Core Concepts Questions
Interviewers commonly start with the difference between a site collection, a site, a list, and a library — a site collection is the top-level container with its own permissions and site collection administrators, sites live within it (or associate to a hub), lists store structured items (tasks, calendar events, custom items), and libraries are lists specialized for storing files with version history. A strong answer also distinguishes a hub site (a navigation and search-scoping mechanism connecting independent site collections) from a subsite (a child site nested within the same site collection, sharing its permission boundary unless broken).
Cricket analogy: It's like explaining the difference between a cricket board (site collection, top-level authority), a franchise team under it (site), a fixtures calendar (list), and a video archive of every match (library, files with version history).
Architecture and Administration Questions
A frequent question is how to troubleshoot a user who can see a document library but not a specific file inside it — the answer walks through checking whether the item has broken inheritance with a unique permission set, whether the user is in a SharePoint group with access at that level, and whether a sensitivity label or conditional access policy is blocking access based on device compliance. Another common question covers external sharing: explain the three sharing link types (Specific people, Organization-wide, Anyone with the link) and how tenant-level and site-level sharing settings form a ceiling — a site can restrict sharing further than the tenant default but never loosen beyond it.
Cricket analogy: It's like troubleshooting why a fan with a general stadium pass can't enter the VIP box — you check if that specific box has its own separate access list (broken inheritance) beyond the general gate pass.
Development Questions
Development interviews probe SPFx (SharePoint Framework) fundamentals: candidates should explain that SPFx web parts are client-side, run in the context of the current page using the SharePoint page's authentication rather than requiring separate app registration for basic operations, and are built with modern frameworks (React, TypeScript) bundled via webpack and deployed through the App Catalog. A strong candidate also knows the difference between REST API calls (odata-based, simpler for CRUD) and the PnPjs library (a fluent, promise-based wrapper over both REST and Graph that reduces boilerplate for common list/library operations) and can describe when to reach for the Microsoft Graph API instead — specifically when the operation spans multiple Microsoft 365 services like reading a user's calendar alongside a SharePoint list.
Cricket analogy: It's like explaining that a domestic player (SPFx web part) plays under the local board's existing registration (page context/auth) without needing a separate international clearance, versus a player moving to a different board's competition (Graph API) who needs new paperwork entirely.
// Example: reading list items in an SPFx web part using PnPjs
import { spfi, SPFx } from "@pnp/sp";
import "@pnp/sp/webs";
import "@pnp/sp/lists";
import "@pnp/sp/items";
export async function getActiveCampaigns(context: any) {
const sp = spfi().using(SPFx(context));
const items = await sp.web.lists
.getByTitle("Campaigns")
.items.select("Title", "Status", "DueDate")
.filter("Status eq 'Active'")
.orderBy("DueDate", true)();
return items;
}When asked to compare SPFx with the older SharePoint Add-in model, mention that Add-ins ran in an isolated iframe against a separate app domain requiring OAuth, while SPFx runs directly on the page — faster, no iframe overhead, and access to the page's existing context.
Avoid the common interview mistake of saying SharePoint permissions are 'all or nothing.' Interviewers specifically probe for understanding of permission levels (Full Control, Edit, Contribute, Read, custom levels) — conflating these into a binary access/no-access answer signals shallow SharePoint experience.
- Be ready to clearly distinguish site collection, site, list, and library, plus hub site vs subsite.
- Practice walking through a permission troubleshooting scenario end to end, including broken inheritance checks.
- Know the three external sharing link types and how tenant/site settings form a sharing ceiling, not a floor.
- Understand SPFx fundamentals: client-side, page-context authentication, React/TypeScript, App Catalog deployment.
- Be able to contrast REST API, PnPjs, and Microsoft Graph API, and when each is the right tool.
- Never describe SharePoint permissions as binary — always reference permission levels and custom levels.
- Mention the SPFx vs legacy Add-in model distinction if asked about SharePoint's development history.
Practice what you learned
1. What is the top-level container in SharePoint's hierarchy that has its own permissions and administrators?
2. What distinguishes a hub site from a subsite?
3. What should be checked when a user can see a library but not a specific file within it?
4. What authentication context do SPFx web parts run under?
5. When should a developer reach for Microsoft Graph API instead of the SharePoint REST API?
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