
Questions you should ask your interviewer - franze
http://www.talentzoo.com/news.php/Questions-You-Absolutely-Must-Ask-Your-Interviewer/?articleID=9159
======
busted
Speaking from my experience looking for internships during school and for jobs
after graduating, the questions you ask your interviewer are really important.
Sure, people tell you that it's important because you want to look interested
or like you've given the company thought, but more than that, as a person
who's new to the workforce, it's important for you to learn about what's out
there and what to expect.

Answers to questions about work/life balance like, "What time do people
usually come in and leave?", "Do coworkers hang out outside of work?", etc.
differ greatly between companies.

For internships, knowing the scope of your internship and the level of
responsibility is a must.

Questions about workflow are also crucial. Where do new ideas for products
come from? If I have an idea what's the process for getting it implemented?

And if you can't think of anything else, just ask what _they_ think you should
know about the company. Maybe you don't know what you don't know!

You shouldn't feel like you're walking a fine line between looking
disinterested for not asking questions and looking entitled for asking them.
Even if you bombed the interview (and who hasn't), asking questions about the
company will give you more information for comparison at the companies whose
interviews you succeed at. And if you have multiple rounds of interviews, feel
free to ask the same question to multiple people to get differing opinions.

The company you go to is going to be part of your life for a long time,
educate yourself about work environments just like you educate yourself about
your field.

------
larsberg
> What has the employee turnover rate been?

At least at MSFT, we were not allowed to answer this question. These rates can
also be deceptive at face value, as you really want to know the breakdown
between good attrition (fired a poor performer) and bad attrition (somebody
they wanted to keep left).

Zero is also not a good answer, as it means that either they never fire
anybody -- and you get to work alongside non-performers who make the same
money as you -- or they fail to encourage significant enough personal growth
that people occasionally outgrow their position faster than the company can
make them a new one for them. Both are very, very bad situations. Well, unless
you're just trying to cash a check.

------
edw519
"Interviewing the interviewer" is an important strategy to help understand
what you're getting into and helping to make sure the whole process remains
two-way. But it's a fine line between making an assessment and appearing
selfish. Many of OP's questions are problematic...

 _“How many clients has the company added in the past year?”_

I would prefer trying to assess growth rates outside the interview. In many
cases, you should be able to get an idea some other way. This question shows
lack of initiative. And, in many cases, the interviewer may not even be
permitted to answer it.

 _“What has the employee turnover rate been over the past 24 months?”_

Too much focus on the negative. You don't like when they ask, "Why did you
only stay with Company X for 3 months?" They'll feel the same way.

 _“What’s the company’s policy on work/life balance?”_

You might as well say, "I intend to deliver 40 hours of my time for 40 hours
of pay. If you need extra help, ask someone else. Big turnoff.

 _“What kind of tools are provided to help me do my job?”_

Better: "What kinds of things do you need me to do to help the company achieve
its goals.

 _“In the first 60 to 90 days, what’s my first priority?”_

Actually, this is a great question. It can paint a good picture of your life
and shows that you're ready to get to work.

 _“Are employees required to sign a non-compete contract?”_

By asking this, you are identifying yourself as a problem. If someone asked me
this question, the first thing I would think would be, "What is he up to and
what is my risk?"

For technology companies, just assume that the answer to this question is
"Yes" and sign it.

When interviewing someone else, I appreciate good questions. They show
interest and possibility. But I get a bit concerned when too many questions
are of the variety of "What's in it for me?"

I think it's always a better idea to present yourself with President Kennedy's
attitude: "Ask not what the company can do for you, ask what you can do for
the company." Find a way to present yourself that way while still learning
everything you need to know.

~~~
trevelyan
> For technology companies, just assume that the answer to this question is
> "Yes" and sign it.

No no no no... I agree with the general tone of your post Edward, but strongly
disagree with this. Anyone working in a field they have any possibility of
working in again should never sign something that will complicate that. And
the same with ownership of IP developed on personal time.

Once a company has made the decision to hire you they are invested in you. If
you can't get them to bend on amending the contract don't sign it. Starting
your own company is stressful enough without the possibility for an ex-
employer to take legal action. Add that to the fact that people are much less
likely to start a business in a field totally unrelated to what they currently
do, and you have something that is entrepreneurial suicide.

~~~
ams6110
A non-compete is reasonable but it should also have a reasonable term... e.g.
while employed, and perhaps for a period of 2 years after leaving.

That said, overly restrictive non-competes tend to be unenforceable, but I
agree you don't want the hassle of a legal fight even if you ultimately
prevail.

~~~
mgkimsal
_2 years_?! _1_ is excessive in my view. Now, if I was paid handsomely for
those 2 years, fine. But to not pay me _and_ say I can't go work at other
competitors - that's too much to ask for 2 years. I've had a couple 6 month
non-competes - that's liveable. 1 year - I'd probably do it. 2 years? I doubt
I'd sign.

~~~
semanticist
As a call centre drone I was required to sign a non-compete for Nokia saying
that I wouldn't work for any other mobile phone manufacturer for a period of
three years.

In practice I no one cared what their phone goons did after they left, but I
suspect it was applied to everyone they hired, either directly or through
outsourcing (like I was).

In fact, after the outsourcer lost the contract several of the people I worked
with immediately went to do phone support for Samsung or Motorola (all three
were in the same building).

------
huhtenberg
> Are employees required to sign a non-compete contract?

Standard answer is Yes, which is fair because it protects the company from you
hanging around for a month and then moving straight to their competitors. Non-
compete prevents that by requiring a cooling off period of (typically) two
years.

A more interesting question is if you are allowed to work on your own
projects. It seems like an obvious question, but in some countries it is not.
For example, EA (Electronic Arts) is in Canada and they explicitly told me at
the interview that _everything_ that I ever code while employed with them
would belong to EA. And then added that I shouldn't really have time for
personal projects if I am to work for EA diligently... at which point I
collected my dropped jaw from the floor and left.

------
herrherr
The question that made at least two recruiters sweat in my last interviews:

    
    
      "Why do you like to work for this company?"
    

I was quite surprised. One would assume, that they have a perfectly prepared
answer for a question like that.

~~~
randombit
I'm also fond of

    
    
      "What's the thing you like least about your job?"

~~~
FiddlerClamp
I always figured that would be unfair to ask - they might feel they have to
lie to keep their job, or they might not want it to get back to other
employees.

I like to ask what they like most about their work, which gives them a chance
to talk about their job, the company, others in the company (usually), and
their role.

~~~
randombit
'they might feel they have to lie to keep their job'

Because that's not a warning sign at all! _boggles_

Most people of course answer this question in the same way an interviewee does
when asked 'Why did you leave your last position?'. Nobody will ever answer
'that jerk across the hall, I can't STAND that guy'. They will answer
something that gives some insight into the company culture. I don't think it's
a coincidence, for instance, that easily half the people at Google I've put
this question to have answered something along the lines of 'management
chaos/confusion', 'the tendency for two internal projects to be competing with
each other without even knowing about it', etc.

I should have added the followup to my first question is what they like most.
Both can be very informative, of course, and following up with that helps put
them at ease for the rest of the interview, since many interviewers aren't
expecting a question like this one. But it's really worth it. An interview
isn't just to answer 'will you hire me', it also must answer 'will I enjoy
working here'. The second is much more important to me.

~~~
FiddlerClamp
It's a warning sign, but I doubt interviewers would give honest negative
answers unless they were about to leave. I think it also puts them on guard.
Asking what they like tells you not just what they do like, but can also tell
you what they don't like, by omission.

~~~
HeyLaughingBoy
As an interviewer, I have _never_ had a problem answering this question
honestly. Anyone who shows discomfort with the question would give me a bad
feeling about the company I was interviewing.

It's perfectly normal to have things about your job you don't like. What's so
bad about talking about them?

~~~
FiddlerClamp
What if I (the interviewee) happens to know your boss, and your boss doesn't
know you have issues with the work? That's why as an interviewer I'd tend to
be circumspect.

~~~
HeyLaughingBoy
I have no problem with _anything_ I say during the course of conducting an
interview getting back to any of (a) my manager, (b) HR, (c) Legal. None!

What's all this fear about the boss knowing you have issues with the job?
_Everyone_ , repeat, _everyone_ has some issue, however minor, with a job.
Owners, managers, etc. already know this. It's not something to hide unless
you're working in a really sucky place that can't handle any level of dissent.
And in that case you should probably think seriously about leaving (unless you
like that kind of thing).

Wanna know what my answer is to most candidates who ask me about something I
don't like about my job? The bureaucracy. We are in a highly regulated
industry and it can take an annoying amount of time and paperwork to complete
some tasks and it gets tedious and frustrating at times. There, I said it.
Believe me when I say that the people I work for are well aware of this
problem.

------
jacquesgt
As an interviewer, I've usually made up my mind by the time I let the
candidate ask questions. My "tell" in interviews is that I tend to forget to
give people I've rejected a chance to ask me questions. So, I'm not looking
for the candidate to show deep insight with just the right set of questions

But, asking a bunch of overly aggressive questions will earn a candidate a
"might not play well with others" footnote on my evaluation. The questions in
the article are great. Getting confrontational when you're supposed to be
making a good impression is a bit of a warning flag.

My advice: Use your questions to make sure you understand what kind of work
you'll be doing. Use them to understand the team dynamic. Carefully use them
to understand if the company has a reasonable business plan. Don't be a jerk
and ask a lot of confrontational or trick questions.

~~~
artmageddon
>But, asking a bunch of overly aggressive questions will earn a candidate a
"might not play well with others" footnote on my evaluation. The questions in
the article are great. Getting confrontational when you're supposed to be
making a good impression is a bit of a warning flag.

Can you give examples of these kinds of questions that you've been asked in
the past? I'm imagining a question like "You think you can kick my ass in arm-
wrestling?" to be one but I'm sure you have different thoughts on it :)

~~~
jacquesgt
My favorite one was the guy who looked up my name on a list of resumes he had
printed out from LinkedIn or something and asked me why I was in such and such
a role when I was clearly more suited for another role based on my experience.
First of all, he was wrong, and second, creepy!

Just in general, be respectful. If you disagree with an answer, ask a
clarifying question or move on. Don't tell me in the middle of an interview
that out whole approach is wrong, especially when it's on a fairly subjective
matter. We're doing the interview to learn about each other, not to convince
each other about development philosophies. If you don't understand that
there's a time and a place for disagreement, it's a warning sign to me (not
saying disagreement is bad, but there are times when it's much more
appropriate than others).

------
BrianHV
A lot of interview advice articles mention asking questions as a way of
impressing the interviewers. I see that as a side benefit, and one that you
earn only if you approach it the right way.

Although it may not appear so to folks straight out of college or who have
been unemployed for a while, the goal of the interview is not to find a job.
The goal is to find a job that's right for you. The job will dominate your
life. You'll spend more time there than on any other single activity except
sleeping. You'll time your friends, your family, your vacations around this
job. For something that's that big a deal, you want to know what you're
getting into.

So going in with a set of things you want to know about the environment is
good; use those things to start conversations. Asking a canned list of
questions and pausing for the response won't do much, even if it's your own
personalized canned list. Listen to the responses. Ask follow-up questions.
Know what you value, and respectfully try to find out if they value the same
things. Bring up your curiosity at any appropriate place during the interview;
you don't have to wait until the end.

That curiosity, that commitment to finding the right environment is what will
impress interviewers, not the mere act of asking questions.

------
arethuza
When interviewing candidates I am always very careful to _give_ an accurate
account of what I feel the expected work life balance is - I certainly
wouldn't regard it, as one commenter does, as a "red flag" if someone asked
about it.

~~~
limmeau
What kind of work-life-balance does the company you interview for offer?

~~~
arethuza
I would say "pretty good" - which is probably why I bring it up. This
particular office is also in a superb location which is a big factor to me.

------
anthonyb
One of my favorites: "What was the last unit test you wrote, and what did it
test and why?"

If you just ask a question about whether they do unit testing, you'll get a
suitably vague and chirpy response, but specifics will normally get you a
clearer answer - usually starting with a few seconds of embarrassed shuffling
in their seat while they wrack their brains :>

~~~
anthonyb
The other trick, since I've just been on the interview circuit and used this
one a bit: use previous companies brain teasers/language puzzles (eg. worst
feature or wart of language X) against the current one.

If they don't do any language puzzles or ask you hard questions, then either
a) run screaming or b) use that as an excuse to ask a hard language question.

~~~
HeyLaughingBoy
As an interviewer this gives me absolutely no useful information! The
questions I ask have to be relevant to your ability to do the job. Brain
teasers and opinions about languages aren't.

Now, if you have, e.g., C++ and Python on your resume and I ask you to compare
how easy/difficult it is to do a certain operation using either language, that
can give me insight into your experience using them. Just asking what your
most/least favorite language feature is doesn't.

ps, why would you ask an interviewer a language question?

~~~
anthonyb
If you're looking for a senior developer with 5-10 years experience in a
language it's a useful gauge of experience and whether they think about the
language that they work in , particularly if it's something that might bite
you. eg. What does the following do in Python 2:

    
    
      try:
          my_dict['foo'].append(result[1])
      except IndexError, KeyError:
          my_dict['foo'] = [result[0]]
    

And you ask interviewers language questions to find out the same thing -
namely, whether they _really_ know what they're doing. I'd rather do
interesting work, and not get stuck explaining list comprehensions to a bunch
of people.

------
lwhi
Think of your interview as a conversation, rather than an inquisition.

I think there's a danger that a candidate might appear confrontational if they
bombard the interviewer / interviewers with a list of questions that they're
unprepared for.

The goal of the interview is to find out if the candidate is a good fit. Focus
on that (common) goal - ask questions to that help you assess the problem in a
way that's as pragmatic as possible. After all, it's in both of your interests
to find out whether an appointment is likely to realistically work.

------
egor83
Down for me, google cache:
[http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:4o0E3Aa...](http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:4o0E3AaVkkYJ:www.talentzoo.com/news.php/Questions-
You-Absolutely-Must-Ask-Your-
Interviewer/%3FarticleID%3D9159+http://www.talentzoo.com/news.php/Questions-
You-Absolutely-Must-Ask-Your-
Interviewer/%3FarticleID%3D9159&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&source=www.google.com)

------
georgieporgie
Seems more like a list of, "things you should figure out about your
prospective employer without actually asking the questions listed here."

~~~
jaidev
Exactly.

 _“Are employees required to sign a non-compete contract?”_

Really? Why do you need to ask this question (as opposed to just looking at
the contract)? Asking this at the interview stage only makes it look like you
are interested in going somewhere else (BEFORE) you even have this job...

~~~
a5seo
Indeed. It's like asking "Will I be expected to sign a prenup?" on the first
date.

------
pbhjpbhj
OT: Dickbar popping around the place meant that I spent 5 minutes trying to
get adblock to work on the cdn and then gave up, don't know why I stayed so
long. Don't know what's happened to adblock either ...

