How to safely get first element or a default?

Short answer: How to safely get first element or a default?

Explain a bit more

var unknownEmployee = employees .FirstOrDefault(e => e.Name == "Unknown") ?? new Employee { Name = "Default Employee" }; How to safely get first element or a default? var unknownEmployee = employees .FirstOrDefault(e => e.Name == "Unknown") ?? new Employee { Name = "Default Employee" }; How to safely get first element or a default? var unknownEmployee = employees .FirstOrDefault(e => e.Name == "Unknown") ?? new Employee { Name = "Default Employee" }; How to safely get first element or a default? var unknownEmployee = employees .FirstOrDefault(e => e.Name == "Unknown") ?? new Employee { Name = "Default Employee" };

Real-world example (ShopNest)

ShopNest uses LINQ to query orders: filter by date, project to a summary DTO, and order by total—readable C# that becomes SQL under EF Core.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.