I have been thinking again about the process of interviewing from both a the interviewer and interviewee.

I was talking to someone the other day about a pending interview they were going to have and I mentioned that they should treat it as a chance to decide whether they wanted to work for the company and less about whether the company would hire them. The theory being that if you got through the resume filters they are pretty sure they would tolerate having you work for them and are just doing a check to see the organizational fit and whether you are trying to snow job them on your resume. I don’t remember the questions I suggested, but here is a slightly more thought out list.

  • Pay frequency
  • When if first pay cheque
  • Is there a career ladder
  • What is the employee turnover
  • What is the burn rate
  • Education / training budget
  • What are crunches like
  • Average amount of overtime
  • Ability to work from home
  • Is home internet connection subsidized
  • Company leash (cell, pager)
  • Measurable objectives
  • Bonus calculation
  • Eligible for current year’s bonus
  • Vacation carryover rules
  • Benefits availability
  • Benefit eligibility period
  • Travel requirements
  • Expense policy
  • Corporate CC
  • How projects are tracked
  • What bug system
  • How is time tracked
  • General time policies
  • What a typical release looks like
  • Interesting projects in the 6 – 12 month timeframe
  • Composition of group you are interviewing for
  • Office hours
  • Dress code
  • Guiding philosophies of organization
  • Resistance of company to change
  • Role of self in company now, 1 month, 6 month, 12 month

Most, if not all of the above are all about me style questions. Just because you get an offer does not mean you have to take it if the answers to the above do not meet your expectations. If your list is not well developed you might find yourself in a place that wants you, but you don’t want to be.

What’s on your list?