Manager Questions

General

What are you looking for in your next position?
Typical desired workweek? (% IC, % management, % planning)
Tell me about a time in which you brought productive change to a company.
- How did you implement this change?
What do you bring to the role?
- What do you think makes you a good fit for this position?
- What aspects do you think would be the biggest challenge for you?

How would you describe your management style?
What would you say is the main responsibility, or most important thing for an engineering manager to do?
What is the difference between leadership and management?
What do you believe you’ll achieve as an engineering manager that you could not have achieved as an engineer?
How do you approach tech debt?
Managing remote teams or individuals?
- What is different about it?
How do you measure your success?
What is the most difficult thing about being an executive or manager?
If you were hired, what would be your priorities in your first three to six months on the job?

What is the structure of your 1 on 1s?
How do you coach engineers that are smarter and better engineers than you?
Give us an example of a method you have used to successfully encourage/motivate your staff.

What are you looking for in an engineer when you recruit?
What behaviors and performances do you look for in an employee?
What are the methods you typically use to evaluate an employee's job performance?
Describe a time when you had to deal with difficult or unmotivated staff.
- How do you manage engineers with performance issues?

How do you resolve conflicts within teams?
Tell me how you have created a shared purpose among people who initially deferred in opinions or objectives.