Listen to this. Tell the interviewer that he has a some shit on his face, gesturing toward the location on your own face. Observe his reaction very carefully, it tells you everything you need to know about a person. If he is genuinely grateful then that is someone who will be a loyal boss and potentially friend. If he acts defensively or if it puts him off in any way then he's a phony racist liberal and his company will fail.
Ask HN: Interview tomorrow – How to learn whether an org is “healthy”?
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Re: Ask HN: Interview tomorrow – How to learn whether an org is “healthy”?
#92OP is going to talk, have a look, hopefully agree and sign a contract with people he already knows. It's a good position because, whatever rat he can smell, there is a chance both parties are willing to deal with through a written agreement. Good luck!
Re: Ask HN: Interview tomorrow – How to learn whether an org is “healthy”?
#93Earlier quoted context omitted.
That is incredible insight. I hope the OP listens to this advice as there are several signs of a toxic organizations and is probably ignoring them on the hope that it not.
I'm told the manager in question knows of his/her shortcomings. I need to learn whether an improvement plan was ever installed & the results (thus far) of that plan. To be clear - I haven't detected any really toxic behavior. It just seems like a good-faith hire didn't work out.
why not ask to see the performance improvement plan and results? They should have documented the issues as they were unfolding specifically for a retrospective like this.
Re: Ask HN: Interview tomorrow – How to learn whether an org is “healthy”?
#94Worry less about "organizational health" and more about "organizational fit". "Healthy" can mean different things to different people. Some employees care primarily about work/life balance, and being able to sneak out early on Fridays to hit the slopes. (I'm looking at you, entire state of Colorado.) Others want a high-pressure, high-reward environment, where their colleagues live up to the same high standards they e…
Got it. Added to the list. Thank you!
Re: Ask HN: Interview tomorrow – How to learn whether an org is “healthy”?
#95Earlier quoted context omitted.
If fixing that is your core skill, I expect you'd look for that kind of job.
I'm a product lead not a technical lead, but in that domain I prefer roles where the situation is dysfunctional. If everything is working well enough then management don't want a troubleshooter. If things are broken then there's a challenge in figuring out what's wrong, who needs to talk to who, who is making the situation worse ...
I'm also a product lead. Plus, I've seen enough problem organizations over the years to yearn for a fixer-upper opportunity. It's an art.
Re: Ask HN: Interview tomorrow – How to learn whether an org is “healthy”?
#96Re: Ask HN: Interview tomorrow – How to learn whether an org is “healthy”?
#97Having been in a similar position before, here's my questions and considerations. 1. Why are they looking externally for a candidate instead of an internal candidate that is more familiar and has a track record with the company than a brand new leader? 2. What were the specific expectations of the incumbent leader and how long have they been in the position? Someone needs to explain what happened and realize that thi…
4 superb questions. You made the list. :)
Re: Ask HN: Interview tomorrow – How to learn whether an org is “healthy”?
#98I understand what you're looking for and certainly can relate! Here is a counterpoint:
As a lead, are you not confident that you can bring a circle of health with you? Influence and change the environment as you see necessary?
Re: Ask HN: Interview tomorrow – How to learn whether an org is “healthy”?
#99Hum... How many managers are there in in this company? I can be wrong because you don't say it explicitely, but I have the feeling from your writings that they are numerous, compared to the small numbers of total employees.
Re: Ask HN: Interview tomorrow – How to learn whether an org is “healthy”?
#100Really good advice here. I would sum it up in 2 points:
- Observe and engage with the employees. Asks them tough questions, you specifically want to gauge how passionate are they about the work they are doing not about working for the company per se. - Go beyond the shallow layer (perks, brand, office...) and see whether is a company where people get up in the morning looking forward to get great stuff done or a company where people can't stop looking at the clock.
I have been in companies where everything seems to be great surface level: tons of perks, WFH, free food... But then nobody seems to be excited about the work itself.