In 2025, technical hiring is becoming more competitive and more complex. According to a June 2025 Business Insider report, one in four tech job listings now demand AI expertise, reflecting a significant industry shift toward AI-native engineering practices. At the same time, software engineer job postings are rebounding, up 47% year-over-year for entry-level roles, though overall listings are still 35% below 2020 levels. This mix of high demand and intense scrutiny means identifying the right talent isn’t just about hard skills—it's about finding engineers who can thrive in fast-moving, hybrid, and AI-assisted environments.What Are the best Software Engineer Interview Questions to ask?Software engineer interview questions are designed to evaluate more than just technical know-how. They help assess:Technical Depth – Mastery of core languages, frameworks, and toolsArchitectural Thinking – Ability to design scalable, maintainable systemsProblem-Solving Skills – Logical reasoning and algorithmic fluencyTeam Dynamics – How candidates collaborate, communicate, and resolve conflictModern Readiness – Familiarity with AI workflows, async tools, and remote-first best practicesWhy These Questions Matter in 2025AI Fluency is no longer optional. With GitHub Copilot and Claude AI integrated into workflows, top engineers must know how to leverage these tools, not just avoid them.Remote Work Is Still Dominant. Async communication and autonomy are essential, especially for global teams.Security & Code Integrity are increasingly under the spotlight, particularly for companies handling sensitive data.Hiring Efficiency matters. With budgets tighter post-2023, hiring managers can’t afford long cycles or false positives.Best Practices for Conducting InterviewsStandardize Your Questions: Use consistent criteria to reduce bias and improve hiring signal.Use Mixed Modalities: Pair real-time sessions with take-home assessments and async video responses.Score Soft Skills Deliberately: Behavioral traits often correlate with long-term success.Leverage AI Review: Use tools that detect plagiarized code, AI-generated answers, or irregular interview behavior.Track Interview Performance Over Time: Use structured scorecards to refine your process and feedback loops.Why Interview Strategy Matters in 2025The global demand for software engineers is projected to rise by 25% by the end of 2025, according to recent reports from McKinsey and Glassdoor. But with the boom in remote and contract work, many candidates now boast polished resumes yet struggle with core collaboration or problem-solving in practical environments.This makes it more essential than ever to ask the right questions—ones that reflect your company’s values, tech stack, and long-term goals.Technical Questions (Core Competency)These questions assess a candidate's programming fundamentals, system design understanding, and debugging ability.What’s the difference between a stack and a queue?How would you refactor a large monolithic application into microservices?Explain the difference between synchronous and asynchronous code.How do you manage memory in a language like C++?What’s the Big O of binary search? Can you explain why?How would you design a URL shortener like Bitly?What is a race condition, and how do you prevent it?Describe your process for debugging a slow-running query.What’s the difference between SQL and NoSQL databases?Can you walk through a RESTful API you’ve built?Front-End Specific QuestionsEvaluate the candidate’s understanding of modern front-end frameworks, accessibility, and performance.How do you manage component state in React?What’s the difference between null and undefined in JavaScript?How would you optimize a web app for mobile performance?What accessibility practices do you follow in UI development?Describe the virtual DOM and its benefits.What’s your go-to method for handling responsive design?Have you used any component libraries? Which and why?How do you handle cross-browser compatibility issues?What is hydration in server-side rendering?Describe a tricky UI bug you recently solved.Back-End Specific QuestionsGreat for roles focused on infrastructure, performance, and APIs.What is a REST vs. GraphQL API and when would you choose each?How do you handle authentication and authorization securely?What is eventual consistency, and where is it acceptable?Explain your experience with Docker or Kubernetes.What’s the difference between a thread and a process?Describe an incident where you optimized server response times.What caching strategy have you implemented in the past?Can you describe a system you’ve built from scratch?What’s your process for writing scalable APIs?How do you prevent SQL injection?Soft Skills & Culture FitUse these to understand how a candidate collaborates, handles ambiguity, and grows.How do you approach learning a new language or framework?Can you describe a time when you disagreed with a teammate?What do you do when you get stuck on a problem?Tell us about a project where requirements changed mid-way. How did you handle it?How do you stay current with tech trends?Describe your ideal team environment.What role do code reviews play in your workflow?How do you balance speed and code quality?Have you ever mentored someone? How did it go?What do you enjoy most about engineering?Scenario-Based QuestionsDesigned to test real-world judgment and depth of thinking.You’re given a legacy codebase with no documentation. Where do you start?A major bug hits production. What’s your first step?You’re behind schedule on a feature. What do you do?You discover a teammate has introduced a security flaw. How do you approach it?How would you handle a situation where a PM constantly changes requirements?You join a team with poor test coverage. What do you prioritize?You find yourself frequently rewriting the same utility function. What’s your solution?You receive vague product requirements. How do you clarify them?Your app experiences a traffic spike. What steps do you take?You inherit a codebase full of technical debt. How do you proceed?Best Practices for 2025 InterviewsUse async video interviews for initial screening to save time and catch soft skills early.Incorporate take-home tests only when they reflect real work scenarios.Leverage AI feedback tools to rate code submissions for objectivity and speed.Standardize question sets to ensure fairness across candidates.Pitfalls to AvoidAsking only algorithmic questions (real-world coding is not just LeetCode).Ignoring cultural fit or communication ability.Over-indexing on resume pedigree rather than actual skill.Conducting long, unpaid take-home projects.Forgetting to sell your company—top talent has options.Case Study: MURAL’s Async Interview ApproachMURAL, a leading visual collaboration platform, revamped its hiring in 2024 to accommodate remote scalability. According to their VP of Engineering in a podcast interview with Dev Interrupted, MURAL incorporated asynchronous coding challenges and recorded video responses into their early-stage interview funnel.Why? They found:Reduction in scheduling delays by 60%More thoughtful candidate responses when given async time to respondFewer false negatives, especially for global candidates in different time zonesMURAL uses this approach to prioritize clarity, ownership, and async communication, which align closely with their day-to-day engineering culture.Final ThoughtsHiring top-tier software engineers in 2025 requires more than clever puzzles or flashy resumes. It takes a thoughtful, structured, and evidence-driven interview process. By asking the right mix of technical, architectural, behavioral, and AI-readiness questions, teams can consistently identify standout candidates.Scalewtice supports this approach by enabling structured asynchronous video interviews, enhanced with AI feedback and cheat detection. This lets hiring teams assess candidates fairly, at scale, and with deeper insight—without compromising speed or integrity. It’s especially valuable for evaluating remote and global talent, where async workflows and trust in candidate authenticity are critical.
