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Give me an example of a tough or critical piece of feedback you received.
Asked at:
Meta
Amazon
Netflix
Doordash
What is this question about
Interviewers are testing self-awareness, coachability, and your ability to convert feedback into lasting improvement. They want to see a real, consequential example, not a humble-brag, and understand your emotional processing, root-cause analysis, and follow-through. Strong answers show proactive feedback-seeking, a concrete improvement plan, validation of results, and—at higher levels—how you scaled the learning to your team or org.
Key Insights
- Pick a real, consequential critique you can own. You’ll score higher for honest ownership and reflection than for a sanitized, low-stakes story.
- Show the learning loop end-to-end: how you discovered the issue, what you changed (with specifics), and how you verified sustained improvement with others.
- At senior levels, translate the feedback beyond yourself—what system, process, or cultural changes did you drive so the lesson benefits more than one person?
What interviewers probe atlevel
Top Priority
Choose a meaningful mistake and own your part without excuses.
Good examples
🟢I merged a fix without tests and it caused a bug in production. The feedback was that I was rushing and skipping our test plan—I owned that lapse.
🟢I took on a ticket I didn’t fully understand and got stuck for days. The feedback was that I waited too long to ask for help, and I acknowledged that.
Bad examples
🔴My manager said I should speak up more, but meetings are long so there isn’t much to add.
🔴Code review feedback was to fix styling. I updated the linter and moved on.
Weak examples minimize the issue or pick trivial feedback; strong examples admit a meaningful impact and clear personal responsibility.
Valuable
Don’t wait for annual reviews—ask early and often.
Good examples
🟢I noticed friction in code reviews and asked two peers for specific examples and suggestions.
🟢After a sprint retro comment about testing, I asked my mentor to shadow my workflow and point out misses.
Bad examples
🔴I heard about it in my year-end review; no one had mentioned it before.
🔴I figured if there was a problem, someone would tell me.
Weak examples show passive reception; strong examples show initiative to reveal blind spots.
Verify with others that the change worked and stuck.
Good examples
🟢I asked the same reviewer a month later if my PRs were clearer; they said yes and turnaround time improved.
🟢I reviewed my next two retros for mentions; the testing theme didn’t recur.
Bad examples
🔴I think I improved because I felt more confident.
🔴I didn’t hear complaints after, so it must be fine.
Weak examples rely on self-assessment or silence; strong examples seek explicit external confirmation.
Share what worked so others can benefit too.
Good examples
🟢I posted my testing checklist and asked the team to iterate on it.
🟢I ran a short lunch-and-learn on splitting PRs that a few juniors adopted.
Bad examples
🔴I fixed my process and left it at that.
🔴I told a friend about my checklist but didn’t share more broadly.
Weak examples keep the learning private; strong examples spread it in lightweight ways.
Show you can pause, listen, and ask clarifying questions instead of reacting.
Good examples
🟢I asked for examples and what ‘good’ would look like before proposing changes.
🟢I thanked them, took a day to reflect, and followed up with a summary of what I heard and my plan.
Bad examples
🔴I disagreed and explained why my approach made sense right away.
🔴It stung, so I just avoided that reviewer afterward.
Weak examples are defensive or avoidant; strong examples separate intent from impact and seek understanding.
Extra
Apply the feedback thoughtfully, not mechanically.
Good examples
🟢I time-boxed solo debugging to 90 minutes before asking for help on blockers.
🟢I still take on complex work but add a design review before implementation.
Bad examples
🔴After being told to ask for help sooner, I started asking for help on every small question.
🔴I stopped touching complex tasks entirely to avoid mistakes.
Weak examples overcorrect; strong examples calibrate with guardrails.
Question Timeline
See when this question was last asked and where, including any notes left by other candidates.
Mid November, 2025
Meta
Manager
Mid October, 2025
Meta
Staff
Mid October, 2025
Meta
Manager
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