How to Run a Remote Technical Interview That Gives You a Clear Signal

A good remote technical interview tells you how a person thinks, not only whether they can recall syntax. The format below keeps interviews consistent and fair, and gives you evidence to compare candidates.

Before the interview

Decide what you are testing and write it down. Choose two or three problems at the right level, agree on what a strong answer looks like, and share the format with the candidate in advance.

• Send the time, the tools and what will be recorded.
• Ask the candidate to check their camera, microphone and connection beforehand.
• Prepare a scoring sheet with the same criteria for every candidate.

Start with a short conversation

Spend the first few minutes on the candidate’s recent work. It puts them at ease, and their answers about real projects are hard to fake.

Use a shared code pad

Have the candidate write code in a shared editor while you watch and talk. You see their process: how they break the problem down, how they test, and how they react to hints. Ask them to explain choices as they go.

Probe, do not just grade

When a solution works, change the constraints. Ask how it behaves with large inputs, what they would improve with more time and what could go wrong. Depth shows up in the follow-ups.

Score right away

Fill in your scoring sheet straight after the call, before talking to other interviewers, so your judgement is not swayed by theirs. Compare scores across the same criteria.

Keep the session honest

Run the interview in fullscreen lockdown and keep a recording so that you can review any flagged moment. Eagle Vision does this for live interviews and includes a shared code pad, live flags and a full recording. See how live interviews with fullscreen lockdown work.