What Interviewers Really Look For at Each Stage of a Tech Interview

In many IT companies the technical interview consists of three rounds, each conducted by a different role with distinct focus areas. The first round is led by a senior developer who concentrates on technical competence and problem‑solving ability, probing not only what a candidate knows but also why certain designs are chosen.

"The key is depth: ask candidates to explain the reasoning behind concepts, such as why JDK 8 switched HashMap's bucket from a linked list to a red‑black tree at a threshold of 8 rather than 16. Candidates who can articulate the "why" demonstrate true understanding, not just memorized facts."

After passing the first round, the second interview is conducted by the team’s technical lead. While technical depth remains important, the emphasis shifts to communication, collaboration, and alignment with the team’s direction. The lead evaluates whether the candidate can work effectively with peers, contribute to code reviews, and articulate ideas clearly. The concept of a T‑shaped professional—deep vertical expertise combined with broad horizontal skills—is highlighted, referencing its origin at McKinsey and adoption by companies like Google and Microsoft.

The lead also probes the candidate’s career plans and seeks standout achievements. Distinguishing between merely participating in a complex system and leading its design is crucial; leaders must discuss architectural decisions, cross‑team coordination, risk assessment, and trade‑offs, not just the modules they implemented.

The final round is with the CTO, whose perspective differs from the previous two. The CTO is less concerned with specific frameworks or team fit and more with industry experience and the incremental value the candidate can bring. Deep business‑domain knowledge—such as understanding inventory‑management or e‑commerce payment idempotency—provides a significant advantage, as does experience that can enrich the team’s technical culture.

"The CTO asks whether the candidate can contribute beyond code, for example by sharing migration lessons or fostering a stronger technical community within the team."

Summarizing the three rounds: the first tests whether you can do the work, the second whether you can do it together with others, and the third whether you can bring growth to the team. Candidates are advised to focus on solid fundamentals, clear articulation of underlying principles, demonstrable collaboration experiences, and a coherent career trajectory to improve interview outcomes.