Sample Answer
I’d start by getting very concrete about what “must be in v1” versus what’s nice-to-have. Then I map that to the backend work. For example, we had a similar case with a new subscriptions feature for ~500k users. Product wanted everything in two weeks, but the existing schema couldn’t support proration or multiple plans. We broke it into two tracks: in week one, we designed the future-proof schema and wrote backwards-compatible migrations (online, batched, with feature flags). In parallel, we built a minimal API slice that only supported the initial use case but sat on the new schema. That let us ship a constrained v1 on time while quietly migrating 100% of existing data over the next few days. I’m transparent with Product: if we cut the foundational work, we’ll move fast now but pay 3–5x later. Usually, showing that tradeoff with concrete examples gets buy-in.
Keywords
On your resume you mention working on a cross-functional project (e.g., involving multiple teams or stakeholders). Describe a situation from that project where priorities conflicted—how did you navigate the trade-offs and what was the final outcome?
Walk me through a recent multi-channel digital marketing campaign you managed end-to-end. How did you set objectives, choose channels, allocate budget, and measure success?
In your civil engineering studies, what specific design coursework or project work did you complete related to irrigation channels or canals (e.g., design of lined/unlined canals, distributaries, minors)? Describe one such design in detail, including how you determined discharge, permissible velocity, section dimensions, and lining choice for Gujarat-type soil and climate conditions.
Based on your hydrology and irrigation engineering background, explain how you would estimate the irrigation water requirement for a kharif crop in a semi-arid region of Gujarat. Walk me through each step: from reference evapotranspiration estimation, crop coefficient selection, effective rainfall calculation, to arriving at canal discharge for a given command area.
In your resume you note improving or optimizing [a process, KPI, or metric]. What specific baseline metrics did you start from, what steps did you personally take, and how did you verify that the improvement was due to your changes rather than external factors?