This First Round Review article discusses a 90-day plan to help engineers transition to management, and has a little to say about interviews. https://firstround.com/review/this-90-day-plan-turns-engineers-into-remarkable-managers/
We are introduced to engineer-manager David Loftesness, who appears very willing to share his experience and knowledge generously with us, and the article is full of direct quotes.
Have A Plan
It's more difficult to transition to management without a plan for how to do it, or without measuring your progress towards goals. A plan for interviewing and hiring is also essential.
Be Multi-Directional
“You’re ready if you understand from the beginning that you’re going to be managing in three directions, not just overseeing a team of developers,” says Loftesness. Interviewing is also multi-directional. As a hiring manager, you must balance the goals and desires of the candidate, the needs and capabilities of the project team, and the greater good and future plans of the larger organization. On top of that you have recruiters and the readiness of your interview panel for conducting good interviews to monitor. It's not just about you. Communication with all stakeholders will be one of your keys to success.
Foster Trust
“A good manager is like a good interviewer,” says Loftesness. “The best interviewers do what they want the interviewee to do. They’ll share a personal moment, a funny story and they’ll get that back. They don't dominate airtime, obviously, but they give a little bit and they get a lot back typically. I think it's very similar with the manager. Asking questions and showing that you actually care creates a lot of space to share feelings and engender trust.”
Move Forward
I am constantly imploring my elementary-school aged children to "Move Forward" and keep going when trying to get them out the door for school or ready for bed. Get dressed, eat, brush teeth, whatever it is, just don't let the process stop! They are easily distracted.
Loftesness got me thinking about the problems of procrastination. Don't delay reviews - performance reviews, implementation reviews, design reviews, project reviews. There is critical information or action items hidden inside each thing demanding review that will factor into the project's success, for worse if left unhandled.
This goes for candidate reviews as well. Time is of the essence once you begin the interview and hiring process. Set up a confident backdrop with a unified team before you begin speaking with candidates rather than after. Once the ball starts rolling, you mustn't waver, or you'll lose the people in which you've invested so much effort. If you never get your act together, you could be caught in a vicious cycle of continually starting over as candidate after candidate slips through your grasp before you can close the deal.
Get Educated
Loftesness recommends taking the time to study up on your management transition, even to make your study public, and find a good mentor. As a hiring manager, there is a lot to learn about interviewing. Few organizations are treating it as a critical business process, and maybe for your team that change starts with you.
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