Software Engineering Manager Interview Experience - United States
Process
I had a fantastic experience interviewing at Upstart.
I was doing a time-sensitive search due to the H1B grace period, which I communicated to the recruiter during the screening call.
The recruiters and the interview panel agreed to expedite the interview process without compromising the quality of the interview structure.
The lead technical recruiter set the expectations about the role, job description and defined what success means for this role. The expectations remained consistent throughout the interview process (I received the same explanation from the folks in the panel and the hiring manager).
The manager interview process was very well constructed. The hiring manager round, three technical chats, cross-functional, leadership, background behavioral/culture fit rounds were split over two days, and I had sufficient time to ask questions as well.
There was a direct line of communication with the recruiter, and I received the feedback, offer, instructions for the next steps (HR Ops) within seven business days as desired.
An engineering manager is evaluated both as a software engineer and as a leader, so preparation is critical.
Overall, this was a very well constructed and transparent interview, and I enjoyed talking to the team about the vision, product, and opportunities one has in this role. As a result, I have accepted the offer and am looking forward to making an impact.
Questions
The process included the hiring manager round, three technical chats, cross-functional, leadership, and background behavioral or culture fit rounds.
Was this helpful?
Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 1 interview experience for the Upstart Software Engineering Manager role in United States.
Success Rate
Upstart's interview process for their Software Engineering Manager roles in the United States is incredibly easy as the vast majority of engineers get an offer after going through it.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Upstart's Software Engineering Manager interview process in United States.
Upstart Work Experiences
- 2.0Small company comp/benefits, big company BSSoftware Engineering Manager • Current EmployeeMay 12, 2024Pros: - The mission is real, important, and prioritized by leadership. Some decisions, such as small dollar lending, are long-term bets that fit the mission but aren't expected to have any material business payoff in the next few years. - A lot of smart people and interesting challengesCons: - Extremely heavy process around quarterly planning, and replanning. Hard to get anything done with so much bureaucracy. This process gets worse every year. - Eng leadership cares more about optics than impact. Hitting dates and predictability is a higher priority than big swings. Risk taking is strongly discouraged. - Eng leadership is unempathetic about workload - or anything really. And unrealistic about expectations. - Flexible time off is a marketing tactic, not real. Hard limits are put in place at the VP level, who have to approve PTO. - Used to be competitive on pay until the stock dropped 90%. Attempts to pull people out from underwater on stock have not been competitive, encouraging people to leave and rewarding newcomers. - Layoffs are putting talented engineers' jobs at risk. - Very low DEI in Eng
- 3.0Still in trouble but going upSenior Software Engineer • Current EmployeeSan Mateo, CaliforniaNovember 18, 2024Pros: Good coworkers and good company cultures.Cons: There are too many product directions. We are changing plans too quickly. Higher management is getting far away from the engineers.
- 5.0Inclusive culture but management instability and stock issuesSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeOhio City, OhioApril 25, 2026Pros: Good culture highly inclusive and good paceCons: There were lots of management changes and stock volatility.
