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If you’re preparing for an interview for a programmer analyst position or any position, for that matter, one of the most important things you can do to prepare is to practice answering commonly asked interview questions.
While you can’t and shouldn’t try to memorize your answers or prepare for every question you could encounter, getting comfortable with some of the most common ones will help you formulate your main points about why you’re the best candidate for the job.
In this article, you’ll find 15 interview questions and example answers that you can use as a reference while you’re preparing for your meeting.
You may notice that many of these questions are situational interview questions. This means that the interviewer is asking you to give a specific example or to tell a story about your experience that gives them a picture of how you’ve used the skills you listed on your resume in the past.
If you don’t have a story that fits, you can say so and then explain what you would do if you were in that situation, or you can share a similar experience that still allowed you to demonstrate those skills. This is especially helpful if you don’t have much work experience yet.
However you choose to answer, make sure you use the STAR method (situation, task, action, result) to structure your answers. Start by explaining the situation, then talk about the task you had to complete because of the situation, and finally move to the actions you took and the result of those actions.
In addition to these types of questions, you’ll likely encounter several technical questions since your job as a programmer analyst requires unique technical expertise.
To prepare for these, brush up on your programming languages, think through examples of projects you worked on, and try to find someone else who interviewed for a similar position and could give you some examples of what questions they were asked.
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Tell me about your experience as a programmer analyst.
I’ve worked as a programmer analyst for three years, and even though I worked for just one company during that time, I worked at two different locations. This gave me good experience working on similar projects and learning to meet the different locations’ unique needs.
What are the qualities that you believe are most important to have as a computer programmer analyst?
I believe that problem solving, and attention to detail are the most important qualities you can have as a programmer analyst. Without attention to detail, you’ll make mistakes that will cost time and money to fix, not to mention any potentially larger ramifications that might come with them.
Without problem-solving, your work will be much less effective since you won’t be creating programs that truly solve a problem or fix issues efficiently.
What was the first programming language you learned?
When I was in high school, I learned Swift so that I could design an iPhone app. I created a game, and it did pretty well with 1,000 downloads during the first year it was up.
Tell me about your experience with different programming languages.
I’ve learned Java, C++, and Swift, but at my current job, I mainly use C++. I got familiar with the others when I was in college, so I’m sure they’d come back quickly, I just haven’t used them in a while.
Tell me about the most recent project you’ve worked on.
The company I most recently worked for needed a better software program for delivery driver scheduling to adapt more easily if a driver couldn’t make their shift.
My team was assigned the project, and since there were only three of us on the team, we all wore several hats. Because of this, I got to do a little bit of everything with this project. It was successful, and we haven’t had any update requests from that department since.
Describe a time you had to explain complicated system design to someone who didn’t have a background in programming.
I was given the honor of leading a project team, but I had to present the project to our VP. She doesn’t have a programming background, so I made sure I focused on the product’s end result rather than the technicalities.
When I was preparing to explain the technical workings of the project, I went back through my presentation and removed or defined every field-specific term that she wouldn’t have a reference for.
Afterward, the VP complimented my supervisor and me on how easy my presentation was to follow.
How would you describe your leadership style?
At my most recent position, I led a team of four developers, and I used a generally hands-off approach to leading them.
I’d work with them to develop our goals for a project, set a few check-in dates along the way, assign project roles based on each person’s strongest skills, and then let them know that I was available for any questions but that I trusted them to get it done.
I’d meet with them at each check-in date to make sure everything was on track, but other than that, I noticed that I got the best results from people when I allowed them to use their skills to their fullest potential instead of micromanaging them.
Is a Java String immutable?
Yes, String is a special class that is final and immutable. Because of this, the object can’t be changed, and the class can’t be inherited.
What are some common software policies that companies should implement?
It sounds simple, but one of the most important and effective software policies a company can have is not to allow employees to download software without authorization. This protects the company’s data and prevents unnecessary problems.
In addition to this, not allowing anyone to access company data through external drives is also important. This helps keep people accountable for what they’re accessing and how they’re accessing it and preventing data breaches.
How do you stay up to date with innovations and changes in your field?
I subscribe to several different blogs and publications to keep up with industry news. I follow several leading companies and individuals on social media, and I work to attend three professional development courses each year, whether conferences or individual classes.
Tell me about a time when you improved the performance of existing software.
My first job was working for the university I graduated from, and I knew from experience that the software system they used to post grades was not reliable.
During a slower season, I asked my supervisor if I could try to improve it. She permitted me, and I was able to clean up the code and streamline it so that it moved faster and was more user-friendly.
I asked several professors and students what they would want to see changed in the software and tried to implement those suggestions as well. When I asked them what they thought about the new program, the response was overwhelmingly positive.
How do you organize your work so that you keep up with a large load and meet deadlines?
I have an app on my phone and laptop that is part calendar and part to-do list. Since it’s on my phone, I can quickly add things to it during meetings or as people mention tasks they need me to complete. I then prioritize my tasks and organize them into my calendar for the week.
I often adjust my lists as I go, but this helps me make sure nothing falls through the cracks and focus on the most important tasks during the week.
Describe how you’ve used new technology to improve the company you work for.
When I arrived at my most recent position, I noticed that the department I worked for handled all online chat requests themselves. Many of the questions people were asking required simple answers, but the sheer volume meant answering them all ate up a lot of time.
I implemented a new chatbot program that would automatically respond to some of these simple requests, cutting down on the number of chats our team had to answer. During the rest of my time there, I continued to improve the program, increasing the number of questions it could answer on its own.
My supervisor and team were very thankful, and, thanks to the extra time we had, we were even able to tackle a project they had wanted to get to for about a year.
Tell me about a time when you solved a problem in your job.
I was working on a coding project a few years ago, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t get it to run correctly. I checked and rechecked my code, but I couldn’t find the problem.
So, I asked one of my coworkers to see if he could find the problem, and he couldn’t. I then asked my question on a programmer forum to see if anyone else had any ideas or had dealt with something similar. Thankfully one person did, and their solution worked.
Do you prefer to work alone or in groups?
I like some of each. I do my best-concentrated work when I’m alone, but I’ve experienced the value of working in groups time and time again as well. Sometimes it’s nice to have someone you can bounce an idea off of, and I find that we tend to be much more creative when working as a group.