Unlocking the Power of Prescreening: Essential Questions to Ask in Job Interviews

What is your experience with developing WordPress themes from scratch?

Repeatedly, themes are the backbone of the WordPress website, providing style and layout. A proficient WordPress developer needs the capability to create original, unique and functional themes. This question will help you determine the candidate's understanding of both front and back end development, widget settings, and php, css, html, javascript or jQuery understanding.

How would you rate your experience in developing plugins for WordPress?

Plugins in WordPress are vital tools used to add functionality to the platform. A developer's know-how in establishing plugins implies insight into PHP and WordPress core. This question will outline their familiarity with plugins like Yoast SEO, Wordfence Security, and Woocommerce, and their ability to tailor solutions to specific needs.

Can you describe a project where you have used WordPress Multisite and your role in it?

WordPress Multisite can be a great asset when managing multiple related websites. This question can offer insight into the developer's experience with site networks, multisite configuration, and management of shared themes and plugins.

How would you handle a situation where a WordPress site has been hacked?

The online security landscape is fraught with hazards. A developer's response to this question can highlight their knowledge related to security plugins, encryption, backup, and recovery utilities. This question will display their competence in handling cyber threat situations.

Can you describe your experience in integrating payment gateways in WordPress?

The integration of payment gateways in a WordPress site is key to e-commerce transactions. As a result, any competent WordPress developer should have experience in integrating gateways like PayPal, Stripe, or Authorize.Net. This question can shed light on their understanding of handling online transactions, security, and user experience during checkout.

Have you used the WordPress REST API in a project? If so, what was the project about?

The WordPress REST API is a utility that permits interaction with your WordPress site using JSON objects. This question will gauge the developer's competencies about the fundamental functioning of the WordPress REST API and bring out their relevant project experiences.

What steps do you take to ensure your WordPress websites are optimized for performance?

This question can demonstrate the developer's knowledge of WordPress best practices aimed at boosting website performance, including caching, image optimization, and use of Content Delivery Networks (CDNs).

Explain how you typically handle updates to WordPress Core?

Updates to WordPress Core are integral in maintaining a secure and functional website. This question will test the developer's understanding of the WordPress update cycle, potential backward compatibility issues, and their use of staging environments for testing updates.

What advanced features have you implemented using custom post types and taxonomies in WordPress?

Custom post types and taxonomies in WordPress provide ways to structure content uniquely. This question will assess how the developer has used these advanced features to create tailored user experiences.

How have you incorporated SEO best practices in your WordPress projects?

Solid Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can turbocharge the visibility of a WordPress website. Expect the candidate to mention practices like using SEO plugins such as Yoast SEO, optimizing metadata, and ensuring fast loading speeds.

Do you have experience with Page Builders in WordPress? If yes, which ones are you familiar with?

Page Builders like Gutenberg, Divi, or Elementor help design and build pages in WordPress. This question examines the developer's eye for design and their proficiency in using these tools.

Could you describe your workflow for developing and deploying a new WordPress theme or plugin?

This question offers an understanding of how methodically and effectively the candidate would be able to work on your project while considering factors like version control, testing, and deployment to live environments.

Have you ever migrated a WordPress website? How did you handle the process?

Migrating a WordPress website involves moving a website from one hosting server to another without losing its functionality. This question outlines the candidate's understanding of migration principles and practices, including backing up and restoring sites.

Do you have experience making a WordPress website accessible?

Web accessibility is crucial for inclusive, user-friendly web design. This question gauges the potential hire's familiarity with accessibility practices, including adherence to WCAG guidelines.

Have you worked with third-party APIs integration in WordPress?

Integration of third-party APIs can extend the functionality of a WordPress site and enhance user experience. Candidates should be able to demonstrate their technical proficiency and understanding of APIs.

Can you explain your process for troubleshooting a WordPress website that is slow or encountering errors?

Every website occasionally suffers from errors or a slowdown. This question will help evaluate potential hires’ troubleshooting skills and their ability to resolve these issues in an efficient manner.

How do you ensure the security of a WordPress website?

The security of a website is essential to protect data and maintain user trust. Answers to this question will reveal the candidate's understanding of WordPress security best practices such as plug-in usage, setting strong credentials and checking file permissions.

Do you have experience with WooCommerce, can you describe how you have used it?

WooCommerce is a customisable eCommerce platform built on WordPress. The developer's familiarity with WooCommerce can highlight their understanding of eCommerce fundamentals and the technical know-how to implement and maintain an online store.

Have you used any version control systems like Git with your WordPress projects?

Version control systems, like Git, play a significant role in managing various versions of project files. Developer's familiarity with such systems is vital for maintaining well-structured, efficient project workflows.

Illustrate your experience in migrating a non-WordPress site to WordPress?

Migration from a non-WordPress site to WordPress requires careful planning and execution. This question allows a developer to showcase their experience, outlining the process, considerations, and the challenges they experienced during the migration.