10 API Documentation Interview Questions and Answers for Technical Writers

1. What experience do you have with API documentation?

Throughout my career as a technical writer, I have worked extensively with API documentation.

1. For example, in my previous position at XYZ company, I was responsible for documenting the REST APIs for a new application.
2. I created detailed reference guides for each API endpoint, including example requests and responses.
3. To ensure accuracy, I worked closely with the development team to understand the technical details of each endpoint and to verify that my documentation was correct.
4. As a result, our API documentation was highly praised by both internal and external stakeholders, and we received positive feedback for its clarity and completeness.

In addition, I have experience documenting APIs using a variety of tools, such as Swagger and Postman. For example:

• At ABC Company, I used Swagger to generate API documentation for a complex system with dozens of endpoints. By customizing the Swagger configuration and embedding relevant examples and explanations, I was able to create a user-friendly documentation portal that was well-received by developers and product managers alike.
• At DEF Inc., I worked with the development team to create API collections in Postman. By including detailed descriptions and examples for each request and response, I helped streamline the API integration process for our partners and customers.

In summary, my experience with API documentation spans multiple companies and industries, and I am confident in my ability to create clear, accurate, and user-friendly documentation that meets the needs of developers and other stakeholders.

2. What is OpenAPI? Have you worked with it before?

OpenAPI is a specification for building APIs, also referred to as Swagger. It allows you to describe the interface of your API including the endpoints, request parameters, responses, and authentication methods in a format that can be easily consumed and understood by both humans and machines.

Have you worked with it before?

• Yes, I have worked with OpenAPI in my previous role as a technical writer for a software development company. I was responsible for documenting our APIs using OpenAPI specification as the standard format.
• As an example, I documented an API that was used by our customer service team to retrieve customer data from our database. By using OpenAPI specification, we were able to clearly define the endpoints, request parameters, and responses, making it easier for our developers to implement the API and for our customers to understand how to use it.
• In addition, we used tools like Swagger UI to provide interactive documentation for our APIs, which allowed our customers to try out the API calls in real-time and see the responses, making it easier for them to integrate our APIs into their own applications.

Overall, I believe that OpenAPI is an essential tool for any technical writer who is documenting APIs, as it provides a standardized format for API documentation that is easy to understand and use for both developers and customers.

3. How do you ensure consistency in API documentation when different teams work on different endpoints?

As a technical writer, I understand that consistency in API documentation is essential to help users quickly and easily understand how to use the API. When different teams work on different endpoints, it can be challenging to ensure consistency in the documentation. However, here are a few strategies I use to maintain consistency:

1. Standardize the terminology: I create a document that outlines the preferred terminology to use throughout the documentation. This document is shared with everyone who contributes to the documentation.
2. Establish a style guide: I follow a style guide to ensure that documentation has the same structure and formatting. The style guide includes things like capitalization rules, punctuation, and how to refer to concepts and code snippets.
3. Collaborate with the teams: I work closely with the teams that are working on different endpoints to ensure that they are following the documented guidelines. This also helps me to stay up-to-date on the latest changes and updates.
4. Use tools for consistency: I use tools such as Swagger UI and API Blueprint to automate the documentation process. These tools ensure that the structure and format of the documentation remain consistent throughout the API.
5. Perform regular audits: I perform regular audits to ensure that the documentation meets the established standards. Using tools like Grammarly or Hemingway editor, I check for grammar and readability. I also ensure that the documentation is up-to-date.

By using these strategies, I have been able to consistently deliver high-quality documentation for APIs. For example, in my previous role, I was responsible for API documentation, and I implemented these strategies to ensure consistency. As a result, the company saw a 20% reduction in support tickets related to confusion about API usage, and user satisfaction with the API documentation increased by 15%.

4. What's your approach to documenting API error messages and exceptions?

When documenting API error messages and exceptions, my approach is to make sure the documentation is clear and concise to help developers understand the issue quickly and provide a solution efficiently.

1. Provide a description of the error: I make sure to describe the error message in a clear and concise way, using layman's terms where possible, and avoiding technical jargon.
2. Explain the cause: I explain what caused the error message to appear and what's happening in the code behind the scenes at that point.
3. Suggest possible solutions: It's important to suggest possible solutions to the error message. In practice, different developers might approach a fix differently, but guiding them in the right direction can save time and effort. I also make sure to indicate where in the documentation developers can find more information on possible solutions.
4. Provide code samples when applicable: Sometimes, the best way to explain an error message is to provide a code snippet, a screenshot or a curl request to reproduce the error. This reduces any ambiguity and leaves no room for interpretation, allowing developers to quickly get to the root of the problem.
5. Provide examples of exception messages: Finally, when documenting exception messages, I list the exceptions that the API returns, in what scenarios, necessary configuration and expected results. This helps developers know which exception to watch out for and what to do if it appears.

An example of my approach in action was when writing documentation for the API for a fintech application, we noticed developers would frequently face an authorization error. This error caused issues in the system since it would not allow the user to perform any authorized action, but none of the developers could fix the error without replying back to support. So, we updated the documentation for the endpoint to include a step-by-step guide on how to check/debug the authorization process, added examples of typical authorization errors, and provided code examples to help expedite debugging. This reduced the number of escalated support tickets related to authorizations by 25% within the first quarter after implementation.

5. What kind of tools do you typically use for writing and publishing API documentation?

As a technical writer experienced in writing and publishing API documentation, I have used a variety of tools to ensure that the documentation is of the highest quality and meets the needs of the target audience. Some of the tools that I typically use include:

1. API documentation generators: I have experience using popular documentation generators like Swagger, Postman, and Javadoc to generate API documentation. These tools enable me to automatically document APIs based on source code and provide a consistent format of documentation. During my previous role at XYZ Company, I used Swagger to create API documentation for a new RESTful API, and as a result, the accuracy of the documentation improved by 80% compared to hand-coding the documentation.
2. Markup languages: I am proficient in markup languages like Markdown, HTML, and CSS. These languages enable me to add formatting, stylesheets, and hyperlinks to the documentation. For instance, I used Markdown to create API documentation for a chatbot API, and as a result, the documentation was easy to read and understand, and it reduced the number of inquiries from users by 50%.
3. Version control systems: I have experience in using Git, Bitbucket, and Github to manage version control of API documentation. These tools enable me to track changes, collaborate with other users, and maintain a history of documentation changes. During my previous role at ABC Company, I used Bitbucket to maintain version control of the API documentation for a new client, and as a result, it became easy to track changes, and the documentation was updated in real-time.
4. Content management systems: I have experience in using content management systems like WordPress and Drupal to publish API documentation. These tools enable me to create and manage content, review analytics, and provide a platform for user feedback. For example, I used WordPress to publish the API documentation for a cloud storage API, and as a result, users gave positive feedback on the ease of use of the documentation, and it resulted in a 20% increase in API usage.

Using these tools, I can ensure that the API documentation is of high quality, easy to read and understand, and meets the needs of the target audience. Thank you for considering my application.

6. Have you ever written tutorials or guides to help people use an API? Can you provide an example?

Yes, I have written tutorials and guides to help people use an API. One example is the guide I wrote for a client's API, which was designed for developers to integrate the client's e-commerce platform with their own website.

1. First, I started by familiarizing myself with the API documentation, including the endpoints, parameters, and response formats.
2. Next, I created a step-by-step tutorial that walked developers through the process of setting up their account, generating their API key, and making their first API call.
3. I also included code snippets in several programming languages (Python, Ruby, and JavaScript) to help developers get started quickly.
4. To test the API and verify my tutorial, I enlisted the help of several beta users who had varying levels of experience with APIs.
5. Their feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many users citing the clear instructions and helpful code snippets as highlights of the tutorial.

After the tutorial was published, the client reported an increase in API signups and a decrease in support requests related to the API. This demonstrated the effectiveness of the tutorial in helping developers understand and use the API.

7. How do you ensure API documentation stays up-to-date with API changes?

As a technical writer responsible for API documentation, I understand the importance of keeping the documentation up-to-date with any API changes. My approach to ensuring this happens includes the following:

1. Constant communication with developers: I make a point to stay in close contact with the API development team to stay informed of any changes that may affect the documentation.
2. Regular reviews: I review the API documentation on a regular basis to ensure that it aligns with the current API and that all information is up-to-date.
3. Testing documentation with code: I test the documentation against the code to verify that it is accurate and relevant. This process helps me confirm that the documentation reflects the latest changes to the API.
4. Version control system: I use a version control system to track any changes to the documentation. This makes it easy to revert to a previous version in case changes break something.

Together, these methods help me ensure that the API documentation remains accurate and up-to-date, reducing any confusion or errors that may arise from changes in the API. In my previous role as a technical writer, adopting this approach resulted in a 25% reduction in support tickets and a 50% increase in user satisfaction with the documentation.

8. Tell me about a particularly challenging API documentation project you worked on. What made it difficult, and how did you handle it?

One of the most challenging API documentation projects I worked on was for a banking platform. The API was complex and had several layers of authentication and authorization, which made it difficult to understand how the endpoints were interconnected. Additionally, there were multiple versions of the API with different parameters and data structures.

To tackle this challenge, I first spent time reading the API documentation and trying out different endpoints to gain a deeper understanding of how they worked. I also reached out to developers for clarification when needed.

1. The first step I took was to create a comprehensive outline of the documentation, organizing it by endpoint and version. This helped me to identify any missing or incomplete information.
2. Next, I worked with the developers to create detailed code examples for each endpoint, including complete requests and responses. This helped to clarify how the endpoints should be used in real-world scenarios.
3. To make the documentation even clearer, I created diagrams that visualized the API structure and the relationships between endpoints.
4. I also implemented a version control system for the documentation to ensure that it stayed up to date as the API evolved over time.

After these steps, we received positive feedback from both the development team and external clients. Since implementing the changes, the number of support tickets related to the API decreased significantly, indicating that the documentation was clear and comprehensive.

9. What is your experience working with code samples or SDKs to support API documentation?

Throughout my career as a technical writer, I have gained extensive experience working with code samples and SDKs to support API documentation. In my previous role at XYZ Company, I was responsible for documenting the REST API of our flagship product. As part of this documentation effort, I worked closely with the engineering team to understand the API endpoints, parameters, and responses.

• To support our API documentation, I created multiple code samples in Python, Java, and Ruby using our SDK and documented these samples within our API reference guide.
• Furthermore, I ensured that the code samples were up-to-date and reflected any changes made to the API endpoints.
• This resulted in a significant improvement in the developer experience, as they were able to quickly get started with using our APIs by following the examples and code snippets provided.

In addition to code samples, I also worked with the engineering team to create SDKs in multiple programming languages, including Java, Python, and Ruby. These SDKs were made available to developers via our documentation portal and helped them integrate with our product more easily. After the implementation of these SDKs, we saw a 40% reduction in the time it took developers to integrate our product with their applications.

Overall, my experience working with code samples and SDKs has allowed me to create impactful API documentation that has improved the developer experience and reduced the time it takes for our customers to integrate with our product.

10. Can you walk me through your process for generating API reference documentation?

Thank you for asking about my process for generating API reference documentation. To ensure the highest quality of documentation, I follow a step-by-step process:

1. Gather requirements: I begin by gathering all necessary information about the API, such as its purpose, functionality, and target audience. By understanding the audience, I determine what information is most important to include and how it should be presented.
2. Explore the API: Next, I explore the API to get a thorough understanding of how it works, what resources it offers, and what its limitations are. I also ensure that I am able to reproduce API calls and test the responses.
3. Plan and organize: Armed with the requirements and knowledge of the API, I plan my documentation and create an outline. This ensures that all necessary information is included and that it is presented in a logical order, which can be easily navigated by the user.
4. Write the documentation: I begin writing the documentation using a clear and concise language, with accurate information and relevant examples. I ensure that the documentation is user-friendly and that the formatting is consistent throughout.
5. Get it reviewed and tested: Once the documentation is written, I have it reviewed by my team and other internal stakeholders. I also test the API using the documentation to ensure that the information is accurate and up-to-date.
6. Update and maintain: APIs are dynamic and constantly evolving, so keeping documentation up-to-date is important. I regularly review and update the documentation to ensure it remains relevant and accurate.

As a result of following this process, I have been able to generate high-quality API reference documentation that is well-received by both technical and non-technical audiences. For example, at my previous company, our API documentation helped increase customer adoption by 40% in the first year alone.

Conclusion

Preparing for an API Documentation interview can be daunting for Technical Writers. However, with these ten questions and their answers, Technical Writers can be well on their way to success.

Remember, a great cover letter and an impressive CV are crucial to land the job you desire.

If you’re currently seeking a new opportunity, remember to search our remote Technical Writer job board. Good luck!