University of Manchester Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

Super transparent about the timeline for applications, candidate consideration, and interview scheduling. They gave a really clear rundown of the interview too. We got a detailed outline and rundown of what to expect and prepare for. It was just one interview for everyone, lasting an hour, with the Head Research Software Engineer and two other Research SEs. It was mostly a presentation of a past software project I did, focusing on the project lifecycle and how I approached development and maintenance. Lots of back-and-forth and good follow-up questions came up. There were also general competency questions.

The first interview was about an hour long. It started with a 10-minute presentation on a coding project I'd done, followed by some questions about it. Then, we went over standard stuff about RSEs and the role, and I got to ask my own questions at the end.

I interviewed for an apprenticeship alongside five other candidates, in collaboration with an IT skills agency. They mentioned that being a career changer from a non-traditional background for a programmer wouldn't be an issue, as the university is modern and prioritizes diverse recruitment. They also assured me that my early-stage skills would be beneficial, as the apprenticeship aims to develop candidates for long-term positions. I had a year of study, bootcamps, and had learned various languages/libraries, building a project portfolio. About a week and a half before the interview, candidates received a set of tasks for an all-day interview. The initial task involved installing a clunky gaming platform, which caused installation problems for some, and completing a rigid, uncreative tutorial in C# to make a basic computer game. Additionally, we had to create a Wikimedia extension on the spot at the end of a long day, even though none of us had PHP experience, which the interviewer acknowledged. On the interview day, it became clear that candidates with C# experience were favored, and one candidate had already secured an apprenticeship. I was surprised that the selection for an apprenticeship focused solely on existing C# technical skills, especially for a university claiming to be cutting-edge. There was no discussion about future apps, projects, or the department's direction, nor how the university uses technology for social change as stated in the job spec. Instead, the focus was on the university's computer gaming group, their meetups, development trips, and social events. They also didn't discuss plans for a diverse team to ensure good UX/UI, and I noticed the entire interviewer panel was of the same demographic. The interview approach felt outdated. I was initially told I had an hour for a task, but then asked to join a breakout room with four or five men for an interview. For a 13k/year salary, candidates had to prepare a substantial project and presentation over a week and a half, followed by an intense all-day interview with about seven or eight university staff members, many of whom were passive observers. They also frequently left and re-entered private rooms to discuss candidates, which felt intimidating and disrespectful. I hope the university uses this feedback to understand why they struggle to regain their past prominence in tech and why other local colleges offering flexible/part-time/bootcamp options are more appealing to software developer students and career changers, particularly women and individuals from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.