Hey, I'm in an engineering calss at my highschool and i need to interview an engineer about his job. I am going to interview a software engineer, what are some good questions that is can ask him? because i am all out of ideas.
2006-10-10 09:38:21 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
I will preface this answer with my experience. I am an electronics engineer with a hardware emphasis rather than software emphasis, although I have written programs in C, C++, assembly, basic, pascal, etc. I have 20 years of experience in design and management of engineers. I would ask:
1. Do you comment your code and to what extent do you document the code so that you and others can come back to it and understand it later?
2. What was your favorite project and why?
3. What was your least favorite project and why?
4. What is your favorite programming language and why?
5. Why are you interested in this position?
Engineering is about solving technical problems. Do not let other answers on this topic mislead you. Certainly management plays a role in engineering, but focussing on buzzwords dealing with project planning will not help you hire a good technically competent engineer, although it would tell a technically competent engineer to avoid working for your company if given an offer. Similarly, asking questions dealing with the egotism or strangeness of software engineers is likely to be a losing path to hiring a good engineer. Stick with questions that challenge the interviewee to answer truthfully so that you can gauge his/her experience and ability to mesh with your existing engineering team.
2006-10-10 13:55:30 · answer #1 · answered by SkyWayGuy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
HA!! I am a software engineer, and I am all over this!
1) What is it like having what is rated as the #1 job to have?
2) What role does logic play in your day to day duties?
3) What role does creativity play in your day to day activities?
4) Do other people who do not share your education and experience understand the work you do?
5) What personality issues do you have with your coworkers and boss?
6) Does working in software have any peculiarities that make it unlike any other type of work?
7) Do the people you work with have common or conflicting goals?
I could go on and on all day on this one...that should be plenty for good discussion for a high school report. Message me if you need more ?s.
2006-10-10 09:44:58 · answer #2 · answered by bigdogthepirate 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Technical:
What kind of software engineering do you do? Embedded vs computer (Windows vs Unix).
What programming languages do you typically use?
How many lines of code do you typically write for a project? How many lines of code are there in a typical project for this company?
Personal:
Is this your dream job?
If you could change one thing about your job, what would it be and why?
What do you like about software engineering vs other jobs you've had?
What satisfaction do you get from writing code all day? Do you ever wish you had taken a job as a park ranger instead?
In what way has your work helped improve peoples lives?
How long have you worked for this company?
Do you write code for fun in your spare time?
Have you ever been laid?
2006-10-10 12:00:01 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Normally if experience software engineer, then you can go for a practical scenario like what you need and what you would do to develop a software. this will give you about 15 minutes of time.
If is a fresh graduate software engineer, you may ask he/she about the software development cycle, basic logic of computing, teamwork, and design.
2006-10-10 13:39:57 · answer #4 · answered by Mr. Logic 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ask him some implementation questions. Is the application of Earned Value Management really helping to keep his projects on track with regard to cost, schedule and performance? You may want to look up Earned Value Management first. It will make you look like you know what you are talking about. And maybe take a MS Project tutorial. Or if you want something simpler, ask about what tools he uses to make project implementation easier, or to help simplify project management. Not everything about engineering is totally technical. A good engineer knows how to effectively manage his projects.
2006-10-10 09:43:57 · answer #5 · answered by badkitty1969 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
What is the most challenging part of his job?
What is the most interesting part?
What part of his education has been most useful to him?
What would be his dream software engineering job? Why?
What does he think of open code?
What does he think about all the software piracy?
2006-10-10 09:44:19 · answer #6 · answered by Mee 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋