Top Interview Questions for Natural Language Processing Engineer
A Natural Language Processing(NLP) engineer is someone who creates devices and systems that can understand the human language. They break a language into smaller, more basic structures, work to understand the relation between the structures, and examine how the structural pieces work together to create meaning.
In 2021, Natural language processing has become one of the 7 most in-demand tech-skill to master. By 2025, the global NLP market is anticipated to reach over $34 billion, growing at a compound annual growth of 21.5%.
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Hard Skills
Use these questions to identify a candidate’s technical knowledge and abilities
Soft Skills
Use these questions to assess a candidate’s personality traits and cognitive skills
What to look for while interviewing for a Natural Language Processing Engineer?
The skills required for a Web developer position are expertise in in-depth knowledge of HTML/CSS, JavaScript, etc. Therefore, look for a candidate who has knowledge of all these. The skills required for an NLP position are expertise in in-depth knowledge of HTML/CSS, JavaScript, etc. Therefore, look for a candidate who has knowledge of all these.
Here are some skills to look out for when hiring a NLP Engineer
Role-specific skills to look for: Knowledge of Java, Python, Sentimental Analysis, Natural Language Understanding, and Natural Language Generation.
Soft skills to look for Problem Solving, Analytical, reasoning ability, communication skills, and Team management.
Pro Tip: Always screen before you interview. Use Online Assessment to screen applicants for an NLP engineer position before blocking your time for an in-person interview.
Questions to ask while interviewing a Natural Language Processing Engineer
We have compiled a set of questions with the help of 70+ hiring managers at different organizations.
Top Role-based interview questions for Natural Language Processing Engineer
How do machines make meaning out of language?
Purpose of this interview question:
Understanding how machines interpret language is extremely critical to becoming a NLP engineer.
What to listen for:
- Candidates must concisely explain how machines and languages work together.
What are some of the Python libraries used for NLP?
Purpose of this interview question:
This question is designed to get to know if the candidate has any first-hand experience with the popular libraries in Python.
What to listen for:
- Top candidates would list out the libraries they have worked with and explain what are they used for.
Explain any tools for training NLP models that you’ve worked with?
Purpose of this interview question:
This question is designed to understand what kind of tools the candidate has first-hand experience with and their flexibility with different tools.
What to listen for:
- Top candidates would list out the tools they have worked with, and their functionalities, with the functions they have used them for in their projects.
How to screen Natural Language Processing Engineer for soft skills
What influenced you in this career?
Purpose of this interview question:
With this question, you can test the candidate’s dedication, influence, and self-awareness.
What to listen for:
- Listen for the sign of dedication or other skills with which the candidate has achieved the required skills to get a job role of Natural Language Processing engineer.
Can you tell us about a time you were new to a situation or environment? How did you adapt?
Purpose of this interview question:
Problem-solving skill is extremely critical for this function and with an example, you can understand how the candidate handles difficult situations.
What to listen for:
- The top candidate would show evidence of analytical and problem-solving skills.
How do you work under pressure?
Purpose of this interview question:
The question is designed to understand if the candidate can handle pressure or not and if they can, how they do that.
What to listen for:
- Top candidate would elaborate their time management skills with the help of their past experiences.
Start Optimizing your Natural Language Processing Engineer today
Find and hire talent with confidence. If your candidate doesn’t know the answer to the above questions and you’re hiring for a Natural Language Processing Engineer position, then they’re probably not a great fit.
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