Behavioral

Share an instance where your decision wasn't well-received.

Design Verification EngineerEmbedded Engineer

Google

Lattice Semiconductor

Boeing

Rockwell Automation

Belkin

Polaris Industries

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Expert Answer

Anonymous

3 months ago
4.2Exceptional
As we approached RTL freeze, there were many pending deliverables along with ongoing regression debugging. I proposed a prioritization strategy to focus on new feature failures in regressions over legacy issues, as the legacy features had already been silicon-proven in previous tapeouts without reported bugs. My goal was to optimize debugging efforts and ensure that critical new functionality was verified before the RTL freeze deadline. I proposed that we focus first      on new feature regressions, since legacy features had already been running in      production.
  • However, my proposal wasn’t      well received because stakeholders felt that untested scenarios could      still expose latent bugs in legacy features, making it risky to de-prioritize      them.
  • Instead of pushing my      approach, I collaborated with cross-functional teams to gather data on      which legacy features had already been verified by other teams (such as validation or      software teams).
  • Using this data, I presented      a compromise      strategy:
  • Features already tested by       other teams were lowered in priority.
  • Unverified legacy features       remained in scope alongside new feature debugging.
  • This data-backed      compromise was accepted by management, ensuring new feature verification remained a      priority while      addressing concerns about legacy coverage.
  • We met the RTL freeze      deadline without      compromising verification quality.
  • This experience strengthened      my ability to handle pushback constructively and use data-driven      reasoning to drive alignment across teams.
  • Share an instance where your decision wasn't well-received.
  • Can you recount a situation where you chose an unpopular route?
  • Talk about a moment when you had to make a contentious decision.
  • I'd like to hear about a decision you made that wasn't favored by others.
  • Tell us about a time you went against the grain with your decision.
  • Recollect a moment when your decision met with resistance.
  • Reflect on a time when you had to make a choice that wasn't widely supported.
  • Can you elaborate on a situation where your decision was not well-liked?
  • Describe a time when you made an unpopular decision.
  • Share an experience where you made a decision that wasn't universally accepted.
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Interview question asked to Design Verification Engineers and Embedded Engineers interviewing at Autoliv, Western Digital, Blue Origin and others: Share an instance where your decision wasn't well-received..