Scale Engineer

Software Engineering Manager

Software Engineering ManagerT9High

This interview process is designed to assess candidates for a Software Engineering Manager (T9) role at Yext. It evaluates technical leadership, people management skills, strategic thinking, and cultural fit.

Rounds·5

Timeline·~14d

Experience·8 - 15 yrs

Comp band·US$180000 - US$250000

Interview time·270 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Technical depth and breadth
  • Problem-solving abilities
  • System design and architecture understanding
  • Ability to mentor and grow engineers
  • Leadership and team management skills
  • Strategic thinking and business acumen
  • Communication and interpersonal skills
  • Cultural fit and alignment with Yext values

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Thoroughly review your resume and be prepared to discuss every project and accomplishment in detail.
  2. Understand Yext's products, mission, and values. Research recent company news and achievements.
  3. Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioral questions.
  4. Brush up on software development best practices, agile methodologies, and common engineering challenges.
  5. Think about your leadership philosophy and how you motivate and develop engineering teams.
  6. Be ready to discuss your experience with hiring, performance management, and conflict resolution.
  7. Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewers about the role, team, and company culture.

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 04 phases

01 / 04
01

Phase 01 of 04

Company and Self-Assessment

Weeks 1-2: Yext research, career review, STAR examples.

Weeks 1-2: Deep dive into Yext's business, products, and technology stack. Understand the company's market position and competitive landscape. Review your own career history, identifying key achievements and leadership experiences relevant to a T9 SEM role. Start outlining STAR method examples for common leadership and technical challenges.

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 balance the need for innovation with the pressure to deliver on project deadlines?
  • Describe your approach to mentoring and developing engineers at different career stages.
  • How do you handle underperforming engineers on your team?
  • Walk me through a complex technical challenge your team faced and how you guided them to a solution.
  • How do you foster a culture of collaboration and psychological safety within your team?
  • What is your experience with hiring and building engineering teams?
  • How do you stay current with technology trends and ensure your team is adopting best practices?
  • Describe a time you had to manage a conflict between team members. How did you resolve it?
  • What are your strategies for managing remote or distributed teams effectively?
  • How do you align your team's work with the broader company strategy and goals?
  • Tell me about a time you failed. What did you learn from it?
  • What are your strengths and weaknesses as a leader?
  • Why are you interested in this role at Yext?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 02 locations

01 / 02

Location

Remote

Interview focus

Remote team management strategiesVirtual collaboration tools and techniquesMaintaining team culture and engagement remotely

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 tools and strategies do you use to foster collaboration and communication in a distributed team?

Tips

  • Highlight experience with remote team leadership and asynchronous communication.
  • Be prepared to discuss specific examples of successfully managing distributed teams.
  • Showcase your understanding of tools that facilitate remote collaboration.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

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

DSA

Coding questions at Yext.

Frequently reported on Yext loops

View all at Yext

Other guides

More at Yext.