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I always ask my go-to "red flag" question to all my interviewers. Remember that you are the one that determines what red flags even mean. This works on everyone

I always ask my go-to "red flag" question to all my interviewers. Remember that you are the one that determines what red flags even mean. This works on everyone but the CEO: "If you could change one thing without veto, what would it be?" If the person describes a technical problem, that's usually a good sign. Long silence is usually good (but can also be a very bad sign if they just can't pick one thing). Trivial nitpicks are a good sign. Any complaints about communication are a very big red flag. Also any complaints about leadership. Obviously, if the problem your interviewer describes is repeated by any other interviewers, that is a big, red flag. Piece of advice when firing this atomic weapon at your interviewer: Do not fill the silence while they think with any talk. Let them think. Let the silence hang. That makes people more likely to dig deep for something they really don't like.

JoshTriplett 11y ago
If you were the interviewer, how would you answer that question yourself?
- fapjacks 11y ago
  I think I know where you're going, but the point of this question is that it is unexpected, which demands honesty from people in most cases. You can't trust a recruiter's answer, but if you're a programmer being interviewed by programmers, you can usually trust the answers.
  - JoshTriplett 11y ago
    > I think I know where you're going No, I was genuinely interested in the answer. I wanted to see examples of how someone might answer the question. > You can't trust a recruiter's answer, but if you're a programmer being interviewed by programmers, you can usually trust the answers. I'd also be interested in the answer to that question from a first-line or second-line manager. Whether they answered it honestly or not, the answer would likely be helpful as part of the interview.
    - fapjacks 11y ago
      Oh! If someone asked me that question, I would describe the one change I would like to implement the most! You're exactly right, there are a few things you can measure with this question.
Ologn 11y ago
> "If you could change one thing without veto, what would it be?" > Any complaints about communication are a very big red flag. Also any complaints about leadership. Obviously, if the problem your interviewer describes is repeated by any other interviewers, that is a big, red flag. I agree. When they ask me what questions I have for them, one of my first ones is "What would you say is the most positive aspect, or aspects of working here, and what would you say is one of the biggest challenges". As he said, if (check) the answer is "communication challenges" and (check) you hear this from two or three people, that's definitely a red flag. Another thing is if you are scheduled for an interview at 3 PM, and you are kept waiting for half an hour, and are then told that a fire came up they had to take care of, or they're disorganized and the interview fell through the cracks - and then they tell you one of the main people you had to talk to is not there and that you'll have to come back to talk to them - that sort of thing is obviously a red flag too.

JoshTriplett 11y ago

If you were the interviewer, how would you answer that question yourself?

fapjacks 11y ago
I think I know where you're going, but the point of this question is that it is unexpected, which demands honesty from people in most cases. You can't trust a recruiter's answer, but if you're a programmer being interviewed by programmers, you can usually trust the answers.
- JoshTriplett 11y ago
  > I think I know where you're going No, I was genuinely interested in the answer. I wanted to see examples of how someone might answer the question. > You can't trust a recruiter's answer, but if you're a programmer being interviewed by programmers, you can usually trust the answers. I'd also be interested in the answer to that question from a first-line or second-line manager. Whether they answered it honestly or not, the answer would likely be helpful as part of the interview.
  - fapjacks 11y ago
    Oh! If someone asked me that question, I would describe the one change I would like to implement the most! You're exactly right, there are a few things you can measure with this question.

Ologn 11y ago

> "If you could change one thing without veto, what would it be?" > Any complaints about communication are a very big red flag. Also any complaints about leadership. Obviously, if the problem your interviewer describes is repeated by any other interviewers, that is a big, red flag. I agree. When they ask me what questions I have for them, one of my first ones is "What would you say is the most positive aspect, or aspects of working here, and what would you say is one of the biggest challenges". As he said, if (check) the answer is "communication challenges" and (check) you hear this from two or three people, that's definitely a red flag. Another thing is if you are scheduled for an interview at 3 PM, and you are kept waiting for half an hour, and are then told that a fire came up they had to take care of, or they're disorganized and the interview fell through the cracks - and then they tell you one of the main people you had to talk to is not there and that you'll have to come back to talk to them - that sort of thing is obviously a red flag too.