Ace the Engineering Manager Interview: Free Expert Guide
We’re excited to share a free comprehensive interview prep guide: Ace Your Engineering Manager Interview.
Educative and Hired have combined their technical interview expertise to write this definitive Engineering Manager Interview Prep Book. It was created to help you confidently prepare for and ace EM interviews.
Engineering Manager Interview prep can be tricky and difficult — especially for those coming from an individual contributor (IC) background. In addition to your technical skills, interviewers will assess your people management and project management experience. We have designed this comprehensive free guide to help you prepare for every aspect of the interview process, covering common interview questions for engineering managers from the initial screening to the final rounds.
Above all, this guide aims to help you showcase your leadership and technical abilities in an efficient and effective way.
Engineers working as individual contributors may want to switch to management roles in the middle of their careers. A significant part of this transition will involve preparing for the engineering manager (EM) interview. This course is meant for folks preparing for an EM interview, enabling them to systematically cover the often-asked questions and strategies to come up with good answers. The course begins with education about the EM role and the interview process for this role. It then covers the patterns and strategies to answer typical management questions in a story-like fashion. These involve people management, project and cross-functional management, and behavioral questions. The course has been prepared by experienced engineering managers and directors for top-tier tech companies with years of experience giving and taking interviews for this role. This course will help you to persuasively present your own management experience during the interview and get your dream offer.
Educative + Hired #
Educative is an online learning platform built specifically to help software developers level up in their careers. Educative’s expert-created course content and video-free, in-browser coding environments make it easy for developers to learn in-demand skills and prepare for technical interviews.
Hired is the most efficient way to find a role you love. It is a two-sided marketplace for the world’s tech and sales workers that allows companies to "apply" to candidates that are actively pursuing opportunities. With unbiased insights, DEI tools, skill assessments, and dedicated Candidate Experience Managers, Hired works with over 10,000 companies around the world to connect thousands of active and qualified jobseekers to employ your full potential.
For this EM interview prep guide, the technical teams at Educative and Hired have prepared a proven roadmap for acing the engineering manager interview. Here is a high-level summary of Ace Your Engineering Manager Interview: A Comprehensive Guide to Prepare.
What You Should Expect in the Engineering Manager Interview Process#
How do you know which interview questions to expect? Start by researching the main components of the EM interview process. These components are:
Recruiter screen: A 20 to 30-minute high-level interview to test your ability and experience
Leadership screen: The company's engineering leaders conduct this interview — it decides whether you would move to the full loop or not
Writing assessment: Before the full loop or on-site interview, you might have to submit a writing assessment
Onsite interview
Technical: You will most likely be solving problems related to Distributed Systems Design and Product Design
People Management: These questions test your ability to support and guide a team — the company wants to assess whether you would fit into its management framework
Project Management: This section lays out a plan to tackle project management questions
Behavioral: This section lists the best ways to handle questions aiming to probe your conflict resolution skills, decision-making process, team-building abilities, etc.
Beyond these formal components of the interview loop, you will need to develop your personal leadership philosophy and demonstrate a high level of emotional intelligence to land the job.
Strategies for Cracking the Engineering Manager Interview#
Some proven strategies for excelling in engineering management and leadership interviews include:
Research the specific company where you are interviewing
Use the STAR method to answer questions
Prepare a comprehensive list of questions to ask the interviewer
Know which experience and skills employers prefer in an EM candidate
These interviews can be stressful, so we have also included a list of critical Dont’s to avoid during the interview.
Top Interview Questions for Engineering Manager (with Answers)#
Practice with the most commonly system design interview questions related to:
Technical knowledge
People management
Project management
Behavioral aspects
One great prep strategy is to conduct a timed mock interview for yourself. If you get stuck, you can refer to the sample answers we provide in the guide.
Helpful Resources to Ace Your Engineering Manager Interview#
If you want a more structured approach to the interview preparation process, we have compiled a list of resources at the end of the guide. Take your prep to the next level with interactive courses, like Educative’s best-selling Grokking the System Design Interview for Engineers and Managers.
Start Your Prep Now to Become an Engineering Manager #
The Engineering Manager Interview Prep book was created to help you prepare confidently and efficiently for the complete process. Take control of your career with strategic EM interview prep.
Download the free guide today: Ace Your Engineering Manager Interview.
Happy learning!
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