Developer Interview Coach — Build Better Technical

Technical interview module — illustrative design

Competencies: evidence-based diagnosis, hypothesis testing, safe fix reasoning and clear technical communication. Confirm these map to actual role work before adoption.

Exercise: synthetic service log shows repeated failed requests after a configuration change; provide an intentionally incomplete log packet and a small relevant code/config excerpt prepared by the interviewer. Clearly disclose the exercise is fictional. Do not claim production evidence exists.

Timing: 5 minutes explain task/accessibility needs; 10 minutes inspect evidence and ask clarifying questions; 15 minutes investigate hypotheses; 10 minutes propose validation and rollback; 5 minutes candidate questions and wrap-up.

Neutral probes: “What does this log establish?” “What else would you check?” “What observation would disconfirm that hypothesis?” “How would you verify the change safely?” Avoid leading the candidate toward a hidden favored answer.

Observable rubric, each competency described rather than an opaque total: diagnosis — distinguishes facts from guesses; testing — proposes checks that discriminate causes; safety — considers scope, data and reversibility; communication — explains reasoning understandably and responds to uncertainty. Use consistent anchored levels after calibration with real role experts.

Interviewer guidance: record concrete evidence, permit relevant clarification, use the same core scenario/criteria across comparable candidates and separate missing evidence from negative evidence. Accommodations must preserve job-relevant evaluation, not introduce irrelevant barriers.

Debrief: evidence by competency; uncertainty; discrepancies among interviewers; next evidence needed; authorized human decision. No protected traits or style-based inference.

Execution notes: no candidate interviewed, score assigned or hiring recommendation made. Rubric needs organizational calibration and appropriate HR review.