Thorson Baker & Associates Software Engineer interview questions & guide 2026

Our interview process is designed to evaluate both your technical capabilities and your familiarity with the engineering context in which our software operates. Questions are drawn from real interview experiences at Thorson Baker & Associates and are structured to assess your problem-solving process, your engineering intuition, and your alignment with our consulting culture.

Resume & Professional Experience

These questions focus on your background, your technical execution, and how you have managed past engineering or development challenges.

• Walk me through a complex technical project on your resume and explain your specific contributions.
• Describe a time when you had to translate a highly technical, non-software requirement into a functional software tool.

To succeed in the Thorson Baker & Associates interview process, you must prepare to showcase a blend of software engineering logic and physical engineering awareness. Interviewers are not just looking for syntax experts; they want engineers who understand why a calculation is being made.

Role-Related Knowledge – You must demonstrate proficiency in software development (such as C#, Python, or C++) alongside a solid grasp of foundational engineering principles. Be ready to discuss how software interfaces with CAD/BIM platforms and how physical math translates to code.

Problem-Solving & Rationale – We place a strong emphasis on your engineering rationale. When asked a technical question, walk your interviewers through your step-by-step thinking process, showing how you structure a problem before writing a single line of code.

Consulting & Collaboration Mindset – Working at TBA means serving internal and external stakeholders. You need to show that you can communicate complex software concepts to structural, mechanical, and electrical engineers who may not have a computer science background.

Culture & Initiative – We highly value candidates who take the initiative to research our firm, our past projects, and our market presence. Showing a genuine interest in building systems and consulting engineering is a major differentiator.

The interview process at Thorson Baker & Associates is straightforward, conversational, and highly focused on practical capability. We value direct interaction and aim to move candidates through the pipeline efficiently, often extending offers within a week of the final interview.

Your journey typically begins with a brief phone screen or a direct invitation to our office following a resume review. The core of our evaluation is a comprehensive, on-site interview. This session is conducted in a collaborative conference room setting and is almost always led by two or three senior engineers or founding principals of the firm. This panel structure ensures that you get to meet key decision-makers immediately and gain a clear understanding of our leadership style.

The on-site interview is conversational but rigorous. It balances a deep dive into your resume with a discussion of physical engineering design rationale. Following the verbal interview, you will complete a brief, hands-on technical assessment focused on engineering fundamentals. To conclude your visit, we will take you on a tour of the company floor, giving you a first-hand look at how our different engineering departments are situated and how our teams collaborate daily.

The timeline above outlines the typical progression from your initial application to the final decision. Candidates should use this timeline to pace their preparation, ensuring they are ready for both the conversational panel and the technical engineering assessment on the same day. While the process moves quickly, maintaining high energy and thorough preparation for the on-site day is critical.

To help you target your preparation, we have broken down the primary areas where candidates are evaluated during the Thorson Baker & Associates interview.

Fundamental Engineering & Design Rationale

This evaluation area is unique to TBA. Because our software tools are used to design safe, real-world structures and systems, our software engineers must understand the basic physics and mechanics of engineering.

Be ready to go over:

• Structural Mechanics – Basic concepts of load paths, tributary areas, and stress-strain relationships.

As a Software Engineer at Thorson Baker & Associates, your daily responsibilities will center on creating technology solutions that empower our design teams. You will not write code in a vacuum; you will work directly alongside practicing structural, mechanical, and electrical engineers.

• Develop Custom Engineering Tools – Write, test, and maintain proprietary software applications and plugins that automate structural calculations, MEP system layouts, and electrical load distributions.
• Integrate BIM and CAD Workflows – Develop custom add-ins and APIs for platforms like Autodesk Revit and AutoCAD to streamline the transfer of design data between drafting environments and calculation engines.
• Collaborate Across Departments – Walk the company floor to gather requirements from structural, mechanical, and electrical design engineers, translating their physical design methodologies into functional software specifications.
• Maintain and Optimize Databases – Manage internal databases containing building component specifications, material properties, and engineering standards to ensure fast, reliable access for design applications.
• Ensure Code Quality and Accuracy – Perform rigorous testing of calculation algorithms to guarantee that software outputs align perfectly with building codes and engineering physics.

We look for candidates who possess a balanced background in software development and technical engineering. A strong applicant is comfortable working in a professional consulting environment and has a passion for physical engineering systems.

• Must-have skills:

  • Proficiency in object-oriented programming languages, particularly C# or C++, which are highly utilized in CAD/BIM API development.
  • Strong foundational knowledge of mathematics and physics, with the ability to understand structural and mechanical engineering concepts.
  • Solid understanding of database design and SQL.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to collaborate directly with non-software engineering teams.

• Nice-to-have skills:

  • Prior experience developing plugins or scripts for Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD, or Civil 3D.
  • A degree in Civil, Structural, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering with a strong programming background, or a Computer Science degree with minor/experience in physical sciences.
  • Familiarity with engineering calculation software or finite element analysis tools.

Q: How technical is the physical engineering assessment for a software role? A: The assessment focuses on fundamental engineering principles rather than highly advanced formulas. You should be comfortable with basic mechanics, such as calculating tributary areas, drawing shear-moment diagrams, and understanding how forces travel through building components.

Q: What is the interview format like? A: The interview is highly conversational and typically takes place in person with two or three senior engineers or principals. Expect to discuss your resume, walk through your design rationale for past projects, take a short paper-and-pencil engineering quiz, and tour the office floor.

Q: How fast does the hiring team make decisions? A: Thorson Baker & Associates is known for an efficient hiring process. Successful candidates frequently receive job offers within five business days of their on-site interview.

Q: Is there a hybrid or remote option for this role? A: Our technology and engineering teams work closely together to coordinate project deliveries. While some flexibility exists, our culture heavily emphasizes on-site collaboration and mentoring, which is why the interview process includes an in-person office tour.

To stand out in the interview process, keep these practical tips in mind:

• Research Our Projects: TBA has a highly informative website showcasing our involvement in diverse commercial, retail, educational, and institutional projects. Be ready to discuss specific projects that interest you and why you want to contribute to our firm's portfolio.
• Brush Up on the Basics: Do not let simple structural or mechanical concepts slip your mind. Spend an hour reviewing basic statics, load distributions, and beam diagrams before your interview.
• Be Conversational: Our principals want to see how you would fit into our collaborative office environment. Treat the interview as a dialogue about engineering design rather than a stiff question-and-answer session.

• Show Pride in Your Code: If you have built tools, scripts, or personal projects that solve practical problems, be prepared to talk about them. Showing how you took the initiative to automate a task is highly valued at TBA.

A Software Engineer position at Thorson Baker & Associates offers a unique and rewarding career path where your code directly shapes the physical world. By building the computational foundation for our structural, mechanical, and electrical engineering teams, you will play a key role in delivering safe, efficient, and innovative building designs across the country.

To prepare effectively, focus your energy on mastering both your coding fundamentals and basic physical engineering concepts. Be ready to communicate your design rationale clearly to our senior principals and show a genuine enthusiasm for consulting engineering. If you want to explore more detailed interview experiences, salary breakdowns, and candidate preparation resources, you can find comprehensive insights on Dataford.

The salary ranges above reflect the competitive compensation packages offered at TBA, which vary based on your specific location (such as our Richfield, Dublin, or Columbus offices) and your level of experience. When reviewing these figures, consider how your unique blend of software expertise and engineering knowledge positions you within these brackets, and use this data to guide your career progression discussions. Set your preparation plan, practice your engineering diagrams, and approach your interview with confidence.