The interview habit that makes senior engineers look less senior (and how to fix it)

At the senior level, interviews stop assessing whether you can code and start revealing how you operate. Small interaction patterns often change how a candidate is leveled, even when the technical work is solid.

What senior interviews really evaluate

By the time someone is interviewing for a senior software engineer role, basic coding competence is assumed. Writing correct code is tablestakes.

Interviewers for senior candidates are focused on whether you can be trusted to move work forward on your own.

Interviewers are looking for signals that suggest you can:

• Decide when you have enough information to proceed
• Make correct tradeoffs without constant oversight
• Handle ambiguity without deferring responsibility
• Articulate decisions in a way others can follow and trust

Candidates are still focusing on interview prep. What they don’t practice is how to show ownership while someone is watching.

That’s where the permission trap shows up.

How asking for permission sneaks into interviews

Asking for permission rarely sounds dramatic or obviously wrong. In fact, it often sounds polite, collaborative, and careful.

It shows up in small moments:

• Asking whether it’s okay to start coding
• Checking if an approach is acceptable before committing
• Pausing to ask what the interviewer wants next
• Waiting for confirmation instead of making a call

None of these questions are wrong on their own. They usually come from a good place, like wanting to align, avoid wasted effort, or respect someone else’s time.

The issue is what happens to responsibility when they’re asked.

When you ask for permission, you stop showing how you decide what to do next and ask the interviewer to decide for you. From that point on, the interview shifts. It becomes less about evaluating your judgment and more about guiding your choices. That shift happens quickly, and once it does, it’s hard to undo.

Confidence and alignment are not the same thing

A common reaction to this idea is that senior engineers should seek alignment. That’s true.

The difference is how alignment happens.

Senior-level alignment does not come from asking whether something is allowed. It comes from articulating decisions and inviting feedback without surrendering control.

There is a meaningful difference between asking if you should proceed and stating your plan and checking for concerns.

In one case, responsibility is deferred. In the other, it stays with you.

Interviewers aren’t looking for candidates who charge ahead blindly. They’re looking for people who can move forward with intention while staying open to input. That balance is what signals judgment.

Why interviewers read this as a seniority signal

From an interviewer’s perspective, asking for permission answers a question they’re already trying to resolve: how much direction does this person need?

Senior engineers are expected to decide when they’re ready to move forward. They gather context, ask focused questions, and then act. They don’t wait for someone else to tell them when it’s time to proceed.

When a candidate asks for permission, interviewers often read it as one of three things:

• Uncertainty about their own judgment
• Discomfort making decisions without validation
• Reliance on authority to drive progress

None of these necessarily reflect how the candidate works day to day. But interviews reward what’s demonstrated in the moment, not what’s implied by a resume.

Once this signal shows up, it tends to shape the rest of the interview. Interviewers may step in more often, offer more guidance, or narrow what they’re evaluating. The candidate can still perform well, but they’re often assessed at a lower level than they expect.

Why even experienced engineers fall into the permission trap

This pattern shows up most often under pressure.

Interviews create a strange power dynamic. Candidates know they’re being evaluated. Interviewers control the outcome. That awareness can override habits that work well on the job.

Even senior engineers who normally act with confidence may default to approval-seeking behavior. They want to avoid mistakes. They want to be agreeable. They want to show respect.

Ironically, that instinct often works against them.

By trying to be careful, candidates give up the very signal interviewers are trying to see at the senior level: ownership.

What this means for senior interview preparation

Preparing for senior software engineer interviews requires practicing how you show ownership while thinking out loud.

That means getting comfortable with:

• Making reasonable assumptions and stating them clearly
• Moving forward without waiting for permission
• Framing questions as clarifications, not requests for approval
• Explaining tradeoffs as decisions, not guesses

These skills are harder to practice alone because they are subtle. They live in tone, timing, and framing. Many engineers don’t realize they are giving away control until someone points it out.

This is also where intentional peer programming and mock interviews help, not as the main way to prepare, but as a way to surface blind spots.

When you practice alone, it’s easy to miss the moments where you hesitate or quietly hand off control. Working through a problem with another engineer makes those patterns visible. You start to notice where you ask for permission, where you wait instead of deciding, and how your choices actually land with someone else in the room.

As one part of a broader preparation approach, this kind of practice helps surface blind spots without becoming the work itself. It’s not about running mock interviews over and over. It’s about pressure-testing how your thinking and decision-making come across when someone is watching, and then taking those insights back into your broader preparation.

Get ready with Formation

Formation helps experienced engineers land top-tier roles. 

Our live, interactive workshops are led by mentors who’ve hired, coached, and interviewed at the highest levels, and give you space to practice in real time. You’ll be able to ask questions, pressure-test your answers, and see how interviews actually work today. 

If you want hands-on preparation that builds clarity, adaptability, and confidence over time, explore our upcoming workshops to see what’s coming up next.