An Interview with a FAANG engineer

Interview Summary

Problem Type: Tech Lead Behavioral Questions

Interview Questions:

1. Time that disagreed with a manager
2. Time when you needed to share a decision with your team that you disagreed with?
3. Time some of your reports asked directly 'How do I get promoted'?

Interview Feedback

Feedback about Utilitarian Lemur (the interviewee)

• Advance this person to the next round? Yes
• How were their technical skills? 4/4
• How was their problem solving ability? 4/4
• What about their communication ability? 3/4

Strengths:

• Clear leadership signals on how you navigated tricky situations e.g. when you and manager disagreed on what to initially prioritize
• Good signals on delegation
• Overall good STAR communication
• Active and good listener
• Comfortable with conflict

Potential Areas for Improvement:

• More linear structured communication
• Foster growth in direct reports

Interview Transcript

Stochastic Panda: Hi. How are you doing?
Utilitarian Lemur: I’m doing good. How are you doing?
Stochastic Panda: I’m doing well also. Thank you for joining today, and please let me know if there’s any audio issues on my side.
Utilitarian Lemur: Great.

Stochastic Panda: Can you tell me about a time that you disagreed with a manager?
Utilitarian Lemur: Yes. I faced a disagreement regarding a project involving optimizing the outbound workflow for product marketing managers. My manager pushed back on the project’s prioritization due to concerns over necessary change management despite our team's interest in it. I communicated my team's feedback and emphasized the long-term impacts to convince the manager to reconsider. Ultimately, the project was prioritized after addressing the concerns.

Stochastic Panda: Excellent. What about a time you needed to share a decision with your team that you disagreed with?
Utilitarian Lemur: We had a project focusing on chat management with external stakeholders that was deemed too high-risk by my manager. I communicated the decision to my team during a stand-up meeting, acknowledging our shared interests but emphasizing the contractual obligations that prevented us from proceeding for now. I ensured they were aware we could still engage with the project in a limited capacity.

Stochastic Panda: Lastly, has there been a time when some of your reports directly asked you what they needed to do to get promoted?
Utilitarian Lemur: Yes, during the pandemic, some engineers expressed concerns about performance measurement due to the uncertainties of remote work. I communicated transparent updates from upper management and reassured them that as long as they met performance expectations, they wouldn’t be penalized for the conditions, providing a clearer view of career paths during uncertain times.