Behavioral question

Tell me a time when you influenced engineering to build a particular feature.

Practice this question out loud. An AI interviewer asks it, follows up like a real interviewer would, and scores your answer. Type or speak.

What this question tests

Tests your ability to influence without authority, showing persuasion through data and collaboration rather than positional power.

Pick a specific example where engineering was initially skeptical or deprioritized a feature you believed was important.
Describe how you built the case: user data, customer feedback, or a competitive gap that made the need concrete rather than abstract.
Explain the collaborative approach you took, like involving engineering early in scoping so they had ownership in the solution, not just the ask.
State the outcome: the feature got built, and ideally include a result, like adoption or a metric it moved.
Reflect briefly on why this approach worked, showing self-awareness about your influence style.

Uses a specific, real feature and a genuine initial skepticism from engineering, not a story where everyone already agreed.
Shows persuasion through evidence (data, user feedback) and collaboration, not through escalation or authority.
Quantifies the outcome, e.g. assume the feature drove a 10% lift in a target metric after launch, to prove the push was worth it.
Credits engineering's contribution to the final solution, showing this was collaborative influence, not a unilateral win.

Describing a scenario where you simply mandated the feature via authority rather than genuinely influencing a skeptical team.
Leaving out the outcome or result, making the story sound unresolved or unproven.

What would you have done if engineering still disagreed after you made your case?
How do you usually build credibility with engineering before you need to make a big ask?