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Behavioral interviews are an integral part of the hiring process at tech companies. Prepping answers to software engineer behavioral interview questions should be as much a priority as prepping for coding and design interviews. That’s mainly because your performance in behavioral rounds, especially at FAANG companies, can be a determining factor in influencing interview success.
Software engineer behavioral interview questions are mostly asked during On-site interviews. You can expect a few questions in the informal Initial Recruiter Screen and Technical Phone Screen Rounds. But the honest assessment of your behavioral and psychological attributes is done through tricky software engineer behavioral interview questions at On-site interviews.
An important point to note is that software engineer behavioral interview questions carry more weight in interviews for senior engineers and other management positions. Questions are usually a mix of important managerial traits, including leadership, client interaction, conflict resolution, team management, and employee satisfaction.
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Let’s go ahead and look at some popular software engineer behavioral interview questions asked in technical interviews.
Here’s what we’ll discuss:
- Behavioral Interview Questions for Software Engineers on Leadership
- Behavioral Interview Questions for Software Engineers on Challenging Past Projects
- Behavioral Interview Questions for Software Engineers on Relationships with Coworkers and Superiors
- Behavioral Interview Questions for Software Engineers on Work-Life Balance
- Behavioral Interview Questions for Software Engineers on Teamwork and Collaboration
- FAQs on Behavioral Interview Questions for Software Engineers
Behavioral Interview Questions for Software Engineers on Leadership
This section will look at some behavioral interview questions for software engineers on leadership.
Q1. What characteristics do you think are important to be an effective leader?
Q2. Tell us about your team management experience and what it taught you.
Q3. How did you go about prioritizing tasks as a team leader/manager?
Q4. Tell us about a time when you were short of resources for a tight project and how you dealt with the situation?
Q5. Tell us about a time when you had a team member who wasn’t productive enough.
Q6. Tell us about a time when a team member needed some time off to deal with personal issues.
Q7. Tell us when you had to cross-function with other teams to complete an important project.
Q8. Describe a situation when your team had to work overtime to complete project deadlines. How did you deal with the situation?
Take a look at the 10 Key Behavioral Skills Required to Land a $500k Tech Job.
Behavioral Interview Questions for Software Engineers on Challenging Past Projects
Challenging past projects improve your exposure and build character and insight. Recruiters are often keen to hear about past project experiences you’ve had, especially ones that were demanding and involved great learning. Let’s look at some behavioral interview questions for software engineers on challenging past projects.
Q1. Tell us about the most challenging project you worked on in any of your past organizations.
Q2. Tell us about what the most difficult project taught you.
Q3. Did your work-life balance get impacted when you dealt with a complex project in the past? How did you deal with it?
Q4. Tell us when you had to acquire new skills to ensure the project’s requirements were met?
Q5. Tell us about a time when you had to make a big decision on a project with little available information.
Q6. Tell us about a time when you took ownership of the success of an important project?
Q7. Tell us about the most extended project you worked on. What critical learnings would you like to share with us while working on a long project?
Q8. Tell us about the most challenging obstacle you faced while working on a substantial project.
Q9. Tell us about a time when you had to work on multiple projects simultaneously. How did you go about prioritizing your work?
Q10. Tell us about a time when your productivity was impacted while working on an important project.
Q11. Tell us about a time when you failed to meet the expectations of a complex project.
Q12. Tell us about a time when you failed to meet deadlines for an important project. What did you do to mend the situation?
Practice some Facebook Behavioral Interview Questions here.
Behavioral Interview Questions for Software Engineers on Relationships with Coworkers and Superiors
In this section, we’ll look at some behavioral interview questions for software engineers on relationships with superiors and coworkers.
Q1. Tell us about a time when a coworker wasn’t cooperating. How did it impact the project, and how did you deal with the situation?
Q2. Tell us about a time when you had a fallout with a coworker over a disagreement on a project.
Q3. Tell us about a time when you made an important recommendation to your superior on the course of a project.
Q4. Tell us about a time when you worked as a team to solve a difficult engineering problem.
Q5. Tell us about a time when a coworker was deviating from workplace ethics. What did you do about it?
Q6. Tell us about a time when you disagreed with your manager about the direction a project was taking.
Q7. Tell us about a time when you thought your manager/superior was being partial or unreasonable to a coworker.
Q8. Tell us about a time when you had to convince your superior/management to accept a powerful idea that you had.
Behavioral Interview Questions for Software Engineers on Work-Life Balance and Productivity
Work-Life balance is an essential component of any workplace. Employees who don’t enjoy a healthy work-life often fall behind on deadlines and expectations. In this section, we’ll look at some behavioral interview questions for software engineers on work-life balance.
Q1. Why do you think it is important to have a good work-life balance?
Q2. How do you ensure to maintain a good work-life balance?
Q3. Tell us about a time when a coworker didn’t enjoy a healthy work-life balance. What did you do to better the situation?
Q4. Tell us about a time when you were stressed at work. How did you handle it?
Q5. How do you make sure to maintain healthy productivity at work?
Q6. How do you keep distractions at bay when you’re working?
Q7. What are some factors that have affected your productivity in the past?
Check the 9 Behavioral Interview Questions Commonly Asked at the Google Interview here.
Behavioral Interview Questions For Software Engineers On Teamwork and Collaboration
Teamwork and collaboration are important elements for the success of important projects. Let’s look at some commonly asked software engineer behavioral questions on teamwork and collaboration.
Q1. Tell us about a time when you had to coordinate with multiple teams to finish an important project.
Q2. Tell us about practical challenges you faced while collaborating with other teams to complete a project.
Q3. Tell us about a time when a coworker in your team wasn’t cooperative. Did the project suffer? What did you do about it?
Q4. Tell us about a time when you supported a different team on a project that required cross-team expertise.
Q5. What activities do you think can boost team collaboration and team spirit?
These software engineer behavioral interview questions across various categories will help you understand what to expect at behavioral rounds of technical interviews. Make sure to devote adequate time forming answers to these behavioral interview questions for software engineers.
FAQs on Behavioral Interview Questions for Software Engineers
Q1. Why are software engineer behavioral interview questions asked in technical interviews?
Behavioral interview questions for software engineers are mostly asked to understand how you respond to work-related situations and how you handled challenging projects in the past.
Q2. What are the common types of software engineer behavioral interview questions asked in technical interviews?
Behavioral questions asked at technical interviews are mostly around workplace ethics, leadership, collaboration and teamwork, productivity, past projects, and work-life balance.
Q3. When are behavioral interview questions asked in technical interviews?
Software engineer behavioral interview questions are asked during On-site interview rounds at top companies.
Q4. Is it compulsory to appear for the behavioral round at technical interviews?
Yes, regardless of the position you’re applying to, you’re mandatorily required to appear for the behavioral round. In fact, not preparing well enough for the behavioral interview can potentially lead to rejection.
Q5. Do behavioral interviews carry more weightage for senior positions?
Yes, if you’re applying for a senior developer or managerial role, you’re very likely to appear for more than one behavioral round. Interviewers prioritize behavioral rounds while interviewing candidates for senior developer and managerial positions.
Gear Up for Your Next Technical Interview
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