Asking the Right Questions to a Future Employer?

coronaride asks: "One of the things that always seems to leave me stumped in a job interview is the dreaded 'Do you have any questions for us?' question. I was always taught that while it's great to have the answers, almost equally important is to ask the right questions. When interviewing for a development position, what are some good questions to ask? For you employers, how much weight, if any, do you put on this open-ended question? A few obvious things come to mind regarding benefits, atmosphere, development style, etc., but I'm curious to see others' opinions on not only what is expected, but what is appropriate as well."

Comments

Point to the picture of his wife on his desk....

[HotNeedleOfInquiry]

And say Who's the slut

After a long, tense interview?

[voice_of_all_reason]

What about: "Can I go now?"

Re:After a long, tense interview?

[toddbu]

Can I go now?

Before you leave, ask to use the bathroom. Seriously. It's amazing how much you can find out about how an employer treats their employees by looking at their bathrooms. That's because it's the one area of the company that's generally available to employees but not the public. If the bathrooms are clean and neat, you can be sure that you're going to be working for a first class operation. If the bathroom is trashed and there's graffiti on the wall, you can be guaranteed that your future employer will screw you because they don't care about their employees. It doesn't matter how well manicured the lawns are, or how nice the front desk is - if the bathrooms are a mess then your employer is a bum.

Re:After a long, tense interview?

[jamesh]

if the bathrooms are a mess then your employer is a bum.

... or a man. Or, more seriously, your potential workmates are slobs.

Re:After a long, tense interview?

[Electrum]

If the bathrooms are clean and neat, you can be sure that you're going to be working for a first class operation.

Or simply that they contract a cleaning company, or rent space in a building that does. In many cases looking at the restrooms will only tell you about the building management company.

Be careful of...

[Eightyford]

One thing you may not want to ask is: "Is there any advancement?" or something similar. While in some cases this may show thay you are eager to learn and work hard, some of the employers may not like this for the following two reasons:

1) They don't want you to steal their job.
2) They need to fill a specific position and want to hire somebody that will be satisfied with working in that position for the next 15 years.

Re:Be careful of...

[erlenic]

You certainly have a point if you're looking for a temporary job to get out of a rough time, but if you're looking for a career, killing the interview with a question like that really is better in the long run.

Re:Be careful of...

[hackstraw]

One thing you may not want to ask is: "Is there any advancement?" or something similar.

That depends. It could be good or bad. A "no" to "Is there any advancement?" means that the person is looking to go in some direction. If there is no advancement, and the person takes the job, they will leave the job to get advancement when the time comes. Sometimes advancement means "We like what you are doing, so here is a raise or bonus, thanks!" I've heard of that kind of thing, I don't have any advancement or pay to speak of, guess what I'm casually doing???

They don't want you to steal their job.

I let other people's insecurities and inabilities speak for themselves. I surely don't want to work "underneath" of them and have to undo the crap that they have done before it gets right.

They need to fill a specific position and want to hire somebody that will be satisfied with working in that position for the next 15 years.

I don't think in my lifetime that I have heard of an interview and new job hire with the intention of 15 years of service for the same position. Especially in 15 years of IT work. Think 1990 to 2005. Sysadmin is similar, but much of the other things are drastically different. Think 1975 to 1990. Even disco died during that time!

Re:Be careful of...

[Anonymous Coward]

Our group interviewed someone who spent the entire interview trying to figure out when the group head would be leaving, so he could then move into that job. He didn't even get the job among us lowly underlings.

Ask away!

[Anonymous Coward]

Now that I'm on the other side of the table, I find myself asking candidates if they have any questions.

The primary reason is simply because I just want to make sure I answered any question the guy might have... Sometimes, the candidate's technical skills might be right, but there are other non-skill aspects to a job that makes it right for the person. Work hours, flexibility, friendliness, dress code, etc. So if there are aspects that matter, you should ask.

If you ask questions that are relevant to the company, it also shows that you've been paying attention, and that you're not just looking for a paycheck...

Re:Ask away!

[mnmn]

I dont know. I thought honesty was pretty important. Its generally understood that the candidate is there for a job, and its in his/her best interest to get more income and advance faster. (S)He might be curious about that. Asking questions to impress the interviewee might be apparently faked.

On the other hand, the environment matters to me too. I've met people who hated their new jobs so much they spent all their weekends looking around. Nobody wants to be in that position. Management style matters to many. If youre dictated on what to do, and you know youre doing the wrong thing (and might have to fix it yourself later) that can lead to enough frustration to make the income not worth it, whatever it may be. Benefits, bonuses, educational allowances also matter to most.

But 'on the other side of the table' I've heard candidates discuss the direction and future of the company in such business detail that the interviewers didnt have enough answers. The candidate looked like a chartered accountant, but the job function was very different. It seemed that the candidate wanted to make up for her lack of knowledge of the functions of her future job.

Re:Ask away!

[Gadzinka]

If you ask questions that are relevant to the company, it also shows that you've been paying attention, and that you're not just looking for a paycheck...

Well, I might want to work for your company, but not necesserily for you ;) You see, honesty works both ways: just as I want you to tell me something about a basic day-to-day business of your business, I expect managment to be mature enough to know, that the most important reason for my seeking of employment is a paycheck!

If I wanted to broaden my knowledge, work in pleasent enviroment, answer new challenges alone, I'd go to work as some sysadm at university, or IT consultant for some charity etc.

Just my .02$

Robert

Re:Ask away!

[dr_leviathan]

Definitely ask something. No questions from the candidate could indicate disinterest in the job.

Also, don't hesitate to ask the exact same question from different interviewers in the same interview series, especially questions about the corporate culture -- you may find you get different answers.

As an employer...

[Violet Null]

I like it when the interviewee asks me questions, because it shows me what they're interested in. This may be good or bad for the interviewee, but it's useful as a tool. Eg, given two similar candidates, I'd be much more likely to hire the one who asked, "What problems have you had with your architecture?" than one who asked, "What hours are expected?", because of what they intimate about the mindset of the interviewee.
 
Of course, I'd probably be more likely to hire the one who asked what hours are expected vs the one who asked no questions at all, since at least the one asking questions is expressing interest in making sure that the position is compatible.
 
Good questions, IMHO, to ask are ones that indicate an interest in the company or the position.

Re:As an employer...

[Reducer2001]

How do you feel about interviewees who take notes during the interview?

Re:As an employer...

[Violet Null]

Depends. The important thing I would look for would be to make sure that they're still paying attention while taking the notes. Ie, are they taking intermittent notes, or writing while maintaining eye contact, or is their head looking down at the paper the entire time?
 
Writing down useful pieces of information (proposed pay, dress code, benefit details, hours, time off, etc.) is fine. Writing down so much that I feel I have to slow the interview down to let them catch up is not.
 
In other words, I feel if you're going to take notes during the interview, it should be like a psychiatrist -- unobtrusive, and not disturbing your communication with the other person.

Re:As an employer...

[tpv]

The inverviews I run have no need for a pen and paper.
I'm just chatting about past projects, past experiences and general development ideas, to try and get a feel for how well the person would fit the role we have.

The questions about start dates, pay etc all happen with HR after we've given the nod that we want the person.

So if someone brought a pen and paper along, I'd see that as a good thing - they came prepared.

But if they actually used it, I'd see them as being a bit anal - there's no point trying to take notes when the discussion when the discussion is more of a "tell us about yourself" conversation.

Re:As an employer...

[Fred_A]

Hint : don't pretend to take notes on your PSP. Most PHBs have seen a PDA before.

Re:As an employer...

[ErroneousBee]

Its been a few years since I interviewed, but I went in with a checklist.

So when the interview is ending, I'd look at my checklist of things I'd want to know; stuff like pay, hours, holiday entitlement, how often theres offsite visits, etc. I'd fill in any blanks, etc.

I'd also ask any pertinant questions as they occurred, such as who owns the code I'd be supporting (one site had consultants write the code, they were just a service outfit).

So when I was asked 'Any questions?' I'd just look at my checklist, everything else was already asked as it arose.

Personal favourite

[keesh]

"What is your favourite aspect of working for $company?". Usually pretty revealing, unless the company hires external interviewers...

Re:Personal favourite

[dago]

Much better (IMHO) : "What are the worst aspects of working for $company ?"

Re:Personal favourite

[gr8fulnded]

I always like "How long have you been with $COMPANY? What keeps you with $COMPANY?"

Re:Personal favourite

[sartin]

If you care mostly about finding a good match, ask about what you care about. What are typical work hours? How good is the company chef? What does the future of the business look like? What software development tools do you use? What software development processes do you use? Why do you (the interviewer) work here? To a lesser extent, ask what you think they'll care about. Read up on the company and ask a couple of questions about business and market direction? Ask careful questions about recent executive changes.

If you care mostly about finding a paycheck, focus on the "interest in the company" questions. Stick with the questions about what the company is doing and what the future looks like for the company and your group. Be sure to stick with neutral wording so you don't commit to a position in asking the question. For example, if you ask about development tools, ask "What do you use for source control?" rather than "You don't use that piggish obsolete bloatware SCM-2000 for source control do you?". Regardless of their answer, express interest. For example, if the answer to the previous question is "subversion" talk about your subversion experience (assuming you have some) and if the answer is "Perforce" express interest in learning it (assuming you don't know it).

Re:Personal favourite

[The Clockwork Troll]

"I really like the environment here. There's no substitute."

Re:Personal favourite

[Profane MuthaFucka]

What does that mean? Nice Air Conditioners? Working Heat? Maybe the Bash shell installed on all the boxes? I don't get this "good environment" stuff.

Re:Personal favourite

[Kosgrove]

I often ask how well they score on The Joel Test: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog00000000 43.html

At one interview, I heard that they have an "interesting source control system." That was a red flag.

Remember your goal

[sevinkey]

If you're unemployed and in dire need of cash, your goal may be to just find ANY job. Often times though, you're looking for a job that's a better match for your skill sets, or a better match to the work environment you would prefer, or would have projects that are more up your alley, or maybe it's just a job closer to home.

I'm a programmer, not a member of human resources, so my advice may only be applicable when talking to another engineer. Whenever I have done interviews, I was looking for someone that was the best fit for the position, and a someone who the position is a good fit for that developer, since I would like this person to enjoy his or her time working with me, and might actually stick around a while.

The questions that interviewees asked me offered more insight into how good of a fit this job is for the candidate, rathen than the resumes. The resume tended to tell me if this person would be a good fit for the job, which is why this interview is happening in the first place.

Questions

[the eric conspiracy]

I think it is important to ask questions about the position, i.e. why is the position available (i.e. find out if previous incumbent went postal or got fired for banging secretary in stairwell etc.) as well as general questions about how success will be measured.

Re:Questions

[middlemen]

And in case the previous incumbent got fired for banging secretary in stairwell, find out if you can bang secretary in stairwell before you get the job !

Positions Future / Your Future

[mbrinkm]

The best questions that I can think of are on the career path that the position puts you on. This type of question requires refinement based on the company and position that you are interviewing for. Basically, I try to find out if the position is a stepping stone for the future at the company or if it's the top of the path within that company. If it's a "foot in the door" position, I try to find out where that path leads in order to determine if any position along that path is where I want to be.

Re:Positions Future / Your Future

[tpv]

When I'm hiring, I tend to get a bad feeling when people ask questions along those lines.

I don't like hiring someone who is only using this job to get a better one - even if it is within my company. I want the person I hire to be committed to do the job I hire them for, to the best of their ability.
If they do a good job then we'll reward them.

A colleague recently conducted an interview where the applicant was over-qualified, so she asked "Why do you want this role?". His reply: "Oh, I'd do anything to get a foot in the door at your company".
That's an immediate "no hire".

What you want is to find a way to ask questions like "If I work hard for you for a number of years, what sort of career path will be available?" without sounding like "If I do this shitty job for a while, can I then get a better one?".
I think that's a fine line to walk, so I'd recommend caution.

Re:Positions Future / Your Future

[NateTech]

Usually people who are uncomfortable with this question are so because their company has given zero thought or effort to create career paths.

Don't feel bad, this is the norm today. And it's okay to say that. You'll find it won't turn that many people off, in fact, many are expecting it. In fact, if you're a public company, there's many times the same thing going on at the very top of the organization these days with a revolving door at the upper-management level, and people can easily research this before applying.

As far as the person who said they wanted a foot in the door:

Your collegue may have missed out on the greatest employee they ever had by flatly denying someone with enough chutzpah to say "I want to work here, period." to them directly. How many employees do you have that will tell you their direct desires and give you a measurable goal they wish to attain in their first discussion with you? That flat refusal was short-sighted and immature.

A better manager would have discussed the real need for a SPECIFIED amount of time-in-job, an expectation that the employee excel in that job (not just be there), and perhaps even dug a little deeper about that person's plans beyond that -- perhaps the company NEEDED that person, but the silly manager didn't ask, because he was empire-building his own department and only worried about his own needs.

I used sort through candidates.

[xutopia]

I'd ask the question and the best ones I got were:

"What kind of versioning system do you use?" 10/10
"How are my chances? Think I'll get the job?" 0/10
"Do you guys have lots of girls in the departement?" 0/10
"Which Linux do you use for desktop?" 10/10

I have to say it's funny what they'll ask you sometimes. :-)

Re:I used sort through candidates.

[NanoGator]

""Which Linux do you use for desktop?" 10/10" :rolleyes: (Pity this isn't VB.)

I gave an interviewee a little spook once. We bought the guy lunch, asked him questions. "Babylon 5 or Star Trek, answer quick!"

Well, okay, everybody else did the :rolleyes: smiley.

Re:I used sort through candidates.

[cloudmaster]

Did he say "take your space opera and shove it up just past your crappy job?" :)

Re:I used sort through candidates.

[Skim123]

You could always ask those Joel Spolsky questions that define, in his view, whether or not a software company will be successful:

• What versioning system to you use?
• Do you do nightly builds?
• Do you have a QA department?
• And so on...

Re:I used sort through candidates.

[Anonymous Brave Guy]

You could always ask those Joel Spolsky questions that define, in his view, whether or not a software company will be successful:

• What versioning system to you use?

You don't think he might be just slightly biased on that one? :-)

Re:I used sort through candidates.

[Skim123]

I believe Joel's company makes bug tracking software, not source versioning software...

Re:Point to the picture of his wife on his desk...

[HotNeedleOfInquiry]

Umm, it was supposed to be funny, not a flamebait...

What not to ask...

[jsimon12]

YEARS ago when I worked retail while I was in college I managed a software store and was interviewing people for seasonal part time help. I had just finished interviewing a new applicant I asked him "do you have any questions for me". His reponse was "Will my hours be flexible, because I have to take my wife to meet with her parole officer on Tuesday's....".

That was almost as good as the guy who came in asked for a application then asked who the hiring manager was, I replied "I am", he replied "No who really is the hiring mananger", I just pointed to my nametag which said "manager" and said "No I really am". Sort of surprised he never came back with the application ;)

What about...

[rbarreira]

What about, the questions you have in your mind? How does the company work? What tools does the company use? Am I free to bring my pet rattlesnake into the office?

In short - everything you might think that would have an impact on you liking or disliking the job...

The next month I'll probably have interviews for my graduation's internship, and that's what I'm planning to ask if I have an opportunity and there are questions like this on my mind. And no, I don't have a pet snake...

Re:What about...

[Frobnicator]

If you know you interviewed well, and you know they like you, it's a very good question.

A couple of good ones

[Tozog]

Bring a notebook, have your questions written in advanced. Take notes during the whole interview.

If they did not give you a tour of the office, ask if you can have a tour. If not a tour, ask if you can at least see the area you'd work in. This'll give you a good idea of the office/cube size, how up-to-date the equipment is, and maybe even get you introduced to a few of the members on your future team.

Ask about the benefits if they were not adequately explained. Ask how much the benefits are per pay period. Ask how often they change. One of the more interesting things at my current job is how often we change benefits. I'm not just talking how often benefit costs go up, but totally changing providers. A good question in discussing the pay is asking how many starting vacation days you'd have. Vacation time can be a good bargining tactic if the pay is not what you want and they are not willing to budge on starting pay. Never go into an interview without a base idea of what you want to make in terms of either hourly or yearly pay. Be sure to adjust this based on the cost of their benefits.

Ask if this is a new hire or a replacement position. This can lead you to interesting information too, if it's a replacement. It can also touch a nerve if it is a replacement.

If you care about the ability to work from home, ask if that is available and how usable it is, in terms of being able to work 1-2 days a week/month etc.

If you are a member of Toast Masters, ask if they have a Toast Masters chapter for the company. You'll earn brownie points for sure if they do and you are a member. Don't ask if you aren't a member though.

Do research about the company before hand and ask questions about the company. This'll show interest in the company and diligence on your part. Make sure they are not brain-dead easy questions though, they'll just make you look stupid.

If you like to work on open source / free software, ask if there is anything that will prevent you from continuing to do so.

Re:A couple of good ones

[Hydryad]

When enquiring as to benefits, I suggest staying away from directly asking about severence benefits. Something like "Well how long do I HAVE to work here to retire with benefits" may not go over well.

What hours do you REALLY expect me to work?

[samjam]

I went for an interview at a large ISp based in Sheffield. I'd been to an open day a few days before and received a very mixed message of:
"We're cool and reward you well" to "We make you work long long hours, but you don't have to really if you don't want to, but we just all do"

To me the message was mixed because one of the main rewards I want is to get to go home at a sane hour and have some time apart from work and sleep..

The company gave you breakfast if you were there at 7.00am and a cookied dinner at your desk if you were there at 6.00pm (or some such hour).

I liked the company and the ethos, or so I thought, I just needed to get them to say "9 till 5 is OK ! REALLY!"

For me, coding is a highly creative thing and productivity can't be squeezed out of me, I just end up wasting time; when its time to go, I need to go, and think about it on the way home, in the shower, during the blessing on the dinner etc. and I'm all the quicker the next day.

In order to show me how flexible they were they told me a story which went something like this: A coder came in at 3.00am cos he needed to do something important and by around 3.pm he said to the manager that his head was a bit cooked since he'd been in since 3.00am. The point of the story was to show me how generous mangement were when they said "Thats ok, go and drive around for half an hour to clear you head" !!

I asked "What if he'd said: "My head is cooked, I've been in since 3.00am can I go home?" HR in the inteview said "That would be OK, if it didn't keep happening" !! Darn right it would! I'd not come in at that time if I still had to work till end of play!

So I got the idea that they wanted all my time. Some of the "rewards" like karting or paintball you had to do in your own time too. *I* don't have much "your own time" it all belongs to my company or my family, then church and various community groups.

That, combined with the fact that they mislead the agency over the salary really closed it for me.

I since got a much nicer job only 10 minutes walk from home with an excellent boss and colleagues, all of whom have a life outside work.

Another thing my current boss offers candidates is a chance to call one of us so they can get our opinion of the place.

Sam

Re:What hours do you REALLY expect me to work?

[renehollan]

I once worked all night after working a normal day (as in arrive at 8:45 AM Tuesday, and work through to 12:00 noon wednesday) to deal with a crisis not of my making.

Got docked 1/2 day pay for leaving at noon on Wednesday (no I didn't get paid overtime for Monday).

I didn't stay there long...

The argument was, while I *was* salaried, I did not pre-arrange the time off on Wednesday, so it was considered unpaid vacation.

Re:What hours do you REALLY expect me to work?

[kimvette]

That's valid ground for a lawsuit. If there is any justification at all in the world for an attorney, asshattery of that nature is it.

Re:What hours do you REALLY expect me to work?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yup, unless Sheffield has another ISP I hadn't heard of I interviewed at the same place a few years ago. Everything sounded pretty ideal, except the insane hours they implied were expected.

If my contract says my working week is 40 hours long, I'm going to work 40 hours per week. Yes, I'll stay late if I'm fixing something I broke, or if I'm getting paid overtime or time in lieu.

Pretty sad that we're reduced to asking these companies "Are you going to honour the contract you're offering me?", but your job should fit around your life, not the other way around.

Re:What hours do you REALLY expect me to work?

[renehollan]

A history of suing one's employer does not generally bode well for future employment opportunities.

I just started looking for another job after that incident, and soon found one.

Besides, what would I sue for? A half day's wages? It wouldn't be worth the hassle. I suppose I could claim that I was being treated as an hourly and not salaried employee, and thus claim all prior overtime be paid, but at what rate? Certainly not my salaried rate, since I was not constructivly salaried.

It was easier to just find a better place to work.

Re:What hours do you REALLY expect me to work?

[Glonoinha]

First company I ever worked for - the day I interviewed I explained somewhat under my breath that I was glad to have been able to make it to the interview as we were down a guy at the place where I was currently employed and I was coming off of back to back double shifts (16 hours on, 8 hours off, 16 hours on - like 90 hours worked that week.

And nobody in the room even flinched.

I should have taken that as a clue that the 40 hour work week was but a joke at place, but it was my first 'real job' and I wasn't in a position to be picky right out of college. There are 168 hours in a week, and for some of the employees at that company there were 168 hours in a work week (except those guys were hourly - I was salary (a weak salary, but it was salary.))

I'm much happier now (coincidentally, I'm not there anymore.)

Re:What hours do you REALLY expect me to work?

[Fulcrum of Evil]

Besides, what would I sue for? A half day's wages?

Make a complaint with the labor board for 1/2 days wages and get treble damages. Duh...

Re:What hours do you REALLY expect me to work?

[CountBrass]

I really struggled to understand your third paragraph.

Re:What hours do you REALLY expect me to work?

[Guiness17]

Mmmm - sad that I'm going through this right now. I was as upfront as possible during the interview process that I wanted a 40h work week. I was assured that 5:00 was quitting time. I wasn't told until after the first week that by showing up at 8:30, I was the last one in by better than an hour! I find it to be a difficult question to ask. When I've floated it, I generally get the response 'whatever it takes to get the job done'. This is definitely a priority of mine. I've got young kids, and while I don't mind long hours when necessary, I don't want a scheduled 50h work week. Posting this from work - good thing I double as IT here!

Re:What hours do you REALLY expect me to work?

[renehollan]

Make a complaint with the labor board for 1/2 days wages and get treble damages. Duh...

Hmm, $50/hour * 4 hours * 3 = $600.00.

Still not worth it.

Besides, the labor board in most places does not deal with salaried employees, only hourly employees. In many instances they only fight for minimum wages to be paid. They would've told me that (a) I've probably got a good case, but (b) to hire a lawyer... which would likely cost far more than $600.

Not worth it from an economic standpoint, and not worth it from a career standpoint, either.

I suppose one could argue that it would be worth it in order to punish the asshat employer, so others might not get so mistreated in the future, but those "others", if they were any good, could do what I did and leave for a better job -- the turnover being punishment enough for the employer. Furthermore, without (a) the chance for significant punitive damages against the employer, and (b) economic protection for me in exchange for my testimony (which alone could be argued to taint it), the risk to me was not warranted.

Now, if I had been fired for taking the afternoon off after working the previous day, all through the night, and the current morning, it might've been a different issue. But even then, suing a (former) employer is not good for future employment chances: employers and employees see the same situation differently, and an employee with a reputation for being "sue-happy" is not one any employer wants.

It's enough that I've had fun jobs, as well as jobs from hell, with the former outnumbering the latter by a healty margin.

Ask about the business

[DavidNWelton]

After living through the dot-com era, I always ask about the business - how their financials are, what kind of funding they have, how the company is run, and so forth, as well as questions about what they really do to make a living. Meaning - that except for some rare cases like Google, people don't really give a shit about computers - they are just the best solution to their problems, but not something they get particularly excited about. Show an interest in how you and your skills can help their business. Ask about what makes the company tick. Ask about how the company got started. At worst, you'll learn something interesting, and most likely, you'll make a good impression by conveying the message that you have broader interests than just the geeky side of things.

Re:Ask about the business

[Chokai]

There is one caveat to asking about financials. You should *NEVER* ask about the fundamental financials (i.e net income, total revenue) of a publicly traded company. Doing so shows you didn't even do basic research on them. If some information you want is not available through the standard disclosures be very specific about what you are asking for and make it clear that you have already done some basic research on the matter. But remember most interviewers (unless it is a very high level interview) will not disclose any financial data already not publicly available.

What you can ask and what I strongly urge is ask about is the competitive structure of the industry if you are not familiar with it. Who are the biggest competitors? Then you can go home and do research. If you can get easy access to whom your potential competitors do it before the interview. I have gone so far as to approach a competitor of the company I interviewed with pretending to be a prospective sale in order to get thier software and look at it prior to interviewing/accepting.

Re:Ask about the business

[Jonboy X]

Also, remember to take the answers to these types of questions with a grain of salt. Vague responses like, "Oh, the software you'll be maintaining is pretty good" or "The last guy who held your position left for personal reasons" or "Sure, the company's in okay shape" should raise warning flags in your head.

Just something to watch for, from someone who's been around the block once or twice.

A couple of questions

[sfjoe]

1. I always ask if the position is newly created or replacing a departed employee and, if so, what was the reason for their leaving.

2. I also will always ask what are their top 3 priorities for the next 6 months and what my role would be in realizing them.

Answers to these two questions are extremely helpful in finding out if you should accept an employment offer.

Re:A couple of questions

[ralphclark]

Those are the two best questions I've seen on here tonight.

The answer to the first will reveal if there are any systematic problems with the role likely to get you feeling disgruntled enough to go looking for another job.

The second does two things - it marks you out as a guy/girl who wants to align him/herself with the big picture (something that relatively few technical people care to do), and the answer to it will tell you to what degree your efforts in the role are likely to be seen as significant for the company's fortunes. That's important if you have any ambition to move up the management ladder because unless you manage to associate yourself with successful high profile projects you will be effectively invisible to those who control access to training and promotion.

Re:A couple of questions

[mysticgoat]

I go in with a checklist of questions, and openly consult it when my turn comes up. I like to keep the questions open-ended for the most part, since I'm probably going to learn more important things from how they answer rather than specific answers.

1. Tell me a bit about the history of the position?
2. Your web site said blah about foo. Please tell me why that's important?
3. Who will be my resource people when I start working here? Can you tell me a little bit about their backgrounds?
4. Anything else specific that I'm curious about, either from the job description or from the web site, that did not come up in the interview
5. [This one is critical] What is the next step in the hiring process? [Make sure answer includes when I can expect feedback and who my follow-up contact person is]

I like the idea of asking about the short term priorities. I think I'll include that.

Re:A couple of questions

[dodobh]

But what if we don't want to go up the management ladder? FWIW, my current position is two levels down from the CTO, and definitely not management.

Re:A couple of questions

[ralphclark]

Not intererested in management...then either you just won't care, or you will be on the technical career track for which very much the same strategy applies.

Two steps down from CTO...either you are talking about a very flat management structure, which you can completely ignore as the same strategy applies in terms of gaining the required visibility to qualify yourself for increases in salary grade and learning opportunities, or you are really already quite senior in which case you'd hardly be asking this.

Re:A couple of questions

[DrCode]

1) is good advice. I had a job once where I learned after several weeks that the guy I replaced had committed suicide. I wondered if the code he wrote was haunted.

(Still, it was a pretty decent place to work.)

IMHO

[malachid69]

First and foremost, it is important to be yourself. While you may think it is better to do whatever you can to get your job -- many times they are also trying to determine how good of a fit you are for their team -- and being compatible is in your best interest.

If they tell you of a specific project that you will be working on, show your enthusiasm for seeing it hit the market. This shows that you will have motivation other than just the paycheck. While they understand that motivation, they are most likely not going to be the best paying job available for you (no matter which job you take!) -- if you believe in the product, and want to see it succeed, you are more likely to stay on even if something that pays a little better comes along.

But, if you have serious concerns about it, voice them -- because they may be looking for someone specifically to fix the problem you see. In my experience, they have usually heard these same comments from the top engineers on their team, and your concern shows that you know what you are talking about.

So what questions do you ask or not ask? Never ask questions designed to make you look smart - those kind of questions generally show that you don't know as much as you thought. Always ask questions that will let you better understand the job, the project, the product, whatever. If you can't get through the interview being yourself, you probably don't want to be working with that manager anyway.

Re:Point to the picture of his wife on his desk...

[Suppafly]

lol that needs modded up

Re:Point to the picture of his wife on his desk...

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, apparently all the guys with mod points today have a slut for a wife.

Where will I be sitting?

[DougInthezoo]

Ask for a tour of the facilities, and most importantly to see where you will be sitting. I've always had the warmest response to this request, in part because the person interviewing you will be relaxed in their duties as well. They can just walk around, point, and introduce you to everyone, but it takes away the stressful interview room mentality.

The bonus for you is great. You get to see where exactly you will work, is it a cube-farm, office, middle of the center of a huge open room with loud fans blowing everywhere around? This is a hugely important part of deciding on a job that many people overlook.

Also, you get to see the breakroom. Is it clean, spacious, stocked with food/drink or not? I've found that the breakroom is a great glimpse into the soul of an employer and a good way to see how you will be treated as an employee. If the breakroom is nothing but a sink with a giant poster stating "DO YOUR DISHES, I AM NOT YOUR MOMMY" that may be a hint that management is less than warm. Trust me on this one, I know.

Lastly, you get face time with the whole company, and can smile, shake hands, and give a positive first impression on everyone. You will stand out more than other applicants because you will appear friendly, which is a job skill that gets more people hired than anything else I know.

Basically, at the point of an interview you've already been selected as being good enough for the job. Now they are just deciding if they "like you" or if you seem to "fit in". This one little question can give you that edge to get the job.

Re:Where will I be sitting?

[wfeick]

Also, you get to see the breakroom. Is it clean, spacious, stocked with food/drink or not? I've found that the breakroom is a great glimpse into the soul of an employer and a good way to see how you will be treated as an employee. If the breakroom is nothing but a sink with a giant poster stating "DO YOUR DISHES, I AM NOT YOUR MOMMY" that may be a hint that management is less than warm. Trust me on this one, I know.

Everywhere I've worked, it's not management who does the dishes in the break room. It's someone who is the office manager, an admin, or something like that. someone in one of these roles is usually catching all the little things that fall through the cracks and keeping the office running smoothly. So remember this, and do your damn dishes. :-)

Re:Where will I be sitting?

[hlygrail]

Wish I had mod points today. This is an insightful response, full of things to chew on (breakroom pun not intended). If you don't want a surprise on your first day, ask to see what you're signing up for!

Hobby projects, ie your own IP

[Anonymous Coward]

Ask if they have any policies that require any sort of "Intellectual Property" (code, graphics, music, etc) that you develop on your own time to be turned over to them. If it is a written policy, ask them to strike it out of your employment contract. If they won't, bid them a good day and leave.

Re:Hobby projects, ie your own IP

[mattpalmer1086]

Very true. I have done this in my last position, and they rewrote my contract to this effect. I think they were surprised that anyone actually bothered to read the contract.

The funny thing was that I later granted them a license to use some of the software I did in my own time, in their own product. This was by way of a thankyou, as they had been really very helpful and flexible employers to me.

When the company finally fell victim to the fallout of the dot-com bust, the corporate sharks (lawyers), first tried to get me to sign away the rights to all my work. I refused. Then they tried to get me to sign papers accepting all liability for any damages that arose out of them using my software.

I refused, and pointed out that they were free to remove my software from their product. Then they waved a standard contract in my face and told me they owned it all already. I waved my contract back at them. A very nice feeling indeed :)

Show Me Your Code

[FreshMeat-BWG]

I am a software developer and recently changed employers. I asked all of the questions that come to mind as far as advancement, training, standards, tools, etc, etc, but I missed the most important one.

Would you please show me a tour of your codebase?

This would have made a drastic change in which position I accepted. My new employer most likely would have willingly provided that tour since they were quite interested in hiring me.

Unfortunately, it wasn't until after I was hired that I realized exactly what shape it was in. Ten minutes of looking over someones shoulder probably would of had me running the other direction.

Of the four interviews I had that resulted in offers, one company most definitely wouldn't have shown me their code, one company showed me their code without my asking, and the other two most likely would have shown if I had asked.

I guess this question doesn't apply to open source companies though. :)

Re:Show Me Your Code

[paladinwannabe2]

I think asking that question helped me get the job that I have now. They needed to hire someone capable of working with the software done for the company by a consultant (it worked, but the code behind it was insane). I think that asking them to show me the code and then actually understanding the parts of it I was shown was a huge plus in my favor.

Re:Show Me Your Code

[tpv]

Be careful with this one. I would certainly never show a potential employee our code. They haven't signed any employment documents yet, so they have no legal obligations with respect to the information they see.

I work in the finance industry, so if an interviewee asked to see code my (internal) reaction would be "do you think we're crazy?" and if you get that reaction from me, it tends to decrease your hiring chances.

It's not necessarily bad advice, but watch where you use it.

Re:Show Me Your Code

[QuestorTapes]

Good point. Given that you work in the finance industry, do you think there is a way the question can be asked or the point raised, in a way that would not be off-putting?

Basically, this question serves 2 purposes:

- find out how good/bad/high-maintenance the code base you'll be supporting is
- demonstrate to the interviewer an interest in and an awareness of the importance of code quality

There would be ways to find out something about the first concern even without seeing the code. If a techie is in the interview with me (happens often, these days), I like to ask specific questions about the code to determine what it's like even without looking at it.

How would you rephrase this question? Thanks!

Re:Show Me Your Code

[tpv]

I'd give you opportunity to show the 2nd one (an awareness of the importance of code quality) throughout the interview.
If I'm interviewing a unix hacker, then typically they'll know a few scripting languages. I'll ask them which they prefer and why. Now, at that point I'm not looking for "Perl is the best" or "Perl sucks", I want to hear reasoned arguments with clear business motives. So a good answer might be "I personally like Perl because it has a lot of power and there's a lot of useful libraries available for it, but if your developers lack discipline you can end up with messy code that's hard to maintain. So if it was something I was building for myself, I'd use Perl, but for a team project I'd look at the skills of the developers because maybe Python would be a better fit."

Anyone can say "I really care about code quality". Most developers even mean it. What I really want to know is that you understand that quality is a result of good practices. It's not an accident, you need to choose your tools and processes to encourage quality. If you can demonstrate that, you'd automatically be in the top 20% of the people I interview. If you know that quality isn't a boolean value, and that different levels of quality are appropriate for different circumstances, then you're into the top 10%.

I can't guarantee that other interviewers will ask the same sort of questions, or want the same sort of answers, but my recommendation is to work the things you care about into your answers to their questions.

Now onto the first point, hopefully it's clear that I'm the techie in the interview, so I'm happy to get questions about that. Things I would happily answer are

• What tools do you use? Why did you choose them?
• Can I have a tour of your development area?
• How do you go about testing? (tools/processes/etc)
• Whats sort of systems/applications would I be working on? Is this new development work or maintenance?
• What sort of design process do you go through?

If you asked me a few of those, then (a) you'd look good (top 5% now, which would be an almost certain hire) and (b) I think my answers would give you the info you needed to get an idea about how good our code is.

Two catagories

[AuMatar]

There's two catagories of questions you want to ask.

1)What will I be going?

Ask questions to figure out what you'd actually be doing at the job. Figure out how much is coding vs IT and support type work, how much is maintenance coding vs new coding, wether the project(s) itself interests you. If it doesn't fit you, you don't want the job.

2)Will this environment fit me?

Ask about anything in the work environment thats important to you. Dress code? Hours? Perks? If a teammate is interviewing you, try and figure out if he's friendly or not. Try and feel out if you'd enjoy working there.

Of course there's money and benefits too, but that to me is a side issue- if 1 and 2 don't work, I won't take the job. Those only matter if you the answers to 1 and 2 sound good, or if you're desperate.

My List

[mobilesteve]

Why is this position available?
Is this a new position? How long has this position existed?
How many people have held this position in the last two years?
Who would be my supervisor? To whom would I report?
Whom will I supervise?
With whom will I be working most closely?
What do you like about working for this company?
What are the current plans for expansion or cutbacks?
What kind of turnover rate does the company have?
How financially sound is this company?
What projects and assignments will I be working on?
What happened to the person that held this position before? Was he promoted or fired?
What is this company's culture? (Ex: Is it rigid and formal or relaxed and flexible?)
What are the current problems facing the company (or my department)?
What do you like the most about working for this company? The least?
What is the philosophy of the company?
What do you consider to be the company's strengths and weaknesses?
What are the company's long and short term goals?
Describe the work environment.
What attracted you (the interviewer) to this organization?
Why do you enjoy working for this company?
Describe the typical responsibilities of the position.
What are the most challenging aspects of the position?
Describe the opportunities for training and professional development.
Will I receive any formal training?
What is the company's promotional policy?
Are there opportunities for advancement within the organization?
When can I expect to hear from you?

Re:My List

[Clover_Kicker]

Wow. What do people say when you hit 'em with all that?

Re:My List

[Anonymous Coward]

"Don't call us, we'll call you."

Re:My List

[Jonboy X]

In my experience, they usually say something like, "It's a frikkin' fast food joint. What do you think?"

Expressing interest/enthusiasm is important

[GuyMannDude]

Good questions, IMHO, to ask are ones that indicate an interest in the company or the position.

I interview a fair number of people at the company I work for. I always ask the applicant if they have any questions. If they don't, I'm usually not too excited about having them work for me. When I'm talking one-on-one with them, I'm trying to figure out their level of enthusiasm and interest in my company and the position I'm offering. Their resume and technical presentation already tell me about their intelligence level so I don't spend too much time asking them technical questions one-on-one. But all the smarts in the world doesn't do me much good if the person isn't interested in the work that I'd be giving them. The world is full of geniuses that don't amount to anything because they don't put forth any effort. I don't want them working for me.

I also want to see that they are starting to seriously visualize themselves working here. I want to know that they've done their homework and have some knowledge about type of work we do here. So I'd like to see them ask some questions about our technical work but also some questions about benefits, company culture, and other things that make me think that they are imagining themselves working here and staying for many years.

I just gave a talk to some students at the local university here about getting a job and the on-site interview. I told them to think about it as a first date. I realize the concept of a "date" may be a bit foreign to slashdotters so let me elaborate. You want to emphasize your good attributes but stay a bit humble. You also want to show interest without appearing desparate. You wouldn't go to a date and just sit there saying nothing. Similarly, you wouldn't want to monopolize the conversation. There should be an interplay and back-and-forth. You don't have to make the interview your best buddy, but when you leave the room you want s/he to not only respect your technical abilities but also desire to have you as a member of their team.

If you cannot think of some good questions to ask prior to the interview, then you should seriously question whether you are truly interested in the company. A little bit of brainstorming is necessary, but you shouldn't have to strain to come up with questions. If so, then your questions are merely for show and a keen interviewer will see right through them (much like the infamous "My biggest failing is that I'm a workaholic" crap).

Good luck,
GMD

Re:Expressing interest/enthusiasm is important

[dodobh]

I tend not to ask questions. I put up my requirements upfront, and if the employer doesn't think that (s)he can deliver what I want, we go our separate ways. Since I am sitting in that interview, I have shown the willingness to work for your company. I don't get a high on the environment, I do get high on the work available. And that is clearly stated upfront.

Re:Point to the picture of his wife on his desk...

[Anonymous Coward]

See, that only works if the interviewer is a married man with a photo of his wife or daughter on his desk. If you get to the "Do you have any questions for me?" part of the interview and the hiring manager is a woman, you need to ask,

"Who let you out of the kitchen???"

[FYI - it's *FUNNY* people... stop being so PC, no one's being serious here! Geez - I'm a woman!]

Simple answer

[mykdavies]

1) Make a list of all the key questions that you will want answered to determine whether you will enjoy a job.
2) Check off all those that are clear to you after reading the provided material.
3) Check off those that become clear during the interview.
4) Ask the remaining questions.

As an interviewer, I have a much better idea than you what the culture in my company is, and what qualities we're looking for in our ideal candidate. If you're trying to pretend to be someone else for an interview, you won't be convincing, and if you are, you may get a job that doesn't make you happy!

If you want the job, ask questions like

[HD Webdev]

If you already know you want to work at the place, ask questions like you already work there.

Questions similar to "What dress code will I need to follow?" can easily bump you up into the "you're hired" zone. When you ask questions like that, you are showing confidence AND you are acting like a fellow employee rather than a prospective one. (Salesmen will recognize this as "closing the sale/deal")

This can make or break you getting a job when there are many similarly qualified people competing with you.

Unless there isn't much serious competition for the job, DON'T ask questions like you are demanding things or expecting more than was offered very soon. Questions like "how long before new employees get an office?" or "how often are raises given out?" are very bad to ask if you really want the job. If the company gets the impression that the money they are offering is already bothering you, or that you're likely to bitch about your working environment, you're much less likely to get hired unless you don't have much competition.

Re:If you want the job, ask questions like

[Blakey Rat]

Once when I was a young whippersnapper (well, ok, 2001 or so), I interviewed for a IT position at a local school district. Now my dad is an HR director, and one of the pieces of advice he gave me was that you should always ask a question when the interviewers ask if you have any questions. School districts (at least in this area) do group interviews, so you're not talking 1-on-1, you're talking to 5-7 employees, all from different departments. (I think a couple teachers, one of the custodial staff, a couple administrators, I can't remember anymore.)

Anyway. I asked about the dress code and, I'm not making this up, they *laughed* at me. Then I left my interview where my aunt (who worked nearby) was waiting to ask me how it went, and I told her about them laughing at my question, and then *she* laughed at me.

In short, no, don't ask about the dress code. Not unless you want to be laughed at by total strangers.

Re:If you want the job, ask questions like

[Electrum]

Questions similar to "What dress code will I need to follow?" can easily bump you up into the "you're hired" zone.

Do you want to work some place that has a "dress code"? Look around and see what your future co-workers are wearing. Asking a question like that makes you look like a fool, or it shows that you don't care about meeting the company appearance standard and will only meet the written regulations.

Re:If you want the job, ask questions like

[TheWanderingHermit]

If you were asking for a job at my company and asked that, I would laugh at the question. In part because I don't believe in hiding reactions and feelings, but also because questions like that and a focus on salary, holidays, benefits, and such show a focus on something other than an interest or desire to work in my company. They show a desire, and likely LACK of interest, in working for anyone who will hire the applicant.

In one post here, someone said that they know the bottom line you want the job is the paycheck. Such a person would never end up working for me. If all you want is money, go join Amway and spend your time lying to everyone to get rich. If all an honest person wants is the paycheck, then their focus is on money and I'd much rather see them working as a stock broker than coding for me. That tells me they don't have a passion for correct code (we release code on the programmers' schedule, and have never released anything before the lead programmer could swear it was ready for client use). It tells me they don't want a challenge in a job, just something that will give them a paycheck. These are terms that should be discussed either in what you know is the last interview, or as you're about to accept the offer.

If you come in and ask me what the dress code is, I'll laugh, just as I would if I heard the line someone else mentioned here ("My biggest fault is I'm a workaholic!" -- I always say, "I have a life and other people in it. If you're that socially unbalanced, come back after your therapist feels you've worked through it."). I wear t-shirts or polo shirts and blue jeans in the office. If I go to meet clients, I wear something nice, but still go for a bit of the "geek" look. For my coders it is the same thing. (I've found it helps, in our case, if clients see us as computer geeks first and business people second.) So if you ask the boss, who is wearing blue jeans (and, during most months, sandals), what the dress code is -- well, you're probably not smart enough to work for me.

As to seeing if it is a good fit, I'm REAL nasty about that. I try to wait to hire until I'm hiring a small group of people. Then, as a team building exercise, on the first day or so, we do a ropes course. Since they're still under evaluation, this lets us see if they freak at the idea of a little challenge, how they respond to possible fear and pressure, and often, since it's the first day and not part of the interview, gives us a good idea if they'll really work with others, boss people around, or let everyone else do the hard work. It's true some people have already done ropes courses, but unless they've done them over and over recently, it still brings out more of how they work under different conditions than anything else I can think of.

Re:If you want the job, ask questions like

[HD Webdev]

Do you want to work some place that has a "dress code"?

Well, of course. If there isn't a dress code at all (basics will do, it doesn't mean suits) that indicates that the company really has no idea of what they're doing. For example, it will have a serious impact if client visitors drop in and see (again, it's an example!) people with a bazillion piercings w/accessories attached. Sorry, but it looks bad very bad to clients when an employer appears to have Chaos reigning at his business. I'm not against employees being different, but they do need to have at least a minimal code of conduct.

Asking a question like that makes you look like a fool, or it shows that you don't care about meeting the company appearance standard and will only meet the written regulations.

Actually, it's the reverse. The fact that you want to comply with the dress code indicates that you care about it.

It isn't usual in a first interview at any medium to large sized company that you'll be taken to visit with the current staff. That's very wasteful. Asking about how to comply with the dress code translates to "how do I best fit in?". Plus, it WAS just an example of how to ask questions as if you already work at the place. It isn't written in stone.

Re:If you want the job, ask questions like

[HD Webdev]

That's you. That's fine. There will always be people who hire in different ways. It's a big world out there and everything under the sun is done.

I was speaking in general. That is what the submitter is looking for . In most (already) successful businesses, the employer wants people who not only qualify, but also those who will fit in and not complain all of the time.

OTOH, as you say, some business owners will accept that although it is not the norm. Try walking into work the first day for virtually any of the top 100 IT employers with raggy shorts, multiple lip/nose rings, facial tattos, and a torn t-shirt and you'll get a quick dose of reality that (!--})most ({--!) employees will have to deal with.

I wrote the dress code for our company. It's not hard to deal with. T-shirts, jeans and sneakers, and even sandals are fine. But, those items can't be ripped or have other types of holes and there is also a minimum short/skirt length. What is so wrong with asking people to not wear ripped clothing or allow easy view of their nether regions? What is so wrong with asking that people not have several dozen pieces of metal hanging out of various parts of their faces at work ?

Cripes, it seems that most people here feel that having a even an low minimum standard for dress is a crime against humanity.

Re:If you want the job, ask questions like

[Anonymous Coward]

Wow, you're delusional AND a prick. Let me give you a hint: with that attitude no one wants to work for you. You're just hiring the people who fool you the best. Sucker.

Oh yeah, if your turnover is high enough that you're hiring "groups" of people, you should have figured that out by now. I guess you're not smart enough for me to work for.

Re:If you want the job, ask questions like

[TheWanderingHermit]

Whenever you speak in general, you have to be aware that you are addressing a range, and there are always people outside that range. The wider a range of human experience and expression one is exposed to, the wider the range of potentials and possibilities one can prepare for.

Yes, I handle things quite differently. Basically, I want to scare off people that want the suit-and-tie environment where the boss is always telling them what to do. I like independent thinkers who will keep on top of what has to be done. So I am quite different, but you can be sure at one point the poster or someone reading this will run into those that the generalizations did not cover and will be thankful for the comments of us oddballs that helped her/him realize there is a wide range of attitudes one must prepare for.

I agree with you about the dress code. I know as a whole, people in the workplace are more open minded. However, I am also aware that many people still want employees of other companies to act and dress in an appropriate manner. Ripped, smelly, raggy clothing is unacceptable. If people see the boss in jeans and come in with Daisy Dukes -- well, they're not thinking. I've always looked at those interviewing me in jobs I've had so I knew what to wear on the first day. Then I'd observe others and never dress worse than the employees who were doing well at their jobs and getting along with management.

And, since you point out, I am outside of the "in general" range, I'd like to add that I've talked with HR people in other companies, as well as in education, where I used to work. They pretty much agree with what I said about asking about pay, vacation, or benefits. Those are to be left to final negotiations (including, as someone pointed out, pre-existing commitments that require time off). Anyone bringing those points up before negotiations is either really inexperienced and not interested enough to find out what works, or is more interested in just collecting a check then in doing a good job.

Re:If you want the job, ask questions like

[Fulcrum of Evil]

Well, of course. If there isn't a dress code at all (basics will do, it doesn't mean suits) that indicates that the company really has no idea of what they're doing.

Gee, I'd better go tell Jeff and Bill that they're doing it all wrong.

Re:If you want the job, ask questions like

[jasen666]

The bottom line is you do want a paycheck. No one works without being paid, even those of us who love our work. Even you.
So yeah, I want my freaking paycheck. But that says absolutely nothing about my ability or work ethic. And I expect to be fairly compensated for the quality of my work, as I imagine everyone does.

Re:If you want the job, ask questions like

[TheWanderingHermit]

Actually, it says everything about your work ethic.

Yes, people want a paycheck.

But there is far more to it than that. To be honest, this is one of those things that, if you don't get it, you never will.

There are people who love to work as volunteers because they like doing a particular thing or just want to help. They work for the satisfaction. I have a part time job I work in 2 days a month. It is rather unique, and I do it simply because I'm good at it and can do it well. The pay is so low I barely notice the checks in my account. A friend at the same job hasn't been paid in months due to financial hardships the organization is facing. She also does it because of the satisfaction of a job well done and because she enjoys working with the people involved.

Yes, people want to get paid, but there are those who think first of wanting a challenge and enjoying what they do and those who think first of how much they can get and how they can get it. The former are like Scrooge after the three ghosts, while the latter are like him before, and they stand very little chance of ever lifting themselves up and rising above the "What do I get?" attitude. It has a lot to do with Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs. I want the people that have matured to the point where their focus is on esteem or self actualization. In Maslow's terms, you're focused on the "D-Needs", and I want people who have risen above that to the "B-Needs." You are not one who would likely ever end up working for me. You don't get it, and don't care to get it. But that's okay -- you wouldn't want to work for me and I have more than enough people asking to work for me that I've had to turn a lot of them down.

By keeping the focus as I have, those that are hired enjoy the work environment and it allows me to do things with employees that I could not do if I had a group of people who were only concerned about how much I'm going to pay them. I've closed the entire business 3 times for St. Tolkein's day and, on each day, paid to take the entire staff to one of the "Lord of the Rings" movies on its first day out. We've also had a few St. Rowling's days, St. Lee days (as in Stan Lee), St. Lucas Day, and a few others. I have other ways of rewarding my employees with fun activities as well, some on company time, some as offered activities on weekends. I can do this kind of thing because I have people who are more interested in doing a good job than in how big their paycheck is (and yes, I pay well).

Re:If you want the job, ask questions like

[miyako]

Just to point out a few things...
The rope course idea is terrible. It doesn't give you a gauge of how people react to business preassures, willingness to work late, etc. and under no circumstances should anyone experience the same sort of fear at the workplace as they would facing a choice between making it across some sort of obstacle course twenty feet in the air or plummeting to the ground.
The first thing that pops into my mind is what happens if you find a person who is physically unable to do such a course (and really, you can get in trouble for this if you let them go because of it- unless doing rope courses is really necessary for their day to day operations and not just a one-off whim) or who have a fear of heights.
That aside, I think you completely miss the idea of why someone may be only focused on a paycheck when they come to work for you. I will use myself as an example. There are a few companies who actually do interesting things who I would like to work for- so would a lot of other people, so chances are I'll end up working someplace just for a paycheck. This does not mean that I do not care about programming, it just means that I can sit at home and write code without working for you- in fact I can work on projects important to me, maybe contribute to some open source software, and on the whole still do what I enjoy doing, all without working for you. So why don't I do that, because I need money, those annoying little bill things keep comming in the mail, so I'm selling my free time and talents to you, the employer and I certainly am primarily interested in what sort of rumuneration I will receive.

Re:If you want the job, ask questions like

[TheWanderingHermit]

The rope course idea is terrible. It doesn't give you a gauge of how people react to business preassures...

You say so, my experience says not.

While it is not the same as what people face at work, it is the understanding of how people react under stress that helps. I spent years working in residential treatment programs and similar situations, which is lifetimes of experience in understanding how to read people and guage their reactions.

what happens if you find a person who is physically unable to do such a course (and really, you can get in trouble for this if you let them go because of it

Oh, really? You assume I have no idea of this. First, there's the experience I just cited. Oh, yes, I spent years working with people who needed special assistance, either in the form of therapy, or in the form of an aid to push them around in their wheel chair. There are other ways to guage people, and I basically deal with each exceptional case as it happens.

I think you completely miss the idea of why someone may be only focused on a paycheck

Go back and re-read the thread. Read my reply to someone else about Maslow's Needs, and check out the link. You are talking about working on code as a "B Need", in other words, a focus on actualization. Such a person knows if they focus on what they want to do, other things fall into place. That is the kind of person I am looking for. This is the type of person who will work for less if the job is more interesting and challenging than another job. It is the kind of person I taught with in residential programs: all those teachers were excellent teachers who were willing to teach in programs that didn't have a summer vacation, required a lot of work teachers in schools never had to deal with (including spending time on camping and hiking trips with the emotionally disturbed students), and, to be honest, were 10 times more dedicated than any teachers I ever worked with the few years I taught in regular schools (both public and private). Their first focus is on the job satisfaction and finding a way to contribute with their skills. Point blank: if you're at that point, it is easily understood. If you're not at that point, if you're still in the "D Need" categories in the pyramid, you just won't get it.

Re:If you want the job, ask questions like

[titzandkunt]

"...If you already know you want to work at the place, ask questions like you already work there.

Questions similar to "What dress code will I need to follow?" can easily bump you up into the "you're hired" zone. When you ask questions like that, you are showing confidence AND you are acting like a fellow employee rather than a prospective one. (Salesmen will recognize this as "closing the sale/deal")..."

And it's not just salesmen who will recognise this kind of behaviour. (Many) People are not fools: They've bought cars, they've bought big ticket consumer durables. They sigh inwardly when the seller asks "What day would be best for us to deliver?" before you've even said that you want the damn car/fridge/carpet.

Be warned that coming across all "ABC" (Always Be Closing) during an interview situation may very well turn the stomach of the interviewer. Unless you're interviewing for a sales job, of course...

That's Easy

[poopdeville]

In my experience with job interviews, I've found that the best advice is to drink two cups of coffee and to pay attention to what the interviewer says. You're there to sell yourself, but it's almost automatic if you're alert and engage the interviewer in a conversation. When you get to the point where they ask if you have any questions, ask for clarification for any points you didn't understand, or ask them about "company procedure" -- you presumably know how to do your job, but there are a ton of details that you could ask about. To whom would you be reporting? What other departments would you be interacting with?

Re:That's Easy

[soxs]

I think it depends on where you are in the interview process. If it's a first-round interview you're there to "sell yourself." Participate in the interview by asking questions (in moderation), not just answering them. Be yourself and if you don't know the answer to a question just say you don't know the answer. (If there's something you do know that's related, explain how this knowledge would help you.) I'd avoid asking questions about benefits, hours and advancement in the first round. Questions showing that you've done some research about the company/product are always good. The question I like for the end of the first-round interview is, "Are there any areas of my resume or skill set that you feel prevent me from being qualified for this position?" This gives the interviewer the ability to raise any concerns that they might have and you the ability to ease them.

For second-round interviews I think the gates are more open. In theory they believe you can fill the position and now they need to confirm their initial thoughts and make sure you're a good fit for the company. You need to do the same. There have been some good questions posted already that will help you get an idea of the corporate culture and work environment.

All in all, try to relax and be yourself. Talk clearly and not too quickly. Most interviewers aren't trying to trick or stump you.

Re:That's Easy

[Anonymous Coward]

Excellent. An unemployed reject begging for a job in his sig is trying to give people advice on how to get a job. Gotta love /.

What about...

[schon]

"When do I start?"

Questions not to ask/say

[SmallFurryCreature]

• So how much does your job pay?
• Do you regonize satanist holidays?
• 9-5 AM or PM?
• I have serious case of XXXXX and spend at least 9 months of a year in hospital, have you got good medical care?
• You expect me to start work at WHAT hour?
• Any, you know, perks to this job? Last job at Intel me and my family never bought a pc, wink wink.
• You want me to learn skill x, what is in it for me?
• Pure hypothetical, If you send me on this 1 million dollar training course, can I still, in theory, quit 1 week later and work a company that pays me a decent wage and not the slave money you are offering me?
• So where is my company car?
• (To female interviewer) my boss won't be a woman right?
• (To male interviewer) watch any good yaoi lately?
• In Rotterdam: How about Ajax eh? (replace with town Y NOT owning soccer X)
• My office machine, it is an alienware right?
• How fast is your internet connection?
• Slashdot isn't blocked is it?
• I saw your companies product, I think I can seriously improve it. I mean who built the current version, a team of monkeys?
• To owner of company: Communism really deserves a second try doesn't it.
• To goverment interviewer: So is it really true bureaucrats spend all their day playing with their dicks?
• To charity: I don't care what they say I think all immigrants should be dumped at sea.
• (interview for santa job): Bah humbug
• Interview in kansas: Wow, that darwin, what a guy.
• Interview for sony: Information wants to be free man.
• Interview at Microsoft: I never release a product if it contains a single bug and test my apps to destruction.
• Interview for an advertising agency: don't you agree that a good product sells itself?
• Can I have days of to visit my parole officer?
• Does a criminal record count against you?
• To a canadian on the subject of salary: So how much is that in real money?
• To a german tech company: Can I work on the secret projects designing the weapons to start the next world war with?
• To japanese company: Can I order my desk from the grownups section so it reaches above my knees?
• To black interviewer: Will the company lunches always be fried chicken?

Funnily enough, not all of them are made up.

Re:Questions not to ask/say

[GigsVT]

In Rotterdam: How about Ajax eh?

Careful, that might get you hired to maintain a bunch of spaghetti Javascript code that is totally unmaintainable because they bought into the latest buzzwords.

Re:Point to the picture of his wife on his desk...

[Anonymous Coward]

Geez - I'm a woman!

Hi.

Don't ask

[Icepick_]

I actually had a guy I was interviewing ask me: "So, do you guys drink alot?" He was serious. He didn't get hired.

Re:Don't ask

[LesFerg]

Well I have been in several interviews where I was informed that everybody enjoys friday evenings, company supplied beer, hope you will fit in with that...

Saw a recent job ad in Auckland where they even stated their offices are above a bar and they make good use of it.

It can't hurt to ask about the company's social club events, if you want to be subtle.

What I want to know?

[Anonymous Coward]

1. Do you like working here?
2. What paper work will I have to sign on the first day? Can I see it when I'm offered the job, before I quit my old job? Examples: Employee handbook, Non-Disclosure Agreements, etc.
3. If you're interesed advancement ask about.
4. What is the turnover like here?
5. Why are you hiring me?
6. Any layoffs in the past 5 years? When? Why?
7. Software development: What's the slowest machine that a developer/engineer is using? How often do they get a new one? How big are the Displays(CRT or LCD)
8. Can you show me around where people are working?
9. Can you show me the product that I'll be working on?
10. Systems Admins: Similar questions. How often are servers retired? Are they under service contracts? What kind of backup plan? What about a disaster plan?
11. Do you have telecommuters?
12. How much overtime do people normally work? How often? How is the quality of life? Do employees get to see their kids?

Re:Point to the picture of his wife on his desk...

[Anonymous Coward]

How about "Do you guys treat sexual harrasment as seriously as my current employer?"

Ask about their development practices

[Jerf]

A number of other people had good questions, so this is not everything I'd suggest; I just didn't see this on a quick perusal.

Ask about their development practices. The Joel Test is a good place to start, even if you don't agree with everything he says or all of his points. I definately make sure to ask about unit testing, for instance, without which you are wasting everybody's time, especially mine as a developer. If you're going to yell at me for that, I want to know up front.

To highlight the other things I consider a bare minimum: Source control is an absolute must, or again, you're going to have to pay me a lot more to deal with the stress. Bug databases of some kind are a must. In both of those cases, it is possible to deploy such things on your own initiative, as long as no-one is actively undercutting you. You'll also get a pretty good sense of what you're going into; if the answer is not just "no", but "why the hell would you want that?", then you're in trouble.

Of course, if you yourself don't use any of these things... well, uh, more power to you and, ah, good luck with that "programming" thing...

The good news is that this will tend to greatly impress anybody else who knows what you're talking about. I pretty much sealed my last two jobs with two little words, "unit test".

Re:Ask about their development practices

[GigsVT]

I donno about that Joel guy. It looks like "hallway usability testing" is just some neologism he made up.

I'd be tempted not to hire someone just for making such an obscure reference, thinking they just wanted to sound smarter than me or something.

"The best tools money can buy" would piss me off too, since I'd be hiring them to develop solely on open source software.

Also, your attitude toward unit testing is insulting toward people that do not use OOP. Our codebase does not use OOP, and I have no room for some OOP zealot that would try to migrate our codebase.

I think it would be safer to ask about regression testing, something that is applicable to any codebase.

Re:Ask about their development practices

[Jerf]

Unit testing is not OOP. I use it procedurally all the time, and while I don't currently program functionally, it would be very easy to use it under that paradigm too. (In fact it would be much easier, since it's typically side-effects in testing that cause the problems.)

Regression testing is good, but it fails to capture the point about automation of the tests, which is critical. You can never automate 100%, but the closer you can get, the better.

While I don't agree with everything Joel says, I do know variations on "hallway usability testing" have been recommended by a variety of other usability experts, under various names, since there's no official one. (Usability is still largely in its infancy, since it is pretty much ignored by everyone.)

Finally, in your situation (which is fairly similar to mine, actually), "the best tools money can buy" would in this case simply be hardware adequate to the task you set them. In my previous job I had to go scrounging around for spare memory, even though $50 worth of RAM would have recouped its value in about three days by my estimate. 256MB of RAM and the corporate load of software, plus development tools, went together poorly.

See, you'd "fail" my employer interview, and by my asking these questions and your subsequent interpretation, you'd know not to hire me. Mission accomplished. Being accused of being an OO zealot (which I happen to know is not true) simply because I use a testing methodology (better than the average "none", no?) and interpreting everything said in the worst possible way doesn't exactly endear you to me, either.

Re:Ask about their development practices

[GigsVT]

See, you'd "fail" my employer interview

Not necessarily, if you had replied like you just did to my challenging of those particular questions I'd probably get over being pissed off at the initial wordings. Nonverbal communication would be important in judging zealotry, that would indicate a lot, and it's something I can't judge over a medium like this one.

Of course, if you are really of that opinion about unit testing, you might not want to work for me, since we don't use a formal unit testing framework, but rather ad-hoc "unit" testing of writing small test programs for each non-trivial function, and manual regression testing after each change that might have side effects. We do heavily use incremental development, I encourage testing of some sort after each small change or addition.

I wouldn't be opposed to more formal unit testing, but I've not seen any frameworks for doign it with anything other than OOP so we'd have to look at how much development it would take to implement.

I do think most of Joel's questions are important questions that do indicate the maturity of the development process at a company, and I would answer "Yes" truthfully to most of them.

Interview list i use

[Vroom_Vroom]

Firstly come with two copies of your CV printed on crisp 100mg paper. give that over to the interviewers - more likely than not your recruitment agent will have completely bastardised yours. Make sure its fantastic if you do this.

Here is my list of question i keep to use:

Position in the company
1) What role do you see me performing in the company?
2) Is it a client facing role?
3) what would be typical projects i would be doing?
4) what sort of department size is it?
5) What scope would there be for me to lead a project now/ in the future(sort of relates to 1)?

What the company does
6) Which kind of projects are your bread and butter work?
7) Do you have any major project (i.e. high profile ) jobs on the go?
8) who are your main clients - do you get repeat buisness?
9) which areas of the local region/world do you operate in?
10)Which parts of the buisness are you hoping to expand further (a good
question, which they shouldn't waffle on)?

General training
11) will they support you in your X institution training?
12) will they support you in your future academic / part time learning (then ask about course fees and time off, don't get too awkard about this in the interview)?

I sort of used them as bullet points, you tend to find a lot of them get
answered as you go through the interview, they tend to ask themselves two
questions:

i) can you do the job (with a bit of additional training)
ii) will you fit into my team

all the rest are nice to haves

other useful tips are to take a couple of pens/pencils and a pad of paper,
i used to take a copy of all my questions to ask and obviously look down
the sheet, when they ask you..'so do you have any questions?'

As i said easy to use and it shows preparation (you did find out what the comapny does didn't you?)

GOOD LUCK.

Well, here's what I look for when I hire

[gregwbrooks]

Disclaimer: I don't hire coders or I.T. professionals, so your mileage may vary. I'm also spectacularly opinionated about hiring practices, so YMMV a lot.

When I interview candidates, I generally talk most of the time - in fact, it's about an 80/20 ratio of my voice to theirs in the first interview.

Why? Because the questions you bring up tell me more about you than any questions I could ask you directly.

What questions are good questions? Ask me how I got my job. Ask me (as another poster mentioned) what I like best about the work environment. Ask me what, if anything, ticks me off on a day-to-day basis. Ask me about the team structure, who you'd be working with and what happened to the guy before you.

What not to ask me: During the first interview, I don't want to hear questions about our family-leave or maternity policies - I am hiring you to work, not to hire on then take a bunch of time off.

Neither do I want to hear about your upcoming wedding/vacation/spiritual retreat "that's been scheduled for several months and can't be moved." Got one of those? Then bring it up during negotiations when I've decided you're the right candidate and you have some leverage... because I can tell you right now, in the first interview, it's all about me: My company, my leverage, my needs being met.

If you're female, don't wear an engagement ring without a wedding band, because I will think "OK, she's likely getting married soon and that'll chew up months of productivity." If you're male, don't mention to me that you coach your kids' soccer team because I'll have the same productivity concerns.

Again: You can be more human in the second and subsequent interviews, but the first interview is a screen, and the only criteria really come down to: Are you engaged and inquisitive? Are you utterly focused on showing me the value you bring to the table? And are you of lower risk/liability than other applicants?

Re:Well, here's what I look for when I hire

[Glonoinha]

Very no-nonsense. To the point. Direct.
Shit I like you already.
Maybe you should set aside the interviewing for a while and start a cult following of no-nonsense, to the point, direct people.
It would be a refreshing change for the world.

Re:Well, here's what I look for when I hire

[Dr. Smeegee]

That was Truth. A particular kind of Truth that makes me want to pee on your teeth (and the teeth of your ilk) like a moo-cow on your mammaw's gravestone, but nontheless: The Truth.

I just (seriously) got hired today for a hardware tech job at a venerable manufacturer here in my hometown. I told the guy in the course of the interview about:

a) My preference for second shift so I can spend mornings with my new daughter.
b) Old, worn-out crap that I nursed along for years at various places.
c) Scripts I wrote and methods I figured out at my last happy hardware tech job.

My question was "can I look around at the line?" Answer: Subject changed (dude was in a hurry, I think)

I did not wedge my nose in his arse and cackle "How did you get this great job with it's attendant power and prestige? Wow! Was that a bran muffin with Egg Beaters(tm) you had for breakfast! Sure smells just as good in it's gas phase now as it must have tasted going in. Sir."

I hope you enjoyed my candor as much as I enjoyed yours.

Re:Well, here's what I look for when I hire

[Anonymous Coward]

If you're female, don't wear an engagement ring without a wedding band, because I will think "OK, she's likely getting married soon and that'll chew up months of productivity."

Wow, way to discriminate. You claim that an engagement band sans wedding ring implies a possible loss in production time. How about that wedding band itself? What if your married female employee decides to have a baby? What if there's no wedding band and the female candidate decides to have kids? There's certain to be some "lost productivity time" there too.

Do you also discriminate against women in general, because they might decide to take some time off and have a child?

Maybe someone should make a phone call or two about your hiring practices. Women auditors especially seem to love these sorts of cases.

Re:Well, here's what I look for when I hire

[Anonymous Coward]

You're a turd.

Re:Point to the picture of his wife on his desk...

[TBone]

FYI - it's *FUNNY* people... stop being so PC, no one's being serious here! Geez - I'm a woman!

Who let you out of the kitchen?

Ask to talk to other employees

[zymurgy_cat]

If you really want to test them, ask for the names of 2 or 3 employees that you can talk to one-on-one. If you've already talked to some in an interview setting, ask if it's OK for you to talk to them some more later on (e.g., outside of work).

A good company will encourage this. You're trying to get a feel for the real deal. A bad company will most likely hesitate because people know that employees will tell you about all the BS going on. If the interviewer presses you for a reason, be honest: You're trying to see if the culture is a good fit for you and if you're a good fit for the culture. There's no point in either side sugar-coating things to only find out 3 months later that it's not a good fit.

Re:Ask to talk to other employees

[bcattwoo]

The last interview that I went on I got to speak to a number of employees, in fact I got to give a presentation to the whole company (only like 35 of them) at the start of the "interview". The younger ones in the company were mostly a bunch of a-holes who made clear their disdain for my academic background and lack of experience having not done a postdoc yet like most of them had. Seemed funny to me that they would want to make someone whose trip to the interview they had paid for want to definitely not work there, but that's how it was.

My last interview of the day was with the woman who had set the whole interview up and I really wanted to ask her, "Why am I here?"

What kinds of things are deal breakers for you?

[strikethree]

Seriously, stop for a moment (before you go to the interview) and think about what kinds of things would make you not want to work somewhere:

Are there "death marches"? Frequently?

If you have issues with your immediate supervisor, is there someone higher up in the chain who is specifically set aside to mediate?

Ask to meet your prospective teammates (cow-orkers?).

Do you get a fluffy bunny when you do something outstanding (rewards)?

Just think about what is important to you. Some things will stress you out, but won't stress me out so you will need to decide for yourself what are the most appropriate questions to ask. I recall being younger and just being thankful that they were even considering me. Now, I will reject any company that does not fit my criteria (which is as it should have been even when I was first starting out!).

strike

Good One

[JLester]

I like:

"Based on my resume, my experience, and my interview; are there any concerns that I will not be the right person for the job?"

Gives you a chance to head off any concerns or possible misunderstandings. I have never used it (same company for several years), but my wife has with great results.

Jason

Re:Good One

[CountBrass]

Ouch no. That will just start them thinking about why they wouldn't hire you.

Re:Good One

[JLester]

Since they are interviewing you, I expect they will be thinking about it anyway. Their response will give you a chance to clarify things.

Jason

my take

[ChrisJones]

I would say that you should not save all your questions for the end, but try and work them into the interview - then you are having more of a conversation with the people interviewing you because you will be asking questions in a relevant part of the interview; then any topics not covered you can ask about at the end when they ask you for questions.
My point being that if you've been alert and more interactive in the interview you probably don't need to worry about if you had some awkward, canned questions for the end ;)

ask technical questions about the product

[CagedBear]

As a hiring manager, I like to get questions about our product. The tougher the better. During the interview I give an overview of what we make. I like people to pay attention to my overview then follow it up with questions about how it's done and why we don't do it some other way. In fact the best thing a candidate can do in a interview with me is pretent to be a venture capitalist and really drill me. Figure out my department's weaknesses and show how your strengths will compliment the team.

On the flip side I can't stand questions about parking, benefits, flex time, working from home,etc. Especially if they are the first questions. That's what the HR dept. is for; I'm interested in talking shop.

Way to publicize your discriminatory practices

[Anonymous Coward]

If you're female, don't wear an engagement ring without a wedding band, because I will think "OK, she's likely getting married soon and that'll chew up months of productivity."

Interesting that a "guy who used to do PR" is publically advertising that he discriminates against engaged women. I guess that you can't be fired from the company you created but I still question the wisdom of posting your illegal hiring practices on slashdot.

Re:Way to publicize your discriminatory practices

[gregwbrooks]

You're right, of course - which is why I don't have employees but do have 1099 contractors. The hiring practices I spoke of were in prior gigs where I had hiring authority for W-2 employees, and they're all far in the past.

I do worry about the creeping notion that all discrimination is bad at all times; that's simply not the case.

Some people are better qualified -- not merely on technical skills but based on where they are in life, what they want out of the job and what they can bring to the table in terms of time -- than others. It is a manager's job hire these people through a process that adheres to the law and gets the best people on board.

Also, note that merely noticing a ring isn't the same, legally speaking, as asking about your marital status. Neither is thinking "OK, an impending marriage could chew up productivity," the same as a blanket rejection of engaged candidates.

Re:Way to publicize your discriminatory practices

[Anonymous Coward]

I do worry about the creeping notion that all discrimination is bad at all times; that's simply not the case.

We're not talking about all types of discrimination all the time, though. We're talking about your flat-out admission that you will discriminate against engaged women because you're worried that it will cut into your productivity time.

That's what makes you a discrimiatory jerk.

Re:Way to publicize your discriminatory practices

[mopslik]

Interesting that a "guy who used to do PR" is publically advertising that he discriminates against engaged women.

And ironic. Check out the yellow/orange banner at the top of the site.

Re:Way to publicize your discriminatory practices

[simpsone]

No, that's what makes him good at what he does.

Monty Python.

[transiit]

I asked "What's the average airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?"

They responded correctly.

To be honest I thought it was the screw-off interview in which I got all the jokes and smartass remarks out of my system. Ended up taking the job. Whoops.

Future employment - lawsuits and real questions

[sartin]

A history of suing one's employer does not generally bode well for future employment opportunities.

Yeah, just ask Darl McBride - who sued former employer IKON Office Solutions for breach of contract before moving on to PointServe (where I worked briefly as Chief Architect before leaving over disagreements with the management direction of the company), Franlin Covey (where I used to buy planners before I went electronic), and SCO (where I never bought anything, especially their lawsuit against IBM). Nonetheless, it's probably best to not ask "what's your insurance coverage for employee lawsuits?" early in the interview process.

here's a good one

[c0bw3b]

I used to work at a used CD/record/etc store. One application we got in, in the section for "Have you ever been convicted of X type of crime?" The person had written in "Yeah, possesion with intent to distribute marijuana. Btw do you guys need any?"

So yes, make sure and ask if any additional skills and or resources you may have access to will be applicable to the job.

I'd ask: Do you care for "cross-platform"?

[wysiwia]

As a developer I'd like to work for a top rated company which produces top rated products. These sooner or later have to be ported to multiple platforms. As this is easiest done with cross-platform development right from the start, you easily find out if your future empoyer wants to play in the top ligue. If the employer just answers no, you better look for another. If he doesn't know what "cross-platform" means you'll probably become the guy who introduces it into this company. And if the employer says yes, you probably get the job because you proved to know more than the others applicants.

To find out more about "cross-platform" follow the link in the signature.

O. Wyss

Long Term Goals

[TubeSteak]

Do research about the company before hand and ask questions about the company. This'll show interest in the company and diligence on your part. Make sure they are not brain-dead easy questions though, they'll just make you look stupid.

Ask some long term questions about the company's goals and direction.

Maybe the reason the position is open is that the last guy realized there wasn't anything to be looking forward to x years down the road. Or maybe they're transitioning to some new/different stuff that will turn out to suck as far as you're concerned..

My best advice for everyone who currently has a job is to start looking for a new one once you find yourself complaining about the workplace. Not little gripes, but stuff from the bosses that makes you steam. This is usually an indicator of where the company is heading and it is better to jump ship while you're ahead.

Any reasons why...

[martin]

you wouldn't give the me the job.

This then gives you the opporunity to address any problems they might see with your application and have no excuses for not hiring you...

Re:Any reasons why...

[ProfFalcon]

Like usually happens, I do not read the subject line for most messages. It just happens that way. MOST people know not to put important information in there so I've been trained that reading the subject line is not necessary and is usually redundant.

Interestingly enough, your message fit perfectly. It started with "you wouldn't give me the job." I'm now thinking, you're darned right! You put half a sentence into the part of the message I rarely read.

[Deep breath, there I'm feeling better. The rant is over]

As a side note, this is a good sales point for a catchy sig. It is the only way I will follow an individual's postings. Since I do not see the handle, a sig allows me to recognize someone's posts when I see them again.

Re:Any reasons why...

[martin]

hmm I get your point. I think I'll add in $SUBJ into the comment when I do this again.

Ta for the suggestion

One other

[uohcicds]

If you're applying for a job that you know (or discover) had a previous encumbent:

"Why did the previous postholder move on?"

Ask for references

[Brento]

The really smart prospective employees ask for references from the COMPANY. They check with people who are currently their employers. I've been on the interviewer's end and heard it asked like this:

"Would it be okay if I took a couple of my future coworkers to lunch to talk about their jobs? I'd be interested to hear the challenges they face day-to-day."

After the interviewer gets over the initial shock, their next reaction is a great measuring stick. Either they get it, and they hook you up with a couple of your peers, or they have something to hide. I totally understood why the prospective new-hires were asking.

And the really smart people don't even ask the interviewer: they track down a couple of internet-visible people at the company and start the reference process themselves. I had an IM come in one morning asking, "Hi, I'm ____ and I've got an interview tomorrow with your company. Could I ask you a few questions about the environment to make sure I'm a good fit?"

At first I thought she (yes, she) was trying to get an angle in, trying to say she knew me, but over the course of a few questions, she made it really clear that she just wanted to know if we were a good company to work for, if her piercings and dyed hair would be a problem, what the work hours were like, etc.

Just from that ten-minute IM chat, I called her future boss and said, "You have to hire this one. She's got cajones and business smarts."

Some notes

[Tune]

OK. Some good questions, but also some you really shouldn't ask, IMHO. Stuff like: What is the philosophy of the company? shows you didn't bother to study their marketing material. Similarly, you shouldn't ask How financially sound is this company? just like that. Better do some research and ask more targetted questions on that topic.

What is this company's culture? (Ex: Is it rigid and formal or relaxed and flexible?) What insight would that give you? What company is going to admid that they are either flexible in the sense that they regularly lay off 80% of employees or rigid in the sense that some processes completely lock up in a bureaucracy? Anyone at this point trying to sell his company will suggest they are both "professional" and have an "informal, pleasant" atmosphere.

Questions like Whom will I supervise? What projects and assignments will I be working on? and With whom will I be working most closely? should have been answered in the natural flow of conversation. If not, I'd definitely ask them, yes.

What do you consider to be the company's strengths and weaknesses? is brilliant. Even better have a taylored version of that, more relevant to that specific job. Be sure to suggest why you're qualified to help fix weaknesses. Same for What are the most challenging aspects of the position?

my favourite question is...

[vierja]

The interviewer will normally sell you how nice the company is, the atmosphere, the teams, etc. As an interviewee I like to ask for the opposite "I'm sure there are some things you do NOT like about this company, would you name a few?" I love to see the troubled face of the interviewer ;-)

Re:my favourite question is...

[mattpalmer1086]

Yes, I like making people who are potentially going to offer me a great job feel really uncomfortable too. It's really funny to see them squirm. Briefly.

Having said that, I did once ask a similar question, but the *other way around*. I asked what they really *enjoyed* about their jobs. For a brief moment, I could see the little cogs whirring, them thinking "Oh my god, I can't mention last weekend when I had to code all bloody night to hit the deadline!". Then they realised that there were some pretty good things about the company, and they felt good telling me about it.

In fact, they opened up considerably once they got over the initial shock of the question. They even told me about some of the less ideal stuff, which I was quite happy to accept - all jobs have aspects that you don't like.

They offered me the job, I took it, and it was one of the best jobs I've ever had.

That's what you get...

[blorg]

I really struggled to understand your third paragraph.

That's what you get when you try to work 168 hours in a week.

But...

[Phil John]

...was it an African or European swallow they gave the answer for?

Re:But...

[transiit]

The correct answer, is, in fact: "African or European?"

-transiit

I'm sure this is smart...

[Gravis Zero]

"Do you have any questions?"
"If a train leaves Chicago at 10am traveling at 43MPH and another train leaves L.A. at..." :)

Re:I'm sure this is smart...

[berbo]

African or European swallow ?

Interview style

[kylegordon]

Whenever I'm in an interview, I usually end up asking my questions during the interview, when the appropriate time arises. This also helps build up a rapport with the interviewer, and helps the time go by better. In the end, when they ask if I have any questions, they've always ended up agreeing with me when I say "Well, I've asked all my questions already, so not really" :-)
Maybe I've been lucky and not had incredibly stiff and formal interviews...

Wrong questions

[ml0fl1n]

When I'm conducting a technical interview and I ask the interviewee if they have any questions, I'm just being polite.

The candidate can easily remove themselves from consideration if they ask the wrong questions.

The one I hear most often is usually variations on, "How easy is it to get to my personal e-mail/chat/web browsing at work?" It's just common sense ... I'm not going to give further consideration to someone whose apparent concern is how easy it is to *not* work!

Re:Wrong questions

[gujo-odori]

How about "How much time can I spend reading Slashdot at work, like you hiring managers are doing right now?" :-)

Seriously, though, I'm on the same page (I manage a team of nine, and don't really care if they ask me any questions or not. I'm being polite in case there's anything they actually need/want to know.

How about "How much time can I spend reading Slashdot at work, like you hiring managers are doing right now?" :-)

That said, most chrisatslashdot's suggestions are good, not because I'd be impressed if someone asked me, but because those are valuable things a person might want to know:

-----
What is the culture like?
Why is the position open?
Describe your (i.e. the interviewer's) career with the company.
Who are the top competitors?
What's the best thing about working here?
What's the worst thing about working here?
-----

With one exception: if I hear "Who are the top competitors?" I'm likely to translate that as "You did no research on this industry or this company before showing up for your interview?" which goes to your comment about people removing themselves by asking the wrong questions.

I'm also not likely to provide an honest answer to "What's the worst thing about working here?" to someone I don't even know, so don't bother asking me. It won't hurt your chances if you ask, but it won't get you any useful information either.

Out of the lot of those, I like the first one best: what is the culture like? I go for personality fit/cultural fit as much as I go for technical chops when I'm hiring. I don't want anyone I have to actively manage, I want people who fit in with my team, my style, and my company; if you don't, I don't care what your technical chops are. Time I spend having to actively manage people and program bad habits out of them is time I don't spend improving our product. That doesn't mean I don't take an interest in my staff and their development (I do), but I'm not interested in hiring people who are problems, I'm interested in hiring people who are solutions to problems.

Easy.

[Unknown Poltroon]

What kind of cover sheet do you use for your TPS reports?
Do you know what PC Load Letter means?
If you had a million dollars, what would you do after you did two chicks at once?
What is the minimum pieces of flair I have to wear?
Do i get my own stapler?

Too right!

[Darius Jedburgh]

I wouldn't hire someone who thought "alot" was one word either.

Ask this...

[deanj]

Ask "What do you like about working here", and follow up with "What don't you like working about here". You'll get pat answers to the first, and a lot of times you'll get really honest answers to the second. Sometimes those answers will help you steer away from a train-wreck of a job change.

You left out the ob. Jack Handey's

[Anonymous Coward]

'Do you ever press charges?'

Re:Point to the picture of his wife on his desk...

[alexo]

> Geez - I'm a woman!

No, you're not.
You're an Anonymous Coward.

As a potential employee...

[Anonymous Brave Guy]

Did it ever occur to you that an interview is a two-way process? If my credentials have impressed you enough that I'm worth your time to interview and you're considering employing me, why wouldn't you want to impress me in return so I'd consider taking the job? I can and do judge prospective employers from the moment I arrive at the premises for a first interview. Many of the questions I'll ask silently, but I'll be asking them all the same.

For example, the first thing I check for as I walk up to the building is the nature of the cars in the car park. I'm not saying everyone with money likes to spend it on flashy wheels, or that I'd be suspicious of a company with nothing but 10-year-old bangers outside. Something I would find suspicious would be all the directors having reserved parking filled with executivemobiles, but everyone else having 10-year-old bangers.

Then we go inside. Am I greeted properly or made to wait around for a long time? Am I offered a drink while I wait for the interviewer to arrive? How is the office laid out? What's the level of conversation like: silent, mild friendly chatter, focussed technical discussion? Do the guys making a coffee in the kitchen look like they're enjoying a short break or like they're under pressure to be right back at their desks ASAP? How does the interviewer introduce him/herself when he/she arrives? Do they pronounce my name properly, or politely check the correct pronunciation if they aren't sure? Depending on the nature of the job/company, have they made an effort to be presentable?

I've taken all of that in before I even sit down with you at the table. Then comes one of the acid tests. If, as you suggest, the interview is treated as essentially a grilling and I, the interviewee, am treated as some sort of expendable cannon fodder, then I will not be impressed. We'll never have that other discussion you mentioned, because I will rate your company as not worth working for for any amount of money.

If, on the other hand, I'm immediately invited to ask questions as we go through the interview, and when I do so I'm given honest and straightforward answers, I will think much more highly of the prospective employer. I will, quite deliberately, ask polite but honest questions about things like working conditions and remuneration at some appropriate moment. One of my acid tests, though I usually leave this until the contract stage, is IP: does my employer expect to own any rights to anything I do outside of work (in which case, they will never be my employer)?

If any employer won't discuss these things honestly with someone they're interviewing, particularly straightforward and objective things like typical working hours in a week, then either they have something to hide (probably) or they have some overly rigid policy about how interviews are to be conducted that doesn't place sufficient value on me. In either case, it's unlikely either of us would be happy with me working there, and I will not regret asking the questions. No employer worth working for really thinks you're there purely to help they're company, so I just dispense with the bull up-front.

So far, I have never yet worked for an employer I wasn't happy with, and I've never been short of job offers when I've been looking. Equally, assuming I can take colleagues' comments and my formal performance reviews at face value, my employers have always been happy with me, too. So apparently my interview policy works for both sides. I wonder how many good people you lose because of yours.

Re:As a potential employee...

[tpv]

You seem to have taken an idea and run with it. And now you're miles away from where the idea started out.

The original question was "How do you feel about interviewees who take notes during the interview?"
My response is that I'd feel weird. There's no reason for someone to do it, so I'd be a bit put off if they tried. That says nothing (well, not very much) about our interview process.

I agree with all your points, but you know very little about our interview process, so your criticisms of it are unfounded. Specifically, [...] ask polite but honest questions about [...] remuneration at some appropriate moment, and I will be completely unable to answer you. I have no knowledge of what anyone in my team earns (other than myself obviously). Your remuneration will be determined between our divisional manager and HR, and they're not in the interview at that time. If you ask, I'll tell you that, but (to return to the original question) if you decided you needed to take notes on the fact that I couldn't tell you what you'd be earning, then I'd find you a little strange.

My favorite questions

[chrisatslashdot]

What is the culture like?
Why is the position open?
Describe your (i.e. the interviewer's) career with the company.
Who are the top competitors?
What's the best thing about working here?
What's the worst thing about working here?

questions

[FLOOBYDUST]

What is your favorite color?..........

That should be obvious already

[gidds]

I can understand asking about something that wouldn't have cropped up earlier in the interview. But hasn't the entire interview up to that point been mainly about satisfying the interviewer on that very point?

In which case, you're really asking a fairly direct "How has this interview gone?" sort of question, which is a double-edged sword. IMO it marks you as a fairly direct, confident, aggressive, even smug person, which may count for or against you depending on the level of position you're interviewing for, the sort of work involved, the company culture, etc. -- and of course how the interview has gone up to then!