The essential guide to technical program manager interviews. Learn from FAANG hiring managers how to confidently demonstrate your skills and get hired.

In this course, you will work through the most common interview questions that are asked in a technical program manager interview. Written by a TPM who has worked at multiple FAANG companies, you will get the inside scoop on what it takes to pass this difficult interview.

Beyond that, you will also get practical advice on the role of a TPM and how to thrive in this role. By the end of this course, you will have the confidence to ace your interview and be well equipped to perform on the job.

Hacking the TPM Interview

There are many different flavors of TPMs and they can be found in various parts of an organization. I've narrowed down the flavors into three main "buckets" that I've seen.


# Engineering execution ### 
These are TPMs that are deeply involved with engineering teams and help them execute more effectively and efficiently through the process, structure, and clarity. You'll likely be assigned to one to two projects or initiatives that are high priority or high risk. Make sure that it is carried through to completion. You'll also be responsible for setting the right level of process for the team depending on the size of the team. 

For smaller teams, this may not be necessary. In this role, you'll need to dive in deep and become a domain expert in the area that they are working on (i.e., security, networking, infrastructure, or hardware) since you'll be working closely with engineers.

# Large scale initiative ###

These TPMs work on multi-team and multi-quarter projects that require coordination between many different teams. This could look like driving a large migration, ensuring compliance with legislation such as #key# GDPR: General Data Protection Regulation #key#, or shipping a new hardware product. Here the scope of the role is much more breadth-focused, and it will likely involve much more in-depth tracking and broad communication.

# Central operations ### 
Large organizations typically need to manage complex processes like quarterly planning, resource management, or launch reviews. TPMs are often responsible for the large and technically complex processes like managing storage, computer, and networking resources or launch reviews involving security, reliability, or privacy teams. This role requires strong organizational skills to scale the process and make it efficient, as well as having the technical expertise to rightly scope the process, and ensure it is effective and adds value to teams. 




What is Technical Program Management?

Interview Prep (a.k.a. Skills Development)

Practical Advice

Career Transitions

Final Thoughts

TPM Role Examples