i went IC to manager two years ago mostly because it was the only way to get a raise at my company. managed a team of 4, it was fine, i didn't hate it, i wasn't great at it either. now i want to go back to individual contributor work but i'm worried about what happens to my level.
specifically: if i go back to IC, do i go back at senior or does the two years of management mean i'm expected to walk in as staff? and do companies take the management stint as a positive signal for an IC role or does it read as "this person couldn't hack it as a manager"?
not asking about whether to do it, i've decided. asking about the mechanics of how to position it so it doesn't cost me a level and a half in the process.
4 replies
careerveteran
hiring manager here who has hired IC-returners multiple times. the level question depends almost entirely on whether you kept your technical skills current. if you spent two years in 1:1s and spreadsheets and haven't shipped code, you're going to feel that in the loop. if you kept a hand in the technical work: code reviews, architecture decisions, prototypes, you can usually defend a senior level without a fight. staff is harder to claim if you haven't been on the IC track recently.
the "couldn't hack it" read is less common than you think. managers who want to go back to IC because they found the people work draining and the technical work energizing: that's a coherent story. just tell it that way.
quietquit_quincy
i did keep doing code review and i took on two large refactors directly. good to know that reads. the "energized by the technical work" framing is simpler than what i've been trying to say. been overthinking the explanation.
staff_steph
the management stint actually reads well for certain IC roles. staff-track IC work overlaps heavily with what managers do: cross-team coordination, making technical decisions that affect multiple squads, writing things people actually read. if you can point to technical decisions you made as a manager that had engineering consequences, those belong on your resume and they signal staff-level thinking.
firsttime_mgr
watching this thread closely because i'm the opposite situation. i went manager because i wanted the people work and i'm now realizing how much i miss the technical depth. good to know the back-and-forth isn't necessarily a death sentence for leveling.