5 ms·

Here's an interview question I always ask that has worked pretty well: "If you could wave a wand and instantly change one thing about this company/job/team, wh

Here's an interview question I always ask that has worked pretty well: "If you could wave a wand and instantly change one thing about this company/job/team, what would it be?" This is similar to "what is wrong" but frames it in a positive light, so people are more open and creative. If the answer is anything about people "I wish communication was better", "It would help if more people were on board for this project", "A change in management wouldn't hurt, haha j/k" etc. That's a red flag. If it's about non-people "I wish we didn't have so much legacy code", "I would love it if we could get our testing setup better", "There are no good places to get coffee around" that's a good sign that aren't major people problems. If they can't think of one, that's a real cause for concern! This is one of my favorite questions in general because what people wish for tells a lot in many ways about the major problems, but without people begin guarded. They're fantasizing not venting.

f0rfun 11y ago
Can you explain why if it's anything about people, it's a red flag? If anything, the social aspect of a job is equally or more important in my search for a job.
- ridgeguy 11y ago
  Don't know wrt the OP, but I think people problems are much more difficult to remedy than problems rooted in technology.
nunez 11y ago
This is a great question...in theory. The problem with it (at least in my experience) is that most people don't know how to answer this, so they'll give the most generic stuff they can conjure at the top of their mind. Furthermore, your interviewers aren't given any incentives to telling you what they really think, and they are much less likely to tell you something negative about the position when put on the spot like that. That said, I usually ask this question when I can't think of what I really want to ask. :)
headconnect 11y ago
This is quite close to what happened with my first job, which was also my first experience with interviews. The difference of course is that I didn't have the insight to ask the right questions, however that didn't pose a problem because the first thing the CEO said to me basically answered exactly this. After two rounds with the person who would become my boss, I proceeded to the third round on one simple basis: I still had no clue about what the company actually did (information logistics. Obvious?). I also had no clear picture of what I would be doing, only generic expectations. So I proceed to the third round, sitting in the room with my headhunter (which was absurd in itself at the time), and the CEO opens the door, walks in, and exclaimed in frustration: I fucking hate teflon heads. At that point, I immediately knew this was the job for me, whatever it was. For me, at the time, only a few things were truly clear: this place had serious problems, the attitude of the management was not in line with that of the employees (seemed clear even without having meet a single individual), and there was a serious gap between the managements goal and the organization's ability to execute. To be honest, all that went on mainly in my subconscious, at the time I told myself that this place is in such deep shit that I can't possibly fuck it up any further. It turned out to be the right call, the organization was blowing in changing winds, and the current (20) employees were doing their best to maintain business as usual rather than business as necessary. Due to the chaos and my initial understanding of the situation,i quickly progressed and ensured that whatever I did, I would be making clear and firm decisions in line with what was needed to achieve the main goals, regardless of whether or not it was my mandate to make those decisions or not. I realize that this could all have gone the wrong way as well, I could be permanently suck implementing new customers in Cobol (new from scratch Cobol code in 2007), but instead I pushed for complete and fundamental change. Such is the path to architecture, led through example, confidence and communication. For the rest of the interview, the CEO continued to deliver the same canned pitch of what the company did, with minimal interest, just wanting to sign and get it over with. That first sign of weakness was enough to predict what kind of troubles I would be facing. I went eyes open into a troubled organization, and stick with it for seven intense (but moderately happy/frustrating) years. Wouldn't trade that experience for anything, but at the same time I would never recommend that company as an employer to anyone. I now know that I can thrive in this kind of negative situation and improve it for everyone involved, do what would be a clear red flag to some seeking a simple happy path is an open invitation to me. All in all an extremely rewarding adventure, filled with challenges of every type at every turn.
krisdol 11y ago
This might be true for a software engineer role at most companies, but if you're seeking a management role, especially if you're to be the first manager at a startup, then you're probably being hired specifically to address these people problems.

f0rfun 11y ago

Can you explain why if it's anything about people, it's a red flag? If anything, the social aspect of a job is equally or more important in my search for a job.

ridgeguy 11y ago
Don't know wrt the OP, but I think people problems are much more difficult to remedy than problems rooted in technology.

nunez 11y ago

This is a great question...in theory. The problem with it (at least in my experience) is that most people don't know how to answer this, so they'll give the most generic stuff they can conjure at the top of their mind. Furthermore, your interviewers aren't given any incentives to telling you what they really think, and they are much less likely to tell you something negative about the position when put on the spot like that. That said, I usually ask this question when I can't think of what I really want to ask. :)

headconnect 11y ago

This is quite close to what happened with my first job, which was also my first experience with interviews. The difference of course is that I didn't have the insight to ask the right questions, however that didn't pose a problem because the first thing the CEO said to me basically answered exactly this. After two rounds with the person who would become my boss, I proceeded to the third round on one simple basis: I still had no clue about what the company actually did (information logistics. Obvious?). I also had no clear picture of what I would be doing, only generic expectations. So I proceed to the third round, sitting in the room with my headhunter (which was absurd in itself at the time), and the CEO opens the door, walks in, and exclaimed in frustration: I fucking hate teflon heads. At that point, I immediately knew this was the job for me, whatever it was. For me, at the time, only a few things were truly clear: this place had serious problems, the attitude of the management was not in line with that of the employees (seemed clear even without having meet a single individual), and there was a serious gap between the managements goal and the organization's ability to execute. To be honest, all that went on mainly in my subconscious, at the time I told myself that this place is in such deep shit that I can't possibly fuck it up any further. It turned out to be the right call, the organization was blowing in changing winds, and the current (20) employees were doing their best to maintain business as usual rather than business as necessary. Due to the chaos and my initial understanding of the situation,i quickly progressed and ensured that whatever I did, I would be making clear and firm decisions in line with what was needed to achieve the main goals, regardless of whether or not it was my mandate to make those decisions or not. I realize that this could all have gone the wrong way as well, I could be permanently suck implementing new customers in Cobol (new from scratch Cobol code in 2007), but instead I pushed for complete and fundamental change. Such is the path to architecture, led through example, confidence and communication. For the rest of the interview, the CEO continued to deliver the same canned pitch of what the company did, with minimal interest, just wanting to sign and get it over with. That first sign of weakness was enough to predict what kind of troubles I would be facing. I went eyes open into a troubled organization, and stick with it for seven intense (but moderately happy/frustrating) years. Wouldn't trade that experience for anything, but at the same time I would never recommend that company as an employer to anyone. I now know that I can thrive in this kind of negative situation and improve it for everyone involved, do what would be a clear red flag to some seeking a simple happy path is an open invitation to me. All in all an extremely rewarding adventure, filled with challenges of every type at every turn.

krisdol 11y ago

This might be true for a software engineer role at most companies, but if you're seeking a management role, especially if you're to be the first manager at a startup, then you're probably being hired specifically to address these people problems.