How to interview an employer?
It is customary for programmers to discuss interviews in terms of (about) the technical questions that the interviewer asks them.
Do I have to write code on the board? Is it necessary to juggle with binary trees and know by heart all the complexity of the algorithms, or just talk about life and projects?
I would like to go in this article from the other end and discuss, firstly, not the technical part, but, secondly, the questions that the candidate himself must ask the interviewer.
How are tasks set, controlled, designed, developed, tested, laid out in production and tasks taken?
If you don’t ask about it in detail, then there is a chance that hell awaits you, in which several different customers set tasks in words with a deadline of yesterday, and the developer is there, the system administrator is you, the tester is you, and the manager already understood who ( you).
How does the team work, communicate, transfer knowledge, etc.? What orders? What tools?
It may turn out that there is no onboarding, knowledge is passed from mouth to mouth, but guess who you ask. And the main communication tool is ICQ.
What are the expectations of a successful candidate in six months, a year, two?
You need to understand what awaits you in the future and what exactly is expected of you, so that there are no complaints from the company, and career / financial growth is understandable and accessible.
What are your product and technology stack development plans?
It’s better to know in advance that the maximum technological breakthrough in the company is the transition from jQuery 2 to jQuery 3 and from Bitrix 15 version to Bitrix 17.5. Run.
The beginning and end of the working day. Does this interval have any floating deviations?
Dedicated to all lovers of wallowing in a crib.
Do recycling happen? If so, how often and how are they paid?
A very important issue that must be discussed on the shore. Otherwise, there is a chance that at some point you will realize that the third weekend in a row is working for a friendly pat on the shoulder.
How much vacation and how tight is the schedule? How is vacation pay?
Some companies provide additional leave to the main, it is good to know in advance. But there are those that, on the contrary, do not give the main thing in full, it is even better to find out in advance. How vacation pay is an important issue for those who have a gray salary in the company. It happens that it is proposed to pay a vacation based not on the actual salary, but on a tiny white part of it.
If you are sick for a day or two, is it possible to work from home? How is this paid?
A good question for those who do not want to infect all their colleagues, but want to continue to make money. In normal companies, this is normal: 1-2-3 days to get sick and work from home without getting sick leave, but there are also those who pay you only half, or maybe do not pay at all, if you do not pick your pass at the entrance to the office.
Which on trial, which after? It is advisable to be immediately interested in the HANDS number. Is it salary or hourly? How long is the trial period?
All these financial issues must be discussed immediately and preferably asked to send an offer with these conditions by mail. Otherwise, you may encounter “I don’t remember that we agreed on an increase after the trial period” or “didn’t I tell you that the trial period is not paid?”
Are there any bonuses, if so, what, how and for what?
In good companies, a prize is a substantial increase in annual income, but it is imperative to clarify what needs to be done to get this award and how often it is issued. A bonus is a shaky thing, it’s better to knock out a larger salary.
What days and how is the payment made? Are there delays?
If the payment schedule is floating, unstable and generally “as the customer pays the money, I will give it to you right away” - run.
Are there any opportunities for further career and financial growth? What should be done for this?
The question slightly duplicates one of the previous ones, but if earlier we talked about general expectations from the candidate, then it is worth focusing on financial growth. Are you getting a job for the money?
Where can I have lunch?
Is there a kitchenette in the office where you can warm up food and eat? Is there a cooler, tea, coffee, cookies? Is there a dining room somewhere nearby etc.
Are there any other bonuses? Is there any VHI?
Often bonuses are payments for specialized conferences, sports, English courses. Learn, use. VHI is a separate cool thing to pay attention to. Sometimes this will allow you to save very serious money and get treatment in comfortable conditions.
Let them show the workplace.
This is a mandatory point, because in words they can tell you anything, but if you look at how the workspace is organized for already working employees, and everything becomes clear. It may happen that you are promised interesting projects and a cool team, and you see people sitting on stools at desks similar to school desks, with used computers purchased on Avito.
How is employee control exercised? What are the company practices regarding employee reporting?
It happens that you come, work, leave and you are fine. And it happens that you come, pick a pass, thereby starting the timer, work at the computer, which takes screenshots every 15 minutes, and also captures when you leave it, then write a report for every hour of time worked, and leave, peak pass. And you hope that the time tracking system recorded 8-9-10 hours, otherwise you will have problems.
It is better to learn about this in advance.
I hope this article will help you not to make fatal mistakes, because of which you could lose your time, nerves and, possibly, an old habitable place, which in the end will be better than a new dubious one. Be careful, do not hesitate to ask all your questions immediately. It’s better to write them yourself somewhere in advance, because during the interview you will worry and be sure to forget something.
Do I have to write code on the board? Is it necessary to juggle with binary trees and know by heart all the complexity of the algorithms, or just talk about life and projects?
I would like to go in this article from the other end and discuss, firstly, not the technical part, but, secondly, the questions that the candidate himself must ask the interviewer.
The working process
How are tasks set, controlled, designed, developed, tested, laid out in production and tasks taken?
If you don’t ask about it in detail, then there is a chance that hell awaits you, in which several different customers set tasks in words with a deadline of yesterday, and the developer is there, the system administrator is you, the tester is you, and the manager already understood who ( you).
How does the team work, communicate, transfer knowledge, etc.? What orders? What tools?
It may turn out that there is no onboarding, knowledge is passed from mouth to mouth, but guess who you ask. And the main communication tool is ICQ.
What are the expectations of a successful candidate in six months, a year, two?
You need to understand what awaits you in the future and what exactly is expected of you, so that there are no complaints from the company, and career / financial growth is understandable and accessible.
What are your product and technology stack development plans?
It’s better to know in advance that the maximum technological breakthrough in the company is the transition from jQuery 2 to jQuery 3 and from Bitrix 15 version to Bitrix 17.5. Run.
Schedule
The beginning and end of the working day. Does this interval have any floating deviations?
Dedicated to all lovers of wallowing in a crib.
Do recycling happen? If so, how often and how are they paid?
A very important issue that must be discussed on the shore. Otherwise, there is a chance that at some point you will realize that the third weekend in a row is working for a friendly pat on the shoulder.
How much vacation and how tight is the schedule? How is vacation pay?
Some companies provide additional leave to the main, it is good to know in advance. But there are those that, on the contrary, do not give the main thing in full, it is even better to find out in advance. How vacation pay is an important issue for those who have a gray salary in the company. It happens that it is proposed to pay a vacation based not on the actual salary, but on a tiny white part of it.
If you are sick for a day or two, is it possible to work from home? How is this paid?
A good question for those who do not want to infect all their colleagues, but want to continue to make money. In normal companies, this is normal: 1-2-3 days to get sick and work from home without getting sick leave, but there are also those who pay you only half, or maybe do not pay at all, if you do not pick your pass at the entrance to the office.
Payment
Which on trial, which after? It is advisable to be immediately interested in the HANDS number. Is it salary or hourly? How long is the trial period?
All these financial issues must be discussed immediately and preferably asked to send an offer with these conditions by mail. Otherwise, you may encounter “I don’t remember that we agreed on an increase after the trial period” or “didn’t I tell you that the trial period is not paid?”
Are there any bonuses, if so, what, how and for what?
In good companies, a prize is a substantial increase in annual income, but it is imperative to clarify what needs to be done to get this award and how often it is issued. A bonus is a shaky thing, it’s better to knock out a larger salary.
What days and how is the payment made? Are there delays?
If the payment schedule is floating, unstable and generally “as the customer pays the money, I will give it to you right away” - run.
Are there any opportunities for further career and financial growth? What should be done for this?
The question slightly duplicates one of the previous ones, but if earlier we talked about general expectations from the candidate, then it is worth focusing on financial growth. Are you getting a job for the money?
General
Where can I have lunch?
Is there a kitchenette in the office where you can warm up food and eat? Is there a cooler, tea, coffee, cookies? Is there a dining room somewhere nearby etc.
Are there any other bonuses? Is there any VHI?
Often bonuses are payments for specialized conferences, sports, English courses. Learn, use. VHI is a separate cool thing to pay attention to. Sometimes this will allow you to save very serious money and get treatment in comfortable conditions.
Let them show the workplace.
This is a mandatory point, because in words they can tell you anything, but if you look at how the workspace is organized for already working employees, and everything becomes clear. It may happen that you are promised interesting projects and a cool team, and you see people sitting on stools at desks similar to school desks, with used computers purchased on Avito.
How is employee control exercised? What are the company practices regarding employee reporting?
It happens that you come, work, leave and you are fine. And it happens that you come, pick a pass, thereby starting the timer, work at the computer, which takes screenshots every 15 minutes, and also captures when you leave it, then write a report for every hour of time worked, and leave, peak pass. And you hope that the time tracking system recorded 8-9-10 hours, otherwise you will have problems.
It is better to learn about this in advance.
Total
I hope this article will help you not to make fatal mistakes, because of which you could lose your time, nerves and, possibly, an old habitable place, which in the end will be better than a new dubious one. Be careful, do not hesitate to ask all your questions immediately. It’s better to write them yourself somewhere in advance, because during the interview you will worry and be sure to forget something.
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