Reverse Tech Interview: Questions to Stump an Interviewer

Few people want to get into an uncomfortable environment or an unprofitable company with no prospects. If you’re wondering how to get a real feel for a company during an interview, you’re welcome. I’ll give you a list of questions that interviewers don’t usually expect; maybe it will help someone make the right move when looking for a dev job.

Hi, everyone, I want to bring up the topic of hiring at tech companies. I'm going to talk about it from the perspective of the candidate, not the employer. Because the interview, contrary to many stereotypes, is a two-way process - not only can the interviewer ask questions, but also the applicant themselves. I conducted a decent number of interviews, and the vast majority of candidates upset me by their absence of questions about the company; only 5 people began asking me about the actual job.

I believe that the candidate themselves should ask questions at the interview since they are going to work at the company. The standard job description makes it impossible to understand what goes on in a company, and it is a common practice for recruiters to sugarcoat things a bit.

I'll start with a block of general questions to help figure out what the company does.

• How does the company make money?
• What kind of business model does it have?

If they can't answer that, then there's a good chance they don't make any money at all.

If it's a startup, it's appropriate to ask about investors.

• At what stage is the project? Can you show me the product?

It's not a good sign if they can't answer these questions, especially citing the NDA; it's probably not about that at all. These questions have nothing to do with revealing trade secrets.

Questions about the attitude toward employees in the company.

• Do you have a system for promotions?
• When was the last time you promoted someone or gave a bonus?
• What are your criteria for that?

If they can't answer, then they either don't understand or don't appreciate the benefits that employees bring to the table. Everyone can say, "Yes, we do," but the specific criteria are usually more important.

Another block of questions concerns something equally important: Management.

• What would be my first tasks if I work for you?
• Do you have an onboarding process?

If you are not given a clear plan, it is likely that you will be overwhelmed with random tasks and that's it; do not expect any onboarding.

• For what reasons do you terminate employment?

There should be clear, not vague criteria, so that you don't end up getting fired for some trivial reason or because someone just doesn't like you.

• How are disputes resolved in the work process?
• What exactly do you do in such cases?

If they examine the facts, gather feedback - that's good.

If there's no objective response, there's a high chance that you will always lose these disputes by default.

More questions about the workflow and team environment.

• How is the work process structured?
• How would I interact with other team members in the process?
• Can I see the task manager?

If they merely say that they practice agile development, perhaps there isn’t a structured process, but chaos.

Pay attention to how people in the company are treated, and whether respect is shown to employees. For example, if an interviewer gets distracted by a message or question during an interview and leaves abruptly without an apology, this is a red flag.

And one more aspect: be sure to ask for feedback after the interview. If they can't provide it, maybe it’s for the best that you didn't commit to working there.

Recruiters are usually unprepared for such an array of questions, so try to notify them in advance that you want to ask detailed questions about the company. Otherwise, there may not be enough time for that. I don’t encourage you to interrogate the recruiter or ask all these questions; acting appropriately, it may suffice to ask just a few questions.

You would be surprised how many people can't answer these questions. And remember, you are not being sentenced to penal labor; you are choosing a place where you will spend nearly a third of your life, it should be comfortable for you.