Mid-sized and large businesses can benefit from implementing SharePoint. This is a web-based system for working together that combines security features, list databases, and workflow apps to help business teams work together better. SharePoint lets businesses decide who can see their data and automate tasks that need to be done across multiple departments.
SharePoint Online is Microsofts cloud version of this system. It works well with many other offerings from Microsoft with a Microsoft 365 or Office 365 license.
SharePoint helps improve a companys bottom line in measurable ways. Having good SharePoint developers can help your business grow because they know a lot about the technical parts of the business environment. If your company wants to set up and connect SharePoint, it’s important to know what to look for in an experienced developer. You will also need to know how to ask the right SharePoint developer interview question.
Landing a job as a Senior SharePoint Developer requires thorough preparation and being able to answer tricky technical questions This role demands extensive knowledge of the SharePoint platform and proven ability to manage complex development projects
To help you get ready for your upcoming interview, I’ve compiled some of the most common and critical interview questions for Senior SharePoint Developers along with tips for crafting winning responses.
1. What experience do you have designing and implementing SharePoint solutions?
This question aims to understand your overall expertise and background in SharePoint development The interviewer wants to know about the types of SharePoint projects you have worked on and the specific solutions you have implemented.
To make your answer strong
- Highlight your total years of experience as a SharePoint developer.
- Provide examples of SharePoint solutions and customizations you have built.
- Mention any complex implementations that demonstrate your technical proficiency.
- Quantify your experience in terms of number of projects, solutions deployed etc.
“I’ve been designing and implementing SharePoint solutions for different clients for over seven years.” Some of the most important projects I’ve worked on are creating an employee portal with custom workflows, creating a document management system with metadata-driven navigation, and moving old intranets to SharePoint Online. “.
2. How do you optimize SharePoint site performance?
This question tests your skills in diagnosing and enhancing SharePoint performance. As a Senior Developer, you need to have the expertise to make SharePoint environments fast and responsive.
In your response, cover these areas:
- Monitoring tools and methods you use for performance tracking
- Techniques you follow for optimizing page load times
- Strategies to minimize database calls and external connections
- Caching mechanisms implemented
- How you identify and fix bottlenecks
“I use a mix of tools, such as SharePoint Health Analyzer, Developer Dashboard, and third-party profilers, to keep an eye on things.” Some of the most important optimization techniques I use are enabling caching, optimizing database indexes, reducing the amount of custom code I use, and finding performance hotspots and fixing them by making changes to the code or the configuration. “.
3. How do you approach SharePoint branding and customization?
The interviewer wants to see how well you can change the look, feel, and functionality of SharePoint sites to fit the needs of the business.
In your response, cover these points:
- Your expertise with SharePoint theming using CSS, master pages etc.
- Creating custom branding assets like images, logos, color schemes etc.
- Adding custom JavaScript/jQuery solutions for enhanced UX
- Developing custom web parts and application pages
- Using third-party tools like Bootstrap for responsive design
Example: “For SharePoint branding, I use tools like SharePoint Designer and techniques like CSS editing, master pages, and page layouts to customize the look and feel. To enhance functionality, I develop custom web parts, application pages, and JavaScript solutions tailored to business requirements. I also leverage frameworks like Bootstrap for responsive design.”
4. How do you integrate SharePoint with other systems like databases or legacy software?
This question tests your skills in integrating SharePoint with external systems, which is often required in enterprise environments.
Highlight your experience with:
- SharePoint’s Business Connectivity Services (BCS)
- Custom connectors and adapters
- REST and OData based integration
- Legacy system integration using APIs
- Single sign-on (SSO) across systems
Example: “I have significant experience integrating SharePoint with other enterprise systems such as SAP, Oracle, custom .NET applications etc. I generally leverage SharePoint’s BCS for robust database integration capabilities. For custom apps and legacy systems, I develop custom connectors using APIs exposed by those systems along with SharePoint’s REST API for seamless integration.”
5. How do you migrate content to SharePoint Online from on-premise or other CMS platforms?
Your expertise in migrating to SharePoint Online is important for organizations moving to the cloud.
In your response, cover these key points:
- Your experience with migration tools like Sharegate, Metalogix etc.
- Strategies for content restructuring and mapping
- Techniques for optimizing and automating migration
- Methods for ensuring minimum downtime
- Steps for post-migration testing and stabilization
Example: “For migrating content to SharePoint Online, I use commercial tools like Sharegate for automation and ease of bulk migrations. I analyze the legacy platform and SharePoint Online environments to restructure content accordingly pre-migration. I also utilize PowerShell scripts for automating parts of the migration process to optimize speed and accuracy. Throughout the process, I work closely with business owners to minimize downtime.”
6. What is your most challenging experience in configuring SharePoint farms and services?
This question checks your skills in designing and configuring complex SharePoint farm topologies specific to business needs.
Highlight experience with:
- Multi-server farm deployments
- Configuring services like Search, Managed Metadata etc.
- Federated identity and authentication
- Disaster recovery and high availability
- Network load balancing
- Performance and scalability
Example: “The most challenging SharePoint farm implementation was for a client needing high scalability to handle terabytes of data and documents. I designed a multi-server farm with distributed configuration of services like Search and User Profiles across dedicated servers. I also implemented mechanisms for load balancing, failover, and disaster recovery to ensure high uptime and reliability.”
7. How do you optimize the search experience in SharePoint?
SharePoint search is a core capability – so expect interviewers to test your skills in tuning it.
Highlight your expertise with:
- Crawl optimization and custom entity extractors
- Improving relevance through custom rank profiles
- Query rules and advanced search configuration
- User experience enhancement with filters, facets etc.
- Integrating external content sources
Example: “Some ways I optimize SharePoint search include analyzing usage logs to identify common queries, refining crawl schedules to prioritize core content, customizing rank profiles by boosting key fields, and adding metadata filters and search web parts to enhance navigation and user experience. I also integrate external content sources to expand search coverage.”
8. How do you implement information architecture and metadata strategies in SharePoint?
This question evaluates your ability to design enterprise content and data management strategies leveraging SharePoint’s capabilities.
Highlight your experience with:
- Defining content structures, site hierarchies, and navigation
- Implementing managed metadata for content tagging and discovery
- Designing content types and policies for governance
- Custom workflows for content lifecycle management
- Leveraging metadata-driven solutions and interfaces
Example: “For implementing information architecture in SharePoint, I start by working with business owners to define taxonomies and content mapping. I design site topologies and create managed metadata to enable intuitive content navigation and findability. I utilize content types, custom fields, retention policies, workflows and versioning for advanced content lifecycle management.”
9. How do you optimize SharePoint lists and libraries for performance?
This question tests your skills in tuning the performance of SharePoint lists and libraries as they grow large over time.
In your response, cover:
- Strategies for indexing and caching
- Optimization with custom code and PowerShell
- Techniques like list throttling and batching
- Options like Power Apps and external lists for offloading
- Upgrading to modern UI for performance gains
Example: “Some techniques I use to optimize SharePoint lists and library performance include indexing critical columns, implementing result source caching, list view threshold tuning, enabling batch save on edit, lazy loading for external lists, and migrating to the faster modern UI. Custom solutions like Power Apps can also help offload heavy usage.”
10. How do you build custom SharePoint solutions like web parts, apps, and workflows?
This is a fairly common technical question to gauge your hands-on SharePoint development skills.
Demonstrate your experience with:
- Developing using SharePoint Framework (SPFx)
- JavaScript/TypeScript and front-end web technologies
- SharePoint add-ins and apps model
- Custom workflows via SharePoint Designer/Visual Studio
- Power Automate and Power Apps for no-code solutions
Example: “I develop custom SharePoint solutions using SPFx for modern web parts and extensions leveraging React and JavaScript. For custom apps, I use Visual Studio with CSOM/REST APIs. I also build workflows and Power Automate flows for business process automation. I’m experienced across the full Microsoft stack for extending SharePoint functionality.”
11. What is your approach to debugging issues in custom SharePoint solutions?
Being able to troubleshoot and fix SharePoint development issues is an important skillset.
Highlight your expertise in:
- Browser console tools for JavaScript debugging
- Developer dashboard for performance issues
- ULS logs and correlation IDs for tracing
- Debugging tools like Fiddler for request monitoring
- Reproducing issues through debugging and instrumentation
Example: “I use a combination of tools and strategies for debugging SharePoint solutions. I leverage browser developer tools for JavaScript debugging along with the Developer Dashboard for profiling. For server-side debugging, I enable verbose ULS logging and correlate IDs to trace execution. I also reproduce issues locally and use tools
Skills any SharePoint Developer Should Have
SharePoint is a complicated and unified platform that needs more than basic programming skills to work for a business. SharePoint developers should not only know how to code the framework, but also have a deep understanding of how going live with SharePoint will affect the business. This way, the platform can be tailored to meet the needs of the business and its end users. For these reasons, you should look for SharePoint developers who possess the following skills.
SharePoint developers might work in many different business locations, including those that are overseas. It is important to have good communication skills in order to build relationships and understand the complex needs of a business and the different situations that could happen.
SharePoint developers should have strong programming skills in a variety of languages, including . Net, JavaScript, HTML, Jquery, and others. They should also know a lot about the servers and management that go with them, such as SQL Server Administration, Active Directory Control, and Windows Server Administration.
Ability to create customized web parts
The basic units of web pages within the SharePoint environment are web parts, which are essential components. Users can use web parts to modify, create, and change web pages. Because they know how to make customized web parts, SharePoint developers can solve a wide range of issues. This requires the developer to have a mastery of programming skills using . Net.
SharePoint Interview Questions and Answers Secrets Revealed!
FAQ
What does a SharePoint developer need to know?
What are the common SharePoint FAQs?
Is it hard to become a SharePoint developer?
What type of model does SharePoint use?
How do you prepare for a senior SharePoint developer interview?
But before you can take up the reins in creating and managing SharePoint environments, there’s one key step: cracking the interview. Preparing for an interview as a Senior SharePoint Developer means gearing up to answer questions that not only test your technical skills but also assess your problem-solving abilities and leadership potential.
What questions are asked in a SharePoint developer interview?
Most interviews will include questions about your personality, qualifications, experience and how well you would fit the job. In this article, we review examples of various sharepoint developer interview questions and sample answers to some of the most common questions. What is SharePoint and what are its key features?
Is a SharePoint developer interview necessary?
As a SharePoint developer, you have the expertise to harness this powerful tool for businesses seeking streamlined communication and more efficient workflows. You need to undergo an interview before you can put your development skills into action.
How many SharePoint Online interview questions & answers are there?
This post includes 60+ SharePoint Online interview questions and answers. Nowadays, you will expect questions from SharePoint 2013, SharePoint 2016/2019 as well as SharePoint Online.
