The Tech Interview Behind the Scenes: Angel Petrov

The Tech Interview Behind the Scenes is an  HRLabs series.
Let’s take a look behind the scenes of the technical interview process from the interviewers' perspective.
Our goal is to provide candidates with valuable tips and recommendations directly from professionals who conduct interviews for various technical roles.

“Whatever you’re learning, approach it with understanding – simply memorising a term or definition is far from enough.” advises Angel Petrov, Technical Product Manager @Broadcom.

Tell us more about your career path.

It all began in the fall of the distant 2008… It sounds like a fairytale, but it’s true that I didn’t even realize how these 16 years flew by, filled with many challenging projects, successes, and, of course, failures.

For 16 years now, I’ve been navigating the IT field, with the majority of my experience tied to Quality Assurance. For more than 13 years, I’ve been learning, and at some point, teaching the intricacies of being a good QA. Out of those 13 years, I spent around 10 years building and managing QA teams, actively participating in interviews and recruitment, training, and supporting the career growth of many people I had the pleasure to meet and work with.

For over 5 years, I taught at Swift Academy, where I aimed to pass on my knowledge and experience to people looking to retrain and enter the tech world.

I’ve participated in over 500 interviews, both for positions in Bulgaria and for roles in the international offices of the companies I’ve worked for. The truth is, with every interview, you get better at “reading” the person across from you.

I have experience in testing, primarily as part of product companies, where deep knowledge of the product being developed is essential.

For almost the past 3 years, I’ve been working as a Product Manager and have come to realize how valuable my experience as a QA Manager and QA Lead has been.

What I’ve learned over all these years is that a good leader is always there to help and, together with their team, is ready to go through all challenges to achieve the ultimate goal. It’s crucial that all the knowledge and skills we gain are shared and used to help newcomers learn and, why not, even surpass us.

As a candidate, have you had any strange interviews? What about interviews that impressed you?

Given the large number of interviews I’ve conducted, I’ve come across all sorts of peculiarities. I’ve been part of unusual interviews, as well as ones where candidates performed brilliantly but later disappointed in a work environment.

Overall, to conduct an interview effectively and efficiently, you need not only solid preparation but also a bit of luck and a sixth sense to guide you. The whole process is truly a science!

I’ve also been on the other side of the table as a candidate, and I know how strange it can feel. The entire process is very important, and it’s not enough to simply evaluate a candidate’s technical and personal skills; the interviewer must also be able to clearly explain the essence of the position being applied for.

Let me use a cliché – "overqualified."

It’s crucial not only for the interviewer to recognize when a candidate is technically suitable for a position but also for the candidate to understand what will be expected of them and the tasks they’ll be performing to avoid disappointment later on.

What skills and qualities do you look for in a candidate? How can a candidate stand out during the interview?