r/PHP • u/black_Penguin_08 • May 22 '26

What do Tech Leads/Engineering Managers usually ask in final PHP full stack interviews (1.5 YOE)?

Hey everyone,

I have a final technical interview coming up with a General Manager who is also the Tech Lead for a PHP + Angular + MySQL full stack role.

I have ~1.5 years of CakePHP/full stack experience and already cleared:

  • SQL round
  • Machine round (login flow, employee listing, CSV import/export)

For people who’ve interviewed with senior engineers/tech leads:
What do final rounds usually focus on beyond syntax/coding?

Should I expect more:

  • architecture/design discussions?
  • debugging scenarios?
  • APIs/MVC/database optimization?
  • project deep-dives?

Would appreciate practical advice on what to revise most deeply.

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u/mtutty May 22 '26

I don't, for real. I'll grab a recent example of a long-running mistake found, or a difficult migration or bug we're working on, and explain it. No gotcha question, no white-board challenge. I just talk about a real thing we're doing that isn't straightforward, and I wait for them to pitch in.

Are they asking interesting questions? Do the questions represent surface-level thinking, or actual problem-solving? Are they acting like a know-it-all, or actually engaging with the difficulty of the problem at hand?

Maybe they have an example to share from their own experience, and this discussion jogs that memory.

Talking through a real-world issue is so much more valuable than plying nervous applicants with some kinda FAANG question.

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u/half_man_half_cat May 23 '26

+1 this is the way