Engineering Manager Interview Prep: My Journey to Acing FAANG EM Interviews

Are you thinking about making that jump to engineering management? Or perhaps you're already leading a team and looking at opportunities at larger tech companies? Either way, you're probably wondering how to prepare for what might be the most challenging engineering manager interview process of your career.

After spending six years as a software engineer and four years managing a team at a mid-size company, I recently went through the complex interview gauntlets at several FAANG companies. The experience was unlike anything I'd encountered before – far more nuanced than the typical "solve some algorithms and you're hired" approach that defined my earlier career. Trust me, it was quite the journey.

Understanding What They Actually Want

What I discovered is that engineering manager interviews evaluate far more than your technical capabilities. While coding skills and system design knowledge remain important, the focus shifts dramatically toward your ability to lead, influence, and execute at scale.

Companies are looking for evidence that you can manage team dynamics, drive technical decisions, oversee complex projects, and maintain healthy work-life balance across your organization. But here's what many candidates miss: they want to see if you can serve as the critical bridge between technical execution and business strategy.

Can you take an executive's high-level vision and transform it into concrete engineering deliverables? More importantly, can you develop your team members while consistently shipping results? This intersection of people leadership and technical execution is where successful engineering managers thrive.

Here's the comprehensive preparation strategy that helped me land offers and what I wish I'd known from the start.

The Four Pillars of My Prep Strategy

Behavioral Stories – Your Greatest Hits Album

This was honestly the hardest part for me. I had to dig deep and really think about situations where I'd shown leadership, resolved conflicts, or made tough decisions. Developing a curated collection of compelling stories became the foundation of my preparation. The key here is to identify 8-10 solid stories that demonstrate different leadership competencies.

While the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) provides a useful framework - I stuck to it religiously - what matters more is your ability to tell these stories naturally. You don’t need to memorize any script. The best stories feel effortless and conversational, like you're sharing experiences with a trusted colleague. Practice telling them like you're sharing war stories with a friend over coffee.

Some scenarios I prepped for:

Times I had to deliver bad news to stakeholders
Conflicts between team members I had to resolve
Projects that went sideways and how I course-corrected
Decisions I made that weren't popular but were necessary
How I've grown and developed team members

System Design – Think Like an Architect

Even as an EM, you're expected to think at a systems level. But here's where it gets tricky – you're not just designing the system, you're thinking about team dynamics, project risks, and resource allocation throughout the implementation process.

I learned to approach with powerful open-ended questions like "What are the goals of this system?" and "What does success look like?" This isn't just about showing technical depth – it's about demonstrating how you'd collaborate with product managers, other engineering teams, and stakeholders.

I spent time reviewing common system design patterns, but more importantly, I practiced articulating the engineering management aspects: How would you staff this project? What are the biggest risks? How would you break this down for a team of 6 engineers with varying experience levels?

Technical Coding – Stay Sharp

Most FAANG companies still expect their engineering managers to maintain hands-on technical skills though it's usually less intense than what individual contributors face. I focused on medium-difficulty LeetCode problems and made sure I could clearly explain my thought process.

Remember, interviewers aren't just evaluating your solution – they want to see how you'd mentor a team member through similar challenges. Can you break down complex problems? Can you explain different approaches and trade-offs? These skills directly translate to how you'll support your team's technical growth.

Pro tip: Practice coding while talking through your process out loud. It feels weird at first, but it's exactly what you'll need to do in the interview.

Leadership and People Management Deep Dives

The human side of technology leadership is where things get really interesting and often separates good engineering managers from great ones. Expect questions like "How do you motivate underperformers?" or "Tell me about a time you had to let someone go."

These aren't just behavioral questions – they're testing your management philosophy and emotional intelligence. What's your approach to difficult conversations? How do you balance individual development with team productivity? What does your feedback process look like?

I found it valuable to read extensively about management practices, but more importantly, I spent time reflecting on my own leadership style and core beliefs about people development. What kind of leader am I?

The Resources That Actually Helped

Honestly, there's a lot of noise out there about interview prep. Here's what I found genuinely useful:

Books: "Cracking the Coding Interview" is still relevant, but pair it with "The Manager's Path" by Camille Fournier. That book is gold for understanding the EM role at different company sizes. Additionally, "Radical Candor" by Kim Scott provides excellent approaches for giving feedback and managing difficult conversations.

Practice: Nothing replaces the experience of actually talking through your stories with someone who can provide constructive feedback. I connected with some engineering manager friends for practice sessions that simulated real interview conditions.

Online Communities: Online discussions in communities like Reddit's ExperiencedDevs provided authentic perspectives from people who had recently gone through similar processes. These conversations offered practical insights that generic interview guides often miss.

What I Wish I'd Known Earlier

The most underestimated skill in engineering management interviews? Your ability to influence without formal authority. You're not just managing your direct reports; you're collaborating with product managers, designers, other engineering teams, and executives across the organization. They want to see evidence that you can get things done through persuasion and collaboration, not just by telling people what to do.

Also, don't underestimate the importance of asking good questions during your interviews. When they ask "Do you have any questions for us?", that's not just politeness – it's part of the evaluation. Ask about team dynamics, technical challenges and growth opportunities. Show that you're thinking strategically about the role.

Final Thoughts

Look, I'll be straight … preparing for EM interviews at top-tier companies is intense. It took me about four months of consistent effort, and even then, not every interview went perfectly. But here's what I discovered: the preparation process itself transformed my leadership capabilities.

All that reflection on past experiences, those system design discussions, and the practice articulating my management philosophy – it clarified my thinking about the kind of leader I wanted to become.

Whether you land your target role immediately or need multiple attempts, you'll emerge from this process with greater self-awareness and a clearer vision of your leadership strengths and development areas.

The engineering management track offers unique rewards: you get to shape both the technical direction of products and the career trajectories of the people building them. You become the catalyst that transforms individual talent into high-performing teams.