In October 2023, a proactive hiring manager reached out to me. We hopped on a call during which we discussed my experiences as a manager, and I learned more about his team. I enjoyed talking to the hiring manager and was excited to move on to the next step, a systems design interview. However, at the time, work was very busy, and I didn't have time to prepare, so I withdrew from the process.

Fast forward to March 2024. I had prepared and successfully gone through multiple systems design and leadership interviews. I interviewed with DoorDash after a recruiter reached out. I was scheduled for a technical systems design interview and a leadership interview on the same day. I thought both interviews went really well, but unfortunately, I received news that I passed the technical interview, but they did not get a strong enough signal on Team Building & Hiring. Perhaps it's because I hadn't terminated an employee before? All other questions felt well received by my interviewer.

Nit: DoorDash did not notify me when my interviewer for Team Building & Hiring changed.

It's disappointing how subjective EM interviews are. So, I'm writing this to encourage other candidates looking for EM roles.

Hi, I get how challenging it is to interview for EM roles, especially during this time in the tech industry. Luck plays a bigger role than we would like, and there are too many unknown variables at play. Even if you truly killed it at an interview, who knows how much a bad day, unconscious bias, or some factor outside of your control is affecting how your interviewer hears your stories. Not enough investment has gone into crafting EM interviews that allow candidates to put their best foot forward and provide accurate signals.

Good luck!

Standard leadership / management questions