How do engineering managers pass interviews?
The role of an engineering manager comes with a plethora of responsibilities ranging from technical to managerial and leadership duties.
And while coding rounds are a part of the interview process for this role, many of the engineering manager interview questions are design and situation based.
Depending on the company and industry, the requirements and job description can vary. However, the role of the engineering manager can be considered an intersectional one between tech, management, and product/business.
If you want to crack your upcoming engineering manager interview, you must prepare to showcase your potential to drive sustainable and long-term success for the company through your interview answers.
Read on to learn more about engineering manager interview questions and get clarity on related questions like the following:
- What is an engineering manager interview like?
- How to prepare for an engineering manager interview?
- What are some engineering manager behavioral interview questions?
- What are some frequently asked Facebook data engineering manager interview questions?
Engineering Manager Interview Process
Although the interview process for engineering managers can vary based on the company, most of them include 3 stages. And they are:
Initial Screening
In this stage, interviewers would ask a few technical and experience-based questions related to your resume and other qualifications.
It is generally conducted through a phone call and the questions will assess your domain knowledge and working style.
It can last 30-40 mins and it is advisable to review your resume and LinkedIn page before appearing for this interview round so that your answers align with the details you’ve provided across the same.
HR Screening
A hiring manager generally takes this round and the interview questions will be more in-depth and technical.
The recruiters will also ask questions to assess if you are a cultural fit and your perspective on how you will contribute to the company if hired.
This interview can happen either in person or even virtually.
On-site Interview
Depending on the company, this hiring stage can include 3-4 rounds of interviews, all of which can happen on the same day or in the course of a couple of days.
It can include coding, whiteboarding, and a general interview round, which can include behavioral and system design engineering manager interview questions.
Also Read: How to ace any job interview in 2022?
Engineering Manager Interview Preparation
Apart from dressing well, making a good first impression, and preparing a couple of questions that you’d like to ask the recruiters at the end of the interview, interview preparation majorly consists of preparing interview answers.
Given below are some tips that will help you frame brilliant answers for engineering manager interview questions and get you hired:
Learn About the Company
As stated earlier, the role of an EM (engineering manager) extends way beyond the technical aspects.
It is important to learn about the company’s core mission, work culture, goals, products & services, and challenges that they might be facing currently.
Doing so will help you frame compelling answers to common engineering manager interview questions like “why do you want to work for us?” “how will you contribute to the company if hired?” and “what is your leadership style?”
Plus, the chances of recruiters hiring you will increase when they see that you’re a genuinely interested candidate who knows enough about the company and its endeavors.
You must also learn about the general parameters on which different companies assess candidates during interviews.
For instance, Amazon engineering manager interview questions will mainly assess your leadership values and style, while most of the Google engineering manager interview questions are based on system design.
Analyze the Job Description
Engineering manager interview questions can be fairly predictable if you thoroughly analyze the job description provided in the listing.
You can identify the top requirements and the primary duties of the position in the JD, which is generally the basis of most interview questions.
Based on this understanding, you must identify instances from your work experience that showcase your capability to execute the said responsibilities.
The idea is to identify your top selling points in terms of the JD while backing them with relevant experience stories that exemplify your ability to meet the role requirements and challenges.
Practice Answering Common Engineering Manager Interview Questions
To get comfortable with the flow of your answers and build confidence, look up some common engineering manager interview questions and practice answering them out loud.
You can do so in front of the mirror or before your friends and family to seek feedback.
However, do not mug up a scripted answer. Rather, create a mental outline of your answer or list your talking points.
Also, practice solving plenty of coding and system design engineering manager interview questions based on product scalability and reliability.
Also Read: What are some of the common engineering manager interview questions and answers?
Common Engineering Manager Behavioral Interview Questions
Listed below are some behavioral interview questions for engineering managers that are frequently asked by recruiters:
- Provide examples of how you support your team with a project
- What methods do you use to integrate team-building into the workplace? Provide examples.
- Describe a situation when you had to make a difficult decision in your past role.
- Describe instances when you have upgraded your team’s skills.
- How do you prioritize and delegate work?
- How do you motivate a team member if they are lagging behind?
- Describe a situation when you had to work with a difficult product or project manager. How did you deal with it?
- How do you ensure a project stays on schedule?
- Tell me about a time when you handled a conflict between your team members. What approach worked for you?
- Describe a time you developed and retained team members
Also Read: How to use the STAR format to answer behavioral interview questions?
Facebook Data Engineering Manager Interview Questions
- How do you define dimensional modeling?
- According to you, what are some of the must-have skills of a data engineer manager?
- How would you scale a data pipeline to ensure that your team members confer to a tight deadline?
- Describe a time when you identified and resolved a data quality issue.
- What is your understanding of the various types of data storage methods?
- According to you, when is it suitable to use full data redeployment versus incremental data engineering?
- How would you improve data governance processes?
- What experience do you have with data quality assurance and improvement?
- In your opinion, how often should data pipelines be updated to accommodate the latest business needs?
Also Read: How to answer Facebook interview questions in 2022?
Key Points from the Blog
- While coding rounds are a part of the interview process for this role, many of the engineering manager interview questions are design and situation based.
- Although the interview process for engineering managers can vary based on the company, most of them include 3 stages - initial screening, Hr screening, and on-site interviews.
- As part of your interview preparation, you must learn about the general parameters on which different companies assess candidates during interviews.
- Identify your top selling points in terms of the JD and back them with relevant experience stories that exemplify your ability to meet the role requirements and challenges.
- Practice solving plenty of coding and system design engineering manager interview questions based on product scalability and reliability.
- To get comfortable with the flow of your answers and build confidence, look up some common engineering manager interview questions and practice answering them out loud.
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