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How to prepare for (and ace) the web developer job interview

If you’re looking to start your career in web development, or applying for your next role in the field, you’ll want to hone your interview skills. When it comes to preparing for a web development job interview, many of the general interview rules apply—like researching the company in detail, familiarizing yourself with the job description, and preparing some questions to ask the hiring manager. In addition to the usual prep, there are certain steps you can take to prepare for, and ace, the web developer job interview. These include:

• Preparing your elevator pitch
• Practicing for the coding challenge
• Preparing answers to some of the most common web developer interview questions

Let’s take a look at each of these in more detail now.

Prepare your elevator pitch

Most interviews will start with the hiring manager or recruiter asking you to tell them a bit about yourself. This might seem like an easy one, but it’s important to get it right. That means preparing a concise “elevator pitch” that tells the right story. With your elevator pitch, you want to summarize who you are and the value you can bring in a way that relates to the role and the company. This is an excellent moment to summarize your relevant career history, convey passion for the field, and highlight some valuable soft skills. You can think of your elevator pitch as a verbal version of your LinkedIn profile summary. Aim to sum up who you are and what brought you to this point in the space of a minute or so. You can learn more about how to craft a great elevator pitch for job interviews in this guide.

Practice for the coding challenge

Most web developer hiring processes will involve a coding challenge. You may be asked to complete this before proceeding to the interview stage, or after your first interview. In some cases, you may be required to complete the coding challenge live, in front of the hiring manager or recruiters. Either way, it’s essential to prepare for this crucial step. If you’ve never done a coding challenge before, it’s worth practicing in the lead-up to your interview. You’ll find a round-up of ten coding challenge websites you can use to practice on here.

Prepare answers to some of the most common web developer interview questions

Some interview questions will crop up no matter what role you’re applying for—like “Tell me a bit about yourself” or “Why did you apply for our company?” Others will be more specific to the web development industry, and to the role itself. The kinds of questions you can expect will also vary depending on whether you’re a newcomer to the field interviewing for your first role, or a more senior engineer. Generally, web developer interview questions will fall into three categories: introductory questions (that’s when you’ll be asked for your elevator pitch!), behavioral questions (looking at how you handle certain situations and collaborate with others), and technical questions which will focus on your hard skills and technical knowledge. To help you, we’ve put together a guide with thirteen of the most common web developer interview questions (and advice on how to answer them).

So there you have it: Some actionable steps you can take to prepare for your first, or next, web developer job interview. For more career advice, check out the following:

• How to become a web developer (everything you need to know)
• Your complete web developer salary guide
• The best web development bootcamps on the market right now