CircleCI Engineering Manager Interview Questions
& Process
Real candidates share what happened, how many rounds they had,
and how the experience turned out.
Based on 11 interview experiences · FREE TO READ
Candidate interview experiences
First-hand accounts from people who interviewed at CircleCI.
CircleCI
Engineering Manager
Manager Average Neutral experience No offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen Onsite
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical
So the process had a few steps. First, there was this 30 min intro call. Then, a 45 min technical chat with some team members. After that, a 45-60 min discussion about product and how we work, with leadership. All done over video call. The people interviewing were pretty knowledgeable and nice, made it easy to talk. The tech chat covered stuff like CI/CD, managing teams, and dealing with different situations. The product interview was about how we build things, how we decide what to do first, and making sure our work helps customers. It was pretty interesting, but could've been better. The first call didn't give much info about the team or the job. Some questions about benefits didn't get clear answers and they said they'd follow up but didn't. The feedback afterwards was really generic, which was a bummer after putting in the time. It did give a good look into how the company operates and its culture, though, just wish the candidate experience and the feedback were stronger.
Confirmed questions5 questions
- Can you tell me about your background with CI/CD tools and workflows?
- How do you handle managing several projects at once and deciding what's most important?
- Share an instance where you had to adapt to unexpected changes.
CircleCI
Engineering Manager
Senior Average Positive experience No offer 2 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Phone screen
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical
I started with a 30-minute initial chat with an HR recruiter. It was mostly standard technical management questions, but the person was nice, gave me a good feel for the company, and answered my questions. The next step was a 1-hour call with the VP of Engineering. This also had pretty standard management questions about my background, and we had a long talk about the job, the team vibe, and what they're looking for. I really liked this chat too. They let me know the next day they weren't moving forward with me. They gave me some really helpful feedback, pointing out what they needed that didn't quite match my experience and also highlighting things they really liked about my profile. Even though it didn't work out, it was a great example of how interviews should be – prompt responses, useful feedback for personal growth, and a positive experience overall. CircleCI seems like a cool place to work, and I'll check their careers page again.
Confirmed questions2 questions
- Can you describe a situation where you had to manage an underperforming team member?
- Share an instance when you had a disagreement with your manager and how you addressed it.
CircleCI
Engineering Manager
Manager Average Negative experience No offer 5 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Phone screen Technical screen Technical screen Technical screen Background check
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical Behavioral
The whole interview process was about 3 weeks long. First, I had a chat with the recruiter, who asked about my background and told me about the company. Then I met with the Hiring Manager, which was a great conversation, they really sold the company. After that, I talked to an Engineering Manager, and that was also a good chat, they knew their stuff and communicated well. The next interview was with another Engineering Manager and someone from Product, which was interesting and helped me understand the company and their product better. The last interview was with the CTO, it was really informative but super short, like 30 minutes, and they were super inspiring. It's been a week and I haven't heard anything back, which is a bummer after such a good process. I'm rating it low because the silence is bad for the People Team, not the engineers.
Confirmed questions1 question
- Tell me about a time you handled conflict.
CircleCI Engineering Manager Interview Questions
Quoted word for word from CircleCI interview reports.
“Can you design a React application to track stock positions without using Redux?”
Read reports →“How do you ensure the well-being and cohesion of a team spread across eight different time zones?”
Read reports →“How do you keep distributed teams engaged?”
Read reports →“What are your strategies for maintaining engagement among team members in a distributed setting?”
Read reports →“How do you deal with situations where there's no clear direction or information?”
Read report →“What's your approach to managing an employee who isn't meeting expectations?”
Read report →“How do you approach collaborating with remote teams?”
Read report →“What methods do you employ to ensure team members remain engaged in a remote work environment?”
Read report →“How do you handle managing several projects at once and deciding what's most important?”
Read report →Formats, difficulty and experience
Across all 11 CircleCI interview reports.