Tell Me About a Time You Influenced a Decision Without Having Direct Authority - Google Evaluate

Evaluate These Two Answers

"Tell me about a time you collaborated with a team outside your own without formal authority to influence a project outcome."

SDE 2⏱ 3 minGoogle behavioral round. Competency holistic. LP never named explicitly.

Score BOTH answers on Ownership Signal, Action Specificity, and Quantified Impact BEFORE applying the rubric weights.

If you scored Candidate A >40 total, your calibration is biased toward fluency. Bar Raisers ignore delivery and score content only.

Candidate A

During a cross-team project, my manager suggested I look into this since I had bandwidth. We found some integration issues causing delays, so I coordinated with the other team to gather requirements and troubleshoot. After several discussions, we implemented fixes that improved the process. Although the team effort was strong, I was mainly executing the tasks assigned. The project timeline improved, but I did not track specific metrics.

Fluent delivery, confident tone - most untrained evaluators score this high

Candidate B

I noticed that the data pipeline between our team and the analytics group was causing inconsistent reports, which wasn’t my team’s direct responsibility and had no ticket filed. I built trust by proactively reaching out to the analytics lead and presenting data showing the discrepancies. Despite initial resistance due to their tight schedule, I overcame it by proposing a phased fix that minimized their workload. As a result, report accuracy improved by 30%, enabling better decision-making and reducing support tickets by 15% over the next quarter.

35-55 seconds longer - every extra second is signal-dense content

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Score Comparison

Dimension

Weight

Candidate A

Candidate B

structure star

15%

12

14

ownership signal

30%

1

28

action specificity

25%

8

24

quantified impact

20%

4

19

self awareness

10%

5

10

Total

30 No Hire

95 Strong Hire

AUTO-FAIL: my manager suggested I look into this since I had bandwidth - assigned task. Score 1. No Hire.

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Auto-Fail Markers

Candidate A implies manager direction

"my manager suggested I look into this since I had bandwidth"

Ownership requires self-initiation. Manager-assigned = execution. Score 1 on ownership_signal (weight=30) = No Hire always.

Candidate A uses collective language hiding individual contribution

"we found some integration issues"

Using 'we' hides individual ownership and impact, reducing clarity on candidate’s role. Lowers ownership_signal score.

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Bar Raiser Notes

Ownership weak - manager-directed; collective language obscures individual role; zero quantification of impact; limited self-awareness; No Hire.

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Fix-It Challenge

Ownership initiation

Before"my manager suggested I look into this since I had bandwidth"

→

After"I noticed the integration delays during a sprint review and decided to investigate proactively without being asked"

Demonstrates self-initiation and ownership rather than manager assignment

Individual contribution clarity

Before"we found some integration issues"

→

After"I identified integration issues by analyzing logs and coordinated directly with the other team"

Clarifies candidate’s personal role and influence

Quantify impact

Before"The project timeline improved, but I did not track specific metrics"

→

After"These fixes reduced integration delays by 20%, accelerating the project timeline by two weeks"

Adds measurable impact to strengthen the result

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Coaching Notes

• At Google, Collaboration and Influence Without Authority requires clear demonstration of self-initiated action, not manager-directed tasks, to show true ownership.
• Use precise language that highlights your individual role rather than collective 'we' to avoid ambiguity in ownership.
• Presenting data and overcoming resistance are key signals; quantify impact to translate technical fixes into business outcomes.
• Google values candidates who build trust proactively and influence cross-functional teams without formal authority.
• Avoid phrases that imply passive execution or manager assignment, as they signal lack of ownership and reduce hireability.

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Model Answer Guidance

A strong answer starts with noticing a problem outside your team with no ticket or request, then building trust by presenting data to the other team, overcoming their resistance with a thoughtful approach, and quantifying the impact in business terms. Use first-person singular to highlight your individual influence and initiative.