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What Questions Should a Prospective Employee Ask?

Mortimer.CA writes "Even though things aren't great in the economy, it's prudent to plan ahead to when things (hopefully) pick up. In light of that, I'd like to update a previously asked question in case things have changed over the last four years: What do you ask every new (prospective) employer? When you're sitting in the interview room after they've finished grilling you, there's usually an opportunity to reciprocate. There will be some niche questions for specializations (sys admin, programming, PM, QA, etc.), but there are some generic ones that come to mind, such as: what is the (official) dress code?" Similarly, what questions should you avoid? Read on for the rest of Mortimer.CA's thoughts. He continues with these suggestions:
"What about my resume caught your eye? What hardware/software am I expected to use at my desktop (e-mail, OS, editor, source control, etc.)? Are there team lunches or get-togethers? What are your goals for the next six months, one year, three years? What ticket/issue tracking system do you use? Do you have separate build/stage/QA/etc. environments? How do you keep track of documentation? What are your full names (so I can Google them)? What are the typical hours of the team members? Those are some of the ones I've thought of after some digging around. Are there the generic ones that you ask? What are some question for various niches? (e.g., for sysadmins: what config mgmt software do you use?)"

6 of 569 comments (clear)

  1. Bye, bye job by netpixie · · Score: 5, Funny

    Do you have manditory drug testing?

  2. My favourite by Hal_Porter · · Score: 5, Funny

    "I've worked in England and the policy on assault is pretty strict there. If you hit somone, immediate dismissal. What's your policy here? [cracks knuckles]"

    Legendary question in by a candidate for a job in Sweden.

    --
    echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
  3. Management by jo42 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just how [in]competent is the management here?

  4. Re:"What color m&ms do you prefer?" by sumdumass · · Score: 5, Funny

    What if the answer is an overly active sex life and a lack of commitment to one particular women?

  5. Re:Do you keep your buttocks clean? by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 5, Funny

    "So that i don't dirty my lips when i kiss them!"

    Interviewer scribbles: Not a team player.

  6. Re:"What color m&ms do you prefer?" by ComputerGeek01 · · Score: 5, Funny

    What if the answer is an overly active sex life and a lack of commitment to one particular women?

    Then you've just made a new friend\wingman "giggity giggity goo, alright". You should then follow up with questions about company health care coverage for illegitimate children. Don't judge us! Swingers are people too!