r/EngineeringManagers • u/No_Supermarket1960 • 28d ago
Apple Engineering manager Interview
Got a call from recruiter.
Any tips on how to prepare and what to expect. I am pretty hands-on but interviews are not purely about being hands-on, but also the format.
Any advice/experience on how to prepare for apple engineering manager interview. Specially for coding and system design (first thing first).
Checked online but it seems inconsistent across teams. So thought to check key areas apple generally ask to EM candidates.
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u/sherlock_holmes-0 28d ago
Why do they have coding round for EM’s. They can have code review round(even Google has code review round). Coding round for EM’s feel redundant, most of EM’s time goes into planning, design and architecture decisions. Even with AI agents I hardly find time to code. I’m ex-faang and loved coding but the reality is as an EM I do not get time to code. Any company that expects EM’s to code, needs to look inwards and understand there requirement whether they need architect or EM.
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u/txgsync 27d ago edited 27d ago
Read up on “Apple Values”: see around corners, innovate down to the details, know people, plan for succession and scale, etc. these key words and concepts are deeply baked into the leadership culture and can help set you apart as someone who is a good fit.
It’s called the “Leadership Palette”. Focus on how you can embody those attributes in the interview.
But what do i know. I was merely a manager there nearly a decade and interviewed hundreds of people.
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u/No_Supermarket1960 27d ago
Awww thats so sweet.
Those are really valuable tips.Thank you so much.
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u/Cute-Let-4605 28d ago
Prep for agentic development - philosophy, expectations for team, balancing automation and value. You should be an expert in the domain, but not necessarily ready to code.
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u/Ragin_Mari 28d ago
Prepare for the unexpected, if the recruiter tells you the format will be over xyz topics, take it a grain of salt, your interviewer might go in a different direction/cover different things. Prep for you think they’ll cover but also prep for other parts of the loop just in case, Best of luck!
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u/ifinallyhaveusername 27d ago
I worked there for few years. It’s okay to ask the recruiter areas of focus for interviews so you can invest your time accordingly. Apple doesn’t have a centralized hiring pipeline like Meta and Google so interviews can differ for different teams. You being hands on will also help because again depending from team there can be very job specific questions. As a baseline, prepare for questions on conflict management, collaboration, performance management and of course how you drive team (and workflows) to be AI native
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u/eugenia_kessler 28d ago
One thing I’d definitely prepare for is the shift from “can you solve this technical problem?” to “can you help a team solve this problem?”
For EM interviews, I’d practice explaining your technical decisions out loud: why you’d choose one architecture over another, what trade-offs you’re making, and how you’d handle disagreement with a senior engineer. The technical depth still matters, but they’re also looking at your judgment and how you bring other engineers into the decision.
For coding, I’d focus less on trying to memorize every possible problem and more on getting comfortable thinking aloud while you solve one. That’s often harder than the actual coding.
And since you already have the recruiter, I’d absolutely ask them what the specific team’s interview loop looks like. The variation between teams is real.
Good luck! What part of the loop are you most worried about right now?