Leadership Bar

If you want direct interview support from Alex and Uzair, take their live Maven course with discount code **TARO10**: <https://maven.com/alex-kliotzkin/acing-em-interviews>

In this lesson, the instructor explains the core attributes that engineering manager (EM) interviewers, especially directors and above, look for when hiring. Unlike IC roles, EM hiring is predominantly trust-based and focused on leadership capabilities over technical depth.

- **Behavioral Over Technical**: 80% of the EM hiring decision is based on behavioral criteria like trustworthiness, resilience, and ownership, while only 20% is focused on technical competency such as architecture and system design.
- **Understand the Decision-Maker’s World**: Directors and VPs prioritize reliability, communication skills, and the ability to handle uncertainty and people problems over deep technical expertise.
- **Subjective Evaluation**: EM interviews aren’t about getting “right” answers. Instead, they're conversational and context-driven, evaluating fit with the team, culture, and leadership expectations.
- **Demonstrate Ownership and Initiative**: Candidates must show extreme ownership, proactive problem-solving, and the ability to deliver results, even outside formal responsibilities.
- **Adapt Communication**: EMs need to adjust messaging depending on the audience, from engineers to upper leadership, showing mastery in stakeholder communication.

If you want direct interview support from Alex and Uzair, take their live Maven course with discount code TARO10: 

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