Programmer Analyst Interview questions and answers

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Duties of a senior programmer analyst vary widely by organization, so do your research before going to the interview. An Internet commerce company may rely on Java with Apache web servers while a manufacturing company may prefer C# and Oracle on Windows servers. In addition to technical skills, an analyst must also understand the business's needs, so research this as well.

Technical Skills

The hiring manager needs to quickly assess your ability to design and build business software solutions that meet the needs of her organization. She wants to know your experience with their preferred languages, development tools, databases and servers. Your many years of experience using Delphi will be meaningless to her if Java is used as their primary platform, so focus on the tools and languages they use. Show that you understand the entire software lifecycle from analysis and design to maintenance. Anticipate questions about projects that you have built, your knowledge of programming languages, development tools and libraries, as well as methodologies such as agile or scrum.

Business Knowledge

As an analyst, your knowledge of their business environment is just as important as your programming experience. If the company provides medical services, expect to be questioned on your knowledge of health care processes. Show that you know the particular business language and understand their customers’ needs. When asked to give examples of projects or work situations, highlight problems within their business domain. As an analyst, your job involves translating business needs into software requirements, so show that you understand the needs of their staff and customers.

Leadership

As a senior programmer analyst, your role will most likely involve team leadership. Anticipate questions on your leadership style, your favorite supervisor, conflict resolution and project management. This may not be your primary role, but you will be expected to mentor and motivate junior developers. Think of several examples where you had a leadership role in a project or helped develop schedules and budgets.

Other Skills

No matter the position, hiring managers look for people who are highly motivated, have a pleasant attitude and work well with others. Anticipate questions about your work habits, communication style, ability to work with other team members and how you handle conflict. When technical abilities are somewhat equal, the hiring manager usually chooses the person who seems to fit best with the company’s personality and culture. Show her your enthusiasm for the job and that you enjoy working with others.