One of the best ways to identify promising candidates for a job opening is via a telephone interview. By asking both general and position-specific questions, you can get a read on candidates’ experience, skills, and personality. This cheat sheet provides a framework for assessing qualifications for the software developer role. We’ve provided sample answers, which you can replace with your own information.

From the cheat sheet:

Can you describe a software development project you worked on in which you overcame a new challenge?

The candidate described having to develop a software interface that properly calculated sales tax by zip code throughout North America. His current employer required the new capability, which he wasn’t familiar with. So he consulted with potential vendors, conducted internet research, and taught himself what he needed to know to complete the initiative.

How do you do ensure that deadlines don’t slip when managing multiple initiatives?
The candidate described the methods he follows when prioritizing work. His methods include leveraging daily scrums and providing regular status reports to his manager to make sure priorities and projects remain on track with deadlines.

Do you have any experience working within our specific industry?
The candidate has worked within the financial services and manufacturing sectors.

With which programming languages do you have the most expertise?
The candidate earned Microsoft MCSD certification and has worked with Microsoft Visual Studio, Team Foundation Server, Azure, ASP.NET, PHP, and Python technologies.