How to Assess Technical Skills During Interviews Without Coding Tests

Tired of coding tests that feel disconnected from actual work? There are better ways to assess technical skills during interviews. Instead of relying on artificial challenges, you can evaluate candidates using methods that reflect real job demands. Here’s how:

• Portfolio Reviews: Analyze GitHub repositories, open-source contributions, or Stack Overflow profiles to assess coding quality, problem-solving, and documentation.
• Take-Home Projects: Assign short, focused tasks that simulate job-related challenges, while respecting candidates' time (2-3 hours max).
• Live Technical Interviews: Use pair programming or collaborative problem-solving to evaluate skills and teamwork in real-time.
• Technical Conversations: Dive into past projects, decision-making processes, and hypothetical scenarios to gauge expertise and communication.

These approaches not only provide a clearer picture of a candidate's abilities but also create a more engaging and respectful hiring experience. By focusing on practical, job-relevant skills, you can attract and identify the best talent while building trust with candidates.

Why Coding Tests Fall Short

Problems with Standard Coding Tests

Traditional coding tests often place candidates in artificial, high-pressure situations that fail to reflect the realities of a developer's day-to-day work. These tests typically focus on solving theoretical problems within a limited timeframe, ignoring the collaborative, research-driven, and iterative nature of real-world development. In actual roles, developers rely on tools, teamwork, and resources - none of which are accounted for in these isolated exercises. As a result, performance in such tests may not provide an accurate picture of a candidate’s technical abilities or potential.

How Coding Tests Affect Candidates

For experienced professionals, especially senior developers, these tests can feel disconnected from the skills they’ve honed over years of work. Timed tasks often fail to capture the depth of their expertise or the nuanced challenges they tackle regularly. The pressure to perform quickly can disadvantage candidates who excel in thoughtful, methodical problem-solving rather than rapid responses. This misalignment can lead to frustration, potentially deterring strong candidates and even tarnishing a company’s reputation within the developer community. When hiring processes feel out of touch with the realities of the job, they risk alienating top talent.

Advantages of Different Assessment Methods

Instead of relying on traditional coding tests, alternative methods like portfolio reviews, project-based tasks, or in-depth discussions about past work can offer a more complete picture of a candidate’s abilities. Portfolios showcase how developers approach real-world problems and refine their solutions over time. Conversations about previous projects can reveal not only technical expertise but also communication and collaboration skills - qualities essential for success in team environments. Realistic, project-based exercises mimic the challenges developers face on the job, making them a better measure of practical skills. These approaches create a hiring process that’s more aligned with the demands of software development and leaves candidates feeling respected and valued.

Alternative Methods for Evaluating Technical Skills

Reviewing Portfolios and Work Samples

A developer's portfolio is like a window into their coding world. By examining a candidate's GitHub repository, you can see how they organize their code, handle tricky edge cases, and maintain projects over time. Recent commits can tell you if they’re staying current with coding standards, while the quality of their documentation shows how well they can explain technical concepts to others.

When reviewing GitHub repositories, focus on the quality of contributions rather than the sheer number of projects. Check the commit history to see how they refine solutions and respond to challenges. Well-maintained projects with clear README files, thoughtful commit messages, and proper version control practices can reveal a level of professionalism that translates directly to workplace performance.

Another valuable resource? Stack Overflow profiles. A developer with upvoted answers on relevant topics isn’t just knowledgeable - they’ve demonstrated an ability to break down complex ideas and help others solve problems. This skill is crucial when collaborating with teammates or mentoring junior developers.

Open-source contributions are particularly noteworthy. When candidates have merged pull requests in prominent projects, it shows they can navigate real-world review processes, follow established guidelines, and accept feedback from maintainers. These experiences highlight their ability to work within an existing codebase and contribute effectively.

For a deeper understanding, ask candidates to walk you through a project they’re proud of. This discussion can reveal their thought process, the decisions they made, and how they weighed trade-offs. Pay attention to how they explain their work - can they make intricate ideas understandable without oversimplifying? This clarity often separates good developers from great ones.

Next, take it a step further by assessing their skills with practical, real-world challenges.

Time-Limited Take-Home Projects

Take-home projects are a great way to evaluate a candidate's ability to tackle real-world tasks. These assignments bridge the gap between artificial coding tests and actual job responsibilities - if they’re designed thoughtfully. A good take-home project should mirror the challenges of the role and take no more than 2-3 hours to complete.

To make these projects meaningful, focus on realistic scenarios. For instance, instead of asking a candidate to build an entire application, narrow the scope to a specific feature or problem. A backend developer might design an API endpoint for a data transformation, while a frontend developer could create a user interface component addressing a particular challenge.

Be clear about what you’re looking for. Communicate whether you value code organization, performance, error handling, or user experience more. Transparency helps candidates direct their efforts and reduces unnecessary stress. Include any constraints or requirements upfront, such as preferred technologies or performance benchmarks.

Respecting candidates’ time is key. Be upfront about the time commitment and avoid projects that demand long hours. For more time-intensive tasks, especially for senior-level roles, consider offering compensation to acknowledge their effort.

When reviewing submissions, don’t just check if the code works. Look at how candidates approached the problem, handled edge cases, and documented their decisions. The best submissions often include a brief explanation of their process - what assumptions they made, how they tackled the challenge, and what they’d improve with more time. These insights give you a glimpse into how they think about their craft.

Live Technical Interviews and Pair Programming

Live technical sessions offer a unique chance to see how candidates solve problems and collaborate in real time. Unlike traditional whiteboard interviews, these sessions mimic real-world teamwork. Create a relaxed environment where candidates can use their preferred tools, consult documentation, and work naturally - just as they would on the job.

Pair programming is particularly effective for evaluating both technical and collaboration skills. Present a real problem from your codebase (with any sensitive details removed) and work through it together. Watch how candidates ask questions, propose solutions, and respond to feedback. Do they explore multiple approaches before settling on one? Can they explain their reasoning as they code? These behaviors often predict success better than memorized answers.

Tailor the session to reflect actual job tasks. For roles involving debugging, work through a bug together. For positions focused on feature development, collaborate on a small enhancement. This approach not only shows how candidates would perform in the role but also gives them a preview of the work they’d be doing.

Adjust the difficulty to match the role. Junior developers should have the opportunity to showcase foundational skills without being overwhelmed, while senior candidates can tackle more complex challenges that highlight their experience with architecture, scalability, or leadership. Set realistic expectations based on the position.

Finally, pay close attention to how candidates communicate during these sessions. Do they think out loud, making their reasoning clear? Are they open to suggestions and able to incorporate feedback? These soft skills are often just as important as technical expertise. The best developers combine strong coding abilities with the emotional intelligence to thrive in a team setting.

Conducting Technical Conversations

Technical conversations provide a window into a candidate's thought process, decision-making, and communication skills. While project reviews and take-home tasks offer valuable insights, these discussions go a step further by revealing how candidates approach complex challenges in real time. The goal is to create a natural, engaging dialogue that uncovers how they think and solve problems.

Encourage a two-way exchange. Candidates should feel comfortable thinking aloud and asking clarifying questions. This mirrors the way developers work in teams - collaborating, weighing trade-offs, and explaining their reasoning to colleagues or stakeholders.

Building on project-based assessments, technical conversations offer a deeper understanding of how candidates tackle real-world challenges.

Discussing Technical Decisions and Problem-Solving

Start by asking candidates to walk you through a challenging project they’ve worked on. Focus on their decision-making process: What constraints shaped their approach? What alternatives did they explore? Why did they settle on the final solution?

Pay close attention to how they set the stage. Strong candidates will explain the context - business goals, performance needs, or team dynamics that influenced their decisions. For example, they might describe opting for a simpler architecture to meet a tight deadline. This shows they understand that technical decisions are rarely made in isolation.

Dive deeper by exploring trade-offs. Ask what compromises they made and why. A good follow-up is, "Looking back, what would you do differently?" Candidates who can reflect on the downsides of their choices demonstrate self-awareness and maturity, recognizing the balance between speed, scalability, maintainability, and cost.

Scalability questions can be particularly revealing. Present a hypothetical scenario: What if their solution suddenly needed to handle 10 times the traffic or data? How would they adapt it? What would fail first, and how would they address it? These questions test their ability to anticipate system limitations and think ahead without needing to write code on the spot.

Another insightful topic is technical debt. Ask about their experience working with legacy code or suboptimal codebases. Did they refactor immediately, or did they work within the existing structure? Their answer reveals how they balance pragmatism with perfectionism - an essential skill for developers in real-world environments.

For less experienced candidates, shift the focus to hypothetical scenarios. Describe a common team challenge and ask how they’d approach it. The goal isn’t to find a "right" answer but to assess their problem-solving process. Do they break the problem into manageable parts? Do they ask the right questions? Can they weigh multiple options before committing to one?

These discussions naturally lead into evaluating their broader technical expertise.

Measuring Technical Knowledge and Expertise

Once you've explored their decision-making, shift the focus to their technical knowledge. This is your chance to assess how well they understand the tools and technologies they’ve worked with. The depth of their explanations will reveal whether they’ve mastered these tools or merely scratched the surface.

Start with open-ended questions about their preferred technologies. If a candidate lists React on their resume, ask them to explain how React’s virtual DOM works and why it’s important. Can they articulate its benefits and limitations? Do they know when React might not be the best choice? A deep understanding often goes beyond the "how" to include the "why."

Dive into specific tools and frameworks. For example, if they’ve worked with Django, ask about their experience with its ORM. Have they tackled common performance issues like inefficient database queries? This helps you gauge whether they understand the underlying mechanics or have only followed tutorials.

For senior candidates, architecture discussions are particularly valuable. Ask them to describe the architecture of a system they’ve built. How did the components communicate? Where were the bottlenecks? What kind of monitoring or logging did they implement? Strong candidates will connect their architectural decisions to business outcomes, explaining how their choices impacted performance, reliability, or development speed.

Don’t forget to touch on security, performance, and operational practices. Ask how they’ve addressed common security vulnerabilities like SQL injection or XSS attacks. When they mention performance improvements, dig deeper: What metrics did they track, and what results did they achieve?

Operational skills are just as important as coding ability. Ask about their version control practices, testing strategies, or deployment processes. How do they structure commits? What’s their preferred testing approach? Have they handled production incidents? These questions offer insight into their readiness to handle the day-to-day challenges of software development.

If the role is specialized, tailor your questions accordingly. A data engineer should be able to discuss ETL pipelines and distributed systems. A mobile developer should understand platform-specific constraints and offline functionality. The closer your questions align with the role’s responsibilities, the better you’ll assess their fit.

Throughout the conversation, observe how candidates explain complex ideas. Can they break down technical concepts without relying on jargon? Do they adapt their explanations based on your understanding? The ability to clearly communicate technical knowledge is crucial for teamwork, documentation, and mentoring - skills that grow in importance as developers advance in their careers.

Creating Assessments That Match the Role

When designing assessments for a role, it's important to tailor them to the specific responsibilities of the job. Generic coding puzzles might test problem-solving skills, but they don't always translate to real-world performance. Instead, the best assessments focus on the actual tasks candidates will face in their day-to-day work.

Define success by the skills the role truly demands - whether that's navigating platform constraints, working with distributed systems, or designing APIs. Your assessment should directly evaluate these abilities, rather than relying on abstract exercises.

Matching Assessments to Job Requirements

Start by identifying the technical requirements of the role. Break it down into the skills that directly impact job performance. For instance, if you're hiring a backend developer whose main focus will be optimizing database queries and building APIs, don't waste time testing skills unrelated to those tasks.

Choose assessment methods that align with the role's key technical needs. For example:

• Test PostgreSQL query optimization for someone working with databases.
• Evaluate Kubernetes container orchestration for roles involving cloud infrastructure.
• For senior engineers, focus on system design discussions rather than basic coding tasks.

Consider the seniority level of the role when crafting assessments:

• Junior developers should demonstrate strong fundamentals and a willingness to learn. Ask them to walk through solving a problem relevant to your tech stack.
• Mid-level developers need to show they can work independently and make sound technical decisions.
• Senior developers should showcase leadership skills, architectural thinking, and the ability to mentor teammates.

Don't overlook soft skills that are essential for the role. For example:

• Developers on distributed teams must have strong written communication skills.
• Candidates joining fast-paced startups need to handle ambiguity and adapt quickly.
• A technical lead should be able to break down complex ideas for non-technical stakeholders.

Incorporate these soft skills into your assessments by observing how candidates explain their thought process or approach challenges. This approach not only improves hiring accuracy but also builds trust with candidates by focusing on practical, job-relevant capabilities.

Match the assessment's time constraints to the role. If the job involves responding to production incidents, time-sensitive scenarios make sense. But for research-heavy positions, allow candidates the space to think critically. Time pressure often favors quick thinkers rather than those who excel in thoughtful analysis.

Lastly, make the assessments specific to the role's context. If the position involves maintaining a legacy codebase, provide a sample of your code and ask how they'd add a feature or fix an issue. For greenfield projects, discuss how they’d set up a new service from scratch. The closer your assessment mirrors their future work, the better you'll gauge their potential success.

Building a Complete Evaluation Framework

A well-rounded evaluation framework goes beyond technical tests. It should also consider behavioral traits and team compatibility. The goal is to assess not just what candidates know, but how they work and whether they’ll thrive in your environment.

Structure the evaluation process in stages, each one adding more depth:

1. Start with a portfolio or work sample review to establish baseline technical skills.
2. Move to technical conversations to explore decision-making and problem-solving.
3. Conclude with a take-home project or pair programming session that simulates real work.

This staged approach respects candidates' time while gathering detailed insights at each step.

Create a scoring rubric that evaluates all aspects of the role. Break it into categories like:

• Technical expertise
• Problem-solving approach
• Communication skills
• Collaboration ability
• Alignment with team values

For each category, define what "strong", "adequate", and "weak" performance looks like. This helps reduce bias and ensures consistent evaluations across candidates.

Weight each category based on the role's priorities. For example:

• For a principal engineer, architectural thinking and mentorship might make up 40% of the score.
• For a junior developer, focus on learning ability and code quality.

Make these weights clear so everyone on the hiring team evaluates candidates using the same criteria.

Involve multiple team members in the process, but assign each person a specific focus. For example:

• One interviewer could assess technical depth.
• Another might evaluate communication and collaboration.

This division prevents redundancy and provides a more complete picture of each candidate. After the interviews, compare notes to identify patterns and address blind spots.

Document specific examples of candidates' problem-solving and communication for unbiased comparisons later.

Balance standardization with flexibility. Use consistent core questions and projects to ensure fairness, but adapt follow-up questions based on the candidate's experience and the role's unique needs. This approach often reveals deeper insights.

Track how well your assessments predict job success. After new hires have been with your company for six months or a year, review their interview performance. Did the candidates who excelled in technical conversations perform well on the job? Did portfolio reviews align with actual code quality? Use this feedback to refine your evaluation framework.

Keep the entire hiring process clear and concise, ideally wrapping up within two to three weeks. Regular updates and feedback help maintain candidate engagement.

Best Practices for Technical Assessment

Effective technical assessments strike a balance between thoroughly evaluating candidates and respecting their time. This approach not only leads to better hiring decisions but also fosters a positive candidate experience.

Focus on Practical Application

While abstract puzzles might test theoretical knowledge, they often fall short in evaluating how someone performs on the job. Instead, assessments should mirror the challenges candidates will face in the role. For instance, a frontend developer might be asked to critique a UI component, while a DevOps engineer could tackle an infrastructure problem. These tasks give a clearer view of their capabilities in real-world scenarios.

It's not just about solving problems - how candidates explain their reasoning matters. Clear, well-articulated explanations often reveal a deeper understanding of the subject and highlight their ability to collaborate with teammates or communicate decisions to stakeholders.

Tailor assessments to your team's technology stack. If your team uses React, PostgreSQL, and AWS, then your exercises should reflect those tools. This not only respects candidates' existing expertise but also gives them insight into what their day-to-day work might look like. Plus, it helps candidates self-select; those uninterested in your tech stack can opt out early, saving time for everyone.

Avoid imposing artificial time constraints unless the role demands quick decision-making under pressure. Most development work benefits from thoughtful analysis over rushed solutions. Giving candidates time to think through problems often reveals their problem-solving depth far better than timed exercises.

Maintaining Fairness While Respecting Candidates

Fairness and consistency are key to a respectful hiring process. Use clear, standardized criteria to evaluate all candidates, but allow flexibility in how they demonstrate their skills. For instance, some may excel in live coding sessions, while others might shine through take-home projects or written explanations. The format shouldn't overshadow the core goal: assessing their technical abilities.

Transparency builds trust. Clearly outline the hiring process, the skills being evaluated, and how much time assessments will take. If you assign a take-home project, specify the expected time commitment - ideally no more than two to three hours. When candidates know what to expect, they can prepare with confidence.

Streamline your process to respect candidates' time. Every interview round or task should provide meaningful insights you couldn't gather otherwise. For senior candidates, a portfolio review and technical discussion might be sufficient. Adding unnecessary steps can deter talented individuals, especially those juggling multiple opportunities.

Accommodate individual needs to ensure everyone has a fair chance to succeed. This might mean offering extra time for someone with a disability, scheduling interviews around childcare for parents, or being mindful of time zone differences for remote candidates. These adjustments don't lower your standards - they simply ensure you're evaluating candidates' technical skills, not their personal circumstances.

Keep assessments focused on core skills relevant to the role. For example, if a take-home project requires knowledge of a specific framework not mentioned in the job description, you might unintentionally exclude qualified candidates. The goal is to test abilities that anyone qualified for the position should have, regardless of their background or previous employers.

Provide feedback at every stage of the process. For candidates moving forward, explain what impressed you and outline the next steps. For those who don't, offer constructive feedback they can use to improve. This level of consideration leaves a positive impression, even when the outcome isn't what they hoped for.

Improving Hiring Accuracy and Building Trust

Practical assessments provide a clearer picture of how candidates will perform on the job, reducing the risk of costly mis-hires. By focusing on tasks that mirror actual job responsibilities, you can better identify candidates who will thrive in your team.

A respectful, well-structured assessment process also enhances your reputation as an employer. Candidates talk, and a positive experience - whether they get the job or not - can lead to referrals or reapplications in the future. On the flip side, a poor experience can harm your ability to attract top talent.

Regularly review your hiring outcomes to refine your process. Compare candidates' interview performance with their on-the-job results after six months. Did the skills you evaluated align with their actual contributions? Use this feedback to continuously improve your assessments.

Finally, a thoughtful hiring process keeps candidates engaged, especially those with multiple offers. When people feel respected and see that you're evaluating relevant skills, they're more likely to stay interested in the opportunity. This engagement can make your process a selling point, showcasing that your organization values both practical expertise and the people behind it.

Conclusion

Shifting away from traditional coding tests doesn’t mean lowering the bar - it’s about refining how you evaluate candidates to better predict their actual job performance. By incorporating methods like portfolio reviews, technical discussions, and role-specific assessments, you get a clearer understanding of a candidate’s true capabilities.

These alternative strategies benefit both sides of the hiring equation. Employers can focus on assessing the skills that directly impact the role, reducing the chances of a bad hire. At the same time, candidates experience a fairer, more respectful process that highlights their strengths. This not only increases the likelihood of top candidates accepting your offers but also encourages them to refer others and speak highly of your organization.

Your hiring process says a lot about your company culture. A thoughtful, practical approach shows that you value expertise and respect candidates’ time - qualities that can set you apart in a competitive job market where skilled developers have plenty of choices.

To get started, consider introducing one alternative assessment method that aligns with your team’s needs. For example, portfolio reviews might work well for senior roles, while technical discussions could be ideal for mid-level positions. Test the waters with a single role, gather feedback from both interviewers and candidates, and adjust as needed. Over time, you’ll create a hiring process that not only identifies the best talent but also strengthens your reputation as an employer of choice.

FAQs

How can I create take-home projects that are fair and accurately reflect a candidate's skills?

When crafting take-home projects, it's important to design tasks that closely reflect the actual responsibilities of the role. Keep the workload manageable - something candidates can reasonably complete in just a few hours. Be sure to provide clear, detailed instructions and outline expectations upfront. Flexibility is key too; allow candidates to work at their own pace, in their preferred environment.

Tailoring the project to align with the candidate's experience and the job's specific demands can make the process more relevant and engaging. When reviewing submissions, focus on more than just the end result. Pay attention to how they approached the task, their problem-solving abilities, and how well they articulate their thought process. Also, keep in mind that not everyone has equal access to resources or time. Strive to create an assessment that is inclusive and fair for all candidates.

What are some effective ways to evaluate decision-making and problem-solving skills during technical interviews?

To evaluate decision-making and problem-solving skills during technical interviews, consider these strategies:

• Dive into past experiences: Ask candidates to describe a challenging technical decision they've faced in a previous project. Encourage them to walk through their reasoning process and share the final outcome.

• Explore a realistic scenario: Present a hypothetical client request or technical challenge. Have them outline how they’d approach it, detailing possible solutions and weighing the trade-offs.

• Examine timelines and obstacles: Request candidates to estimate a realistic timeline for completing a specific task. Ask them to identify potential roadblocks and explain how they’d address them.

These methods provide insight into not just a candidate’s technical knowledge, but also their critical thinking, communication skills, and ability to handle practical challenges effectively.

How do portfolio reviews compare to live technical interviews for evaluating a candidate's skills?

Portfolio reviews and live technical interviews bring different strengths to the table when evaluating a candidate's abilities.

Portfolio reviews let you explore a developer's previous work, offering a window into their coding style, creativity, and how they tackle problems in actual projects. This method is particularly useful for assessing skills that match your role's needs, all without subjecting candidates to the added pressure of performing on the spot.

Meanwhile, live technical interviews offer a chance to see candidates in action. They showcase how someone solves problems in real-time, communicates their thought process, and handles time-sensitive challenges. By blending these two approaches, you can gain a fuller picture of a candidate's skill set while ensuring the interview process is both thorough and engaging.