We've interviewed hundreds of candidates to find the top 1% of engineering talent. The standard "tell me about yourself" interview is dead. In 2026, you need to probe for specific competencies. We've categorized the 8 essential questions into three pillars: Evaluation, People, and Crisis.
Pillar 1: The Operator (Execution Strategies)
Can they actually ship software? These questions test their ability to balance speed, quality, and stakeholder demands.
1. Technical Debt
"How do you handle technical debt in your team?"
Look For:
A systematic approach (e.g., 20% rule), not just "we fix it when we can."
2. Productivity
"How do you measure and improve team productivity?"
Look For:
Metric-driven answers (DORA metrics), avoiding invasive tracking.
3. Priorities
"How do you balance competing stakeholder priorities?"
Look For:
Ability to say "no" and use data to justify roadmap trade-offs.
Pillar 2: The Leader (People & Culture)
Management is 5% strategy and 95% people. If they can't handle humans, they can't manage engineers.
4. The 1:1 Strategy
"What is your approach to 1-on-1 meetings?"
They should be for coaching and growth, not just status updates.
5. Hiring Diversity
"How do you build a diverse team?"
Look for tangible actions (sourcing, bias training), not just lip service.
6. Conflict Resolution
"How do you handle technical disagreements?"
Leaders facilitate data-driven decisions, "disagree and commit."
Pillar 3: The Hard Things (Crisis Management)
Anyone can lead when things are going well. The true test is how they handle failure and difficult conversations.
7. Removing People
"Describe a difficult decision to remove someone."
8. Delivering Bad News
"Tell me about a time you delivered bad news to stakeholders."
Struggling to manage this technical complexity? Consider leveraging managed IT services to handle the operations while you focus on leadership.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What technical skills should an Engineering Manager have?
They don't need to be the best coder, but they must have "system design intuition." They need enough technical depth to challenge architectural decisions, estimate complexity, and earn the respect of senior engineers.
How do you interview for emotional intelligence (EQ)?
Ask about conflict and failure. "Tell me about a time you misjudged a situation." High EQ candidates admit mistakes readily and focus on how they repaired relationships, rather than defending their actions.
Should an Engineering Manager still code?
Generally, no—at least not on the critical path. An EM's code is their team. If they are coding more than 20% of the time, they are likely neglecting their management duties like recruiting, career development, and roadmap planning.