Ask HN: Tools or sites you use to scope out a workplace before taking a job? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Tools or sites you use to scope out a workplace before taking a job?

#41

Post by danpalmer » Fri, Mar 01, 2019, 6:05 PM UTC

bjornlouser wrote: post #6

Don't give notice yet. Instead, take a week of vacation and start the new job during that week. Make your official decision during afternoon tea on Sunday.

Yeah this is quite difficult to do legally in the U.K. for tax reasons. Fun idea, but very impractical.

Re: Ask HN: Tools or sites you use to scope out a workplace before taking a job?

#42

Post by fenwick67 » Fri, Mar 01, 2019, 6:08 PM UTC

toomuchtodo wrote: post #5

Glassdoor, LinkedIn, and emailing previous employees. Current employees aren’t going to give you the low down.

How do you get names and contact info for previous employees?

Re: Ask HN: Tools or sites you use to scope out a workplace before taking a job?

#43

Post by JohnFen » Fri, Mar 01, 2019, 6:17 PM UTC

Chloro wrote: post #37

JohnFen wrote: post #34

Here's the core of what I do: I pore over their website, and do web searches on the company and the company's top executives. If I don't personally know anyone who works for (or used to work for) them, then I hit up my professional contacts to see if I can find someone who does. I then ask those people about their day-to-day experience at the company. I make sure to ask, at a minimum, both what they consider great ab…

You make it sound like it a marriage or something. If you don't like it you can always leave. That's worked for me so far.

Indeed you can. But if I want short-term work, I take contracts. If I'm looking for a permanent job, I'm specifically looking for some place that I'll be for years. So it is a bit like marriage in that sense.

Also, it's not a great look on your CV when you've only been at a non-contract job for a very short time.

Re: Ask HN: Tools or sites you use to scope out a workplace before taking a job?

#44

Post by claylimo » Fri, Mar 01, 2019, 6:24 PM UTC

Search GitHub for any code repos with the company name (or abbreviations/acronym of the company name) to see if you can get a heads up on what the code challenge may be.

Re: Ask HN: Tools or sites you use to scope out a workplace before taking a job?

#45

Post by ArlenBales » Fri, Mar 01, 2019, 6:29 PM UTC

Chloro wrote: post #37

JohnFen wrote: post #34

Here's the core of what I do: I pore over their website, and do web searches on the company and the company's top executives. If I don't personally know anyone who works for (or used to work for) them, then I hit up my professional contacts to see if I can find someone who does. I then ask those people about their day-to-day experience at the company. I make sure to ask, at a minimum, both what they consider great ab…

You make it sound like it a marriage or something. If you don't like it you can always leave. That's worked for me so far.

Spending a bit of time to do research on a job, versus going through the hiring process, possible relocation, training and team familiarization, and all the physical and mental stress involved - only to find out you don't fit and then going through the exit process.

Re: Ask HN: Tools or sites you use to scope out a workplace before taking a job?

#46

Post by ummonk » Fri, Mar 01, 2019, 6:32 PM UTC

Blind is really invaluable for getting the inside scoop at companies large enough to have an active presence on that app.

Re: Ask HN: Tools or sites you use to scope out a workplace before taking a job?

#47

Post by the_jeremy » Fri, Mar 01, 2019, 6:33 PM UTC

cyrux004 wrote: post #39

Blind app. Lots of users now from different companies

Do you actually find the blind app useful? Most of my experience has been that it's "4chan-lite".

Someone posted asking for the best way to let a friend down easy and tell them they weren't romantically interested. Top response: "Bang his roommate."

Re: Ask HN: Tools or sites you use to scope out a workplace before taking a job?

#48

Post by geezerjay » Fri, Mar 01, 2019, 6:36 PM UTC

toomuchtodo wrote: post #33

devrod wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is very unprofessional and a great way to burn your bridges.

Not all bridges have equal value.

To an employer, the employee's track record provides insight on the behavior they can expect from him.

Re: Ask HN: Tools or sites you use to scope out a workplace before taking a job?

#49

Post by itamarst » Fri, Mar 01, 2019, 6:38 PM UTC

You can (sometimes) use GitHub to figure out if the company has bad work/life balance, e.g. if you see lots of employees committing code on the weekend on the same dates: https://codewithoutrules.com/2019/01/31/does-company-have-wo...

Re: Ask HN: Tools or sites you use to scope out a workplace before taking a job?

#50

Post by wolco » Fri, Mar 01, 2019, 6:39 PM UTC

kamikaz1k wrote: post #10

bjornlouser wrote: post #6

Don't give notice yet. Instead, take a week of vacation and start the new job during that week. Make your official decision during afternoon tea on Sunday.

I'm pretty sure there's issues with holding two jobs at the same time. Have you done this? And do you just rely on people not finding out?

I've done this a number of times, last time 9 months.

Going on vacation for a week and starting a new job is very difficult to time. You come back give two weeks and have to work really hard transfering knowledge just when you need to be learning everything new job related.