There are different types of job interviews and they all have exactly the same objective, to help employers establish which of multiple candidates are right for a certain job. But depending on the job for which the recruitment is taking place, certain types of interviews could prove more valuable than others. A screening interview, for instance, is used by companies to ensure that the candidates meet minimum qualification requirements. What is a technical interview? The technical interview is a type of interview that generally includes questions specific to the job you have applied for. As an example, candidates looking to fill a position as an IT specialist, scientist, specialist graduate or engineer, will need to prove that they have a good understanding of the technical work which will need to be completed as part of the job they've applied for.
Details of technical interviews: During most technical interviews, candidates will have to solve brain teasers, answer to numerical reasoning questions, show their skills regarding the repairing process of electronics or analyze a computer code. As mentioned previously, these tests will greatly depend based on the job for which the interview is taking place. Interviewers are generally interested in multiple details. First of all, they'll be interested in finding out how much technical knowledge the person sitting right in front of them has. Secondly, they'll be able to determine how candidates respond to and approach problems and put their set of personal skills to good use. Communication is also a key factor when applying for any job. Most jobs will imply either team work or maintaining a good relationship with customers or superiors. For this reason good communication skills are important.
During a technical interview, candidates should expect to be questioned regarding the work they've completed so far or their knowledge of the company's technical activities. So they need to know the pros and cons of their respective fields. Some interviewers will also require candidates to solve some technical problems that they'd encounter on frequently if employed. All of these tools, brain teasers, riddles or practical questions were designed to measure the candidates' logic, reasoning and creative thinking, qualities that are extremely important in a technical field of activity.
Preparing for a technical interview: As a candidate, it's hard to prepare for a technical interview. Success or failure will mostly depend on the knowledge a person has in a certain field of activity. That's something no one can learn in two-three days. Making up a list of potential interview questions or trying to find some examples online, and then answering them is probably a good starting point. Confidence is obviously of utmost importance. The mind works better when relaxed and a positive mental state will work wonders for keeping up with a long string of brain teasers, assuming the necessary knowledge to solve them is already present.
As always, interviews are tricky both for candidates and for interviewers. The latter have to make sure that they choose a competent person who will also fit well in a team (if it's the case). The first thing to be done is to establish what kind of person is required for a job, and what qualities that person should possess. Once that's determined, the interviewer should come up with a set of questions and several tests designed specifically for uncovering those qualities. Experience on paper (in a resume), doesn't always result in competencies to perform the technical job you're hiring for.
Thus technical interviews are all about assessing your ability, proficiency and competency in a particular technical field. You need to be crystal clear about specific concepts or the details of the job that you have applied for.