If you’re getting ready for an upcoming Magento developer interview, practice makes perfect. Taking the time to prepare will help boost your confidence, so you’re ready to deliver a killer interview. And one of the best ways to prepare is to review common interview questions and have the answers locked, loaded and ready to go!
Popular Magento Interview Questions
You can find plenty of sample questions through a Google search or on career sites like Glassdoor or Indeed. When employers are trying to hire Magento developers, they’re looking for specific knowledge to help them grow their ecommerce business. Following are ten answers to have up your sleeve:
1) What is your experience with the Magento platform?
Of course, any employer who’s considering you will want you to know your stuff! Review your resume and LinkedIn profile, and be sure all past work experiences match across both. Be ready to discuss the past jobs you’ve held and what you accomplished (and any time you can share numbers, that’s a plus). Bonus points if you’re a certified Magento developer—this is an additional layer that helps ease an employer’s mind when it comes to your skills. If you’re not yet certified, that’s OK—but it’s definitely something to add to your to-do list.
2) What is your ideal work environment?
As you can imagine, most Magento developer jobs will require you to complete projects with tight deadlines. To best answer this question, review the job description, which should give you clues as to the type of environment you’re entering. In most cases, you’ll need to self-motivated and enjoy the day-to-day work of a fast-paced environment.
3) Can you find the problems with the following code sample?
This question is a test of your coding skills. You’ll be given a piece of sample code with errors, and you’ll need to find and correct these errors. Be sure your coding skills are polished and ready for prime time!
4) Describe the options for counting the items in a collection.
To do this, you can use two methods: getSize() or COUNT(). The first function will store the items, so you’re not required to recalculate each time. It also uses the SQL COUNT () function, which helps to speed up the process. However, once the collection has been modified, it may not work properly. COUNT() loads the collection and all items each time it’s used.
5) How would you describe MVC architecture?
Also known as Model, View, Controller, MVC separates business logic, data access and user interface for two different types of applications: configuration- and convention-based. The version used by the Magento platform is the configuration-based model.
See Also: Magento Careers
6) Is there a way to improve Magento’s performance?
In short—yes. Since the platform does require a significant amount of space and memory, you can take steps to improve speed. Any of the following will work:
- Disable modules not currently in use, such as the Magento log
- Combine external CSS/JS into a single file
- Enable Magento caching or MySQL query caching
- Enable Gzip compression
7) What billing information can Magento manage?
You can manage any of the following on an ecommerce site to accommodate billing needs: credit cards, PayPal, print-ready receipts, billing history and updating billing address.
8) Describe how to create a custom module.
This is a step-by-step process that includes creating a module directory, creating controller, block and module files, creating a module configuration file, and then creating an XML file.
9) Can blogs be added in Magento?
Of course! These are a very important marketing tool, and a way to increase the Google ranking of a website. You can add a blog to an ecommerce site on the Magento platform by using a free, pre-built Magento blog module OR by creating a custom blog module. To use a prebuilt module, you must download, install and configure it.
10) What methods can be used to ensure platform security?
It’s critical for ecommerce sites to be as secure as possible to protect shoppers’ credit card information. To do this, you must set up a client’s site with a strong password that’s updated regularly. You should also disable remote access to the Magento CMS and Downloader, and restrict access to safe IP addresses.
Other general interview questions
In addition to specific questions Magento recruiters might ask you, it helps to practice the answers to other commonly asked questions. These include:
- So… tell me about yourself.
- Why do you want this job/why should we hire you?
- Describe your biggest challenge and how you overcame it.
- What is your career passion?
Looking for your next Magento career opportunity?
Let Jarvis Cole help! We staff specifically in the ecommerce industry and can help you find a Magento developer position you love. We’ll work with you to understand your experience, skills and career goals, and help you find a position that fits. To learn more, contact us today!