behavior question

Behavior Question

Tight Deadline

  • Deliver Result

Tell me a time when you work under tight deadline

  • Why is so tight (explain the situation)

  • what have you done to accelerate the development process

​ get more colleague involved

​ ask for consult/guidance from some senior engineers

​ cut off some feature

Quick Decision with Incomplete Data

Principle: Bias for Action

  • Tell me a time when you had to make a quick decision with limited or incomplete data.
  • Why was the data incomplete?
  • What steps did you take to reduce risk?
    • Did you rely on prior experience?
    • Did you run a quick experiment (MVP)?
    • Did you make trade-offs to move faster?

Simplifying a Process

Principle: Invent and Simplify

  • Tell me about a time when you simplified a complicated process.
  • Why was the process inefficient or complex?
  • What actions did you take to make it simpler?
    • Did you design automation tools/scripts?
    • Did you create new documentation or workflows?
    • Did you eliminate unnecessary steps?

Handling a Failure / Mistake

Principle: Earn Trust

  • Tell me about a time when you made a mistake at work.
  • Why did it happen? (lack of info, wrong assumption, etc.)
  • How did you handle the situation?
    • Did you communicate transparently with your team/manager?
    • Did you take ownership and propose solutions?
    • What did you learn and change afterwards?

Raising the Bar

Principle: Insist on the Highest Standards

  • Tell me a time when you saw poor quality work and had to improve it.
  • Why was the quality below standard?
  • What actions did you take?
    • Did you set stricter review guidelines?
    • Did you mentor/train teammates?
    • Did you re-design the process to prevent issues?

Customer Obsession

Principle: Customer Obsession

  • Tell me a time when you went above and beyond for a customer (internal or external).
  • Why was the customer need important/urgent?
  • What actions did you take to solve the problem?
    • Did you collect feedback?
    • Did you adjust priorities to meet their needs?
    • Did you measure satisfaction afterwards?

Conflict in Team

Principle: Earn Trust

  • Tell me a time when you had a conflict with a teammate.
  • Why did the conflict happen? (miscommunication, different priorities, etc.)
  • What actions did you take to resolve it?
    • Listen actively to their perspective
    • Find common goals and trade-offs
    • Escalate respectfully if needed

Learning New Skill Quickly

Principle: Learn and Be Curious

  • Tell me a time when you had to quickly learn a new technology or skill to complete a project.
  • Why was it necessary to learn it under time pressure?
  • What actions did you take?
    • Researched and studied documentation/tutorials
    • Asked mentors or colleagues for guidance
    • Built a small prototype or POC to practice

Pushing Back on Request

Principle: Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit

  • Tell me a time when you disagreed with your manager or stakeholder.
  • Why did you think the decision was wrong?
  • What actions did you take?
    • Collected data/evidence to support your point
    • Communicated your concerns clearly and respectfully
    • Committed fully once the final decision was made

Limited Resources

Principle: Frugality

  • Tell me a time when you delivered results with very limited resources.
  • Why were resources limited? (budget, time, tools, people)
  • What actions did you take?
    • Reused or repurposed existing tools
    • Prioritized only critical features
    • Found creative low-cost solutions

Driving Long-Term Vision

Principle: Think Big

  • Tell me a time when you proposed a long-term improvement or vision.
  • Why did you think it was necessary beyond the short-term goals?
  • What actions did you take?
    • Shared the vision with data and examples
    • Broke down the idea into achievable milestones
    • Inspired teammates to support and contribute

Mentoring or Helping Others

Principle: Hire and Develop the Best

  • Tell me a time when you helped a junior teammate improve their skills.
  • Why did you decide to spend time mentoring them?
  • What actions did you take?
    • Gave constructive feedback on their work
    • Shared resources and personal experience
    • Tracked progress and recognized improvements

Handling Ambiguity

Principle: Are Right, A Lot

  • Tell me a time when you had to make a decision in an ambiguous situation.
  • Why was the information unclear or incomplete?
  • What actions did you take?
    • Gathered as much data as possible within constraints
    • Talked with stakeholders for clarification
    • Made a judgment call and adjusted as new info arrived

1. Customer Obsession

  • Tell me a time when you went above and beyond for a customer.
  • Why was the customer’s need important or urgent?
  • What actions did you take?
    • Collected feedback actively
    • Adjusted priorities to solve their pain point
    • Followed up to measure satisfaction

2. Ownership

  • Tell me a time when you took full ownership of a project or problem.
  • Why did you decide to step up?
  • What actions did you take?
    • Took responsibility without waiting for direction
    • Coordinated across multiple teams
    • Saw the task through until completion

3. Invent and Simplify

  • Tell me about a time when you simplified a process.
  • Why was the process too complex or inefficient?
  • What actions did you take?
    • Designed automation or tools
    • Eliminated unnecessary steps
    • Documented the new workflow for others

4. Are Right, A Lot

  • Tell me about a time you made a good decision despite uncertainty.
  • Why was the situation ambiguous?
  • What actions did you take?
    • Gathered as much data as possible
    • Consulted experts or stakeholders
    • Made a judgment call and validated later

5. Learn and Be Curious

  • Tell me about a time you quickly learned a new skill or technology.
  • Why was it important to learn it under time pressure?
  • What actions did you take?
    • Researched independently (docs, tutorials)
    • Practiced with a small prototype
    • Asked mentors for guidance

6. Hire and Develop the Best

  • Tell me a time when you helped a teammate grow.
  • Why did you decide to mentor or coach them?
  • What actions did you take?
    • Provided constructive feedback
    • Shared resources and best practices
    • Recognized their improvements

7. Insist on the Highest Standards

  • Tell me about a time you improved poor quality work.
  • Why was the quality below expectations?
  • What actions did you take?
    • Set stricter review criteria
    • Fixed issues proactively
    • Trained teammates to prevent recurrence

8. Think Big

  • Tell me about a time when you proposed a long-term vision or idea.
  • Why did you think short-term solutions were not enough?
  • What actions did you take?
    • Created a clear vision with data support
    • Broke it into milestones
    • Inspired others to buy in

9. Bias for Action

  • Tell me a time when you made a quick decision with limited data.
  • Why couldn’t you wait for more information?
  • What actions did you take?
    • Used available data plus experience
    • Ran a quick MVP experiment
    • Mitigated risks while moving fast

10. Frugality

  • Tell me a time when you delivered results with limited resources.
  • Why were resources constrained (budget/time/people)?
  • What actions did you take?
    • Reused existing tools creatively
    • Focused only on essentials
    • Found low-cost alternatives

11. Earn Trust

  • Tell me a time when you rebuilt trust after a mistake.
  • Why was the mistake impactful?
  • What actions did you take?
    • Acknowledged the issue openly
    • Took ownership and apologized
    • Implemented changes to prevent recurrence

12. Dive Deep

  • Tell me a time when you uncovered a root cause by diving deep.
  • Why was the issue hard to detect at first?
  • What actions did you take?
    • Investigated data/logs thoroughly
    • Asked probing questions
    • Found and fixed the underlying problem

13. Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit

  • Tell me a time you disagreed with a decision.
  • Why did you think the decision was wrong?
  • What actions did you take?
    • Gathered data to support your case
    • Expressed your concerns respectfully
    • Committed fully once a final decision was made

14. Deliver Results

  • Tell me a time when you worked under a tight deadline.
  • Why was the timeline so constrained?
  • What actions did you take?
    • Involved more colleagues
    • Asked for senior guidance
    • Cut non-critical features

15. Strive to be Earth’s Best Employer

  • Tell me a time when you contributed to team morale or well-being.
  • Why was the team struggling (stress, low motivation)?
  • What actions did you take?
    • Supported teammates under pressure
    • Promoted healthy work habits
    • Created opportunities for recognition

16. Success and Scale Bring Broad Responsibility

  • Tell me a time when you considered the broader impact of your work.
  • Why did you think the decision had long-term consequences?
  • What actions did you take?
    • Evaluated ethical/environmental impact
    • Suggested sustainable alternatives
    • Balanced business goals with responsibility