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Junior Software Engineer

Can you share an experience where you had to reject or modify a request for technical reasons? What did you say to explain your concerns and how did things turn out?

The interviewer wants to know how well you can determine if something is technically feasible, how you explain your concerns to others, and how you work together to find other options when there are technical challenges.

Do:
  • Explain the technical constraints clearly and concisely.
  • Show how you verified the technical constraints before communicating them.
  • Describe how you approached your team to address the request.
  • Highlight your collaboration with the team to find an alternative solution.
  • Emphasize maintaining positive communication with stakeholders.
Don't:
  • Avoid suggesting that you always agree to unrealistic requests or that you never communicate your concerns. Don't give examples where you failed to find an alternative solution or where your communication was unprofessional or unclear.

Sample Answer 1

In a team project, a feature was requested that was beyond the technical capabilities of our current system setup. I took the time to run some tests and gathered evidence of the potential issues it could cause. I then discussed my findings with my team lead, explaining the technical constraints in a clear and concise manner. We collaborated on alternative solutions and eventually proposed a modified feature to the stakeholder that was well-received and technically feasible.

Sample Answer 2

Once, I was working on a small team and we faced a request for implementing a feature that would affect our application's stability due to server limitations. I researched the potential impact and documented my concerns. I communicated this to my team during one of our sprint meetings and together, we brainstormed alternative options. Eventually, we suggested a phased approach to the stakeholder, which they agreed to, allowing us to gradually implement the feature without overloading our servers.