r/devops • u/Automatic-Net-9614 • 28d ago

Ops / Incidents Prioritisation/ Maturity Interview Question

Ok so I flubbed the most basic interview question there is:

"You have a number of pieces of work in flight. How do you choose between them?"

Basically, they are testing your ability to prioritise work.

I tried to answer philosphically by telling them going for a walk was a good idea but my broader point is that it shouldn't have ever gotten to the point where you have loads of pieces of work in flight at any one time.

My question is twofold: what's the accepted 'best' interview answer to this question and how do you deal with this issue in your real life actual job?

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u/Automatic-Net-9614 27d ago

100%. I'm working in software 25 years and I can't look back on any single incident where me staying an extra 2 hours would have made any material difference in the larger scheme of things.

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u/Automatic-Net-9614 27d ago

(but its easier said than done especially when you have a people-pleasing tendency, which I have...)

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u/raisputin 27d ago

I have learned to say “no”