Software developer interview: tell me about a disagreement with a teammate and how you resolved it.

Model answer

Use the STAR structure and choose a technical disagreement you handled maturely, not a personal clash. Briefly set the situation: what you and your teammate disagreed about — perhaps an approach, a library choice, or a design. State that both of you wanted the same outcome, which frames it as professional, not personal. Focus on your actions: how you listened to their reasoning, made your own case with evidence rather than ego, and looked for a way to decide objectively — a small prototype, data, a senior's input, or agreed criteria. Show that you were willing to be convinced and did not dig in just to win. Give the result: a decision you both accepted and a working relationship that stayed healthy. Add a short reflection, such as learning that most engineering disagreements dissolve once you agree on the actual requirement. Avoid stories where you were simply right and they were wrong, or where it turned bitter; interviewers are assessing collaboration and humility. Keep it under two minutes and make the emphasis how you disagreed well, not who won.

This is a guide to structure and approach, not a script to memorise — say it in your own words.

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