Engineering Manager Interview Process at Asana

As a candidate who interviewed for the Engineering Manager position at Asana, I can provide a detailed breakdown of the interview process, what to expect, and the types of questions you might face. The process is designed to evaluate both technical and management skills to ensure that candidates can excel in both leadership and technical aspects, which is central to Asana’s philosophy.

1. Resume Screening

The interview process begins with a resume screen. As an Engineering Manager, your resume will be assessed for:

• Leadership experience, especially managing technical teams.
• Your experience with scalable systems, software architecture, and familiarity with Agile practices.
• Evidence of mentoring or coaching engineers to grow in their careers.
• Cross-functional collaboration: You’ll need to demonstrate that you’ve worked closely with product, design, and other engineering teams.
• Specific technical proficiencies: Asana doesn’t expect you to be a deep specialist in one technology, but they do expect you to have a broad technical toolkit and be able to guide teams through solving complex problems.

2. Recruiter Call

Once your resume is shortlisted, the recruiter will reach out for an initial phone screen. This typically lasts 30-45 minutes and focuses on:

• Why you’re interested in Asana and the Engineering Manager role.
• Your leadership style: How do you manage your team’s growth, handle conflicts, or ensure productivity?
• Your experience with system design and the scope of your technical background.
• High-level details on your technical skills and management experience.

3. Technical Phone Screen

Next, you’ll have a technical interview with an Engineering Manager or senior technical leader. The interview typically lasts 60 minutes and contains a mix of:

Technical problem-solving:

Expect a real-world system design question where you will discuss trade-offs, identify complexities, and design a solution. For example, you might be asked to design a scalable system to handle large amounts of data or optimize a feature’s performance.

• Example: “Can you walk us through how you would design a real-time notification system for large teams?”

Additionally, candidates who have actively coded in the last few years may be asked to do a coding exercise. However, for more seasoned managers, this may be replaced with more advanced data modeling or systems design questions.

4. Onsite Interviews (or Virtual Onsite)

The onsite interview typically lasts half a day, and you will meet with several team members, including engineers and other engineering managers. Expect a mix of technical rounds and management-focused rounds:

Technical Rounds (2-3):

These rounds focus on assessing your problem-solving approach and your ability to design complex systems. Asana will evaluate your understanding of:

• System design: A typical question could involve designing a service with specific performance and scalability requirements.
• Technical mentorship: You’ll be asked to explain how you’ve mentored junior engineers in the past, how you approach code reviews, and how you handle performance optimization.
• Real-world problem solving: You might discuss issues you faced with previous teams and how you resolved them, with a focus on the technical details and the long-term impact of your decisions.

Example questions:

• “How would you design a system to handle millions of requests per second while maintaining low latency?”
• “Can you describe a time when your team faced a major technical debt issue? How did you approach solving it?”

Management Rounds (2-4):

These rounds assess your leadership and management skills. Asana looks for managers who can lead by example, provide clarity, and support the growth of their teams. Questions often revolve around:

• Team management: How do you ensure your team is aligned with business objectives? How do you foster collaboration and handle conflicts within the team?
• Providing feedback: How do you give constructive feedback to your engineers? Can you provide an example of how you’ve handled performance issues with a team member?
• Career development: How do you help your engineers grow in their careers? What strategies do you use to develop talent?

Example behavioral questions:

• “Tell us about a time when you had to manage a challenging team member. How did you approach the situation?”
• “How do you ensure that your team members are continuously learning and evolving in their roles?“

5. Final Interview with Leadership

The final round may include a conversation with a senior leader, such as the Head of Engineering or VP of Engineering, to evaluate strategic alignment with Asana’s goals. The focus will be on:

• Your ability to align technical decisions with business objectives.
• Leadership philosophy: Asana values a growth mindset and radical inclusion, so expect questions about your leadership style and how you foster an inclusive and supportive work environment.
• Cultural fit: How do your values align with Asana’s focus on collaboration, transparency, and mindfulness?

Example questions:

• “How do you balance technical debt with feature development?”
• “As a manager, how do you help your team maintain a work-life balance while ensuring productivity?“

6. Offer and Negotiation

If you successfully pass all rounds, you will receive an offer that includes details about:

• Base salary, which varies depending on your experience and the location of the role.
• Equity and potential bonus structure, as well as other benefits like healthcare and retirement plans.
• Work-life balance: Asana emphasizes work flexibility, so they will discuss the hybrid work environment and expectations.

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Key Preparation Tips

• Brush up on systems design: Asana places significant emphasis on your ability to design scalable systems. Review large-scale system design problems, cloud architectures, and performance trade-offs.
• Prepare for behavioral questions: Be ready to share examples from your experience leading teams, providing feedback, and mentoring engineers.
• Review Asana’s product: Asana’s platform is built around team collaboration. Understanding their product and how engineering decisions affect the user experience will help you answer product-related questions.
• Understand Asana’s values: Asana is focused on radical inclusion, transparency, and empowering teams. Familiarize yourself with these principles and think about how they apply to your leadership style.