Product Perfect

Visual Basic (VB) is a programming language developed by Microsoft in 1991. It is event-driven and an object-oriented language that allows programmers to create simple or complex applications within the Windows environment. Visual Basic simplifies programming tasks such as GUI creation, database access, and ActiveX controls by providing drag-and-drop interface elements and predefined codes. It's considered a relatively easy language to learn due to its graphical development features and English-like syntax. However, while it's primarily used for developing Windows applications, it's not as flexible as other languages for non-Windows environments or for mobile application development.

Ask the right questions secure the right Visual Basic talent among an increasingly shrinking pool of talent.

First 20 minutes

General Visual Basic app knowledge and experience

The first 20 minutes of the interview should seek to understand the candidate's general background in Visual Basic application development, including their experience with various programming languages, databases, and their approach to designing scalable and maintainable systems.

What are the different types of data types available in Visual Basic?

Visual Basic supports a number of data types, including Integer, Long, Single, Double, Currency, String, Date, Boolean, and Object.

How would you declare a variable in Visual Basic?

To declare a variable in Visual Basic, you would use the Dim statement, followed by the name of the variable and the data type. For example: Dim myVariable As Integer.

What is the purpose of the Option Explicit statement in Visual Basic?

The Option Explicit statement is used to force the explicit declaration of all variables in a Visual Basic program. This can help prevent errors caused by typographical mistakes in variable names.

What is the difference between ByVal and ByRef in Visual Basic?

ByVal and ByRef are used to pass arguments to procedures. ByVal passes a copy of the variable, while ByRef passes the actual variable. Changes made to a ByVal argument do not affect the original variable, while changes made to a ByRef argument do.

What are the different types of loops in Visual Basic?

Visual Basic supports several types of loops, including For...Next, For Each...Next, Do...Loop, While...End While, and With...End With.

The hiring guide has been successfully sent to your email address.

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

What you’re looking for early on

Does the candidate have a strong understanding of Visual Basic fundamentals?

Can the candidate communicate effectively about complex technical concepts?

Has the candidate shown an ability to problem-solve and think critically?

Does the candidate have experience with relevant tools and technologies?

Next 20 minutes

Specific Visual Basic development questions

The next 20 minutes of the interview should focus on the candidate's expertise with specific backend frameworks, their understanding of RESTful APIs, and their experience in handling data storage and retrieval efficiently.

How would you handle errors in Visual Basic?

Errors in Visual Basic can be handled using the Try...Catch...Finally statement. This allows you to catch and handle exceptions, and to ensure that certain code is always executed, even if an error occurs.

What is the difference between a function and a subroutine in Visual Basic?

A function in Visual Basic is a procedure that returns a value, while a subroutine is a procedure that does not. Functions are called as part of an expression, while subroutines are called as a standalone statement.

What is the purpose of the Me keyword in Visual Basic?

The Me keyword in Visual Basic is used to refer to the current instance of a class or structure. It can be used to access the members of the class or structure from within the class or structure itself.

What are the different types of collections in Visual Basic?

Visual Basic supports several types of collections, including arrays, ArrayLists, HashTables, SortedLists, Stacks, Queues, and BitArrays.

How would you create a custom class in Visual Basic?

To create a custom class in Visual Basic, you would use the Class...End Class statement. Within this statement, you can define properties, methods, and events for the class.

The hiring guide has been successfully sent to your email address.

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

At this point, a skilled Visual Basic engineer should demonstrate strong problem-solving abilities, proficiency in Visual Basic programming language, and knowledge of software development methodologies. Red flags include lack of hands-on experience, inability to articulate complex concepts, or unfamiliarity with standard coding practices.

Digging deeper

Code questions

These will help you see the candidate's real-world development capabilities with Visual Basic.

What does the following Visual Basic code do?
Dim x As Integer = 5
Dim y As Integer = 10
x = y
This code declares two integer variables x and y, assigns them the values 5 and 10 respectively, and then assigns the value of y to x. So, at the end of this code, both x and y will have the value 10.
What will be the output of the following Visual Basic code?
Dim str As String = "Hello, World!"
Console.WriteLine(str.Substring(0, 5))
The output of this code will be 'Hello'. The Substring method extracts a substring from a string, starting from the index specified in the first parameter and of length specified in the second parameter.
What does the following Visual Basic code do?
Dim numbers() As Integer = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
Array.Reverse(numbers)
This code declares an array of integers and assigns it the values 1 through 5. The Array.Reverse method then reverses the order of the elements in the array. So, after this code, the numbers array will contain the values 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
What does the following Visual Basic code do?
Imports System.Threading
Dim thread As New Thread(AddressOf SomeFunction)
thread.Start()
This code creates a new thread and starts it. The new thread executes the function 'SomeFunction'. This is a way to perform multiple tasks concurrently in a Visual Basic application.

Wrap-up questions

Final candidate for Visual Basic Developer role questions

The final few questions should evaluate the candidate's teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills. Additionally, assess their knowledge of microservices architecture, serverless computing, and how they handle Visual Basic application deployments. Inquire about their experience in handling system failures and their approach to debugging and troubleshooting.

What is the difference between early binding and late binding in Visual Basic?

Early binding in Visual Basic occurs when an object is assigned to a variable declared to be of a specific object type. Late binding occurs when an object is assigned to a variable declared to be of type Object. Early binding is generally faster and less prone to errors, but late binding can be more flexible.

What is the purpose of the MyBase keyword in Visual Basic?

The MyBase keyword in Visual Basic is used to access the members of the base class from within a derived class. This allows you to call a method in the base class that has been overridden in the derived class.

How would you implement inheritance in Visual Basic?

Inheritance in Visual Basic is implemented using the Inherits keyword. The derived class is declared with the Inherits keyword followed by the name of the base class.

Visual Basic application related

Product Perfect's Visual Basic development capabilities

Beyond hiring for your Visual Basic engineering team, you may be in the market for additional help. Product Perfect provides seasoned expertise in Visual Basic projects, and can engage in multiple capacities.

Visual Basic Consultive assessments

Visual Basic Application Conversion Assessment Visual Basic Application Integration Assessment Visual Basic Data & Database Integration Assessment

Custom Visual Basic development projects

Custom Visual Basic App Conversion Visual Basic Custom App Development Process App UI Design for Visual Basic Facelifts

Hiring guide for Visual Basic Engineers

Visual Basic Developer Hiring Guide

What you’re looking for early on

The ideal back-end app developer

What you’re looking to see on the Visual Basic engineer at this point.

Visual Basic Consultive assessments

Custom Visual Basic development projects