How to hire computer programmers

Job description template

Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.

[Job title] at [Company name]
[City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range]

About the role
[Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.]

What you will do
• Compile and write documentation of program development and subsequent revisions, inserting comments in the coded instructions so others can understand the program.
• Conduct trial runs of programs and software applications to be sure they will produce the desired information and that the instructions are correct.
• Consult with managerial, engineering, and technical personnel to clarify program intent, identify problems, and suggest changes.
• Correct errors by making appropriate changes and rechecking the program to ensure that the desired results are produced.
• Perform or direct revision, repair, or expansion of existing programs to increase operating efficiency or adapt to new requirements.
• Prepare detailed workflow charts and diagrams that describe input, output, and logical operation, and convert them into a series of instructions coded in a computer language.
• Write, analyze, review, and rewrite programs, using workflow chart and diagram, and applying knowledge of computer capabilities, subject matter, and symbolic logic.
• Write, update, and maintain computer programs or software packages to handle specific jobs such as tracking inventory, storing or retrieving data, or controlling other equipment.

What you bring
• [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any]
• [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: Bachelor's degree]
• Strong active listening, critical thinking, reading comprehension, writing, active learning and mathematics skills
• Working knowledge of computers and electronics and mathematics
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $48.26 an hour ($100,390 a year).
[Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.]

How to apply
[Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]

Copy the template Check your finished job post

Interview questions for computer programmers

Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.

1. Tell me about a time you had to compile and write documentation of program development and subsequent revisions, inserting comments in the coded instructions so others can understand the program. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
2. Tell me about a time you had to conduct trial runs of programs and software applications to be sure they will produce the desired information and that the instructions are correct. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
3. Tell me about a time you had to consult with managerial, engineering, and technical personnel to clarify program intent, identify problems, and suggest changes. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
4. Tell me about a time you had to correct errors by making appropriate changes and rechecking the program to ensure that the desired results are produced. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
5. Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
6. Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
7. Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
8. Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?

Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.

What computer programmers do

• Compile and write documentation of program development and subsequent revisions, inserting comments in the coded instructions so others can understand the program.
• Conduct trial runs of programs and software applications to be sure they will produce the desired information and that the instructions are correct.
• Consult with managerial, engineering, and technical personnel to clarify program intent, identify problems, and suggest changes.
• Correct errors by making appropriate changes and rechecking the program to ensure that the desired results are produced.
• Perform or direct revision, repair, or expansion of existing programs to increase operating efficiency or adapt to new requirements.
• Prepare detailed workflow charts and diagrams that describe input, output, and logical operation, and convert them into a series of instructions coded in a computer language.
• Write, analyze, review, and rewrite programs, using workflow chart and diagram, and applying knowledge of computer capabilities, subject matter, and symbolic logic.
• Write, update, and maintain computer programs or software packages to handle specific jobs such as tracking inventory, storing or retrieving data, or controlling other equipment.

Skills that matter most

Active ListeningCritical ThinkingReading ComprehensionWritingActive LearningMathematicsComputers and ElectronicsMathematics

Education, experience and outlook for computer programmers

• Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree (BLS)
• Job outlook: -7.3% over ten years, declining · about 4,400 openings a year (BLS)

What to pay computer programmers

Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:

See computer programmers pay in every state

Related hiring guides

• Computer Systems Analysts
• Information Security Analysts
• Computer and Information Research Scientists
• Computer Network Support Specialists
• Computer User Support Specialists
• Computer Network Architects
• Database Administrators
• Database Architects
• Network and Computer Systems Administrators
• Software Developers

Job duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.