What do you feel are the critical principles of good software engineering?
This is a general question that asks you to characterize what makes a software program efficient and effective. Your ability to do this will help the interviewer understand your qualifications for the position. Your answer should incorporate both the requirements for the job - as stated in the job description - and your previous experience writing code. You should limit your answer to 2 to 3 important principles and anticipate a follow-up question from the interviewer.
"There are several critical principles I try to incorporate in any code I write. These include simplicity, standardization, and ease of understanding. By doing this, I ensure that the code is effective and easy to understand and update if necessary. I also document my code so that other programmers can comprehend it and modify it if required to do so."
