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Peter Bhat Harkins
Interview Questions
When I got my first jobs, I didn’t know that job interviews should include the candidate interviewing the company. I learned from the experience and, in talking with others, have slowly accreted a list of interview questions I’ll bring (yes, really, print out and bring) to learn interesting things about employers and avoid dysfunctional workplaces.
Most of the questions are intended to start interesting conversations about the workplace, though a few (“Which source control do you use?”) do have wrong answers (“None.”) that end an interview as quickly as a candidate being unable to solve FizzBuzz.
Job
- What is your typical day like?
- What are the normal work hours?
- What is the office environment like? Can I see it?
- What is the job title?
- What is the employee review process?
- What benefits? (medical, dental, vision, 401k, transit, vacation, bonuses)
- How is the team at deadlines?
- Is there continuous learning?
Company
- Who are your clients?
- What makes the company special?
- How do you see the company growing?
- What are the NDA/NCAs?
- How long have employees been here?
Coding
- What is the codebase like? Can I see it?
- What tools do you use?
- Which source control do you use?
- Is your build and deployment process automated?
- How often do you build or deploy?
- What testing (automated + Q&A) do you have in place?
- What bug database do you use?
- Is your code great or good enough?
- Do you release open source code?
Manager
- What’s your personal management style?
- What books have influenced you the most?
- What technologies do you plan to use?
- Do you have any concerns about my application?
- Do you think I would be a good match for this position?
Do you have any questions you always ask?