Behavioral

Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss

Software EngineerProgram ManagerProduct ManagerFull Stack Software Engineer

Palantir Technologies

Snap

Google

Netflix

Meta

Flexport

Did you come across this question in an interview?

Answers

Anonymous

7 months ago
4.2Exceptional
On a high-stakes project aimed at providing a comprehensive data view of our consumers, I was leading the team towards a tight deadline when a significant conflict arose. The product manager requested an additional feature that would allow external clients to access our services, just as we were about to ship the software. This posed risks of delays and security vulnerabilities. Understanding the importance of the project timeline and the associated risks, I took the initiative to resolve the conflict. I arranged a meeting with the product manager and other key stakeholders to discuss the situation. During the meeting, I presented a document listing all potential risks and communicated my concerns, focusing on the delay and security implications of the new feature. I also listened attentively to the product manager's perspective, who insisted on the feature for its potential to increase revenue. To address the conflict, I proposed a two-phase approach: first, we would launch the software for internal clients as planned, and second, we would develop the additional feature for external clients, ensuring all security concerns were addressed. This plan was accepted by all stakeholders, allowing us to meet the original deadline and later implement the new feature without compromising the project's integrity. The experience underscored the value of open communication, collaboration, and strategic problem-solving in conflict resolution.

Anonymous

9 months ago
i always  remain calm, however in my last project i have given the methodology that were not useful for customer needs. i accepted but it didn't work until i had deep down discussion with my line manager and suggest the best way to  dealt with the situation, i defended my case proffesional and with evidences, and got accepted.

Anonymous

9 months ago
3.6Strong
It was when we were preparing data for warranty negotiation, my boss asked me to prepare data past 3 years back but I didn’t agree because data should be data to be used since last negotiation on 2018.
I told my boss about history of this topic and told her that the more sample we had, the more   opportunity to win negotiation.
then I prepared 2018-2024 data and reviewed together, we found that by comparing data between 2020-2024 and 2018-2024, warranty responsibility is much lower. We both agreed to use 2018-2024 data for negotiation and the result as we expected, we got the ratio as we proposed.

Anonymous

10 months ago
3.4Strong
At Auctane, while my team was in the middle of the rewrite - for refund module, The PMs wanted a new feature to the legacy system, I pushed back on the switch as it would cause a lot of churn for my team. PM got my Manager involved and convinced that this was a good idea to release new feature on monolith. My manager aggreed for this swap, I was disaggreed with this decision but commited to the change in direction.
I breifed my team with this change, and we could accomate the feature request after negotiating the scope of the microsystem re-write.

Anonymous

10 months ago
3Strong
i haven’ encountered a situation like this.However if I found some idea wrong I will challenge it with respect and professionalis,If i were to face this situation in future my approach would be open communication and understanging each other perspectives and discussing potential solution to find common grounds through which we can move towards a unified direction
  • Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss
  • When did you last disagree with your boss or executive?
  • Can you tell me about the last time you had a disagreement with your boss or an executive
  • I want to know about a time when you disagreed with your boss or a manager
  • Please tell me about a time when you disagreed with a boss or an executive
  • What is an instance when you disagreed with your boss or an executive
  • Please share a time when you had a disagreement with your boss or an executive
  • I want to hear about a time when you disagreed with your boss or an executive
  • What happened when you disagreed with your boss or an executive
  • Please tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss or a senior executive
  • Tell me about a time you disagreed with your boss or an executive
  • Can you describe a situation where you had a disagreement with your supervisor or an executive?
  • Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you had a difference of opinion with your boss or an executive? Can you walk me through it?
  • Could you discuss a time when you had a differing perspective from a manager or an executive?
  • Share an experience when you had a conflicting point of view with your boss or an executive.
  • Have you ever challenged your manager or an executive's decision? Can you describe the situation and the outcome?
  • Can you recall a time where you and your supervisor or an executive didn't see eye-to-eye? How did you manage it?
  • Tell me about a time when you and your boss or an executive had differing views. How did you handle it?
  • Describe a situation where you had to disagree with a manager or an executive. How did you approach the situation?
  • Have you ever had a professional disagreement with a superior? Can you elaborate on the circumstances and how you handled it?
  • Can you walk me through an instance where you disagreed with your boss or an executive and how you resolved it?

Interview question asked to Full Stack Software Engineers, Frontend Engineers, Android Engineers and other roles interviewing at Swiggy, Zuora, Better.com and others: Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss.