In this environment, just being able to round up and interview a small handful of viable candidates can feel like a win for tech recruiters and hiring managers. But the pressure to fill positions with candidates who meet all of a job’s core requirements can, ironically, result in an employer missing out on a truly great hire. So, it’s down to recruiters and hiring managers to take the time during the interview process to dig a little deeper to uncover truly standout tech professionals.

That doesn’t mean ambushing potential hires with exceedingly tough or irrelevant questions. The goal is to ask questions that provide opportunities for candidates to demonstrate the depth of their knowledge, describe their approach to problem-solving, explain why and how they make decisions, showcase their soft skills and more.

This guide offers sample questions (and their ideal answers) for some of today's hottest and most in-demand tech positions, including: 

• System administrators
• SQL Server 16 developers
• iOS developers
• Kotlin developers
• Machine learning developers
• Solutions architects