What do you expect from a behavioral round in the tech interviews ?
I had interviews with about four different companies in the last two months and I am very sure that all the tech rounds like system-design, coding etc were very great with all the companies. But get a “regret” email thereafter. I sent an email to them asking for a feedback so that I can improve upon for the future. But no response for that.
So I suspect that I may have faltered in the behavioral round.
In two companies I provided two different instances where I talked and discussed the issue among my peers in other group during our break room chats etc amicably without any escalation. It involved in minor changes to the processes on both the sides. Maybe it looks like it did not go well.
In the next two companies, I said : in my 30+ years in the software industry I did not have any conflict with anybody in my career. Any minor irritants were resolved amicably. I get along well with everybody ( by the way it is true ). Looks like this too did not go well.
So, is not having any conflict in 30+ years of working looked as a negative trait ? One of my colleague opined that it may reflect that I am not aggressive or no ambition to grow ? Is it true and why ? I am an example of having an ambition to grow technically and still get along well with all.
Or should I treat it as some sort of age-related rejection and accept the reality and stop looking for a change ?
By the way I still love to be an IC and code still.
I want a change desperately to maintain my sanity.
Please no flaks and be polite in your responses.
TC : 180
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comments
The answers you gave I can’t really tell how they would apply.
The 30 years no conflict i would discard. It doesn’t help me answer how you would actually work within a team
I'm assuming, given your yoe, you are interviewing for at least the senior level. The thing that determines your level is your behavioral round. Conflict here doesn't mean getting into a fist fight or angry at each other, it just means a difference in opinion.
A good example for a senior engineer would be when others disagreed with you on the design of a project, but you were able to convince them/compromise and get on common grounds. This shows a) project ownership scope that's expected of seniors, and b) the ability to de-escalate and focus on the task at had.
I'm sure you have plenty of stories like that one, just need to frame it as such. Look up "Meta" the Amazon Principal Engineer on YouTube. He explains this well.
From what you wrote though it sounds like it may be difficult for interviewers to get an idea of what it’s like to work with you. 30 years and you can’t give details about how a disagreement was resolved other than “it was resolved amicably” and “I get along with everybody”? They’re not looking for drama, they’re looking for how you interact with others and how you resolve people problems.
In all that time you never had a disagreement on process or direction or anything?
Thanks for all the advice.