JOB GUIDE · MOKILIX ENTRETIEN
Job interview: Web developer
Your projects speak louder than your qualifications: come with code to show and a story to tell for each one.
THE JOB
What recruiters expect
Web developers are recruited by digital agencies, young technology companies, telecommunications operators, banks, the media, NGOs and government departments that are putting their services online. Many also work freelance or remotely for clients abroad. A beginner is expected to have solid basics, visible personal projects and a desire to learn. An experienced candidate is expected to make reasoned technical choices, to write maintainable code, to give reliable time estimates and to mentor junior colleagues.
Skills assessed at interview
- Command of the basics: HTML, CSS, JavaScript and a server-side language
- Databases and application programming interfaces (APIs)
- Version control with Git and teamwork
- A method for finding and fixing errors
- Ability to understand a client’s need and to estimate a timeframe
Job family: IT and digital
QUESTIONS WITH ADVICE
Seven questions to prepare
- 01
Present a project you are proud of and your technical choices.
Choose a project you can show online or on your computer. Explain the need, why you chose these tools and the main difficulty you solved. Keep a copy that can be viewed without a connection, in case the network fails.
- 02
How do you go about finding and fixing a bug?
Describe an orderly approach: reproduce the error, read the message, isolate the cause, fix it, check, then add a test. Illustrate with a real bug that gave you trouble. The recruiter wants to see a method, not luck.
- 03
How do you use Git when working in a team?
Talk about branches, clear commit messages and code review by a colleague. Describe a merge conflict and how you resolved it. If you have always worked alone, say so and show your personal repository.
- 04
How do you make sure a site stays fast with a slow connection and on an entry-level phone?
Name concrete measures: lighter images, lightweight pages, caching, lazy loading of whatever is not essential. Say how you test, for example by simulating a slow network in the browser. This question matters a great deal where mobile internet is expensive.
- 05
What precautions do you take for the security of a web application?
Mention the basics: validation of input data, passwords never stored in plain text, access rights, updates, backups. Stick to what you really practise. Acknowledging a limit and saying how you are learning is better than a recited answer.
- 06
A client asks you for a vague feature for next week. What do you do?
Show that you ask questions to clarify the need and that you restate it in writing. Suggest a breakdown with a first deliverable version and a realistic timeframe. Say no to what is impossible, while offering an alternative.
- 07
How do you keep up to date and what have you learned recently?
Name your usual sources and, above all, something you learned recently and put into practice in a small project. Talk too about taking part in a local or online community. Avoid listing technologies you have only skimmed.
Common mistakes
- Listing on your CV technologies that you cannot explain.
- Coming with no project to show and no code that can be viewed.
- Refusing the practical exercise or staying silent while you do it: think out loud.
Questions to ask the recruiter
- Which technologies do you use and how is the team organised?
- How do code review and deployment work?
- Is the job on site, remote or hybrid, and what equipment is provided?
Preparation guide written by MOKILIX: it replaces neither the employer’s advert nor the advice of a professional in the field.
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