Behavioral

Describe a time when you showed initiative.

Frontend EngineerFull Stack Software EngineerSoftware EngineerBackend Engineer

Palantir Technologies

Apple

Palo Alto Networks

Netflix

Flexport

Google

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Answers

Anonymous

5 months ago
4.4Exceptional
Last year, as part of our ongoing efforts to optimize liquidity management, I was tasked with monitoring daily liquidity levels. During this process, I noticed that funds from a high-interest time deposit campaign were being withdrawn from current accounts just weeks after maturity. This observation raised concerns about our understanding of 'new liquidity' and prompted me to investigate further.
To analyze this trend, I developed a simple autoregressive model, using current account balances as the dependent variable and lagged time deposits as predictors. One challenge I faced was ensuring the model accounted for seasonal fluctuations and other external factors influencing liquidity. I addressed this by incorporating additional variables and conducting robust tests to validate the model's accuracy.
After gathering the data and analyzing the results, I presented my findings to my manager, which initiated discussions with Risk Management. My insights convinced both my manager and the CFO to delve deeper into the issue alongside colleagues from marketing and finance. This collaboration ultimately led to a more nuanced understanding of liquidity dynamics and resulted in improved metrics for measuring and retaining funds from the campaign. My actions significantly enhanced our approach to liquidity management, ensuring we accurately assessed the impact of our marketing strategies on overall liquidity."

Anonymous

8 months ago

Situation:

In my previous role as a Senior Engineering Manager at XYZ Tech, our team was responsible for maintaining and enhancing a critical component of our company's flagship product. The component had a growing backlog of feature requests and bug fixes, and the team was struggling to keep up with the demand while maintaining high-quality standards.

Task:

I recognized that our current development process was not scaling effectively to meet the increasing demands. The team was often bogged down by manual testing, which was time-consuming and prone to human error. I saw an opportunity to improve our efficiency and product quality by introducing automated testing and continuous integration (CI) practices.

Action:

  1. Research and Planning: I researched best practices in automated testing and CI, and identified tools that would fit well with our existing tech stack. I created a detailed proposal outlining the benefits, required resources, and a phased implementation plan.
  2. Gaining Buy-In: I presented the proposal to senior leadership, highlighting how automation could reduce the time spent on repetitive tasks and allow the team to focus on more strategic work. I also emphasized the potential for catching bugs earlier in the development cycle, improving overall product quality.
  3. Pilot Project: With approval, I led a pilot project to implement automated unit tests and a CI pipeline for one of our less critical modules. I involved key team members in the process to ensure knowledge transfer and buy-in from the team.
  4. Training and Implementation: After the successful pilot, I organized training sessions to upskill the team on writing automated tests and using the CI tools. We then rolled out the automation framework incrementally to other parts of the codebase.
  5. Monitoring and Iteration: I set up metrics to track the impact of automation on our development process, such as time spent on testing, number of bugs detected early, and overall deployment frequency. I used these metrics to make continuous improvements to our automation strategy.

Result:

  • Efficiency Gains: The introduction of automated testing and CI significantly reduced the time spent on manual testing. This allowed the team to handle a larger volume of feature requests and bug fixes without compromising on quality.
  • Improved Quality: The automation framework helped catch bugs earlier in the development cycle, leading to fewer issues in production and higher customer satisfaction.
  • Team Morale: By eliminating some of the more tedious aspects of the development process, the team's morale improved, and they were able to focus on more rewarding and strategic work.

Reflection:

This initiative demonstrated my ability to identify process inefficiencies, develop a strategic plan to address them, and lead the team through successful implementation. It also highlighted the importance of continuous improvement and the value of investing in automation to drive long-term success.
  • Tell me about a time when you showed initiative.
  • Describe a time when you showed initiative.
  • Tell me about an instance when you took initiative.
  • I want you to tell me about a time you showed initiative.
  • Please give me an example of a time when you demonstrated initiative.
  • Describe a situation where you took the initiative.
  • Share a time when you were proactive and shoed initiative.
  • Describe a situation where you took the lead without being asked to do so.
  • Can you talk about an instance where you identified a problem and took steps to solve it?
  • Have you ever taken on a project outside of your job description? Can you tell us about it?
  • Share an experience where you proposed a new idea or process that improved efficiency or effectiveness.
  • Tell us about a time where you saw an opportunity and took the initiative to seize it.
  • Describe a situation where you stepped up to fill a gap or need in your team or organization.
  • Can you give an example of a time when you took the initiative to learn a new skill or take on a new challenge?
  • Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond what was required of you.
  • Have you ever taken the initiative to mentor or train a colleague or team member? Can you tell us about it?
  • Share a situation where you identified a potential issue and proactively took steps to prevent it from becoming a problem.

Interview question asked to Software Engineers, Technical Program Managers, Site Reliability Engineers and other roles interviewing at Fiverr, Swiggy, Personio and others: Describe a time when you showed initiative..