What to Expect at Technical Program Manager Interviews?
It’s important to prepare for Technical Program Manager interviews based on company-specific requirements. The Technical Program Manager interview process for companies like
Google,
Facebook, etc., differs slightly or significantly based on the company's requirements.
For example, at Facebook, you’ll be evaluated on your technical acumen, leadership qualities, and program management abilities, and at Google, you’ll be evaluated on general cognitive ability, leadership skills, the type of projects you’ve worked on, and how much of a cultural fit you’d be at Google.
For example, at Facebook, you’ll be evaluated on your technical acumen, leadership qualities, and program management abilities, and at Google, you’ll be evaluated on general cognitive ability, leadership skills, the type of projects you’ve worked on, and how much of a cultural fit you’d be at Google.
That said, the Technical Program Manager interview process generally has 3-5 rounds.
1
Phone screen
It starts with a recruiter phone screen that addresses your area of expertise and professional background and is heavy on behavioral questions.
2
Technical phone screen
Next, there’s either a technical phone interview that focuses on technical questions and technical eligibility or a phone interview where the two phone interviews are combined.
3
Writing assignment
Some companies like Amazon also do a writing exercise to test your communication skills before the on-site interview.
On-site interview
Finally, there’s the on-site interview, which usually has 4-6 rounds, including one-on-one interviews and panel discussions. You can expect these rounds:
2-3 Technical Program Manager hard skills rounds
Expect questions on program management, metrics, hypothetical and situational process design, program sense, planning and execution of projects, and risk management.
1 technical system design/scenario round
Expect a focus on technical skills, system design principles/scenarios, discussion on common structures used in Agile projects (e.g., epics, stories, themes), the difference between Kanban and Scrum, etc., basic software domain familiarity, what happens when a request is made via an API
1-2 soft skill or behavioral rounds
These rounds focus on criteria like leadership and collaboration skills to lead cross-functional teams, conflict management, delivering results, etc. You can expect questions related to job experience, discussions on past projects, and open-ended questions to gauge whether you're a "good fit."
In some cases, if they’re unsure about an aspect or think you’re a good fit for some other team/role, they may call you again for one more interview.