Scale Engineer

Software Engineering Manager

Software Engineering ManagerSoftware Engineering ManagerHigh

The Software Engineering Manager interview at AppFolio is designed to assess a candidate's leadership capabilities, technical acumen, people management skills, and strategic thinking. It evaluates their ability to lead teams, drive technical projects, foster a positive engineering culture, and contribute to the company's overall goals.

Rounds·4

Timeline·~14d

Experience·7 - 15 yrs

Comp band·US$160000 - US$220000

Interview time·225 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Leadership potential and experience
  • Technical depth and breadth
  • People management and coaching skills
  • Strategic thinking and business acumen
  • Communication and interpersonal skills
  • Problem-solving and decision-making abilities
  • Cultural fit and alignment with AppFolio values

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Review AppFolio's mission, values, and products.
  2. Understand the challenges and opportunities in the property management software industry.
  3. Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioral questions.
  4. Brush up on your knowledge of software development best practices, Agile methodologies, and system design principles.
  5. Think about your leadership philosophy and how you motivate and develop engineering teams.
  6. Be ready to discuss your experience in managing budgets, project timelines, and technical debt.
  7. Consider how you would handle common management scenarios, such as performance issues, team conflicts, and hiring decisions.
  8. Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewers about the role, the team, and AppFolio's engineering culture.

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 04 phases

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01

Phase 01 of 04

Company and Industry Research

Week 1: AppFolio research, industry overview, STAR method preparation.

Week 1: Deep dive into AppFolio's company culture, values, products, and recent news. Research the property management industry and its technological landscape. Familiarize yourself with AppFolio's engineering blog and open-source contributions if available. Start outlining key career achievements and leadership experiences using the STAR method.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Tell me about a time you had to manage a difficult stakeholder. How did you handle it?
  • Describe your approach to hiring and onboarding new engineers.
  • How do you foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement within your team?
  • Walk me through a challenging project you led. What were the key challenges, and how did you overcome them?
  • How do you balance the need for innovation with the need for stability and reliability?
  • What is your experience with performance management and career development for engineers?
  • How do you handle conflicts within your team?
  • Describe a time you had to make a difficult technical decision. What was your process?
  • How do you ensure your team is aligned with the company's strategic goals?
  • What are your strengths and weaknesses as a manager?
  • How do you delegate tasks effectively?
  • What metrics do you use to measure the success of your team and your projects?
  • How do you stay current with industry trends and new technologies?
  • Describe a time you failed. What did you learn from it?
  • How would you handle an engineer who is consistently underperforming?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 02 locations

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Location

Remote

Interview focus

Remote team management strategiesVirtual collaboration tools and techniquesBuilding trust and engagement in a distributed environment

Common questions

  • How do you handle underperforming engineers in a remote setting?
  • Describe a time you had to manage a conflict between remote team members.
  • What strategies do you use to ensure effective communication and collaboration with a distributed team?
  • How do you foster team cohesion and culture when team members are not co-located?

Tips

  • Be prepared to discuss your experience with managing remote or hybrid teams.
  • Highlight your proficiency with collaboration and communication tools.
  • Emphasize your ability to create an inclusive and productive remote work environment.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

Expand a step for evaluation criteria, sample questions, and prep notes.

DSA

Coding questions at AppFolio.

Frequently reported on AppFolio loops

View all at AppFolio

Other guides

More at AppFolio.