27 SurveyMonkey.com Interview Questions & Answers
Below is a list of our SurveyMonkey.com, LLC interview questions. Click on any interview question to view our answer advice and answer examples. You may view six answer examples before our paywall loads. Afterwards, you'll be asked to upgrade to view the rest of our answers.
1. How do you feel artificial intelligence could further our business here at SurveyMonkey.com?
How to Answer
As an AI engineering expert, you know that AI is now being utilized across many businesses and industries with great success. For this question, your interviewer is expecting that you have done your homework on SurveyMonkey.com and hopefully can be an outside the box thinker in coming up with new and creative solutions for their customers. Be sure that you do your research on the software systems that SurveyMonkey.com produces and think of creative ways that you can help benefit them.
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"Where I see artificial intelligence greatly impacting social media more in the future is through marketing and support from advertisers. In my current role, I've designed AI to spot popular search trends on our platform and this has enabled our sponsors to create creative and focused marketing campaigns to our users. If hired here at SurveyMonkey.com, I would love to continue this focus on AI seeking out popular trends with users."
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"As you can see from my resume, I have vast amounts of experience in the financial and banking industries and I think this experience would transition nicely to a role here at SurveyMonkey.com. As you are probably seeing with your software here for the industry, the need to reach customers that are banking electronically is a very high need. The days of stopping by the corner bank are now a thing of the past. If hired for this role, I would love to help design chat bots and robotic help for customers. I have a vast amount of experience in designing and training chat bots in the industry and would love the bring that experience here."
2. What do you feel is one of the top issues that is faced by data engineers today?
How to Answer
Being in the midst of the greatest technological revolution in the history of man, data engineers face many difficult issues in the work that they perform on a daily basis. While there are many directions that you can go with this question, be sure to focus your answer on something that you can speak passionately about. If you can research a common issue in the industry that SurveyMonkey.com works in, you may likely score some bonus points with your interviewer.
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"Over the past couple of years, I've come to realize that one of the largest issues we face as data engineers is the large amounts of data that are needed to store and then draw information from. Here at SurveyMonkey.com, I can only imagine how big of an issue that is in the healthcare industry. I have a lot of experience with cloud based data storage and also server based storage."
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"In my recent experiences, continuous, real-time integration is an issue that we will face each and every day moving forward. The need for fast paced information is certainly to blame for this. To stay on top of the continuous integration landscape, I am happy to hear that new and improved systems are being created to stay more real-time and up to the minute. Here at SurveyMonkey.com and working in the financial industry, how have you seen this need for real-time data impact your products?"
3. Tell me about a time your manager changed the scope of the project in the middle of it. How did you deal with it?
How to Answer
With this question, your prospective employer is looking to see how you handle change, especially change that can be frustrating and disrupting to your work. In your answer, be sure to explain what happened, as briefly as possible, and how you handled that change to get back up-to-speed and on-track with your project.
Written by Marissa Letendre on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"We were working on a software upgrade project which was supposed to take 12 weeks; however, 4 weeks in, my manager approached us and requested different modifications, even though the modifications were almost 75% complete. I understand that changes can happen and it was my job to get back on track and get going on it. I immediately took action and worked with my team and manager to come up with a plan moving forward, as that disrupted our schedule. We were able to all pick up extra and through that, we still hit our initial deadline."
Written by Marissa Letendre on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"I can assure you that, if hired, I would put the customers of SurveyMonkey.com first. When working in the financial services world, your customers can determine your success. I have a very high referrals rate which tells me that my customers are happy."
4. Here at SurveyMonkey.com, we ask our test engineers to follow specific QA protocols. What role do you feel QA plays in software development and testing?
How to Answer
As an experience software testing engineer, quality assurance should be ingrained in your brain and your interviewer is looking to get a sense of your personal feelings towards it in your work with this question. In your answer, be sure to highlight QA's importance in reducing errors, maintaining specifications, testing failure parameters and preventing defects from occurring. In the end, make sure that quality is your mantra in the eyes of your interviewer by giving an example or two of how you put QA in the forefront of your work.
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"As a test engineer, I take great pride in my role of ensuring that systems go out to consumers as error free as possible. In my current role, I take the time to learn all of the system specifications that are laid out by our design engineers and customize my testing to follow those specifications."
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"In my work throughout my career, quality assurance in my testing was an every minute of every day job on my part. While creating effective testing processes on new software is extremely important in following QA protocols, the recording of defects, issuing of reports and assisting the designers on fixing issues are equally important parts of the process that I'd love to let shine here at SurveyMonkey.com."
5. Beyond revenue, how do SurveyMonkey.com's products benefit our clients?
How to Answer
An excellent software product can positively affect a business in a multitude of ways. From organization to client relationships, increasing leads, offering better data collection and, and information management. The interviewer wants to see that you have spent the time getting to know the features and benefits of their software before your interview. Discuss the ways that SurveyMonkey.com's offering can benefit potential customers far beyond revenue.
Written by Rachelle Enns on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"I fully understand that, although revenue is a significant driver, it is not everything to companies when they are deciding on their software products. Additional benefits to SurveyMonkey.com's software, from my research, include better organization of data so that information can be leveraged in areas of product development, market research, smarter hiring decisions, and more."
Written by Rachelle Enns on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"From what I see, there are a plethora of benefits to SurveyMonkey.com's products. When a company embraces organization, has access to insightful analytics and a full support team, they can make business decisions that improve not only profits but also employee morale, customer feedback, or research and development."
6. SurveyMonkey.com uses business intelligence tools to improve sales performance. With which BI tools are you most familiar?
How to Answer
Business intelligence (BI) tools are applications used to collect information, process it, and structure that data in a way that makes sense. Generally, BI tools are used when a company is handling a considerable amount of unstructured data from their system. An example of an organization requiring a BI tool would be a hospital needing to organize patient health records. A useful business intelligence tool will bring a company's information to life through visuals (data visualization).
Some of the most popular BI tools include:
- Sisense
- BIRT
- icCube
- Domo
- Clear Analytics
- Gooddata
- IBM Cognos Intelligence
- Looker
- JasperSoft
- Microsoft BI
Explain to the interviewer with which tools you are most familiar. If you can, rate your knowledge in each as beginner, intermediate, advanced, or expert. This rating will help the interviewer to understand better where your strengths are. If the BI tools used at SurveyMonkey.com are mentioned, be sure to address your experience level of those as well.
Written by Rachelle Enns on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"I am most experienced in the Microsoft Business Intelligence platform, as this is what we use in my current role. I have been working with it for a couple of years now, and fully understand it's capabilities and features including the analysis and integration services, reporting, and its applications for creating and working with analytical data. I would say I am an advanced user in this tool. I see that SurveyMonkey.com uses Microsoft BI as well, which is great."
Written by Rachelle Enns on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"I saw in the SurveyMonkey.com job posting that you use Gooddata and MicroStrategy. I am an intermediate user in each of these tools. With Gooddata, I have used it for consolidating large amounts of data from the cloud. MicroStrategy is used in my current company to ensure all of our important data is held neatly in one place, where it's easy to sort and access."
7. Walk me through your experience in enterprise software sales, and complex sales cycles.
How to Answer
Software sales can be complicated, time-consuming, and rarely come with a quick close. The interviewer would like to discuss any experience you have had, selling software products into enterprise accounts, where the sales cycle is even more robust than the typical small to medium-sized businesses.
The typical software sales cycle includes:
- Prospecting and generating leads
- Initiating contact
- Qualifying the lead
- Presenting the product or offer
- Booking a product demonstration
- Overcoming objections
- Closing the deal
- Implementation
- Training
This list is just a simplified breakdown of the steps and could occur throughout weeks, or even months. Discuss the exposure you have had in closing complex software deals.
Written by Rachelle Enns on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"Although I have never had an official sales title, I am often called into the sales process as the subject matter expert when it comes to data migration and security questions. I know enough to understand the typical questions asked during the sales cycle, and also know that it's important to give case examples for most FAQ's. Decision makers feel much better knowing that their concern has been presented, and corrected, in the past."
Written by Rachelle Enns on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"My previous company was a startup that ran very lean, financially speaking. For that reason, I was both a front-end developer, product demonstrator, and sales assistant. I would be on the sales calls with the business development lead, offering my expertise for the most technical discussions. From the time we launched our product, to the first sale, was over 12 weeks, so I fully understand that the typical software sales cycle is complex and lengthy, especially when dealing with major corporations and large business."
8. If you were faced with a situation that you didn't know the answer to or understand, what would your next steps be?
How to Answer
Work as an IT support specialist in the software industry could potentially put you in a situation to handle a question or issue that leaves you scratching your head. While explaining to your interviewer that you have the ability to take a methodical approach to getting a problem solved with the help of others, make sure not to lost sight on what is important to the customer. Talk about how you will put the customer at east by considering their needs as part of your process.
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"In times where this has happened in my current role, I have explained to the customer that an advanced issue like theirs needs to go to one of our subject matter experts to ensure that they get the best support possible. I explain that I am going to put their call on hold and reach out to the department that I need to. If possible, I connect them immediately. If not possible, then I walk through our protocol of submitting a help desk ticket to the appropriate group while explaining to the customer that our expectation is a 24 hour turnaround. I am very appreciative of these protocols because they set very easy to follow standards for our customers and help to avoid unnecessary follow up calls."
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"My first step would be to ask for help from my lead in the department or my supervisor. I would let the customer know that I would be putting them in contact with another person that has more expertise on their problem and doing so was best to help problem solve in this case. If hired for this role here at SurveyMonkey.com, would that method meet the expectations of the department?"
9. At SurveyMonkey.com, we rely on a full team effort to deliver top quality products to our customers. Tell me about a time that you worked well as part of a team. Are you comfortable in a similar role here?
How to Answer
While this potential role with SurveyMonkey.com will require your to be an independent worker that can think on your feet, you will also need to work as part of a larger team that is working toward one common goal. Because of this fact, your interviewer will want to hear that you thrive in an environment where you work with team members from other disciplines than you are trained in. In your example, stress to your interviewer that you have excellent communication skills and that you fully understand that every person on a team plays a vital role in the organization's success.
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"Throughout my career, I've always enjoyed working as part of a larger team on the job and this personal enjoyment started with my love of and participation in team sports like baseball and basketball. Growing up playing sports, I learned that each team member brought a unique skill set that could help us achieve our goals. Through a great coaching staff that knew how to make these individual skills shine, this same philosophy holds true for a team that is looking to design a new software system. I know that my skills as an engineer are just part of the final product and I work very well with designers, architects, analysts and sales to help build the greatest system possible."
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"I am a people person by nature and my current role has me working very closely with our engineering and design staff on writing technical manuals for our products. While I certainly can handle long days at my computer in solitude, my desire to work hand in hand with others really sets me apart from my peers in this field. I have excellent verbal, listening and written communication skills that, if hired here at SurveyMonkey.com, your entire team would appreciate from my first day on the job."
10. What programming languages would you consider yourself fluent in?
How to Answer
While this question gives your interviewer insight into the diversity of your programming language experience, they most importantly want to know that you are adaptable and able to learn on the fly if needed. Talk about the different languages that you consider yourself fluent in and, if possible, do as much research into SurveyMonkey.com as you can prior to your interview and try to speak to the specific languages that they work with.
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"From the start of college, where software engineering grew into a passion for me, I've become very fluent in Java, JavaScript and C++. My current role has me working primarily with C++, but I pride myself on my ability and passion to learn new programming languages and would be able to do so if hired for this role with SurveyMonkey.com."
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"During my training to be an engineer and then in my current role since graduating, a majority of my experience falls within Python. My current role delves deeply into artificial intelligence and Python is awesome with this advanced technology. As I understand it from talking to another engineer here at SurveyMonkey.com, a requirement would be for me to learn Scala. Though I haven't worked directly with Scala, I believe my experience and willingness to learn would have me up and running in no time if hired for this role."
11. Do you consider yourself stronger in C++, C#, Java, or Python?
How to Answer
Before your interview, do some research to understand what tech stack SurveyMonkey.com uses so you can best prepare and highlight your expertise. If you aren't as strong in one of the skills you feel is necessary, be sure to explain how you've used it and how you are growing your knowledge to become better. Be sure to be honest in your answer, as the company will likely test your strengths.
Written by Marissa Letendre on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"In my last company, we had a bit of an outdated tech stack and used C# and .NET. I found myself fully immersed in those technologies, but had a strong desire to learn more and become more familiar with modern technologies and how I can apply that in my career. That's what has me so interested in this role. Over the last year, I've taken courses in Java and C++, which I noticed you prefer. I've become proficient in the skills and in side projects, applied my increasingly strong knowledge. I'm probably strongest professionally in C# as that has been where my experience lies, but my passion and dedication is on the Java and C++ side, as I feel that's the more modern alternative. I'm excited about the possibility of applying that knowledge in a role at SurveyMonkey.com."
Written by Marissa Letendre on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"I am motivated and excited about this new opportunity because it will challenge me to grow in my (X) skills. I love soccer and enjoy spending time with my teammates. I am interested in continuing my education by studying (Y) to further my career."
12. In your mind, when is monkey testing the most effective in testing new software?
How to Answer
By utilizing random inputs to check the behavior of a program, monkey testing has its time and place in the software testing process. For this question, your interviewer is looking to hear that you have an understanding of the theory behind monkey testing and how you would look to put it to work at SurveyMonkey.com to test their products.
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"In my experience, monkey testing has been very effective in load testing and stress testing new software as standard testing methods couldn't do this without a lot of extra work. Because of the adhoc approach to the testing, load and stress on the software was most highly gauged through monkey testing."
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"Because monkey testing is able to find unique bugs that standard testing won't find, I've found it to be very effective for testing new pilot software programs that are reaching new bounds. At my current job, I helped design a brilliant monkey testing process that utilized user behavior to look for certain probabilities of bugs within our systems that we were designing."
13. Do you have experience working with data in a cloud computing environment?
How to Answer
Over recent years, more and more companies are converting to cloud based computing services because the conversion allows them to save money and have better auditing trails. As a prospective data engineer with SurveyMonkey.com, your interviewer will be looking to hear that you are at least familiar with the concepts of working with cloud based data. Talk in details about the experiences you have while keeping your mind open to working with more in the future if hired with SurveyMonkey.com.
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
Answer Example
"My current organization has been using Apprenda, a PaaS, that allows us to develop, test and maintain our software projects. I also have experience mining and converting data off of public, community and private cloud networks. If hired here at SurveyMonkey.com, I think I would bring a wealth of cloud based experience to the data engineering team."
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
14. If hired for this position here at SurveyMonkey.com, would you be comfortable handling overall project manager responsibilities for new software development?
How to Answer
As a skilled software engineer, you have all of the necessary tools in your bag to be a successful engineer at SurveyMonkey.com. This question is allowing your interviewer to get a better sense of your project management skills and people skills if you were to join the team at SurveyMonkey.com. In your answer, talk about your ability to estimate the time and cost of a project, the staffing needed and the overall scope of planning for a particular project. If you have direct experience in being the lead on a large development project, be sure to discuss that experience with your interviewer.
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"Looking to join the team here at SurveyMonkey.com directly out of college, I feel very confident in my abilities to manage the entire scope of a new development project. I have leadership experience as my campus' president of the software engineering club. In that role, I developed skills that would help me utilize staff and resources in the best way possible. During my internship, I was exposed to the planning stages of new projects and I have a very good feel of estimating the budget and length of time needed to have a fully functional system."
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"I would absolutely be comfortable if tasked with project manager duties here at SurveyMonkey.com. In my last two roles, I have led successful projects that started with great planning and budgeting process and went through to completion with great people and processes in place under my leadership. While it's not a regular duty for me in my current role, I always welcome leadership duties."
15. Do you have experience working with different CASE tools? If so, what do you have experience with?
How to Answer
The world of software engineering has greatly benefited from advancements in computer aided software engineering tools. Because SurveyMonkey.com is at the forefront of the industry, your interviewer will be looking to hear which tools you have experience with. Make sure not to concern yourself with providing a correct answer here, but rather focus on your flexibility to learn new aides when needed while explaining what you have experience with.
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"In my current role, I regularly utilize both diagramming and web development tools. The diagram tools assist our software projects by outlining the system data and components in a graphical form for us and this saves us a great amount of time while also being very reliable. The web development tools greatly help me visualize site changes that I am making because I don't have a deep background in web development. If hired for this position, I'd look forward to learning other CASE tools for prototyping, quality assurance and maintenance."
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"During my career and in my experience with CASE tools, most of my experience is in the lower CASE elements that focus on coding and testing the software after initial development. CASE tools have certainly made life as a software engineer more efficient and effective and I'd look forward to learn any new CASE tools if hired for this position here at SurveyMonkey.com."
16. Would you say that you are a goal oriented on the job? What would I be able to do as your manager to help you achieve your goals if hired here at SurveyMonkey.com?
How to Answer
At the heart of this question lies your interviewers desire to see what motivates you as a potential employee at SurveyMonkey.com. Make it clear to your interviewer that you certainly are motivated by on the job goals and do this by using an example of a time where you were motivated by and achieved a goal. Then, think deeply about the type of manager that you like to work for in terms of goal setting and helping our achieve your goals. Let your interviewer know what type of management styles you appreciate the most while being open to any style.
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"I would definitely say that I am goal oriented on the job in wanting to contribute any way that I can to the overall benefit of the organization. In my current organization, our leadership focuses on overall sales numbers at the end of the year. To help achieve these goals, our department creates our own goals to help achieve the sales numbers needed to succeed. Last year, one of those goals was to be as creative as possible in our user experience design processes. With the launch of an exciting new app midyear, sales numbers skyrocketed and our department was instrumental in that. For me, it was important that we determined our goals as a team with the final stamp of approval from our manager. While this style of management really helped motivate me, I can thrive under any management style as long as expectations and goals for my work are clearly set."
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"For me, my day to day work is much more meaningful when I have goals to work for. In my current role, we have set timelines for our projects and this helps lay the framework for our goals. If hired for this position, my expectations of you as my manager would be to have goals clearly defined and a supportive atmosphere to be provided to work within."
17. Give an example of a time that you used a universal design practice in your work as a UI or UX designer. Why was it important to do this?
How to Answer
In the technology, software and mobile app fields today, accessibility is a huge topic. As a designer with SurveyMonkey.com, you will be expected to help create products that are as accessible as possible to as many end users as possible. In this two part question, talk about why you feel that universal design is important in the work that you will be doing with SurveyMonkey.com and then really sell your ability to do this by giving an example of a time you used a universal design in your previous work.
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"From a very high level, the business success of a program really relies on being universally designed. If we pigeon hole ourselves, a product will only reach a very limited group of end users. But taking that a step further, universal design is the morally right thing to do to help reach people that may not have access to the average program design. Last year, I was part of a project that utilized a voice user interface for users that were deaf or hard of hearing. This simple yet effective design was a huge win for our current customers and in helping drive new business with our groundbreaking software."
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"Early in my career, the best piece of advice that I receive was from an experience designer and she said that when UX doesn't consider all potential users, we are no longer working on the user experience. We live in a very diverse world and the programs that I've designed for in the past have certainly had the goal to reach a wide audience. With your financial products here at SurveyMonkey.com, this same philosophy applies. Last year, based on some feedback from current customers, we switched our design to include a strong color contract to make the system much more user friendly to color blind users. This was both a simple and very effective change to enhance the look of the program."
18. How would you handle a situation where a colleague was being very difficult to work with?
How to Answer
In the team based atmosphere at SurveyMonkey.com, departments with different skills and backgrounds can often see things from different points of view and these situations can cause some internal conflict between coworkers. With this question, your interviewer is looking to hear how you handle situations where you are working with someone that can be seen as difficult. To give them the sense that you are able to work through conflict in a professional and sensible manner, try to talk through how you handled a conflict at work previously in the past and highlight the interpersonal skills that you used to help make it a positive situation.
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"In all honesty, any great work atmosphere that I've been a part of in the past has involved conflict between colleagues. In situations I have witnessed, conflict has stemmed from very open-minded people giving their two cents in particular situations and two people not seeing eye to eye. This happened recently to me in the planning phases of a new project. On of our UX Designers and I had a disagreement on the final layout of a new software roll out we were planning. It worked best for both of us to talk about our ideas and list the pro's and con's for our ideas. I kept an open mind to learn from her point of view and she did the same to me on my end. This led us to come up with a great compromise in the end."
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"Last year, we had a new engineer join our team that was hired on from his internship with us. From his first day, he made it very evident that he would only handle certain tasks within our team and only work on certain projects. As his mentor to help get him up and running, I sat him down and discussed the expectations of each of our engineers as part of our larger team. I explained to him that our approach was not to pigeonhole ourselves into smaller tasks, but rather be well rounded engineers that could handle any project and be able to cover for each other if needed. He really appreciated this approach when I explained the benefits for his long term career goals with this approach. This example shows my approach to being very direct with people that I have a conflict with in the workplace and doing so in a very professional and educational manner."
19. What software analysis and design tools do you have familiarity working with?
How to Answer
As a software engineer for SurveyMonkey.com, your interviewer wants to hear that you have experience in utilizing tools that you make you more proficient in your work. Dig back on your past experiences and talk openly about your experiences with the different analysis and design tools that are available to help you be better in the work that you do. In the end, make sure that your interviewer understands that you are proficient in the use of these tools and open to learning and using new tools as well.
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"As my career and experience in software engineering has grown over the years, I've come to really appreciate and utilize these tools that are available. A great example of this would be my recent education and use of Structured English for designing insurance claim software for a large auto insurer. The simplicity of the structured decisions in the program were a perfect example of a program that could utilize the tool and the end product ended up very functional for our customer."
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"I have great working knowledge in creating and reading data flow diagrams. To help with both our own sales staff and with customers, DFD's have been super helpful and I consider myself very proficient in creating them. I've also recently been introduced to decision tables to aid in product testing. I was working on a new system that involved some very complicated business rules and the decision table helped outline everything perfectly for our testing."
20. What is one unique personality trait you possess that would help you be successful in this role with SurveyMonkey.com?
How to Answer
This question is allowing you to have the floor during your interview to wow your interviewer with something they might not know about you yet from your resume or time so far during the interview. Think about a strong, unique trait that you have that has led to prior success in your field and explain in detail how this will help further you in your career with SurveyMonkey.com. If possible, be very unique in your answer to draw a direct line between your personality and success in this role.
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"From what my parents have told me about me as a young child, passion has been a personality trait that has driven me my whole life. When I tackle something in life, I need to be passionate about it for it to be a success. From my time as a young child up to today, I have been passionate about physical fitness and this has driven me to participate in running and biking races across the country. This same passion in the pursuit of excellence has translated into my career as a software engineer. From tinkering with computer hardware at a young age and learning the internal components of a system to learning how to create and design software, you'll quickly find that my passion to engineer the most unique software here at SurveyMonkey.com will be extremely beneficial to your team."
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"I would have to say that my humility has been instrumental in getting me to where I am at today in my career. Having worked with one of the largest software companies in the world, egos were certainly high with a lot of my teammates and I have always used my humility to let my work do my talking for me while remaining a friendly and curious colleague to all."
21. What experience do you have in the different types of software maintenance?
How to Answer
As a reputable company, SurveyMonkey.com takes their software maintenance processes seriously and your interviewer is looking to hear that you are familiar with the four different types of software maintenance. Talk to your interviewer about any work you have done in the past with corrective, adaptive, perfective and/or preventative software maintenance. Use specific examples and make sure that your interviewer walks away from your conversation knowing that you understand the importance of proper system maintenance.
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"Being familiar with all four types of software maintenance, my most used method of maintenance in my current role is corrective. Based on bug reports from end users, I work through coding and logic issues to resolve issues in a timely and effective manner. In the maintenance I perform, I never hesitate to pick up the phone and contact customers to hear first hand about what they are experiencing. By doing this, they feel like they are an important part of the process and it reflects well on me and my organization."
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"In my current role, I'd definitely say that a majority of the maintenance work that I do is adaptive maintenance. Working in banking software that is used around the globe, I help perform system maintenance for changes in currency on a pretty regular basis. This work requires research and talking with end users to help adapt the programs for their use. If hired here at SurveyMonkey.com, I also have experience performing perfective, preventative and corrective maintenance on software as well."
22. In a technical support role here at SurveyMonkey.com, we expect that you would be able to bring great customer service skills to the role. Describe your customer service philosophy in the support that you would provide.
How to Answer
While your interviewer will be able to get great insight into your technical expertise during your interviewer, this one question will allow you the opportunity to describe how you will bring solid interpersonal skills to the role. Your interview knows that customers will rely on you to provide quick and sensible support for their needs, but the expectation to do that in a pleasing manner is of utmost importance. Talk from a high level about your feelings on why providing great service is important and give an example or two of ways that you have done that in the past.
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"To me, my job duties aren't fully satisfied if an end user leaves our conversation without a smile on their face. While any technical support specialist can handle the customer aspect of the job, few have the people skills to do so pleasantly for their customers. In any interaction that I have with a customer, I talk in a calm and boosting manner. If they are upset or mad about a situation, I reflectively listen and never place any blame back on them. By taking this approach, my customer surveys in my current position have been excellent for the three years I've held that role."
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"If hired for this role here at SurveyMonkey.com, you'll quickly find that my mantra in working with customers is speed with a smile. To do this, I need to be resourceful in providing them with an answer or triaging them to the correct person. I need to be knowledgeable in our product base to give them answers with confidence. And last, but not least, I need to be positive in all interactions with them."
23. We are looking for innovators to join us here at SurveyMonkey.com. Where have you brought innovation in automation to a process in your career?
How to Answer
Innovation in software has occurred in many phases over the last 20 years and SurveyMonkey.com is always striving to be on the forefront of innovation in their field. For this question, think back on your automation experience and talk about a concept that you helped create that you felt was innovative. Really sell your interviewer on your ability to think outside of the box with this question by hammering home the idea that you can help bring new innovations to the team at SurveyMonkey.com.
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"To be very honest with you, I was really drawn to the automation side of engineering because of the constant need to be flexible and continuing me education to stay ahead of new trends. Last year, I helped develop a codeless test automation for my company that brought together our software engineers and end users to test in environments in a fast and efficient manner. The codeless testing was a first for my organization and really helped free up time for our software engineers to come up with solutions rather than spend time testing."
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"About four years ago, I was on a team that developed an AI bot that could test scripts and provide analysis on extremely large amounts of data in a short period of time. Our work focused on the algorighms that the AI would utilize in its testing work. From the start, the AI process was extremely accurate and efficient. Now, as things have changed over time, modifications to the AI system all center around changes to the algorithms. Based on our success, we presented our AI system at a national conference last year and it received a lot of great accolades."
24. As a machine learning engineer, how do you avoid the curse of dimensionality in your designs?
How to Answer
To effectively answer this question, it is important to first understand what dimensionality means in reference to machine learning and how it can curse a project. As the number of features increases in comparison to the number of observations within a data set, some algorithms struggle in pulling correct data. Your job on this question is to talk about ways that you can avoid the curse in your designs. Some possible things that you may mention and describe are feature selection, correlation thresholds and variance thresholds.
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"A common example that I use with people to explain complications in dimensionality is dropping a pin on a 10 foot straight line. This would be relatively simple to find. Next, if you dropped the pin in a 10 foot by 10 foot square, the task of finding the pin becomes more difficult. Adding a third dimension to make a 10 foot cubed area makes it all the more difficult to find the pin if placed within it. In bringing this back to machine learning, my job is to somehow make the three dimensional field that the machine will pull from easier to pull from. Last year, I was part of a team that developed a system for pulling public health data. We were able to set many variance thresholds that removed values that didn't change much from observation to observation. After careful testing, the system was able to pull information quickly and accurately based on these thresholds."
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"As you can see from my resume, I've spent the last six years working in the electronics industry. Most of my machine learning work has focused audio data. To avoid the curse of dimensionality within the systems I've designed, autoencoders have been tremendous in pulling information. While a great amount of time and effort was needed to effectively train the systems, the work was well worth it in the end."
25. If you were asked to review a colleague's code that they had written, what key things would you look for?
How to Answer
For this question, your interviewer will obviously be looking to hear that you have adequate knowledge when it comes to coding processes. But most importantly, your interviewer will be looking to gauge your ability to be a team player and focus on the bigger picture when working on a project. In your answer, focus on your attention to detail and your ability to help others when needed.
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"As an experienced software engineer, I fully expect my colleagues to reach out to me for my insight and I never hesitate to provide open and honest feedback. When asked to do this, my main focus is ensuring that the code is readable and functional. If there are lines of code that need to be removed, I don't hesitate to let my colleague know that while also giving them feedback on why I feel it is unnecessary."
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"When I'm asked to do this in my current position, my main focus is on regulatory requirements that were put in place for the project and security issues. I work with a team of great engineers that are very efficient coders and these two areas are most often overlooked."
26. How do you stay organized and on track when working on multiple projects or duties at the same time?
How to Answer
In this role with SurveyMonkey.com, you will likely be expected to manage multiple projects at the same time. Your ability to plan, manage deadlines and handle high needs items that come up on a regular basis will be essential to your success in this role and your interviewer is looking to hear how you plan for success. Whether you utilize an electronic tool or a written list, there are no right or wrong answers as long as you can prove in your answer that this method works out great for you.
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"With any project that I am working on, I make sure to set benchmarks to meet deadlines ahead of time and set early personal deadlines to allow for some wiggle room. To do this, I am a proponent of using the Microsoft Outlook calendar and tasks functions to help keep me organized. I find that this method helps me stay on track with multiple projects while also leaving me wiggle room each day to fight the high needs fires that do come up in this job."
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"For me to stay on track, I make sure to take ten minutes at the end of each day to recap what was accomplished, what new came up on my task list and re-prioritizing my work for the next day. Then, upon arriving the next day and working through emails from the previous evening, I can adjust my task list for the day if needed. I tend to set aside two hours per day to work on long-term project needs while focusing a majority of my time on the short-term needs."
27. If hired for this position at SurveyMonkey.com, what leadership skills would you bring to our team?
How to Answer
While this position at SurveyMonkey.com may not hold the title of manager, supervisor or director, the organization firmly believes that employees that demonstrate key leadership qualities are better set for future career success. Aside from that, leadership skills help you work better as part of a larger team and with potential customers as well. Prior to your interview, think about one or two leadership qualities that you possess and talk in detail about how you've exemplified those qualities in the past.
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
1st Answer Example
"I would say that my credibility is my best leadership skill. My openness and honesty suits me well when working among a team of individuals and this helps them gain trust in following my lead when working on projects. Another skill I would bring here to SurveyMonkey.com would be my ability to lead by example. I'm not afraid to take a risk in seeking innovation and I've been commended for this trait many times by my current manager."
Written by Ryan Brunner on December 18th, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"If you were to offer this position to me, you'd quickly find that my positive attitude is an inspiration to those that I work closely with. In my current job, we work under the constant stress of tight deadlines and my positivity can be infectious to help others maintain their focus when negativity can easily take over in most situations. I would say that my other strong suit as a natural leader is my ability to be fluid on a day to day basis. Sometimes our world can be monotonous and when change comes, most resist that change. For me, change is a chance to break the current mold and grow as an employee."