What a software engineer does
England's National Careers Service says software developers create and test programs. These help people complete tasks, run services and use devices. New Zealand's careers service lists software engineer as another name for the same job.
Day to day, the work can include:
- talking with clients about what they need
- planning designs and timescales with a technical team
- writing, updating and testing code to find and fix problems
- recording what changed, and why, at each stage
- supporting systems once they're live
The UK government's role framework says developers write clean, secure code following a test-driven approach. It also asks for code that is easy for others to reuse.
Skills employers look for
Official job profiles agree on a core set of skills. Each one is something an interview can test:
- Solving problems. The National Careers Service lists complex problem-solving and analytical thinking.
- Writing programs. You need to write code and understand computer systems well.
- Care with detail. The same profile asks you to be thorough and pay attention to detail.
- Sharing ideas. Spoken communication matters, because you plan work with others.
- Learning fast. The US profile for software developers lists critical thinking and active learning as essential skills.
The interviews you may face
Each employer runs its own process. If the invitation doesn't say what comes next, ask. You may face some of these:
- A screening call about your background and why you want the role. See our guide to phone screen interviews.
- A coding task, done online, live with an engineer, or at home by a deadline.
- A design talk about how you would build or change a system, and why.
- A walk through your own code, where you explain the choices you made.
- A behavioural interview about past work, sometimes with a panel. Our guide to behavioural questions explains the format.
For a take-home task, check the deadline and how long they expect it to take. Our guide to tests and take-home tasks has more.
Questions that test each skill
These are themes, with sample wording. Real questions vary by employer.
- Problem solving: "Walk me through how you would find out why a page loads slowly."
- Code quality: "How do you decide what to test?"
- Teamwork: "Tell me about a time you disagreed with feedback on your code."
- Learning: "Tell me about a tool or language you had to learn quickly."
- Ownership: "Describe a bug you caused. What did you do next?"
- Explaining: "Explain a technical choice to someone who doesn't code."
Answer "tell me about a time" questions with STAR: the situation, your task, the actions you took and the result. Our free STAR answer planner helps you shape each story.
What to prepare
- List the languages, tools and duties the job ad names.
- Practise small coding problems out loud, saying your thinking as you go.
- Pick two projects you know well. Be ready to explain the design and what you'd change.
- Write six to eight true STAR stories: a bug, a deadline, a disagreement and something you learned.
- If you share code, be ready to say which parts you wrote yourself.
- Prepare two or three questions about the team, such as how code gets checked before release.
Only claim tools and languages you have used. If asked about one you haven't, say so, then say how you would learn it.
An example answer about fixing a live problem
Here is a made-up answer for a made-up person. Use it to see the shape of a strong answer, then tell your own true story.
Made-up example
Lena, a junior developer applying for her second job
Question
Situation
Task
Action
- I checked the error logs and saw the failures started right after Friday's release.
- I compared the two versions and found a change to how we rounded prices.
- I rolled back that one change, with my lead's agreement, and watched bookings recover.
- I wrote a test that failed on the old code, then fixed the rounding properly.
- I wrote a short note for the team on what happened and how we'd catch it next time.
Result
Every action is something Lena did herself. The result has numbers, and the last step shows what the team learned.
Questions
Do I need a degree to become a software engineer?
Not always. England's National Careers Service lists routes through university, college, apprenticeships and graduate schemes. Check what each job ad asks for.
What if I get stuck in a coding task?
Say what you are thinking, try a simpler version first, and ask a clear question. Talking through your thinking lets the interviewer follow it, even if you don't finish.
Can I use AI tools in a coding interview?
Only if the employer says you can. Ask if the instructions don't say. Using a tool you were told not to use can end your application.
What does a software engineer earn?
Pay depends on the country, the city and the level. In the US, O*NET lists a 2025 median wage of $135,980 a year for software developers. Check your own country's official figures.
Sources
Written by Seal the Offer from these pages, last checked on . Rules change, so check the employer's own page and the job ad before you apply.