Atlassian behavioural & leadership interview questions

Sample questions with short answers

Tap a question to reveal the short answer and key points.

1. 1Atlassian values 'Open company, no bullshit'. Tell me about a time you gave difficult, honest feedback.MediumAtlassian-specificShow short answer

   Short answer

   Describe why the feedback was needed and the risk of staying silent, how you prepared (specific examples, private setting), and how you delivered it with respect. Show the person's reaction and what changed. Interviewers want candour paired with care, not bluntness.

   Interviewers listen for

   • why the feedback was needed
   • prepared specific examples and delivered with respect
   • reaction and what changed
2. 2Describe a time you were a team player and put the team's outcome ahead of your own.MediumAtlassian-specificShow short answer

   Short answer

   Pick a moment where you gave up something — credit, preferred work, time — for the team's goal. Be concrete about what you did and the result, and show awareness of the trade-off. Atlassian's 'Play, as a team' value rewards collaborative behaviour with visible impact.

   Interviewers listen for

   • what you gave up
   • concrete team outcome
   • awareness of the trade-off
3. 3Tell me about a time you disagreed with a teammate or manager. What happened?EasyAsked everywhereShow short answer

   Short answer

   Use STAR: set the situation briefly, state what you disagreed about and why it mattered, describe the actions you took — gathering data, proposing an experiment, listening to the other view — and end with the result and what you learned. Interviewers want respectful escalation and evidence-based persuasion, not a story where you were simply right.

   Interviewers listen for

   • STAR structure
   • data or experiment to resolve the disagreement
   • result and what you learned
4. 4Describe a project that failed or missed its goal. What would you do differently?MediumAsked everywhereShow short answer

   Short answer

   Pick a real miss, own your part of it without blaming others, and be specific about the root cause — unclear scope, late risk discovery, missing tests. Then show the change you actually made afterward (earlier check-ins, smaller milestones, a pre-mortem). Keep the result honest: what was salvaged and what the team learned.

   Interviewers listen for

   • own your part without blame
   • specific root cause
   • concrete change made afterward
5. 5Tell me about a time you had to make a decision with incomplete information.MediumAsked everywhereShow short answer

   Short answer

   Describe the ambiguity, the deadline, and the cost of waiting. Explain how you reduced uncertainty quickly — talking to users, a spike, a reversible decision — and the principle you used to decide. Close with the outcome and how you monitored for being wrong. Shows bias for action balanced with judgement.

   Interviewers listen for

   • reduce uncertainty quickly
   • reversible decision or experiment
   • monitor the outcome