How to Pass a Technical Interview: What Interviewers Actually Look For

If you’ve ever left a technical interview replaying every pause, every “maybe I should’ve said it differently,” you’re not alone.

Even experienced engineers, analysts, and testers often walk into interviews feeling like they need to perform perfectly: answer fast, avoid silence, and prove they know everything.

But from the interviewer’s side, that’s rarely what matters most.

Technical interviews are not exams. They’re conversations designed to understand how a person thinks, reasons, communicates, and works through uncertainty—just like they would on a real project.

To explore what interviewers actually look for, we spoke with Andrei Rohau, Back End Software Engineer and an Interview Process Manager in Engineering at Exadel.

Below, he shares a candid, behind-the-scenes view of technical interviews: what often gets misunderstood, what helps candidates stand out, and what makes interviewers think, “this person belongs in our team”.

What Interviewers Really Evaluate

At its core, a technical interview is not about checking how much a candidate knows. According to Andrei, it’s about understanding how they think and work.

”A technical interview is less about a specific language or framework and more about engineering thinking and real-world problem-solving behavior.”

Reasoning and problem decomposition

One of the key aspects is how a candidate reasons.
Can they break it down into smaller parts?
Do they ask clarifying questions?
Do they identify constraints and make conscious assumptions instead of jumping straight into coding?

Understanding solutions, not memorized answers

We look at whether candidates understand why a solution works, rather than just reproducing patterns without grasping the consequences.

Decision-making and trade-offs

Another important aspect is the ability to make decisions. This includes how a candidate chooses between different options and whether they can explain trade-offs such as performance, complexity, maintainability, or scalability.

Handling uncertainty

How a candidate behaves when they don’t know the answer immediately also matters. Do they panic, go silent, or calmly reason, propose hypotheses, and outline validation steps?

Code-quality mindset

We pay attention to whether candidates think about readability, testability, error handling, and responsibility boundaries, or if they only focus on ‘making it work.’

Communication and real experience

“Communication is essential. Candidates should be able to clearly explain their thought process and decisions—that’s critical for team-based development.”

Experience backed by reasoning

Experience should appear real, reflected in examples, details, and an understanding of the consequences of past decisions.

Myth vs Reality: Why Interviews Aren’t Exams

“A technical interview is closer to a simulation of real collaboration than a test of memory or speed.”

Many candidates approach interviews with the wrong expectations.

“A common misconception is the belief that technical interviews are like exams—evaluated on the number of correct answers, knowledge of syntax, and precise recall of technologies.

Because of this, candidates try to appear flawless, are afraid of pauses, and assume that not knowing something automatically means failure.

In reality, interviewers are much more interested in how a candidate thinks, reasons, asks questions, and explains decisions.

Mistakes, uncertainty, and clarification are a natural part of the process and often reveal far more about a candidate than perfectly memorized answers.”

Common Interview Mistakes, and How to Avoid Them

Treating the interview as a search for “correct answers,” regardless of the role.

Developers, business analysts, and testers may jump straight into a solution, a scenario, or a formal statement without clarifying the context, business goals, or constraints.

Ask clarifying questions upfront and explicitly state assumptions. This shows the ability to work with uncertainty—a core real-world skill.

Focusing too narrowly on one’s specialization and losing sight of the bigger picture.

A business analyst might dive into detailed requirements too early, a tester into edge cases, and a developer into implementation details—without connecting their actions to business value.

Interviewers appreciate candidates who consistently link their decisions to the underlying goal: why it matters to the user, the business, or the system as a whole.

Some candidates don’t verbalize their thought process, hesitate to ask questions, or fail to explain why they make certain decisions.

Regardless of role, interviewers want to understand how a person thinks, collaborates, and makes decisions within a team.

Treating the interview as a dialogue and a joint problem-solving exercise positions the candidate as a team contributor rather than a narrow specialist.

The “I Don’t Know” Moment

“Saying ‘I don’t know’ during an interview is normal, and often the right thing to do. What matters is not the lack of knowledge itself, but how that moment is handled.

A weak response is guessing, speaking vaguely, or pretending to understand the topic. A much stronger response is an honest admission followed by reasoning: outlining assumptions, identifying what information is missing, and explaining how the answer could be found or a hypothesis validated.

Demonstrating the ability to work with uncertainty—by asking clarifying questions, making assumptions explicit, and describing a thoughtful decision-making process—reflects a professional and realistic approach to work.

In interviews, “I don’t know” rarely becomes a problem on its own. What matters is whether it turns into a dead end or a starting point for meaningful discussion.

What Makes Interviewers Think “This Person Belongs in Our Team”

“The thought ‘this person belongs in our team’ usually appears when working with a candidate feels comfortable and effective, even within the limited time of an interview.

✓ They listen carefully, ask relevant questions, and try to understand the context and the goal, not just complete a formal task.

✓ Their answers show structured thinking, ownership of decisions, and a willingness to discuss options rather than defend their own view at all costs.

✓ They reason calmly, acknowledge uncertainty, can clearly explain their thought process, and are open to feedback.

✓ They think beyond their immediate responsibilities and consider how their decisions affect others and the overall outcome.

As a result, the candidate comes across not as “someone for a role,” but as a true team member with whom it’s possible to solve problems together, have constructive disagreements, and move the product forward.”

Before You Join the Interview Call

Right before joining an interview, it helps to remember that there are real people on the other side of the screen. This is not a hunt for mistakes or a performance to perfect, but a conversation about what working together might look like.

Interviewers are just as interested in a calm, meaningful discussion as candidates are.

Approaching the interview as a discussion rather than a performance makes it easier to think out loud, ask questions, clarify context, and take pauses. If something is unclear or the answer isn’t obvious, that’s acceptable. What matters more is showing a thoughtful approach and the ability to navigate uncertainty.

A helpful mindset is to treat the interview as a meeting with potential colleagues. Use the time not only to present yourself, but also to understand whether the team, the work, and the collaboration style match your own expectations.

Final Thoughts

Technical interviews ≠ perfection.

Technical interview = collaboration, reasoning, and realistic problem-solving.

Candidates who focus less on appearing flawless and more on communicating their thinking, handling uncertainty, and connecting decisions to real goals tend to leave a much stronger impression.

Ultimately, the most successful interviews feel less like tests and more like the beginning of a working relationship.

If you feel ready to ace your next technical interview, take the next step. Check out our open positions, send us your CV, and let’s continue the conversation.

See you at the interview!