Software Engineer Behavioral Interview Questions

Review this list of 164 behavioral software engineer interview questions and answers verified by hiring managers and candidates.
  • Anthropic logoAsked at Anthropic 

    "It is very easy to shy away and not make a decision because you might feel the right information is not there to make a decision While dealing with ambiguity it is essential to remain Calm. And Establish what it is you want to achieve by asking a lot of questions to the necessary stakeholders Access the risk, analyze the data at hand, ask the right questions, and be very clear and concise in decision-making"

    Satish murthy D. - "It is very easy to shy away and not make a decision because you might feel the right information is not there to make a decision While dealing with ambiguity it is essential to remain Calm. And Establish what it is you want to achieve by asking a lot of questions to the necessary stakeholders Access the risk, analyze the data at hand, ask the right questions, and be very clear and concise in decision-making"See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Behavioral
    +1 more
  • Capital One logoAsked at Capital One 
    +1

    "After more than five years at my previous company, I had contributed significantly to many important projects and helped the team navigate critical transitions, such as our shift from a monolithic to a microservices architecture. However, over time, I realized that my goals and the direction of the company were no longer fully aligned. I felt I had outgrown the position and was ready for new challenges, where I could continue to grow both technically and professionally. Ultimately, I’m excited a"

    Chinedu ekene O. - "After more than five years at my previous company, I had contributed significantly to many important projects and helped the team navigate critical transitions, such as our shift from a monolithic to a microservices architecture. However, over time, I realized that my goals and the direction of the company were no longer fully aligned. I felt I had outgrown the position and was ready for new challenges, where I could continue to grow both technically and professionally. Ultimately, I’m excited a"See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Behavioral
    +1 more
  • Meta (Facebook) logoAsked at Meta (Facebook) 
    Software Engineer
    Behavioral
    +1 more
  • Airbnb logoAsked at Airbnb 
    +4

    "I always ask to clarify if this is a brand new team. If so, then I focus on bringing in people with strong technical aptitudes(since I'm hiring for software engineering), but also team members that have experience mentoring and good communication is a must. I look for people who have leadership qualities. I emphasize that building a brand new team isn't something I can do on my own, so the initial hires of that team are very important to help me expand it."

    Catherine I. - "I always ask to clarify if this is a brand new team. If so, then I focus on bringing in people with strong technical aptitudes(since I'm hiring for software engineering), but also team members that have experience mentoring and good communication is a must. I look for people who have leadership qualities. I emphasize that building a brand new team isn't something I can do on my own, so the initial hires of that team are very important to help me expand it."See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Behavioral
    +3 more
  • Software Engineer
    Behavioral
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  • "I told a story about having good intentions to help out a superior with a problem but I did so without seeking buy-in (permission) first. While I did solve the problem and provided value to him and my other colleagues, I was reprimanded for crossing boundaries and not respecting his privacy (I accessed his computer without his permission to deliver a resolution to a problem). While I had good intentions and the outcome was good, my approach left me with a negative mark and a life long lesson r"

    Zakery K. - "I told a story about having good intentions to help out a superior with a problem but I did so without seeking buy-in (permission) first. While I did solve the problem and provided value to him and my other colleagues, I was reprimanded for crossing boundaries and not respecting his privacy (I accessed his computer without his permission to deliver a resolution to a problem). While I had good intentions and the outcome was good, my approach left me with a negative mark and a life long lesson r"See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Behavioral
  • ElevenLabs logoAsked at ElevenLabs 
    Software Engineer
    Behavioral
    +1 more
  • Bloomberg logoAsked at Bloomberg 
    Software Engineer
    Behavioral
  • Apple logoAsked at Apple 

    "Writing quality code is a major part of my coding philosophy, and I take multiple steps throughout the implementation process to ensure I'm producing quality work. Firstly, I focus on readability while coding, and test small parts as I go. This can include test-driven development, reading code aloud, or pair programming with a coworker. The next step would be automated systems to ensure quality. I will run a linter, and an automated test suite. Lastly, once my PR is created a fellow engineer wil"

    Zira C. - "Writing quality code is a major part of my coding philosophy, and I take multiple steps throughout the implementation process to ensure I'm producing quality work. Firstly, I focus on readability while coding, and test small parts as I go. This can include test-driven development, reading code aloud, or pair programming with a coworker. The next step would be automated systems to ensure quality. I will run a linter, and an automated test suite. Lastly, once my PR is created a fellow engineer wil"See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Behavioral
  • "To recount an experience from my last project . We were at the initial stages of designing a new data platform to enhance our trading analytics capabilities. The conflict arose over the selection of a data processing framework. I was advocating for Apache Spark due to its scalability and performance benefits, especially for handling large volumes of derivatives data. Another senior team member preferred a different technology they had more experience with, which they believed would be easier to"

    Scott S. - "To recount an experience from my last project . We were at the initial stages of designing a new data platform to enhance our trading analytics capabilities. The conflict arose over the selection of a data processing framework. I was advocating for Apache Spark due to its scalability and performance benefits, especially for handling large volumes of derivatives data. Another senior team member preferred a different technology they had more experience with, which they believed would be easier to"See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Behavioral
    +1 more
  • Software Engineer
    Behavioral
  • Airbnb logoAsked at Airbnb 

    "Colleague moved to a different role, so I decided to fill in and did outshine in showing results within the group."

    Anjali M. - "Colleague moved to a different role, so I decided to fill in and did outshine in showing results within the group."See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Behavioral
    +2 more
  • Amazon logoAsked at Amazon 

    "Situation Action Result"

    Anonymous Salmon - "Situation Action Result"See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Behavioral
    +1 more
  • Amazon logoAsked at Amazon 

    "Situation - A time I saw a peer struggling was while I was at Google working in Mountain View. A fellow colleague of mine was consistently not meeting standards in his performance reviews and wasn’t sure why. He was upset because Google was his dream company and he wasn’t sure how to improve based on his feedback. Task - I was tasked to design a based VUI framework for our discovery space on smart displays. This colleague was acting as the VUI lead for the project while I acted as t"

    Ben G. - "Situation - A time I saw a peer struggling was while I was at Google working in Mountain View. A fellow colleague of mine was consistently not meeting standards in his performance reviews and wasn’t sure why. He was upset because Google was his dream company and he wasn’t sure how to improve based on his feedback. Task - I was tasked to design a based VUI framework for our discovery space on smart displays. This colleague was acting as the VUI lead for the project while I acted as t"See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Behavioral
    +3 more
  • Software Engineer
    Behavioral
  • "Whenever I find resistance to my idea, my general approach is to : Validate my idea Identify if it is a political reason or is it a valid engineering tech reason Assuming it is not political but it is resource/difference of opinions that are causing resistance. Then I would try to do a quick POC and show a value proposition for the idea to get the buy-in. One similar situation happened The situation was that stakeholders were promised a feature that would decrease their number of ticket"

    Jaim - "Whenever I find resistance to my idea, my general approach is to : Validate my idea Identify if it is a political reason or is it a valid engineering tech reason Assuming it is not political but it is resource/difference of opinions that are causing resistance. Then I would try to do a quick POC and show a value proposition for the idea to get the buy-in. One similar situation happened The situation was that stakeholders were promised a feature that would decrease their number of ticket"See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Behavioral
    +1 more
  • Airbnb logoAsked at Airbnb 

    "I suggest a 4 step process: Ensure your recruitment process and company's branding are inclusive. This means using inclusive language in your job postings, avoiding gender stereotypes, and making sure your company's website and social media presence are welcoming to people from all backgrounds. Partner with nonprofit and cultural organizations to reach a more diverse pool of candidates. Many organizations can help you connect with candidates from underrepresented groups. These org"

    gdecuri - "I suggest a 4 step process: Ensure your recruitment process and company's branding are inclusive. This means using inclusive language in your job postings, avoiding gender stereotypes, and making sure your company's website and social media presence are welcoming to people from all backgrounds. Partner with nonprofit and cultural organizations to reach a more diverse pool of candidates. Many organizations can help you connect with candidates from underrepresented groups. These org"See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Behavioral
    +1 more
  • Amazon logoAsked at Amazon 

    "I'm seeking a role in which I can be continually challenged to devise innovative and streamlined solutions for complex issues, particularly with regard to the persistent soaking problem. I'm excited about the opportunity to not only excel in my own performance but also to empower and enable my colleagues to perform at their absolute best. My goal is to wield my influence and magnetic qualities to not only attract but also retain top-tier engineering talent, all in alignment with our shared objec"

    Anonymous Narwhal - "I'm seeking a role in which I can be continually challenged to devise innovative and streamlined solutions for complex issues, particularly with regard to the persistent soaking problem. I'm excited about the opportunity to not only excel in my own performance but also to empower and enable my colleagues to perform at their absolute best. My goal is to wield my influence and magnetic qualities to not only attract but also retain top-tier engineering talent, all in alignment with our shared objec"See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Behavioral
    +1 more
  • Discord logoAsked at Discord 
    Software Engineer
    Behavioral
    +4 more
Showing 81-100 of 164