Resume Examples and Preparation - Engineering Manager Interview

While coding interviews at tech companies have become rather standardized by now, the same cannot be said about management interviews.

Engineering managers play a convergent role handling business products, people, and tech aspects. They are expected to drive sustainable and long-term growth for designated areas of business — for which people and business leadership experience, technical expertise, and problem-solving skills take precedence.

So, yes, preparation for an Engineering Manager interview can be tough, and it begins with preparing a strong engineering manager resume to land an interview at big tech.

We sat down with hiring managers and recruitment experts from top tech companies like Microsoft, Apple, PayPal, Adobe and compiled a list of tips and advice to help you prepare an engineering manager resume that delivers results. Let's get right to them!

This is usually the first section recruiters notice on a resume, be it the engineering manager role or anything else for that matter. The career summary highlights how you hope to progress professionally and what you are looking to accomplish in your career.

It is important that you keep this section short (or completely eliminate it if it doesn't add value to your resume).

Here are a few helpful pointers:

• Your carrier summary should concisely outline your professional motive.
• Use strong, industry-relevant language.
• Customize this section accordingly for different roles and companies you apply to.

Your work history and professional achievements are the most influential sections of your resume; they provide insight into the value and potential a candidate might bring to a job and often drive the decision-making process.

To be effective in outlining your work history and achievements, it is best to quantify your success and impact with measurable results. Include helpful metrics, percentages, numbers — any concrete details (evidence) that help recruiters measure your impact in a role. This helps hiring managers make informed decisions.

Ideally, the majority of the text in these sections should include objective metrics, and the rest can be used to showcase soft skills; leadership, communication, collaboration, and cross-functional abilities.

Here's how you can showcase employers that you are best-suited to grow into an engineering manager role:

• Spearheaded a team of X engineers on a company-wide retention program.
• Employed people and business leadership experience to streamline operational efficiency by X% and reduce budget by Y%.
• Collaborated with a team of junior engineers in the execution of a career growth that led to a promotion in Y time.
• Achieved X% professional growth in Y period of time.

Here's a segment from a sample engineering manager resume:

You can use this section to showcase your skill sets specific to the engineering manager listing. While you can list as many as necessary, make sure you don't inflate your expertise.

On the technical front, as an engineering manager, you will be expected to have in-depth knowledge of new-age software technologies, modern engineering processes, relevant programming languages (Python, Golang, JavaScript), tools, methodologies, and frameworks.

In addition to this, project management skills lead engineering teams across multiple projects while ensuring you meet deadlines. Decision-making, communication, and delegation also play a key role here. 

If you have taken up certifications to bolster your technical and management skills, make sure to include them in this section. For example, you might be certified in Agile methodologies.

Start by compiling at least 5-10 skills, and prepare yourself to back them with tailored experience at the engineering manager interview.

While your engineering manager resume should be uniquely crafted to showcase your candidature, there are a bunch of resume formats and templates that recruiters are familiar with—and hence, know what to look for.

The majority of resumes follow a reverse-chronological format where work experience, education, etc is listed in from the latest to oldest.

There are other formats like the functional and combination formats that also deliver results. The idea is to pick one that best highlights your strengths while ensuring it is visually appealing. 

Choose unique graphics and colors to create a classic, professional-looking resume that carries flair.

Try and limit your resume to a maximum of two pages. If you have a long work history and are struggling to include necessary details on a one or two-page resume, you can prepare a column-style or block-style resume. 

If you are fortunate to have your resume shortlisted, you want to make sure recruiters can contact you and take things forward. To make this effortless, make sure you include your latest contact details clearly and accessibly.

Your contact information should ideally include your name, number, and email address. You can also include your LinkedIn/GitHub profile, portfolio; any place you are active and likely to respond immediately.

Given how role requirements vary across companies, EM resumes can be fairly nuanced. Which is why it is a good idea to have recruiters or EMs from your target company deep-dive into your resume and get valuable feedback. Prepfully provides that option.

With insights into improvement areas and helpful feedback on resume completeness and clarity, Prepfully experts can help you craft an actionable, data-oriented resume that drives results.

Get in touch with Prepfully today!