Interview Question: Tell me about a time you had to choose between multiple solutions. How did you decide?
Engineering is about trade-offs. Every solution has pros and cons. Interviewers want to see your analytical thinking, ability to evaluate options systematically, and how you balance competing concerns like performance, maintainability, and time-to-market.
What Interviewers Are Looking For
- Analytical Thinking: Can you break down complex decisions?
- Trade-off Analysis: Do you understand pros/cons of each option?
- Stakeholder Input: Did you gather perspectives from others?
- Decision Framework: Do you have a structured approach?
- Outcome Ownership: Did you own the result?
STAR Framework
S - Situation
What problem required multiple possible solutions?
T - Task
Your responsibility to evaluate and choose the best path forward.
A - Action
- Define evaluation criteria (cost, time, scalability, maintainability)
- Create comparison matrix or prototype each option
- Gather input from team and stakeholders
- Make decision with clear reasoning
R - Result
The outcome and validation that your choice was correct.
✓ Strong Answer
"We needed to choose between building custom auth or using a third-party service. I created a decision matrix weighing cost, time-to-market, security, and maintenance burden. After prototyping both and consulting with security team, we chose the third-party solution. Launched 2 months faster with stronger security guarantees."