10 Technical Interview Questions Every Candidate Should Expect

At MCS, we place candidates across Software Engineering, Cyber Security, and Cloud, DevOps & Infrastructure roles every week. The same interview questions come up again and again, for Backend Developers, Security Analysts, and DevOps Engineers alike, and how well a candidate is prepared for them can be just as decisive as their technical skill.

A 2025 CoderPad and CodinGame hiring survey found that 54% of developers say coding assessments don't reflect the actual job they're interviewing for. We see the result of that gap regularly: candidates who are good at their job but haven't prepared for how interviews are actually structured.

We also work with employers to build interview processes that reflect what a role really needs. So below are 10 questions we see come up consistently, why employers ask them, what we'd suggest if you're answering or asking them, and an MCS Top Tip backed by real data for each.

1. Tell us about a project that didn't go to plan.

Why employers ask this: This comes up constantly in our Cloud and DevOps conversations. Infrastructure Engineers in particular get judged on how they handled an outage or failed deployment, not on whether one happened at all.

What it's checking for:

• Composure under pressure
• Ownership rather than blame
• A clear process for diagnosing and fixing the issue
• What changed afterwards

Example answer, depending on your role:

• DevOps/Infrastructure: a deployment that caused downtime, how you traced it back to a config error or missed dependency, and what monitoring or rollback process you put in place afterwards
• Software Engineering: a feature that shipped with a bug affecting users, how you identified the cause, and what testing step you added to catch it earlier next time
• Cyber Security: an incident that escalated further than expected, what the response gaps were, and what changed in the playbook afterwards

If you're hiring: Ask what would happen if the same issue happened again. A candidate who's genuinely reflected on it will point to a specific process change, not just "I'd be more careful."

MCS Top Tip: Technical hires now average 17.6 interviews, a 52% increase since 2021. The bar for this question has genuinely risen, so don't just describe the fix, describe the process change, because that's what a candidate facing this many interview stages is expected to have ready.

2. How do you stay current with new tools and technology?

Why employers ask this: We hear this most in Cyber Security interviews, where tooling and threats move quickly. Employers want to know a candidate's learning habit is real, not something switched on for the interview.

What it's checking for:

• Genuine curiosity versus box-ticking
• Independent learning versus waiting to be trained
• How current their knowledge actually is

Example answer, depending on your role:

• Cyber Security: a specific threat intelligence feed or advisory you follow, a certification you're working towards (such as CompTIA Security+ or CISSP), or a CTF community you're active in
• Software Engineering: a particular framework release you've been testing, a tech talk or conference you attended recently, or an open source project you contribute to
• Cloud/DevOps: a specific cloud provider certification in progress, or a tool you've adopted recently and why

If you're hiring: If a candidate can't name anything specific, that's worth probing further rather than assuming it's just nerves. The detail is the signal.

MCS Top Tip: 71% of technology leaders say skills shortages have caused project delays in the past year, with AI integration and security among the initiatives hit hardest. Employers are actively trying to assess whether your knowledge will still be relevant in six months, not just whether it's relevant today.

3. Walk us through how you'd approach a problem you haven't seen before.

Why employers ask this: For Software Engineers, this is often the question that matters most. No one expects a candidate to have memorised every scenario, so it's designed to show how they think.

What it's checking for:

• Whether they clarify the problem before jumping to a solution
• How they break a large problem into smaller parts
• Whether they think out loud or go quiet under pressure

Example answer: Talk through it step by step. State any assumptions you're making, clarify what's actually being asked, then break the problem into smaller pieces before writing or proposing anything. Naming a trade-off out loud, such as choosing speed over a fully optimised solution, shows judgement as well as technical thinking.

If you're hiring: Give the candidate a moment to think out loud, even if the silence feels uncomfortable. It usually tells you more than a fast, rehearsed-sounding answer.

MCS Top Tip: This question is becoming more important, not less. A 2026 survey of 400 engineering leaders found that traditional code tests and take-home projects are losing reliability as a hiring signal, since candidates can generate a working solution from an AI assistant without showing how they actually think. Talking through your reasoning out loud is increasingly the only way to demonstrate this.

4. How would you explain a technical concept to someone non-technical?

Why employers ask this: This comes up across every specialism we recruit for, including client-facing roles like Solutions Architect, where translating technical detail for stakeholders matters as much as the technical skill itself.

What it's checking for:

• Communication under a real constraint
• Whether they can simplify without losing accuracy
• Awareness of their audience

Example answer, depending on your role:

• Software Engineering: explaining an API integration as two systems agreeing on a shared language to pass information back and forth
• Cyber Security: explaining phishing risk in terms of real business impact, such as cost of downtime or data loss, rather than technical jargon
• Cloud/DevOps: explaining cloud migration in terms of cost and flexibility rather than the underlying architecture

If you're hiring: If your team works with non-technical stakeholders, weight this one heavily. A strong engineer who can't communicate outward can create friction later.

MCS Top Tip: Data and Engineering roles now average around 24 to 25 hours of interview time per hire, often across multiple stakeholders, not just one technical interviewer. The ability to adjust your explanation for different audiences is being tested more than once in the process, not just at one stage.

5. Tell us about a mistake you made and what you learned from it.

Why employers ask this: How someone discusses failure says more about their maturity than how they discuss success. We see candidates undersell themselves on this question more than any other.

What it's checking for:

• Honest ownership without over-apologising
• A specific lesson, not a vague one
• Evidence the lesson was actually applied

Example answer: Keep the structure simple: what happened, what you noticed, what you changed. For example, missing a dependency conflict before a release, then introducing a pre-deployment checklist as a direct result. The specific change you made afterwards is what makes the answer credible.

If you're hiring: Be cautious of answers that are too polished or too minor to be believable. A real mistake, honestly discussed, tells you more.

MCS Top Tip: 90% of companies missed their hiring goals last year, and quality of hire has become the priority over simply filling a seat quickly. Employers are now more willing to invest extra time on a candidate who shows real self-awareness, even if their early answers aren't perfect.

6. What tools and processes have you used in previous roles?

Why employers ask this: Particularly common in DevOps Engineer interviews. Toolchain choices reveal how someone thinks, not just what they've used before.

What it's checking for:

• Hands-on experience versus surface familiarity
• Understanding of why a tool was chosen
• Adaptability if your stack differs from their last role

Example answer: Don't just list tools. Explain why a particular CI/CD pipeline, monitoring tool, or infrastructure-as-code approach was chosen over an alternative, for example choosing Terraform over manual provisioning for consistency across environments, and what trade-off that involved.

If you're hiring: If your stack differs from a candidate's background, ask how they'd approach learning it rather than ruling them out. Strong process thinking usually transfers.

MCS Top Tip: 83% of hiring managers at tech companies consider coding challenge completion the most important signal in technical hiring, but that's exactly why explaining your reasoning, not just listing tools, matters. Completion alone no longer differentiates candidates the way it used to.

7. How do you prioritise when everything feels urgent?

Why employers ask this: Security Analysts and Infrastructure Engineers face this constantly in the role itself. It tests judgement under pressure, not time management in theory.

What it's checking for:

• How someone assesses severity and impact
• Whether they escalate appropriately or try to handle everything alone
• Decision-making speed when there's no time for a perfect answer

Example answer: Describe a live incident, how you assessed severity (for example, customer-facing impact versus an internal-only issue), what you actioned first, and who you brought in. This lands better than a general answer about managing a to-do list.

If you're hiring: This is one of the most predictive questions on this list for high-pressure roles. Clear reasoning under pressure is usually a safer hire than a tidy list of actions.

MCS Top Tip: Engineering and Data roles see some of the highest interview intensity of any function, which reflects how seriously employers now weigh judgement under pressure before extending an offer. A calm, structured answer here carries real weight.

8. Describe a time you disagreed with a colleague's technical decision.

Why employers ask this: Disagreements happen on every technical team. This tests collaboration as much as technical opinion.

What it's checking for:

• Respect in how the candidate describes the other person
• Whether the disagreement was raised constructively
• How the resolution was actually reached

Example answer: Describe a specific disagreement, such as a difference of opinion on architecture or approach, how you raised it directly rather than going around the person, and how you reached a resolution together, even if that meant accepting their approach over yours.

If you're hiring: A candidate who can't recall a single disagreement may be avoiding the question rather than genuinely conflict-free. Worth gently pushing for a real example.

MCS Top Tip: Only 24% of candidates say they're happy with the interview process they go through, and tone is a big part of why. How you talk about a past disagreement is a direct preview of how you'll behave in this employer's own interview and onboarding process.

9. What part of this role are you most looking forward to, and what concerns you?

Why employers ask this: A specific, honest answer shows real engagement with the role rather than a rehearsed response that could apply anywhere.

What it's checking for:

• Whether the candidate has actually read and understood the role
• Self-awareness about their own gaps
• Realistic expectations of the job

Example answer: Name something specific from the job description, such as the chance to work on a particular tech stack or project type, alongside a genuine, proportionate concern, such as ramping up on an unfamiliar tool or process used by that employer specifically.

If you're hiring: A candidate with no concerns at all is often not being fully honest. A thoughtful concern is usually a better sign than a flawless answer.

MCS Top Tip: 69% of companies say a poor interview process has the greatest impact on quality of hire. Employers increasingly use this question to check the role and the candidate are genuinely matched, not just to fill a vacancy quickly.

10. Where do you want to be in your career in the next few years?

Why employers ask this: This checks alignment, not a fixed five-year plan. Employers want to know the role is a genuine step, not just the next job available.

What it's checking for:

• Retention risk and genuine fit
• Whether the role can realistically support the candidate's direction
• Long-term motivation versus short-term necessity

Example answer: Connect your answer to something concrete about the role, such as moving from a generalist Software Engineering role towards specialising in a particular area, or progressing from Security Analyst towards a more senior security architecture position, where the employer can realistically support that path.

If you're hiring: If a candidate's direction doesn't align with where the role can realistically take them, raise it honestly rather than hoping it works itself out later.

MCS Top Tip: 93% of tech and IT leaders say specialist recruitment support has helped them navigate AI-related hiring challenges, largely because alignment on long-term direction reduces the risk of a hire not working out. A clear, realistic answer here reassures an employer more than an ambitious but vague one.

What we see at MCS

A few patterns hold consistently across the roles we recruit for, from Software Engineer through to Security Analyst and DevOps Engineer:

• Candidates who prepare with specific, real examples are more likely to receive an offer than those who prepare general talking points
• The candidates who stand out are rarely the most polished, but the ones who can talk through real experience clearly
• HackerRank's 2024 Developer Skills Report found 76% of developers now use AI assistance to code daily, and interviewers are increasingly listening for answers that sound lived rather than generated. Specific, real examples carry more weight than ever

If you're exploring your next move, take a look at our current Technology jobs across Software Engineering, Cyber Security, and Cloud, DevOps & Infrastructure.

Partner with MCS Group

Whether you're a candidate preparing for your next interview or an employer reviewing how your technical interview process works, MCS Group can help on both sides.

• For candidates: Browse our live Technology jobs across Software Engineering, Cyber Security, and Cloud, DevOps & Infrastructure, or get in touch with our Technology team to discuss your next move.
• For employers: If interview drop-off, time-to-hire, or candidate quality is a challenge on your team, our Permanent Recruitment and Contract Recruitment services can help you build a process that actually reflects the role. For senior or specialist hires, our Executive Search team works closely with leadership to find the right fit from the outset.

Get in touch with our Technology team to find out more.