We have all heard the advice that you should be interviewing the company as much as they are interviewing you. First, you need to know which qualities you are looking for in your next job, and then you need to know how to ask the right questions. I recommend asking company culture questions in your first interview and then project/client and engineering team questions in the technical interview. I want to provide you with the confidence to turn the table at your next interview with these questions.
Company Culture
- In one word, how would you describe the culture? Please explain.
- How do you encourage community and connectedness with remote team members?
- What kind of process does [company name] have for giving and receiving feedback?
- What kind of opportunities are there at [company name] for a person to be mentored but also mentor others?
- What is the onboarding process like?
- What are the defined hours of business for [company name]?
- How flexible are the hours? If I have a recurring appointment, would it be an issue to work around that?
- Is there a minimum amount of time off that employees are encouraged to take?
Project/Client
- What is the typical team size on a project?
- Does the client view us as a contractor or a collaborator?
- Do your teams follow Agile development principles?
- How much time is spent in meetings vs heads down development time?
- In a situation where a client is treating your team members in a disrespectful or controlling manner, how does leadership handle conflict management?
Engineering Team
- How would you describe the engineering team culture?
- How many software engineers are there? How many are [your specific role]?
- What is the ratio of software engineers to quality engineers?
- What are the different levels of engineers? Jr, entry-level, mid-level, senior, lead?
- Is it encouraged for people of any level to ask for help?
- What are things that you really enjoy about your job?
- How do you approach problem solving if one of you is stumped?
- What kind of version control platform do you use and what is the code review process?
- What kind of growth do you see possible for yourself in the years to come at [company name]?
- How closely do you follow Agile development?
- What does the daily/weekly procedure look like?
- At [company name] do people have a hard-stop time, or do they work extra hours often to meet deadlines?
- Tell me about knowledge sharing opportunities at [company name]. Are engineers being encouraged and supportive of each other in their learning?
- Are there times set aside for learning and development?
- In the project that I would be placed on, would I be the highest level developer and how many other [your specific role] would there be?
- What are the expectations of this role at the end of one week, one month, and 3 months?
- How do you prioritize heads-down development time when it can be easy to fill a calendar with meetings?
This year some of the most skilled people in the tech community have been affected by layoffs. I believe that with support from each other and sharing of good resources that we can overcome. May this resource take some pressure off of you as your prepare for your next interview.
You are worthy of a job,
The Precise Dev
