People Management

Can you describe a scenario where you had to fire an engineer and how did you handle the situation?

Engineering Manager

McAfee

Ola

Course Hero

App Annie

Symantec

Fidelity Investments

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Expert Answer

Anonymous

4.2Exceptional
At center card, as director of software engineering, I had hired a Sr. Developer who was great performer. The problem was that he was very caustic to his team mates. I tried to coach him with regualr 1:1 and prompting him to be more emptathic and a team player - for e.g when he berated a PM on a project in front of others - I had to set up a meeting and coached him to be more empathic and not be aggresive. Inspite of these repeated tries the behavior continued. I talked to my HR and my manager and we decided to give him the warning but continuted to monitor, things did not improve and I unfortuanely let him go. In retrospect I saw that our interview process was focued heavily on technical skills and less on people skills. I changed the interview process and saw that the team morale and productivty increased from then on , inspite of new people on board.
  • Can you describe a scenario where you had to fire an engineer and how did you handle the situation?
  • Can you recall a specific instance where you had to terminate an engineer's employment and discuss how you approached the situation?
  • How do you determine when it is necessary to terminate an engineer's employment within your organization?
  • Can you discuss a situation where you had to navigate a delicate and sensitive termination process with an engineer?
  • What steps do you take to ensure that the termination process is handled in a fair and respectful manner?
  • Can you provide an example of a time when you had to terminate an engineer's employment and how did you support the remaining team members during the transition?
  • How do you communicate the reasons for termination to other members of your team and ensure that they understand the decision?
  • Can you discuss a situation where you had to terminate an engineer who was a top performer within your team?
  • How do you handle the aftermath of a termination and ensure that your team remains productive and motivated?
  • Can you describe your approach to documenting the reasons for termination and how you handle any potential legal issues that may arise?
  • How do you maintain your professional demeanor and handle potential emotional reactions from the terminated engineer during the termination process?
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Interview question asked to Engineering Managers interviewing at Practical Ignition, MobiKwik, Cleveland Clinic and others: Can you describe a scenario where you had to fire an engineer and how did you handle the situation?.