What does a Software Developer do?

A Software Developer designs, writes, tests, and debugs code to build or maintain software systems. The role requires both language-specific fluency and language-agnostic problem-solving — the ability to reason through a bug or design a solution regardless of the exact syntax involved.

Day-to-day work includes writing and reviewing code, debugging issues, collaborating with a team on system design, and working within a codebase’s existing conventions and version-control workflow.

Key skills to assess when hiring a Software Developer

• Programming — language-agnostic logic, algorithm design, and debugging ability.
• General Cognitive Ability — general reasoning that underlies strong problem-solving in code.
• Problem Solving — root cause analysis and practical judgment when something breaks.
• JavaScript — hands-on syntax, DOM, and async programming fluency — swap for the language your stack actually uses.
• Python — hands-on syntax, data structures, and applied problem solving — also available: SQL and Java.

Recommended assessment combination

For most Software Developer hires, start with Programming and the language-specific assessment that matches your actual stack (JavaScript, Python, Java, or SQL) as a baseline pre-interview screen. Add General Cognitive Ability for junior candidates without a long track record to evaluate.

Two to three assessments is usually enough signal before an interview — stacking more than that adds candidate drop-off without proportionally better signal.

Interview questions for hiring a Software Developer

• Walk me through a bug that took you a long time to track down. What was the actual root cause?
• Tell me about a design decision you made that you’d reconsider now.
• How do you approach reviewing a teammate’s code?
• Describe a time you had to learn a new language or framework quickly on the job.
• How do you decide when to refactor versus ship and move on?

Common hiring mistakes

Hiring managers often over-index on whiteboard-style algorithm puzzles that don’t reflect real day-to-day work, while under-testing practical debugging and code-reading ability — skills developers actually use most.

It’s also common to screen only on resume-listed languages and skip a hands-on check, which misses candidates who are strong problem-solvers but list an unfamiliar tech stack.

Frequently asked questions

Which assessments matter most for a Software Developer?

Programming plus a language-specific assessment matching your stack give the strongest baseline signal.

Should I test before or after the first interview?

Most teams send assessments right after an initial screening call, so results are ready to guide the first full interview rather than added after the fact.

Can assessment results alone determine who I hire?

No — results should inform interviews and reference checks, not replace them. Use them to focus interview time on the areas that matter most.

How long does the full assessment battery take candidates?

Each individual assessment runs about 10-15 minutes, so a 2-3 assessment combination typically takes a candidate 25-40 minutes total.

What if the role uses a language you don’t have a dedicated assessment for?

Use Programming for language-agnostic signal, and rely on the interview to probe stack-specific experience directly.

Hire your next Software Developer with confidence

Invite Software Developer candidates to complete the recommended assessments, and walk into every interview with clear, job-relevant evidence instead of guesswork.

Start assessing →