Scale Engineer

Software Engineering Manager

Software Engineering ManagerLead ManagerHigh

This interview process is designed to assess candidates for a Lead Software Engineering Manager position at Cohesity. It evaluates technical leadership, people management skills, strategic thinking, and cultural fit.

Rounds·4

Timeline·~14d

Experience·8 - 15 yrs

Comp band·US$180000 - US$250000

Interview time·195 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Technical depth and breadth
  • Problem-solving abilities
  • System design and architecture understanding
  • Ability to mentor and grow engineers

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Deeply understand Cohesity's products, mission, and values.
  2. Review common software engineering management interview questions, focusing on leadership, strategy, and people management.
  3. Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to illustrate your experience.
  4. Brush up on system design principles and be ready to discuss architectural trade-offs.
  5. Think about your leadership philosophy and how you foster a positive and productive team environment.
  6. Be prepared to discuss your career aspirations and how they align with this role.

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 05 phases

01 / 05
01

Phase 01 of 05

Company & Foundational Knowledge

Weeks 1-2: Cohesity overview, leadership frameworks, agile, performance management.

Weeks 1-2: Focus on understanding Cohesity's business, products, and market position. Review company values and recent news. Begin researching common software engineering manager interview topics, including leadership frameworks, agile methodologies, and performance management best practices.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult decision that impacted your team. What was the outcome?
  • How do you foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement within your team?
  • Describe your approach to managing underperforming engineers.
  • How do you balance technical debt with delivering new features?
  • Walk me through a complex system you designed or significantly contributed to. What were the key challenges and trade-offs?
  • How do you ensure your team is aligned with the company's strategic goals?
  • Describe a time you had to manage a conflict within your team or with another department. How did you resolve it?
  • What is your philosophy on hiring and building high-performing engineering teams?
  • How do you stay current with emerging technologies and industry trends?
  • Tell me about a time you failed. What did you learn from it?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 02 locations

01 / 02

Location

Remote/Hybrid

Interview focus

Remote team management strategiesCross-cultural communicationBuilding trust and engagement in distributed teams

Common questions

  • How do you handle underperforming engineers in a remote setting?
  • Describe a time you had to manage a project with a geographically distributed team. What were the challenges and how did you overcome them?
  • What are your strategies for fostering team cohesion and collaboration in a hybrid work environment?

Tips

  • Highlight experience with remote collaboration tools and methodologies.
  • Provide specific examples of how you've managed performance and fostered growth in remote team members.
  • Emphasize your ability to create an inclusive environment for all team members, regardless of location.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

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

DSA

Coding questions at Cohesity.

Frequently reported on Cohesity loops

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Other guides

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