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Overcoming Major Obstacles to Reach an Important Goal

AmazonSoftware Engineer · Onsite
MediumSoftware EngineerOnsiteBehavioral & Leadership

Last updated

A behavioral interview question asking the candidate to describe a time they overcame significant obstacles to reach an important goal. It tests ownership, persistence and judgment: how the obstacles were identified, which actions removed them, what result was achieved and what was learned.

In a round that combined a behavioral question with a coding exercise, the interviewer opened with:

Tell me about a time you had to overcome significant obstacles in order to reach an important goal.

Answer with one real situation from your own experience, and expect follow-up questions that probe the details.

Clarifying Questions

  • Does the goal need to come from work, or can it come from school or a personal project?
  • Should the obstacles be technical, organizational, or either?
  • Roughly how long should the answer be, given that a coding exercise follows?

Hints

Hint 1

Make the goal matter: Choose a goal with a real stake for your team or your customers, so the listener understands why it was worth pushing through.

Hint 2

Name the obstacles: Be specific about what stood in the way and which obstacles you removed yourself, as opposed to ones that went away on their own.

Follow-up questions

  • Which obstacle did you underestimate at the start, and why?
  • At what point did you consider changing the goal or giving up? What made you continue?
  • Who else helped you, and how did you get their help?
  • What would you have done if the deadline could not move and the obstacles remained?