Crib for a candidate: what questions to ask a potential employer for an interview
Each candidate at the end of the interview, the recruiter usually asks if there are any questions. Often people get lost and do not find what to ask. And only after some time has passed (often when a person is already working in a company), questions come up that you had to ask about beforehand, rather than taking a pig in a poke and wondering “How did I get here? Where did I look? Why didn’t I think about it? ” This is the so-called "staircase effect." I prepared a cheat sheet that you,% habrauser%, were not at a loss.
1. Work schedule and can it be moved?
I like to sleep. But at my last job, “working morning” began at 7:30. Not only that, quite often I could not come to this time, for half a day I was engaged in trying to get myself into working form. Somewhere until 10:00. From 10:30 to 11:30 I worked hard. Then there was lunch. And then I wanted to sleep, not work, because I did not get enough sleep in the morning. Needless to say, instead of the 8 hours that the employer hired me, I only worked in the “stream” for 3-4 hours. So for yourself you need to solve the question - when am I most able-bodied? And discuss the work schedule with management. And one more nuance. Try to fix the negotiated schedule in the employment contract or contract (hereinafter referred to as the TD), if the employer goes on a personal work schedule for you. No verbal arrangements. Otherwise, they will begin to twist your hands already in the process of work (as it was with me).
2. Dresscode?
Here I think no explanation is needed.
3. Vacation?
If you change jobs before the summer, then suddenly the question may arise with the vacation. Moreover, if someone from the family has already “staked out” a vacation at their work. Employers are reluctant to give leave in the first six months or generally give them only after a year. But if you really need to - you can bargain. The main thing is not to forget about this at the interview. The arrangement needs to be recorded in the TD.
4. Business trips?
Someone loves, someone not. But when business trips of 2-3 months - this should immediately be clarified at the interview and take into account.
5. Payment for processing?
If there is a provision for compensation for processing - please show. Usually this item is included in the collective agreement, but rarely compensation is actually paid. But here you can’t put straws in it, but only when you jump into the pool with your head.
6. Can I bring personal devices?
The question is both about access control and how to work with them (if you are a mobile application developer). The court also has the following question:
7. Do they give devices for use or for work?
At work, managers were given a working iPad and laptop. A nice bonus I must say.
8. VHI - additional health insurance?
What is included in it. Ask about the dentist. For some companies, dentistry is not included in the VHI package. People then get upset when they have to pay their hard-earned money.
9. Non-disclosure agreement?
Whether there is a? What is included in it?
10. Training at the expense of the company?
Every year, or more often, lists of courses are compiled that employees can send for advanced training. You can ask what courses you can take this year. Does the company pay for them? And how much will they cost you personally? For example, there is a practice of requiring the company to work out for a while or refund the money spent by the company on you. You can also take an interest in this practice. But here you can be lied to.
11. Parking for employees?
12. In what rubles is paid ZP - domestic or foreign?
13. Work from home?
Is it possible? Are there any people who work like this?
14. Is there a job description?
The employer is very fond of throwing non-core work on ordinary workers. Delegation, so to speak. But no one will tell you about this in advance. Can be sent to refill cartridges or repair the printer. “Tyzhprogrammer”! This is especially popular in small companies. It is worth puzzling with job descriptions, as this is a document according to which you are not entitled to hang additional duties not prescribed in it. However, in each instruction there is a clause of the following content - “follow the instructions of the management”. It all depends on your quarrelsomeness.
15. Office?
Open space or classrooms. Is there furniture and equipment so you can go out on Monday and start working? You don’t need to listen to a recruiter here! Here you need:
16. Ask to show your future workplace?
A great offer can suddenly turn out to be a little room without windows in the basement, without furniture, without a computer or buzzing like open hornet's hornet's nest. If you do not want to show the place - this is an occasion to beware and insist. On the way there and back, you can talk with your future colleagues and ask about the questions that the recruiter could lie to you. For example, at the expense of processing, etc.
17. Vacancy feedback?
Actually, the timing and nothing more.
18. About the resume?
You can also ask about improving your resume. What hooked the recruiter, and where to fix it?
In addition to trading on the rate and premium, do not forget about:
19. The trial period?
For what period? What is the salary for this period? Is it possible to review the results of the trial period.
20. Further education?
This item is about certification, courses. I think you want to not only hang a piece of paper in a frame on the wall, but also feel the weight in the purse from the increase. This question can also be discussed in advance. If the employer is not interested in your professional growth, should you be interested in it?
21. Indexation and revision of salaries?
This is usually the recruiter himself tells well, but can forget.
22. Bank card?
Can I use my bank account to transfer salaries? At last work, I ran like this every month - shifted! That's because the bank, on the cards of which the employer credited money, had only 20 ATMs in the million-plus city.
23. Award?
What factors depend on and when it is charged (quarterly or monthly).
24. Provision of HW and SW by the employer and used by the employer of HW and SW?
How many monitors are you talking about? Give two. Do you use NetBeans or Eclipse, and if I work on IDEA? What do your servers spin on? On windows server? Do you use rar or zip? [irony] Thank you, goodbye, it was nice to talk! [/ irony]. Here you can ask about electronic document management (in my former company he was - a muck rare!). Where does communication and correspondence take place? Can I use my PC or my software. Is it possible to bring pets to work. Is there a kindergarten for children - to grow up in a corporate environment :-)?
25. Organization structure?
You can ask for a diagram of the structural units of the organization and show where your place will be here. Thus, you can easily calculate how many bosses will be above you (I had 7 of them in due time). One may be puzzled by the question: who is involved in architecture and analytics? But these issues are not suitable for outsourcing companies, where everything is extremely simple and clear - team, team leader, architect, testers, project management, management and staff (accounting, etc.).
26. Reopened or not?
Here we are getting closer to talking about projects and your direct activities. This vacancy is expanding the staff for an existing project, recruiting for a new one, plugging a hole in the staff (after all, “a holy place does not exist empty” is the motto of semi-state offices and kites revolving around them). If a vacancy has opened in connection with the dismissal, you can ask why the previous employee quit. It all depends on the sincerity of the recruiter. And you will not be able to insure yourself from a disorder here.
27. The problem solved by the vacancy?
Jobs are opened not just like that, but in order to eliminate some kind of need. You need to try to find out this need. What specific problem did the employer have that only your help is needed. For example, there are not enough people. We need professionals with a certain qualification or knowledge. It is necessary to increase the productivity of the team, etc.
Talk directly about your future work with your future leader.
28. Tell us about the project?
When did it start? What stage is it at? What technologies are used in the project? What technologies are planned to be added to the project? How many people are involved in the project? Customer / monetization? Ask for a short speech about the project (even if they start out as startupers :-) it’s not for you to sweat at the interview). What will happen if funding ceases tomorrow? Is it possible to ask in time for another project? What code will you have to work with (legacy / new) and how much can I change it? Hire for support or development?
29. What can I write in 2-4 years in a resume?
This is a very important question, thanks to which you may have a good impression as a candidate with potential! If the answer to it is slurred or something like “You can write the following: I worked at Horns and Hooves LLC, got huge experience when working with horns and hooves” then the question needs to be clarified: What platforms and technologies are used? Are Agile / Scrum / DevOps or other methodologies used? Continuous integration tools, VCS, TDD, which is used by Project Managment, which is used for bug-tracking.
30. What I will not write in the resume, but it will simplify / complicate my life?
When and who writes the tests? Is there a test-team? How testing is conducted: unit tests and blackbox tests. Is there a code review?
31. SW versions?
Another important issue to consider. For example, who in 2 years will need 6 java if version 9 or even version 10 is released. The same goes for frameworks.
When all questions are asked, do not forget to ask to be led to your future workplace.
Fuuuh. There were many questions. And the answers to all questions will take a lot of time. If there is a desire, you can transfer these questions to the recruiter and ask to answer these questions via email. But personally, I would not do that. Firstly, the logic is as follows: “they want to hire me, they spend my time for an interview, let them spend a little of their own.” Secondly, if you asked so many questions to a recruiter, manager or future colleague, you will be impressed as a candidate who is really interested in this vacancy. And this is better than a much slurred answer to the recruiter’s hypothetical question “Why do you want to work in our company?” And certainly you will be distinguished from other candidates. And this will increase the likelihood of a positive decision on your candidacy.
General
1. Work schedule and can it be moved?
I like to sleep. But at my last job, “working morning” began at 7:30. Not only that, quite often I could not come to this time, for half a day I was engaged in trying to get myself into working form. Somewhere until 10:00. From 10:30 to 11:30 I worked hard. Then there was lunch. And then I wanted to sleep, not work, because I did not get enough sleep in the morning. Needless to say, instead of the 8 hours that the employer hired me, I only worked in the “stream” for 3-4 hours. So for yourself you need to solve the question - when am I most able-bodied? And discuss the work schedule with management. And one more nuance. Try to fix the negotiated schedule in the employment contract or contract (hereinafter referred to as the TD), if the employer goes on a personal work schedule for you. No verbal arrangements. Otherwise, they will begin to twist your hands already in the process of work (as it was with me).
2. Dresscode?
Here I think no explanation is needed.
3. Vacation?
If you change jobs before the summer, then suddenly the question may arise with the vacation. Moreover, if someone from the family has already “staked out” a vacation at their work. Employers are reluctant to give leave in the first six months or generally give them only after a year. But if you really need to - you can bargain. The main thing is not to forget about this at the interview. The arrangement needs to be recorded in the TD.
4. Business trips?
Someone loves, someone not. But when business trips of 2-3 months - this should immediately be clarified at the interview and take into account.
5. Payment for processing?
If there is a provision for compensation for processing - please show. Usually this item is included in the collective agreement, but rarely compensation is actually paid. But here you can’t put straws in it, but only when you jump into the pool with your head.
6. Can I bring personal devices?
The question is both about access control and how to work with them (if you are a mobile application developer). The court also has the following question:
7. Do they give devices for use or for work?
At work, managers were given a working iPad and laptop. A nice bonus I must say.
8. VHI - additional health insurance?
What is included in it. Ask about the dentist. For some companies, dentistry is not included in the VHI package. People then get upset when they have to pay their hard-earned money.
9. Non-disclosure agreement?
Whether there is a? What is included in it?
10. Training at the expense of the company?
Every year, or more often, lists of courses are compiled that employees can send for advanced training. You can ask what courses you can take this year. Does the company pay for them? And how much will they cost you personally? For example, there is a practice of requiring the company to work out for a while or refund the money spent by the company on you. You can also take an interest in this practice. But here you can be lied to.
11. Parking for employees?
12. In what rubles is paid ZP - domestic or foreign?
13. Work from home?
Is it possible? Are there any people who work like this?
14. Is there a job description?
The employer is very fond of throwing non-core work on ordinary workers. Delegation, so to speak. But no one will tell you about this in advance. Can be sent to refill cartridges or repair the printer. “Tyzhprogrammer”! This is especially popular in small companies. It is worth puzzling with job descriptions, as this is a document according to which you are not entitled to hang additional duties not prescribed in it. However, in each instruction there is a clause of the following content - “follow the instructions of the management”. It all depends on your quarrelsomeness.
15. Office?
Open space or classrooms. Is there furniture and equipment so you can go out on Monday and start working? You don’t need to listen to a recruiter here! Here you need:
16. Ask to show your future workplace?
A great offer can suddenly turn out to be a little room without windows in the basement, without furniture, without a computer or buzzing like open hornet's hornet's nest. If you do not want to show the place - this is an occasion to beware and insist. On the way there and back, you can talk with your future colleagues and ask about the questions that the recruiter could lie to you. For example, at the expense of processing, etc.
17. Vacancy feedback?
Actually, the timing and nothing more.
18. About the resume?
You can also ask about improving your resume. What hooked the recruiter, and where to fix it?
Salary
In addition to trading on the rate and premium, do not forget about:
19. The trial period?
For what period? What is the salary for this period? Is it possible to review the results of the trial period.
20. Further education?
This item is about certification, courses. I think you want to not only hang a piece of paper in a frame on the wall, but also feel the weight in the purse from the increase. This question can also be discussed in advance. If the employer is not interested in your professional growth, should you be interested in it?
21. Indexation and revision of salaries?
This is usually the recruiter himself tells well, but can forget.
22. Bank card?
Can I use my bank account to transfer salaries? At last work, I ran like this every month - shifted! That's because the bank, on the cards of which the employer credited money, had only 20 ATMs in the million-plus city.
23. Award?
What factors depend on and when it is charged (quarterly or monthly).
Labour Organization
24. Provision of HW and SW by the employer and used by the employer of HW and SW?
How many monitors are you talking about? Give two. Do you use NetBeans or Eclipse, and if I work on IDEA? What do your servers spin on? On windows server? Do you use rar or zip? [irony] Thank you, goodbye, it was nice to talk! [/ irony]. Here you can ask about electronic document management (in my former company he was - a muck rare!). Where does communication and correspondence take place? Can I use my PC or my software. Is it possible to bring pets to work. Is there a kindergarten for children - to grow up in a corporate environment :-)?
25. Organization structure?
You can ask for a diagram of the structural units of the organization and show where your place will be here. Thus, you can easily calculate how many bosses will be above you (I had 7 of them in due time). One may be puzzled by the question: who is involved in architecture and analytics? But these issues are not suitable for outsourcing companies, where everything is extremely simple and clear - team, team leader, architect, testers, project management, management and staff (accounting, etc.).
By vacancy
26. Reopened or not?
Here we are getting closer to talking about projects and your direct activities. This vacancy is expanding the staff for an existing project, recruiting for a new one, plugging a hole in the staff (after all, “a holy place does not exist empty” is the motto of semi-state offices and kites revolving around them). If a vacancy has opened in connection with the dismissal, you can ask why the previous employee quit. It all depends on the sincerity of the recruiter. And you will not be able to insure yourself from a disorder here.
27. The problem solved by the vacancy?
Jobs are opened not just like that, but in order to eliminate some kind of need. You need to try to find out this need. What specific problem did the employer have that only your help is needed. For example, there are not enough people. We need professionals with a certain qualification or knowledge. It is necessary to increase the productivity of the team, etc.
Project
Talk directly about your future work with your future leader.
28. Tell us about the project?
When did it start? What stage is it at? What technologies are used in the project? What technologies are planned to be added to the project? How many people are involved in the project? Customer / monetization? Ask for a short speech about the project (even if they start out as startupers :-) it’s not for you to sweat at the interview). What will happen if funding ceases tomorrow? Is it possible to ask in time for another project? What code will you have to work with (legacy / new) and how much can I change it? Hire for support or development?
29. What can I write in 2-4 years in a resume?
This is a very important question, thanks to which you may have a good impression as a candidate with potential! If the answer to it is slurred or something like “You can write the following: I worked at Horns and Hooves LLC, got huge experience when working with horns and hooves” then the question needs to be clarified: What platforms and technologies are used? Are Agile / Scrum / DevOps or other methodologies used? Continuous integration tools, VCS, TDD, which is used by Project Managment, which is used for bug-tracking.
30. What I will not write in the resume, but it will simplify / complicate my life?
When and who writes the tests? Is there a test-team? How testing is conducted: unit tests and blackbox tests. Is there a code review?
31. SW versions?
Another important issue to consider. For example, who in 2 years will need 6 java if version 9 or even version 10 is released. The same goes for frameworks.
When all questions are asked, do not forget to ask to be led to your future workplace.
Fuuuh. There were many questions. And the answers to all questions will take a lot of time. If there is a desire, you can transfer these questions to the recruiter and ask to answer these questions via email. But personally, I would not do that. Firstly, the logic is as follows: “they want to hire me, they spend my time for an interview, let them spend a little of their own.” Secondly, if you asked so many questions to a recruiter, manager or future colleague, you will be impressed as a candidate who is really interested in this vacancy. And this is better than a much slurred answer to the recruiter’s hypothetical question “Why do you want to work in our company?” And certainly you will be distinguished from other candidates. And this will increase the likelihood of a positive decision on your candidacy.