Engineering Manager Interview Experience - Berlin, Germany
Process
I applied online. The process took 1 week.
I had a positive initial conversation with a recruiter that piqued my interest in the company. However, my experience with the hiring manager was quite different. It appeared that the manager's sole intention was to identify weaknesses in my CV, showing little interest in understanding my perspective.
It was evident from the first 10 minutes that this was a protocol conversation. The manager lacked eye contact, sought a single "right" answer, and readily expressed disagreement. The manager prematurely concluded the interview, unable to sustain it for 20 more minutes. They seemed lost outside their prepared script.
The interviewer dictated what they believed my challenges would be and repeatedly probed for a specific answer when I shared my own challenges. Their inflexibility and lack of empathy left me with concerns about the company's work environment.
Receiving a generic email praising the interview process felt disconnected from the reality I experienced. It made me question the company's self-assessment of their interviewing capabilities.
Questions
What do you believe would be your biggest challenge if you join the team?
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 1 interview experience for the DeepL Engineering Manager role in Berlin, Berlin.
Success Rate
DeepL's interview process for their Engineering Manager roles in Berlin, Berlin is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very negative feelings for DeepL's Engineering Manager interview process in Berlin, Berlin.
DeepL Work Experiences
- 5.0Best scale-up in GermanyEngineering Manager • Current EmployeeCologneJune 18, 2024Pros: Fast pace of innovation, flexible working conditions, growth opportunities, talented co-workers, awesome company events, and good compensation.Cons: More structured training programs would be nice.
- 4.0Chaotic, immature & funEngineering Manager • Current EmployeeLondon, EnglandOctober 8, 2025Pros: Good people, caring exec, meaningful work and in the current sweet spot of “AI”.Cons: Immature and lacks process. For a young organisation, the amount of red tape is incredible. Listen to the people who you have brought in externally; you brought them in to help with the scale up stage, so let them!
- 3.0Smart colleagues hindered by weak leadershipEngineering Manager • Current EmployeeMunich, BavariaAugust 13, 2026Pros: Extremely smart people across the orgCons: Poor leadership and middle management
