Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Interview questions to ask your interviewer

daveceddia.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

181–183 of 183 posts

Re: Interview questions to ask your interviewer

#181

Post by anitil »

oceanplexian wrote: post #112
anitil wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been sprung with these before. Usually trivial, unenforceable issues, but annoying none the less. The worst was I once even had a background check _after_ accepting and signing. Nothing came up, but that could have left me with no job and no recourse. How do you avoid this? It's a particular kind of institutional trickery that may not even be intentional but is very frustrating.

In the US employment is at-will, so it's sort of a moot point. Sure they can fire you because of something on your background check, but they could also fire you 3 days after starting because the manager doesn't like you. Short of a serious felony conviction it's unlikely to come up, and if it does discuss it or move on to thousand of other companies.

Oh I should have added this is in Australia.

And yes you can move on, but you're still in an unnecessary position (looking for work while not employed) through no fault of your own.

Re: Interview questions to ask your interviewer

#182

Post by jollybean »

mabbo wrote: post #174
jollybean wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The questions in the article are decent. This one 'what steps would I need to take to get my next promotion?' - this is probably not the right way to ask the question. The implication is that 'promotion' is kind of like progress you'd see in school, i.e. you get to stage 1, then 2 then 3 with increasing responsibility, experience and comp. But reality is not like that, the company is interested in creating products,…

I think you and I have worked at very different companies. In large organizations, typically, promotions come from proving you are working at a given level. It's not a competition at all. Promotion also doesn't mean "becoming the manager"- I mean promotion to a higher level as an individual contributor. Junior Dev, Senior Dev, Staff Dev, etc. And the question was very well received when I asked it.

"It's not a competition at all."

It's absolutely a competition. The thresholds for promotion resonate around capabilities designed at certain thresholds. The organization is a pyramid, they are not going to just promote everyone along a tract, even if it's not managerial.

And, very few companies have seriously well developed tracts for technical staff. There are 'bands' within every company surely, but most of the world is not like the FAANGS in this regard.

Re: Interview questions to ask your interviewer

#183

Post by mrtranscendence »

blahyawnblah wrote: post #36
mrtranscendence wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of my former coworkers who's an absolutely huge Apple guy recently left for another job. When I asked him whether he could use a Mac he told me he didn't know and hadn't asked ... he must've really wanted that job. Or really hated his old one. I'd take a job that let me use Linux, but I too am a Mac guy at heart. I had a short stint on Windows not long ago and hated it. Where I work now they'll give developers Ma…

Windows with WSL2 is great. Have you tried that? VSCode can run from WSL2 and have access to its file system

When I was on Windows I did try WSL, but I had problems with the corporate VPN/proxy. IIRC I essentially had no network connectivity from the WSL side.

Edit: Thinking about it some more, I believe I was able to get WSL1 to work but not WSL2, unfortunately.

Post reply on HN