Behavior Question Types
When interviewing for a senior+ IC roles or EM roles, you will be assigned a series of behavioral interviews. Based on the entity of the interview question itself, behavior questions can largely fall into 2 categories, project management and people management.
Project Management BQ
What should you know about Project Management
Project management refers to the process of planning, organizing, executing, and overseeing tasks and resources to achieve specific goals within a defined timeline and budget. It's essential for ensuring that technical projects, such as software development, system infrastructure upgrades or product launches, are delivered successfully on time.
Key Objectives
- Deliver Projects On Time: Meet deadlines through effective scheduling and prioritization.
- Stay Within Budget: Optimize resource allocation to prevent cost overruns.
- Ensure Quality: Maintain high standards in deliverables.
- Manage Risks: Identify and mitigate potential issues early in the project lifecycle.
- Facilitate Communication: Keep stakeholders aligned and informed throughout the project.
Key Process
1. Business Problem
- what is the key problem the company or org striving to solve
- what is the pain point that noticed from the company or org struggling at
- what is the trend of user feature requests or complaints
2. Strategy
- what is the impact for the team to generate
- what is the long-term vision for the team to deliver such impact
- what is the initiative to realize the vision in next 1 to 3 years
3. Goals
- what are the top priorities & missions to achieve
- what are the objectives for the projects to realize initiative
- what are the key metrics to measure the objectives
4. Roadmap
- what is the planning based on goals for the upcoming cycle (6 months or 12 months)
- what is the priority among projects across the team with external collaborations
- what is the phases for the project along with roles and estimation of work
5. Collaboration
- what is the request collection or submission to other collaborators
- what is priority adjustment comparing the planned projects
- what is the cross-team effort in setting up shared objectives
6. Execution
- what is short-term planning setup (sprint plannings, milestones)
- what is the status tracking for each phase / milestone / sprint for the project
- what is the risk handling mechanism
- what is the technical quality guardrail for the delivery
7. Learnings
- what is the failures / learnings / retrospectives from the project
Project Management BQ Example
People Management BQ
What should you know about People Management
People management refers to the practice of effectively leading, motivating, and supporting individuals and teams in the workplace to achieve organizational goals while fostering personal and professional growth. It's a core responsibility of managers and leaders and involves a combination of interpersonal, organizational, and strategic skills.
Key Objectives
- Enhance Performance: Improve individual and team productivity through feedback and clear goals.
- Foster Engagement: Motivate employees and recognize achievements.
- Develop Talent: Support growth with training and mentorship.
- Build Team Dynamics: Encourage collaboration and resolve conflicts.
- Retain Talent: Create a positive environment to reduce turnover.
- Align with Goals: Ensure employees understand and contribute to organizational objectives.
- Manage Change: Support adaptability during transitions.
- Promote Inclusion: Ensure fairness and foster a diverse workplace.
- Address Challenges: Mitigate risks and handle conflicts effectively.
- Create Positive Culture: Build trust, transparency, and well-being in the workplace.
Key Process
- Recruitment and Onboarding
- Attracting, hiring, and integrating talent into the organization.
- Scenarios:
- How do you ensure cultural and technical fit during the hiring process?
- What does your onboarding process include to help new employees succeed?
- Goal Setting and Alignment
- Defining clear objectives and ensuring they align with team and organizational goals.
- Scenarios:
- How do you set measurable goals for your team?
- What methods do you use to align individual goals with company priorities?
- Performance Management
- Monitoring, evaluating, and improving employee performance.
- Scenarios:
- How do you handle underperformance in your team?
- What tools do you use to track team productivity?
- Learning and Development
- Providing opportunities for skill enhancement and career growth.
- Scenarios:
- How do you identify skill gaps within your team?
- Can you share an example of a successful training program you implemented?
- Employee Engagement and Motivation
- Keeping employees motivated and ensuring job satisfaction.
- Scenarios:
- How do you keep your team engaged during long-term projects?
- What recognition programs have you used to reward high performance?
- Conflict Resolution and Problem-Solving
- Managing and resolving disputes within the team.
- Scenarios:
- Can you describe a time when you resolved a conflict between team members?
- What strategies do you use to address disagreements in decision-making?
- Career Growth and Succession Planning
- Supporting career progression and preparing employees for leadership roles.
- Scenarios:
- How do you help employees identify and achieve their career goals?
- What steps do you take to prepare team members for promotions?
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
- Creating a workplace that values diversity and fosters inclusion.
- Scenarios:
- What mechanisms have you implemented to promote diversity in your team?
- How do you ensure everyone feels valued and included?
- Adaptability and Change Management
- Leading teams through technological or organizational changes.
- Scenarios:
- How do you help your team adapt to new technologies or processes?
- Can you share an example of how you managed resistance to change?
- Employee Well-being
- Supporting physical, mental, and emotional health in the workplace.
- Scenarios:
- What programs or policies have you introduced to support work-life balance?
- How do you ensure team members feel supported during high-stress periods?
People Management BQ Example
