize in specific areas, making many large projects a collaborative effort. Web developers are broken down into three main categories:
Front-end developers. These types of web developers are responsible for the pieces of a website that the users interact with. Everything you see when you navigate a website including fonts, colors, dropdown menus, and sliders is the responsibility of the front-end developer.
This is a combination of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript codes that are controlled by your browser. This means front-end developers should be familiar with these types of programming, as well as frameworks such as Bootstrap, Foundation, Backbone, AngularJS, and EmberJS, to ensure great-looking content.
Back-end developers. Back-end developers are responsible for the back end of the website, typically consisting of a server, an application, and a database.
This means they build and maintain the technology that enables the components to work together and allows the user-facing side of the website to even exist.
Back-end devs should know server-side languages such as PHP, Ruby, Python, Java, and .Net to build an application and MySQL, Oracle, and SQL Server to help manage the data and serve it back to the front-end code.
Full-stack developers. These individuals work cross-functionally on the full “stack” of tech for a given project. Essentially, they are both the front-end and back-end developers in one, offering companies the full package in one person.
Like back-end devs, full-stack developers will work on the server-side of web programming, but they should be able to also speak the front-end languages to control how content looks on the user-facing website side.
Web developers can come in all shapes and sizes with a variety of backgrounds and different skills. Whether or not you get hired will be up to the organization and their specific needs.
Whatever the type of development you’re considering, it’s important to have skills like attention to detail, the ability to learn quickly, solve problems on the fly, and provide strong and efficient communication, in addition to the hard skills mentioned above.
Web development is a steadily growing career field with job opportunities across a variety of different fields and organizations. Once you have decided to pursue web development as your career, your next step is preparing for your interviews.
Interviews can be stressful and might be especially difficult for those looking to go into web development if they find themselves more introverted than, say, a salesperson.
Knowing what to expect can ease some of this anxiety and allow you to be better prepared when going in for your interview. Practicing answers to some of the expected questions can help boost your confidence and allow you to better showcase your skills during the interview.
Potential employers are looking for personality and culture fits, essential qualifications, and general enthusiasm for the position.
The best way to tackle effective responses to the questions asked during your interview is to look over the initial job description you saw when you first applied. Reviewing the job description will allow you to focus on the listed key qualifications and skills essential for the job.
Make a list of these things as you read over the job description. Try to sprinkle in a few keywords or highlight the specific abilities listed during your interview. This will resonate with the hiring manager and allow you to stand out from other candidates. This is a simple tactic to use that can help you shine.
Finally, ensure you give some thought to your attire. Depending on the type of developer position you’re applying for, this may vary. If you’re looking for a back-end developer job, you may not need to dress formally for your interview.
However, front-end developers might be client-facing, depending on the organization, so you’ll want to understand what type of setting you’re stepping into to ensure your attire is appropriate.
Bellow, we discuss some of the common questions web developers might be asked during their interviews as well as some potential answers that you can use as a starting point to craft your responses.
The questions you receive during your web developer interview will vary from organization to organization, depending on their specific needs. However, below we have compiled some of the most common questions you should expect to receive in a web developer interview.
It’s a good idea to practice your responses to these questions. To help, we’ve listed a few sample answers that can give you a starting point:
Why are you interested in a career as a software developer? The interviewer is looking for what motivates you and where your enthusiasm for software development lies. Be honest on this one, especially if web development is a passion of yours.
Example Answer:
“I have enjoyed software development throughout my career. I have a passion for websites and creativity. Web development allows me to pursue both of those passions at once.”
What is your experience like? An interview for a web developer will have a heavy focus on skills. You’ll be expected to discuss your experience, skills, and qualifications at length, so be prepared to do so during your interview.
Depending on the job at hand, you may not be required to have a lot of experience, but it’s important to be able to articulate what experience you do have.
Example Answer:
“I have five years of experience as a web developer. I spent two years as an intern and then as a back-end developer in my previous company.”
What are your career aspirations like? Your interviewer is likely looking to understand how loyal and committed you are to this line of work with this question. It’s best to be honest, within reason, for this question.
Example Answer:
“I would love to work my way up to become a senior software developer. I know that this career is full of learning curves and new trends to keep up with, but I am committed to this line of work and eager to continuously improve as a web developer.”
Why do you want to work for our company? The interviewer will likely ask this question in an interview. It’s important to do some research on the specific company for which you are interviewing before you arrive at your interview.
You’ll want to be able to understand the product or service they sell and be able to discuss your specific reasoning for wanting to work with them.
Example Answer:
“I greatly admire [Company]’s commitment to providing free or discounted services to low-income families. I know a company like that has great ethics and is filled with empathetic people and I would feel honored to be among them.”
What kind of development are you working on currently? This question is specifically probing for your contributions to a specific company and what you may be comfortable working on.
Example Answer:
“I’m currently a developer for a company that is getting large in the e-commerce space. I am responsible for building applications to help the company more easily track customer payments and information.”
How do you keep track of your project requirements? Organization and project management are very important for developers. Hiring managers are looking to see if you can stay organized at work and if you’re able to adequately juggle multiple projects at once.
Example Answer:
“I stay organized by using Google Sheets to track projects across requirements, important tasks, and deadlines. Using Google Suite allows me to access my spreadsheet at any time or place to ensure I have all of the necessary information to work.”
What type of programming languages are you skilled in? This is an expected question and important to hiring managers and even more important to answer correctly.
The interviewer wants to understand if you meet the specific qualifications listed on the job description. This is why it’s so important to review this before your interview.
Ensure that you also discuss that you’re willing to continue learning new languages, if necessary.
Describe a time a team member was struggling and you proactively reached out to help. As a software developer, you’ll likely be working in a team environment.
This question is looking to understand how you behave in team environments and how willing you are to jump in on a project when it might move off the rails.
Example Answer:
“At my previous job we were on a tight deadline to get a website stood up in a very short timeframe. Unfortunately, a colleague of mine had a personal emergency to tend to and needed to take a week away from work. My colleagues and I eagerly stepped in to manage her workload while she was out so that she wouldn’t have to worry about anything until she came back. The project was completed within the time constraints.”
What do you do when an application stops working? This job is meant to assess problem-solving and how you think about tackling an issue when it inevitably arises. The response is unique to the individual as problem-solving looks different for everyone.
Example Answer:
“When something stops working, first I work to identify the problem. From there, I work backward. What caused the issue? How can we avoid it from happening again? Once those questions are answered, we can work on addressing them one by one to smooth out the overall process and ensure the application works again.”
Tell me about a time you received negative feedback. How did you manage it? Because developers are working on websites that likely go into a client’s hands, they may be the scapegoats or the individuals who receive the most negative feedback.
It’s not always easy to hear, either, especially if you’ve worked hard on a project. It’s important to answer this question as positively as possible.
Example Answer:
“On an old project I worked on, the client came back to us and told us they hated the website we’d created. We hopped on the phone to discuss specifics to pinpoint the exact issues the client was having. It turned out, he didn’t like the navigation bar. It was an easy fix and we were able to save most of the project.”
What do you think will be the biggest trend in web development in the next few years? This question is looking to see how up-to-date you are in the development industry.
Since there are a variety of trends that will surface over the coming years, focus this time on trends you are excited to discuss with the hiring manager.
Example Answer:
“I am excited to see the future of Motion UI and voice search. I feel as though this will do a great service to the many individuals out there who may experience disabilities. It’ll help to improve their quality of life greatly when it comes to interacting with software or computers.”
How are your SQL skills? SQL skills are important, even if you aren’t interacting directly with the database. You’ll want to make sure you understand how data is structured.
Example Answer:
“I’ve had a few years of SQL experience working as a database administrator. I learned how to specifically access and manipulate databases.”
Are you interested in further developing your skills? This is another question looking to understand what your future goals are and how willing you would be to introduce a new language into your repertoire. Being open to continuous learning is so important and can help you stand out against other candidates.
Example Answer:
“I am always open to learning new web development skills. I am excited about learning and passionate about this career and would be willing to learn what I need to do my job adequately.”
What are your favorite types of projects to work on? There may be specific projects that you love, but it’s recommended to surface projects that are similar to the ones you think you’ll be working on in this environment.
Of course, you should always bring truth into your responses, but strategically, it’ll land better to discuss projects that the hiring manager is familiar with.
Example Answer:
“I enjoy working on microsites for clients. They are short and sweet projects and typically give me a good idea of future bigger projects they may need.”
Tell me about your favorite software development project. Again, your potential employer might be searching to understand where you can best fit on the team.
This is an opportunity to discuss a project you were proud of and perhaps one you were able to lead. This will help you be confident in your response and be more ready to answer specific follow-up questions if asked.
Example Answer:
“One of my favorite software development projects was when we were developing a website for a big client, We were trying to develop an effective navigation menu, but there were simply too many categories that the client wanted. We settled on a mega menu which was a huge learning experience for me and my team. We collaborated and created something wonderful for our client.”
Help me find the errors in this code. This is a typical test for web developers. You may be required to look at a piece of code and correctly identify and correct any errors.
Be prepared for this kind of test when you go in for an interview. It may happen on premises at the interview or might be a follow-up activity after the in-person interview.