In this article
Finding out what each person wants
How do you coach people, and what is your approach?
Ask first, then fit the support to the person. The engineering manager interview hub shows where coaching fits in the loop. Start with what they want and where they feel stuck, agree one goal for the next quarter, and use your 1:1s to ask questions more than to give answers. Say you give feedback on specific work and check progress regularly. Add one example of a person you coached differently from another.
Why it is asked: interviewers want a method, not a slogan, and proof it differs by person.
How do you assess talent?
Compare observable evidence with the written expectations of the level, not with impressions. Collect examples of scope, quality, independence and teamwork across a period, ask the person to assess themselves and discuss the gaps. Say you calibrate with other managers so one person's taste does not decide. Name how you avoid favouring people who are simply louder.
Why it is asked: it tests fairness and whether your judgement rests on evidence.
What do you ask someone who does not know what they want?
Use concrete prompts. GitLab's handbook suggests asking which projects the person is proudest of, what they struggled with, which parts of the role they want more or less of and what they would like to learn next, to separate strengths, gaps and goals (GitLab Handbook, September 2025). Offer two or three options to react to.
Why it is asked: many people cannot answer "where do you want to be?", and the interviewer wants a better question.
Do you assume everyone wants a promotion?
No. GitLab's handbook says people should not feel pressure to climb the career ladder (GitLab Handbook, August 2026, development versus mobility) and separates development, which is building skills, from mobility, which is a promotion or a transfer. Ask each person what success looks like for them. Some want depth, some breadth, some a steady role. Say you treat each choice as valid and keep the work meaningful.
Why it is asked: it shows you listen instead of projecting your own path.
How growth actually happens
Where does growth come from?
Mostly from the work itself. The 70-20-10 rule, from the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL)'s research on how executives learn (CCL, April 2025), says 70% of development should come from on-the-job experience, 20% from other people such as mentors and feedback, and 10% from training. GitLab's handbook uses the same split (GitLab Handbook, August 2026, 70-20-10 section). It is a guideline, not a measurement, but it supports building plans around real assignments.
Why it is asked: it tests whether you rely on courses or on real projects.
Text description of the diagram
- The 70-20-10 guideline, from CCL and used by GitLab, says 70% of development should come from on-the-job learning.
- The guideline says 20% should come from interactions such as mentoring and feedback, and 10% from training.
What stretch assignments do you give?
A stretch assignment is a task slightly beyond a person's current scope, taken with support. Examples are leading a small project, owning a design, running a cross-team change or presenting to stakeholders. Say you size it so failure is survivable, agree what help you will give and review afterwards. Mention how you spread such work across the team.
Why it is asked: interviewers want specifics and a safety net, not just "I give people challenges".
How do you use mentoring and pairing?
Match the person with someone who has the skill they want, set a purpose and a time frame, and check in on whether it is working. GitLab lists mentorship and job shadowing among its development routes (GitLab Handbook, August 2026, career development). Pairing on real work lets the person practise the skill, not only hear about it. Say you also mentor directly in areas where you are strong.
Why it is asked: it shows you use your network and not only your own time.
Tell me about someone you mentored and how their career progressed.
Pick one real person and keep names out. Describe where they started, what you agreed they would work on, the assignments and feedback along the way and where they are now. Be honest about your share of the result and about anything that did not work. The situation, task, action, result guide helps you time the story.
Why it is asked: the follow-ups probe whether the progress was real and whether you caused it.
Tell me about a few people on your team and their development plans.
Prepare three short cases: one with a skill gap, one ready for a stretch and one who has plateaued. For each, state the goal, the work that builds the skill, the support and the check-in date. A development plan is a written agreement on goals, activities and review dates. Use roles, not names.
Why it is asked: hiring managers often want actual plans for actual people.
How do you grow someone who would not grow without your push?
Start small and safe. Notice what they avoid, name it kindly and agree one low-risk step, such as presenting to the team. Give feedback quickly, celebrate the step and raise the next one. Say you check whether it is fear, boredom or unclear expectations, because each needs a different push.
Why it is asked: it separates managers who only support the willing from those who also lift the reluctant.
Knowing it is half the job. Saying it is the other half.
Interview Clozo is an AI interview copilot for real interview rounds: it hears the question and puts a strong answer on your screen, and you say it in your own words. See the features or how it works.
Start Free Trial →Promotion and readiness
What signals show an engineer is ready for promotion?
Promotion readiness is a pattern of working at the next level's written expectations over a sustained period, without your help. Look for scope, independence, quality and effect on other people, with dated examples. Tenure alone is not a signal. Say you gather the evidence over time and test it with peers.
Why it is asked: it shows whether you promote on evidence or on pressure.
What do you say to someone who asks what they must do to get promoted?
Map their work to the written expectations of the next level and list the gaps with examples. Agree projects that can show the missing evidence and review progress each quarter. Be honest about timing and process. GitLab's handbook tells people that a promotion is never promised, and you should not promise one (GitLab Handbook, August 2026, development versus mobility).
Why it is asked: it tests honesty under pressure and the quality of your feedback.
What do you do with a report who wants a promotion but is not ready?
Tell them clearly, with evidence, and give the plan to close the gap. Avoid vague encouragement. Check that they have the chance to do work at the next level, because sometimes the gap is assignment, not ability. Say you watch for disengagement and keep the conversation going through your 1:1s.
Why it is asked: unmet promotion hopes can push people to leave.
How do you handle someone who has stayed at the same level for a long time?
Ask what they want before assuming a problem. Some people are content and valuable at their level, and the right response is meaningful work with honest expectations. If they say they want to grow, build a plan; if the work is slipping, treat it as performance. The low performer answer covers that case.
Why it is asked: it tests whether you can tell stability from stagnation.
Your own track record
How many people have you managed, and how did you develop them?
Give the true number and span of time, then one specific development story. Inflating numbers is a risk because interviewers ask follow-ups. If you have managed few people, say so and describe how you developed peers or juniors, as the question is about method. Prepare a one-sentence summary for each of your last three reports.
Why it is asked: it checks scale and honesty before the interviewer goes deeper.
How do you balance growing people with delivery?
Build growth into real work instead of treating it as extra. Choose assignments where the delivery risk is acceptable, add a safety net such as review or pairing, and be open with stakeholders about the trade-off. Say you decline a stretch when the deadline cannot absorb it.
Why it is asked: managers who ignore delivery lose trust, and managers who ignore growth lose people.
How do you grow people when there is no promotion available?
Offer growth that does not depend on a title: wider scope, a new domain, leading a project, mentoring or a transfer. GitLab's handbook encourages people to learn and develop skills without pressure to seek promotion (GitLab Handbook, August 2026, development versus mobility), so building skills still matters when a role is not open. Be honest about the budget and timelines and do not imply a promotion that does not exist.
Why it is asked: budgets limit promotions, and honest managers find other routes.
How do you keep growth fair across the team?
Use the same written criteria for everyone and check who gets the stretch work. Review assignments each quarter to see whether the same two people always receive them. Ask quieter people what they want rather than waiting for them to volunteer. Say you ask your own manager to review your decisions for bias.
Why it is asked: unequal access to growth is a common, quiet fairness problem.
How the format is scored
Employers that use structured interviews, as Google does, ask the same questions and a rubric that illustrates poor, borderline, solid and outstanding answers (Google re:Work, March 2026). Your answers will be compared with other candidates', so specifics win. Google's research on team effectiveness also notes that meaning is personal and varies from person to person, which is why asking what each person wants comes first (Google re:Work, 2015). Read the people management round, one-on-ones and hard feedback, the engineering manager hub and behavioral interviews for the neighbouring topics.
- Ask what each person wants; not everyone wants a promotion.
- Build growth into real work, with a mentor and training as support.
- Judge promotion readiness on sustained evidence against written expectations.
- Never promise a promotion; give a plan and honest timing.
- Prepare three real development stories without names.
Sources
- Career Development and Mobility, The GitLab Handbook — GitLab (last modified 2026-08-27), 27 Aug 2026
- 1-1, The GitLab Handbook — GitLab (last modified 2025-09-22), 22 Sep 2025
- The 70-20-10 Rule for Leadership Development — Center for Creative Leadership, 24 Apr 2025
- Understand team effectiveness (Project Aristotle), Google re:Work — Google re:Work (originally published 2015; month and day not stated on the page), 1 Jan 2015
- A guide to structured interviewing for better hiring practices — Google re:Work (updated March 2026), 1 Mar 2026
