Why this is for you
An interview runs both ways, though it rarely feels that way to a beginner. A bad first job costs you a year: with no mentor and tasks like "change the text on this page", you won't grow.
Questions are also assessed. A candidate who asks about the process looks more grown-up than one who nods in silence.
About the work
What will I be doing in the first three months? The most useful question. "Oh, various tasks" is a bad sign.
Who will help me? You need a specific person, not "the team will chip in".
What does an ordinary day look like? How much coding, how many meetings, how much waiting.
What counts as success during probation? With no criteria, the assessment will run on feelings.
About the process
Is there code review? For a beginner it's the main source of growth. Without it you'll grow slowly.
How does work get released? Automatically, or by hand at night. The second says a lot about the team's maturity.
Are there tests? Not as a checkbox: their presence decides whether you'll fear every change.
What do you do when something breaks in production? The answer shows whether there's a culture of analysis or of finding someone to blame.
About people
How many people are on the team, and at what level? A team of only beginners is bad: there's nobody to learn from.
Who left most recently, and why? An awkward question whose answer tells you more than the rest.
How often do you work late? "Occasionally" is fine. "We're all passionate here" is a warning.
About you
What gave you pause in my CV? A chance to address it right now.
What would have to happen for you to say a year from now that you weren't wrong about me? A good question, after which the conversation usually warms.
Answers that should worry you
- "We're like a family" — often means blurred boundaries and unpaid overtime.
- "The tasks vary, always something new" — usually means there's no process.
- "No mentor, but everyone's friendly" — there'll be nobody to learn from.
- Irritation in response to a question about overtime.
- An inability to say what you'd do in your first month.
How many to ask
Three or four. Not twenty — that's an interrogation. Pick the ones whose answers will genuinely affect your decision.
And ask sincerely. A memorised list from an article is as visible as a memorised story about yourself.
Хватит читать — пора делать
На CohortX можно найти команду под пет-проект и получить тот самый опыт, о котором спрашивают на собеседовании.
Похожие статьи
- Fifteen SQL queries you'll be asked at an interviewStandard problems with notes on what each one tests, and the places beginners get them wrong.
- Пятнадцать запросов SQL, которые спросят на собеседованииТиповые задачи с пояснениями, что именно проверяет каждая, и разбор мест, где новички ошибаются.
- Online interviews: setup and preparationWhat to check before the call, how to behave on camera, and what to do when the connection fails at the worst moment.