And if youre looking for expert feedback, you can also get input from our. Explain XYZ technology listed on your resume, Write a program to find if an integer is a palindrome, Write a program to select two numbers which sum is lower than a target number, Write a progam to reverse a string (no built-in functions can be used), Parse all lines in a CSV file with a given string, Tell me about a time you worked with a difficult engineer / executive / stakeholder / client, Tell me about the biggest challenge you faced as a TPM / in your current role, Tell me about a time you faced a technical and people challenge at the same time, Tell me about a time you had to work with a "superstar" and how you dealt with them, Tell me about a time your team didn't agree on the path forward, How do you manage someone who doesn't deliver what they promised / underperforms, How do you deal with difficult stakeholders, t: The next round is the phone screen which is a telephonic interview with the company's hiring manager. Tell me about a time you had an excellent idea and put it to work? Tell me about a project you managed. Once you reach that stage, we recommend practicing with ex-interviewers from top tech companies. A great resource here is Atlassian's Agile project management guide. Your interviewer will usually ask you technical questions based on the projects and technologies listed on your resume. Below, we've compiled a list of example behavioral questions, and you'll notice that we've included a few subcategories. We have put together this ultimate guide to help you maximize your chances of success. This is often referred to as "GCA" by Googlers. In parallel, the hiring committee recommendation will be reviewed and validated by a senior manager and a compensation committee who will decide how much money you are offered. Get the things you want - and need - for less. Technical Program Manager Interviews Entry-level TPMs in the United States make close to $166k annually at companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, or Apple. Who did you discuss it with, and how did you fix it? An efficient way to do this is to take a free course designed to prepare for the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam such as this, In addition, if you're interviewing for a TPM role in software development, you should make sure you're on top of common concepts used in Agile project management. How did you manage when a project deadline was missed? And if youre looking for expert feedback, you can also get input from ourteam of ex-Google recruiters, who willcover what achievements to focus on (or ignore), how to fine tune your bullet points, and more. All of the below are real program manager interview questions from Glassdoor, we've just edited the phrasing in some places to improve the grammar and clarity. There's no substitute for real-world practice. We've already made the connections for you. The types of questions you'll be asked are the same as during the onsite. Atlassian Engineering Manager Interview Guide, Phone screen with a hiring manager and program managers. How do you build a forecasting tool / document? Tell me a little about your current situation. This includes managing project schedules, identifying risks and clearly communicating them to project . 5-10 minutes at the end of each on-site round to ask any questions you have to the interviewer.. t: What methodology do you use in your projects and programs? Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). A. and have a track record of executing flawlessly. Your Google recruiter may also be able to provide you with some additional information in advance. To practice, you can use that method to craft answers to the technical questions listed in the previous section. You'll go through one or two initial 45mins screens which usually happen over the phone with a current Google TPM. These questions are then shared with your future interviewers so you don't get asked the same questions twice. If you know a program manager or someone who has experience running interviews at Google or another big tech company, then that's fantastic. What skills have you used less over the years and what have you used more? Want to nail your next tech interview? Estimate the costs of building a subway system (i.e. Your team currentlyhandles calls pertaining to a product at the rate of 150 calls per day. After you accept the offer, the Google onboarding team will guide you through the compensation, incentives, badging, insurance, and other information. Following the recruiter screen, you will be interviewed by a hiring manager along with one or two program managers. As you've probably gathered by now, Google goes to great lengths to avoid hiring the wrong candidates. Notice that almost all questions on the list can be asked as hypothetical questions (e.g. What is the angle between the hour hand and the minute hand on a clock at 4:20? There's no substitute for real-world practice. Resume screen Recruiter phone screen: one interview TPM phone screen: one or two interviews TPM onsite: typically five interviews What actually happens when a file is deleted on a machine? Tell us about a time when you disagreed with the entire team and why? Interview 1: Graph related question and super recursion Interview 2: Design discussion involving a distributed system with writes/reads going on at different sites in parallel. Problem Solving Skills 8. Each of these interview scores is going to be counted to assess your overall performance (except the bar raiser). Most top tech companies would have the following interviews are part of their hiring process for the Technical Program Manager role Recruiter Screen (30-45 minutes) Program managers typically oversee a group of projects (and in some cases, a team of project managers), each of which is linked by a common aspect, such as a single company target. How will you describe the logic for writing a doubly linked list? we recommend brushing up on program management basics. You can use our, In addition, you should make sure you're on top of common concepts used in Agile project management. [PRE-COVID] In addition to these interviews, you'll also have lunch with a fellow TPM while you are onsite. You'll typically spend a full day interviewing with Google, and the interview questions you'll encounter will usually fall into one of three broad categories: [PRE-COVID] In addition to these interviews, you'll usually also have lunch with a fellowprogram managerwhile you are onsite. While it is one of the most common program manager interview questions, there is no pre-defined answer. At this point, the hiring committee will make a recommendation to Google about whether or not to recruit you. The good news is that the right preparation can make a big difference to help you land the job at Google (or Google Cloud). How many Pizzas were consumed in certain state. Free interview details posted anonymously by Google interview candidates. This means you're close to getting an offer but the company wants to double check you're meeting the hiring bar for a given criteria (e.g. What do you think are the main skills to be a program manager? In most cases, you'll start your interview process with Google by talking to a Recruiter on the phone. or "why should we hire you?" Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss and had to persuade them. At this time, your recruiter will probably also give you some additional details about the next interview and the person you're interviewing with. A great resource here is Atlassian's Agile project management guide. And if youre looking for expert feedback, you can also get input from our. Interview 3: Array and Tree related questions Interview 4: Designing a simple class to do something. This phone interview will be a mix of technical and behavioral questions. While you're prepping to become a technical program manager, it is important to prepare for these behavioural questions. Have you ever had a communication problem while running a program? Technical questions in this round are mostly based on the project/technology youll be working on. For instance, if you are applying for a TPM role for Youtube, questions will revolve around the technicalities of the application, scalability, design, and coding aspects of the technology., Youll also be asked a few design questions and general questions on project management that include scheduling, risk management, resource allocation, etc., The main idea of having a Technical Phone Screen round is to gauge whether your skills and experience are worthy of being considered for the On-site interview., The On-site interview can have anywhere between 3-5 rounds, mostly dependent on the seniority of the position youre applying to., Related Reading: Microsoft Program Manager Interview Process and Prep, Heres what you can typically expect at Googles TPM interviews., There are typically three kinds of questions asked at Google for a Technical Program Manager Role: Program Sense, Technical, and Behavioral.. The lunch conversation is intended to be an opportunity for you to ask questions about working at Google. For system design questions, we recommend studying the following video as a starting point. resources, risks, vendors, etc.) Suggest a new product that google should develop. epics, stories, themes, etc.). Have you witnessed any challenging circumstances when working on projects or with stakeholders? Customer requirement is to "display an ebook after 60 seconds from purchase"- What you should do in order to support that requirement? After your application is accepted, you will begin your interview with Google by speaking with a recruiter over the phone. The other related posts are: In other words, you'll talk to hiring managers and one or several of them will need to be willing to take you on their team in order for you to get an offer from the company. How would you design a database schema for a certain configuration manager? Tell me about a time you did XYZ). Let's begin by digging into the process questions, then we'll cover the skill questions later. The questions are difficult, specific to Google, and cover a wide range of topics. Whats the Google technical program manager interview process and timeline? You'll typically spend a full day interviewing with Google TPMs and software engineers. For example, how do you prioritize roads over points of interest (POIs) or indoor navigation features? For instance, "Role-related knowledge and experience" might be broken down into "Program management" and "Technical judgement" for a TPM. I was able to receive offers at Google, Amazon, and Box and I feel more confident in my interviews now more than ever after taking this course. Experience in Software Engineering, Software Infrastructure Engineering, Security, Big Data and Analytics, or Cloud Networking. Experience in software program management and/or engineering management. Google has both the concept of a Technical Program Manager and a Program Manager. They helped me to ace a position at Google. This may sound strange, but it will significantly improve your confidence and the way you communicate your answers during an interview. Various Types Of Technical Program Managers Front End: Web, iOS, Android. How would you convince someone to get your work done if they happen to be a difficult personality? All the questions listed are from TPM interview reports available on Glassdoor. In some teams, it's only a salary difference where TPMs make slightly more money although both may do the same work. Describe a time when you had to earn the trust of your project team and break their resistance to change. Also, notice that the questions asked are much easier than the Leetcode questions you can expect in Google software engineer interviews. Here's a short video guide for Program Management interview which is one of the interviews in onsite interviews. Trust us, it works. One of the main challenges of TPM interviews is to communicate your different stories in a way that's easy to understand. What do you do? You can usethis free guideto help tailor your resume to the position youre targeting. At this stage, the hiring committee will make a recommendation on whether Google should hire you or not. How would you handle reporting for several projects while some are running late? Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution.. A bar raiser is an interviewer from a different business unit. Some PM candidates may have to do two phone interviews. The guide covers a step-by-step method for answering system design questions, and provides several example questions with solutions. As mentioned previously, system design questions are usually either about diving deep into the design of a system you've previously worked on (e.g. The on-site interview is a full day event. In addition to studying the video above, we also recommend learning our step-by-step method to answer behavioral questions. Therefore when organizations are looking for applicants to lead various projects and teams, they go through a rigorous screening process to ensure the candidate has a positive effect on others as well as the company. You need to articulate it as per your experience, but you can include activities like: Establishing a PMO framework Developing a functional work breakdown structure Constructing time and resource-saving exercises There is an internal customer/consumer of your service who is not benefiting from your service improvements. What is a critical path in project management? Provide the required hands-on software development and project management, cross-functional coordination, and inter/intra team communications to deliver outstanding program outcomes. Lam Research. The on-site can essentially be perceived to be an extended version of the phone interview. The onsite round is the most complex of all the rounds and you can expect questions that are technical, such as systems design interview questions and coding questions, some program management questions, and also some behavioural questions. Program manager interviews at Google are really challenging. Book a 60-min mock interview with a Google Program Manager. This might sound obvious, but it's a common mistake candidates make in interviews that's easy to avoid. Once you reach that stage, we recommend practicing with ex-interviewers from top tech companies. Weve created a coaching service where you can practice 1-on-1 with ex-interviewers from leading tech companies like Google. "Poor", "Mixed", "Good", "Excellent"). Also, take a look at the following video, which outlines how Google thinks about program management. Tell me about a time you had to manage a significant risk on one of your programs? In start-ups I had offers for director of engineering positions with lucrative offers. But, it's important to remember that the prestige of a job (by itself) won't make you happy in your day-to-day work. Theseexample questionsare focused on technical topics, specific products, or functional areas. Design the front end of a travel booking platform. Here are the four most important things you can do toprepare forGoogle (or GCP) Technical Program Manager interviews. They are looking to confirm that you've got a chance of getting the job at all, so be prepared to explain your background and why youre a good fit at Google. What is the difficulty level of the interview? Each interview will last about 45 minutes and cover one of the following topics: In most cases you'll have three program management, one technical, and one leadership interviews. In this section, your interviewer will try to understand how you solve challenging problems and learn. e. This is the most competitive step in the process, as millions of candidates do not make it past this stage. Each interviewer will assess you on the four main attributes Google looks for when hiring: Depending on the exact job you're applying for these attributes might be broken down further. I did ABC to manage my program last year). Technical Program Manager salaries at Google can range from 55,000 - 137,629 per year. But, if you are currently in another role than engineering then pseudo-code will most likely be fine. For program management interviews, we recommend starting with ourprogram management primer. If you are selected, you will be contacted by a recruiter within 2-3 business days. But it also means that the typical process can spread over multiple months. At IK, you get the unique opportunity to learn from expert instructors who are hiring managers and tech leads at Google, Facebook, Apple, and other top Silicon Valley tech companies. "Strong no hire", "No hire", "Leaning no hire", "Leaning hire", "Hire", "Strong hire"). And if youre looking for expert feedback, you can also get input from ourteam of ex-Google recruiters, who willcover what achievements to focus on (or ignore), how to fine tune your bullet points, and more. Theseexample questionsare focused on technical topics, specific products, or functional areas. Check out our other company guides for Facebook, and Amazon, and our TPM interview guide. Program Management vs Project Management 2. The company won't be evaluating you during this time, but we recommend that you behave as if they were. They understand important elements of tech development, design, programming, and more. What is multi-threading? We've got the same guide also available to watch as a short video if you prefer consuming content that way. What are some challenges facing cloud technology? To help you prepare strategically for your interviews, wehave used Glassdoor data to identify the types of questions which are most frequently asked in Google program manager interviews. Imagine you find a critical bug in software the day before the release date. Note that the process at Google Cloud Platform follows similar steps. The types of questions you'll be asked in this round are roughly the same as the questions you'll encounter in your onsite interviews. Note that the process at Google Cloud Platform follows similar steps. Recommended Reading: How Will You Avoid Gold Plating How would you design Netflix). They are looking to confirm that you've got a chance of getting the job at all, so be prepared to explain your background and why youre a good fit for Google. Their role is crucial to ensure that these technologies function seamlessly when they reach the end-user.. In addition, TPMs usually don't have direct authority over most of the resources they work with. Again here, you should be ready to answer both hypothetical questions (e.g. At the end of each interview your interviewer will grade your performance using a standardised feedback form that summarizes the attributes Google looks for in a candidate. What steps would you take to launch x product? Imagine you are working with a lot of engineers in this role, knowing they speak a slightly different language, how would you approach communications? If you're currently an engineer then you'll probably be asked to write working code. The interview panel consists of Google employees currently working there in various capacities such as Product Manager, Technical Program manager, Software Developer, Software development manager, a bar raiser, and the hiring manager. Technical Program Manager Interview Masterclass, Google Technical Program Manager Interview process. and how did you get over them? In addition, we would recommend reading the following resources: As mentioned above, you'll encounter threemain types of interview questions: program management, behavioral, and role-specific / technical. This interview is roughly 1 hour duration and consists of 3 sections of 20 minutes each. What 5 slides would you use for a presentation to a CEO? All of these are also real program manager interview questions from Glassdoor, we've just edited the phrasing in some places to improve the grammar and clarity. Notice that some elements overlap with the program management section above. Onsite interviews are the real test. How would you resolve conflict and ambiguity in a project? Below you'll find several examples questions that you can practice with. It comprises 5-6 interviews each lasting about 1 hour. Candidates have often reported to have been asked questions on system design and architecture design. In addition to these interview steps, there are also some "behind the scenes" steps that have to happen before you get an offer. I would do XYZ to manage a program.) a metro)? Interview question for Technical Program Manager in Mountain View, CA.What is optimal project/program kickoff? Don't forget to provide data when you begin to consider what you want to highlight in your interview. How would you manage hypothetical project XYZ (e.g. cover what achievements to focus on (or ignore), how to fine tune your bullet points, and more. Next, you'll go through one or two program manager interviews. In addition, unlike most smaller companies, Google's products have millions of monthly active users. We've listed typical questions you can expect in this interview below and grouped them in seven subcatories to help you organize your preparation. In the first section of the form the interviewer fills in the questions they asked you. You'll need a strong resume and cover letter that are suited to program manager roles and, more specifically, Google. And a continuous build system. Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided . Tell us briefly how you go about executing a project. How should I prepare for a Technical Program Manager interview with Google? A typical example would be: "What happens when you enter a URL in your browser?". After all, the role is centered around the management of "programs." A candidate's program sense refers to their capacity to understand/improve the programs they manage. Your interviewers will all submit their reviews within two to three days of your onsite. As a Technical Program Manager at Google, you lead complex, multi-disciplinary engineering projects using your engineering expertise. You should be confident and assured. This is part of a mini-series of posts related to career development.