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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."
And say Who's the slut
"Eve of Destruction", it's not just for old hippies anymore...
What about: "Can I go now?"
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.
Religion for nerds. Stuff that really matters
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...
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.
"What is your favourite aspect of working for $company?". Usually pretty revealing, unless the company hires external interviewers...
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.
"Don't worry about people stealing an idea. If it's original, you will have to ram it down their throats." --Howard Aike
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
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.
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 !
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
blog.sam.liddicott.com
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.
http://www.welton.it/davidw/
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.
It's simple: I demand prosecution for torture.
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.
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. :)
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.
I still have more fans than freaks. WTF is wrong with you people?
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?
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
watch this
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!]
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.
This is not a dream, not a dream...we are transmitting from the year 1-9-9-9.
Funnily enough, not all of them are made up.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Geez - I'm a woman!
Hi.
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".
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.
Boing boing boing....
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?
"It was a summer's tale: Just a boy, his Linux, and a head full of dreams..."
This space for rent. Call 1-800-STEAK4U
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
"FORMAT C:" - Kills bugs dead!
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.
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.
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.
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.
||:|::
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.
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.
If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.