Things to look out for around the interview

Question

I've been at the same (large) company for nearly ten years, so am somewhat institutionalised about working practices and environment. I see lots of blogs (and SO questions) about interview questions and protocol, but I haven't seen any talking about what to look out for in the company around the interview.

I recently read the joelonsoftware article on the Bionic Office and thought "Hmm that's nice, I wouldn't mind working somewhere like that". I also recently read Blink which has a section about how well you can judge someone by looking at where they live. If that is the case, I guess the same must be true for companies?

So what are the things a Developer should look out for outside the interview room that would give you a more positive (or negative) opinion of the place?

I can think of obvious environmental factors, e.g. from the blog:

• Decent hardware
• Good food/drinks facilities
• Natural lighting (without glare)
• Well maintained offices
• Quiet places to sit and think
• Plenty of whiteboards
• Meeting/breakout areas

What else should I be looking out for?

Answer 1

Rich supply of tissue. Seriously.

Answer 2

If you interview for a position involving software development you can ask questions on various components of Joel Test and similar topics. I guess if you ask about source control and they ask "What control?" that's an indicator.

Answer 3

coffee machine, of course

Answer 4

Look for happy developers.

Answer 5

Collection of books. With this, you can know whether the company is willing to spend on reading materials for the developers. Multiple copies per book is a plus.

Answer 6

I recently interviewed at a large software firm in Seattle. There were a couple of fascinating things that stuck out during my interview process:

1. The culture within each of the buildings I interviewed in, was somewhat different. From the lighting, to the layout, to the room sizes. Being the large company that this was, none of them were bad. But there were definitely some that felt more "me" than others.

2. The clothes that people wore in each of the buildings really were an important part of defining how I felt about each. I know we are in the business of software, where you wear whatever you want (not entirely true: I worked at a large bank for a summer. Had to wear a suit for 12 hours a day while I wrote code. With TIE! Was quite a deal breaker in what would otherwise have been a great place to work)

3. The number and size of windows. I know, its just me. But having more windows in the room makes me feel just positive

Answer 7

I find the metric is ...

Monitor size = looking after developers

(you need to sum the size of multiple monitors)

Answer 8

Ergonomic chairs!

Answer 9

I know talk of equipment, facilities are all great things to consider, but you should seriously consider what the people you work with look like they're enjoying themselves. Does the company look like a political mess, or do you see people actually using the meeting rooms, and holding conversations, and solving problems together, or does everyone just look like a drone fulfilling their set role.

Whenever I go to an interview, I always ask what the interviewer likes best about the company, and what their least favorite thing is. If the person hiring can't justify why their working their themselves, then it's hardly worth you're time.