Most people in IT and computer programming have personality types that lean toward introversion. IT is deeply involved with the business, so people skills are important to be able to close deals with clients and develop software for them. 

On the other hand, computer programmers don’t need much interaction with individuals, solely relying on completing tasks alone, with little to no direction at all. Software engineers and architects share many similarities when it comes to their preferences and personalities.

How Do I Find a Good Software Architect?

Recruiters wanting to hire the best software architects to need to distinguish individuals with unique skill sets which will later become an asset for the company.

The Personality Type of a Software Architect

The Myers Briggs Type-Indicator classifies most architects under the INTJ personality. INTJ personality types are highly independent and sometimes too logical to an extreme. It’s both a strength and a weakness – software architects with an INTJ personality are self-driven and do not need instructions to complete a task. This can also mean software architects will have a tendency to be aloof or seemingly unapproachable. 

In an interview, recruiters who have already verified a software architect’s capability to be independent should also ask questions surrounding cooperation. Software architects may refuse help or secretly dislike collaborative work.

For the company’s benefit, recruiters should hire software architects who would be willing to compromise a part of their time for the sake of keeping everything in the loop, while also encouraging them to voice out their concerns and not harbor resentment. 

INTJ’s take failure seriously because they have a strong sense of pride in their work and will display the same level of frustration in other people’s failure. Software architects in administrative roles may be quiet and be willing to comply and they hold their superiors in utmost respect.

It’s also a two-edged sword since software architects or INTJ’s, in general, lose that respect if they see gross incompetence or the lack of capability, and will most likely take over, given the circumstances.

That’s why it’s very important for recruiters to ask questions on how software architects process failure emotionally. INTJ’s with no handle over emotions will most likely display these in outbursts and may become counterproductive to a project.

What Recruiters Should Focus On During An Interview

Recruiters with a good understanding of people’s personality types will be able to help a company maximize its employees’ efficiency. This is possible by identifying a recruit’s weaknesses and making them aware of these. 

Questions like “What was your biggest obstacle and how did you overcome it?” helps determine how an individual processes a problem. Software architects are highly logical and will have no problems answering this question.

How they answer it shows their methods of approaching a problem, and most often than not, they would answer these questions with lots of pronouns involving “I”. 

To test whether they can collaborate well with other employees, recruiters can ask questions to the software architect like “How willing would you be working with other individuals to solve a problem?” If they have no qualms about it, then that software architect is a good fit for the role.

Another question that recruiters can ask software architects is their ability to persist. INTJ’s and INT- personality types generally have lower grit, although this may not be true unless a psychological evaluation for persistence is done on a candidate.

Writing code and designing infrastructure and systems can be an overwhelming task. Young individuals are more likely to be motivated than their older counterparts, generally speaking. Age may have something to do with internal motivation and they’re usually better picks for self-starter jobs such as software architecture.

Software architects work with grace under pressure. Their ability to remain calm when faced with near-impossible tasks makes them the ideal persons to approach when issues in the system arise.

When overwhelmed with emotions, however, they get too caught up with the experience. Recruiters can ask software architects what steps they take to process these emotions and have them ground themselves. 

This is also a good time to ask if they’re the type to be approached when facing issues at the workplace or if they’d be willing to share their problems. INTJ’s and INTP’s are especially hard to please but once they see that it’s logical for others to have an idea of how they’re doing, they’d work well as teammates.

Technical Skills A Software Architect Should Possess

A software architect doesn’t necessarily need to have excellent coding skills but should understand basic coding languages to help administrate tasks. A software architect’s role leans towards supervisory so they should have the ability to see the bigger picture. 

Recruiters wanting software architects who can code with up-to-date languages should look at younger candidates as they have it in their curriculum. That’s not to say older candidates can’t write in newer code, although training is required.

Like regular architects, software architects need to be able to design and develop according to their client’s needs. They have to write and execute plans based on a system modeled after the client’s requirements. They usually start from scratch, so software architects don’t need as much expertise as dedicated coders. 

Software architects are in essence, a generalist. Not all individuals will be able to have this skill set, although these days, more and more people are valued with specific skills rather than generalists. Finding a software architect can be a challenge, but they’re worth the investment.