Should i ask the interviewer if i can speak to other developers?

Question

I've always thought that whether I loved or hated a role that I would be objective enough to help out a fellow dev if he ever wanted general info about a workplace/role - say he was in for an interview/walkthru.

As a job seeker, is (1) ok to ask the interviewer/company for permission to contact devs to ask them questions or (2) in a walkthru is it ok to just cold-ask other staff questions about how the workplace runs (general/social/business/technical)? Is this rude or OK? Should it be encouraged? I just want to know how to get that inside info that the interviewer might hide.

What is ok? What is not? What have you tried in the past that has/not worked?

Answer 1

Absolutely yes, to both questions.

1) Talk with other developers helps estimate what kind of folks they are. If asked right questions, you can estimate what level of proficiency they possess. Ask what books they read, what blogs they follow, what projects they do. Whether they like their job, whether they look motivated and many other things.

2) Ask for a walk through their space. See in what conditions they work, either they have small rooms where they productively work or do they all sit in open plan rooms where programmers sit next to telemarketers and phonies. Look whether people look happy and friendly or they seem close and nervous. Look what equipment they have, modern big LCDs or 10 years old CRT monitors. You can get a pretty good impression of how you are going to feel most days if you accept the job.

Asking for both is not rude. It's your right to get an authentic impression of the place rather than just a talk. Refusing you one or the other thing (or both) is what can be considered really rude.

Answer 2

Yes in 1999 and 2004-5. No now.

Answer 3

Really you'd be remiss not to ask. The developers will be your coworkers -- knowing what it will be like to work with them is just as important as understanding your role at the company.

Answer 4

1 - yes, and treat a "no" answer as suspicious 2 - probably not, ask the interviewer first if it's ok to do so, again treat a no as suspicious

Additionally, a really good employer will invite you out in a social setting to meet people prior to you accepting an offer. This is unusual, but a VERY good sign.

Answer 5

(1) Yes, absolutely. (2) Yes, this is rude. Yes, it should be encouraged :)

Just keep in mind, do you have access and the info you need to follow through? Also remember you'll get different answers from different kinds of Developers. Some are using the methodologies they love; some are less pleased and will put a negative spin on it when it might be great, and vice-versa.

Answer 6

From my experience, when I kindly asked the interviewer to talk with a few coders or would-be-team mates, they were happy to help (I always asked only after knowing I was wanted for the job, as as not to waste anyone's time).

I think it would look weird to just try and ask people you see around, without telling the interviewer it's important for you to do so.

Is it a good idea? Of course! I'd even say it's a must.

Answer 7

Yes! You are (or ought to be) interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing you. You don't OWE a company to do work for them - you come to an agreement and it ought to be as good for you as it is for them.

Answer 8

I think it is ok but at the same time you do not want to appear rude. So I wouldn't ask questions negatively "Are the management here made up of idiots?". But I would want to talk to them about the work they do.

I think if the interviewers want to prevent you from talking to other staff members then that's a red flag, and it does not take long to determine if the persons you are talking to are happy without asking direct questions. So lets say you talk about the development environment and their use of version control and other seemingly innocuous things. You might get "we might use that if management wasn't a bunch of idiots" and there..you have your answer.

Answer 9

From my experience it is generally ok to ask around. It is somehow more encouraged and socially accepted at my workplace for management/senior staff to do this.

I would not accept a job offer without some basic knowlegde about the different aspects that you refer to. The social part is very important to me. It makes all the difference to me.

Actually i would be so bold as to say that if i was applying for a position at a company which prohibited this, i'd take my CV elsewhere. The image of a company should be open and welcoming, instead of closed and hostile. Unless you're applying to develop some of the world's most secret nuclear detonator.

When being interviewed at a couple of places it has even been encouraged that i take some time to talk to the teamleader, the developer in charge of introduction and so on. The way this is done sometimes is really helpful for recruiters as well as they, working as a group can get a very broad assessment of me. Recruiters ask me silly questions and get silly answers (in my opinion being the technician i am), where as developers/technical staff ask me, and answers me in words i can relate to.

I live in Sweden and conditions can be very different to other parts of the world. But this is my opinion on the matter.

Answer 10

Management summary: ask and watch the response closely.

Long version: I do pretty much insist (in a polite fashion) on meeting my future teammates if I go on an interview and it progresses to the more advanced face-to-face interviews. Human interaction is a funny thing and developers aren't exactly ego-less so any hiring manager worth her or his weight will almost forcibly introduce you to the other team members first to see if there are obvious incompatibilities.

As someone who has been a team lead/manager at various points in his career, I would be a little suspicious if a candidate didn't want to meet with the rest of the team at some point during the interview process. This immediately suggests that they either don't care much about where and with whom they work - never a good sign - or that they are so disinterested in the social interaction that goes with working in a team that there's a problem waiting to happen. Of course, both suspicions can be completely wrong but you have to keep in mind that hiring is a process of elimination and if I am lacking any positive indicators I must assume that their absence is a negative. This might not be fair to the person being interviewed but I can't get into your skull and see what's inside. Well, not legally at least.

In fact, the best hiring results I have seen (but also the longest hiring process this side of Google) was with teams where every member was part of the interview process so everybody got to talk to the candidate. This will draw out the hiring process as you get more people vetoing candidates but on the other hand, if they feel they can't work with them in the first place, you're not doing anybody a favour by forcing them on the team.

Any hiring manager who tries to keep you away from their team is either more worried that you'll poach his developers (why? Is it that crap a place to work for) or has something to hide. In my experience it's likely to be the latter, which is why I never take this a as good sign. One time when I couldn't meet the rest of the team because they "were in a different location", it turned out that this wasn't the only reason that I shouldn't meet them before signing on the dotted line.

Always keep in mind that you'll spend at least as much time with your coworker as you do with your significant other/family, so be choosy in a way you can't always be with family.

Answer 11

1: Yes; definitely! Ask politely and let the interviewer know of your intentions in advance. In fact, I would say that this is a very positive action! It signals that that you're genuinely interested and that you're not afraid to communicate. It's a strength in character.

2: In most cases this is probably fine as well, but I would be sure to ask the interviewer in advance. It can probably, in some cases, be considered rude. I guess it depends on the circumstances. If you do get to talk to other developers during your walk-through, I would be careful not to ask questions to emphasize some strong personal preference ("religion" and "politics") - you never know who might disagree with you and how they'll react.

In both cases; carefully assess the situation and and think before you speak. You want to verbalize yourself to strengthen a positive impression so, keep your questions "clean" and respect the norms.

PS: Personally, as a "non-interviewer", I love talking to people while they're on their walk-through! I get to know them a bit in advance and, I know a bit more what to expect once they're on-site. Then again, I guess that's more of a personal trait than anything else :)

Answer 12

I would flip it around. If the interview process does not include a meeting with the developers, without management or HR in the room, it is a major strike against the company. If you only get to meet with one developer ( unless the team is tiny) it is probably an issue as well.

Answer 13

Well, as I've found out the hard way, you should always get the max data possible about your future employer. If I were you, I'd really get as much info as possible, even if that meant asking one or two questions during the interview: employers are after the best devs, but you should also have the right to decide if you want to work for a company...asking questions to the interviewer and checking for reactions/answers might be a good way of getting the info you need to decide if you really want to work there.

Answer 14

I always ask this to the interviewer. "What do you like about your job? / Why are you working here?" You cant imagine all the insight you get with that, unexpectedly, in my experience, people tend to be surprisingly honest when answering that and if they aren't the question takes them out of balance so you can always tell when they are lying if they are =)

Also, asking something unexpected (in a good way) makes people remember you (think it as a Mnemonic). Part of my job responsibilities is interviewing developers all the time. And believe me, when you have 2 candidates with the same skill level you always pick the one that seamed the wittiest and 9 out of 10 times it happens to be the one you remember the best.

I remember one guy once asked me "What do you dislike about working here?", it really took me out of balance in a good way, because most of the time you interview people that are in a more submissive-passive attitude, so that simple question automatically set him in a different bucket than the rest of the candidates.

Is more about the how you ask than the actual question. Remember that when you are on an interview you are actually bargaining, you are trying to sell yourself so if asking the question serves for the purpose, go for it.