Being a software developer isn’t easy. You need to have strong technical skills, along with an excellent work ethic. Software development is a tough but fulfilling career. And one of the best ways to ensure you have the best workplace experience is to find the right employer.
Judging whether an employer is right for you isn’t easy, though. There are a lot of factors to consider, like their management style and tech stack. But you can speed up your evaluation by asking these ten questions to quickly figure out whether an employer is right for you.
These Are The Ten Most Important Questions You Should Ask
1. What Are Your Expectations As A Software Developer?
You should know everything a potential boss expects from you, from the work they want to the performance they expect. The benefit of knowing all this is that you’ll see what you’re in for. Different companies have widely different expectations of their engineers.
By asking this question, you’ll know what your employer wants from you. And you can judge whether they’re a good fit for you.
3. What Are The Biggest Challenges Facing The Team Right Now?
Asking this question achieves two things: First, it demonstrates your interest in the company as an applicant. Secondly, it’ll help you understand the company’s current conditions. You need to know if their entire team is in a mess. If they’re doing great, you also need to know that.
You want to walk into the office on the first day of work, already knowing what you’re in for. This information could also tailor your work goals to maximize your performance.
2. What Is The Team’s Current Structure And How Does This Role Fit Into That Structure?
Asking this question will further clarify your working conditions. You need to know what type of structure you’ll be working under. Will you be supported by QAs and a testing team, for instance? Will you have a large development team?
Understanding your place in the structure will let you know whether you’re a ‘big fish in a small pond’ or a ‘small fish in a big one. This information may even affect whether you want to work for that company.
4. How Do You Measure Performance In This Role?
This is another excellent question for demonstrating interest in the job. Most companies employ performance measurement metrics to ensure everyone’s productivity. Most companies also have their own criteria for measuring productivity.
You should know how your potential employers approach this question since it’ll inform your work strategy. Knowing their approach to performance measures will help you decide whether they’re the right firm for you.
5. What Source Control Do You Use as a Software Developer?
This is a great question for building credibility with managers as a developer. Bringing this topic up alone shows you’re an experienced software developer who knows how the workflow goes. How the manager responds to this question also lets you gleam into the company’s work habits.
The more mature the company, the stricter and better source control standards they’ll set. If your goal is to only work with experienced and professional companies, asking this question will filter out all the amateur companies.
7. What Software Development Process Do You Use?
Virtually every software development firm employs a development. The best companies have agile development processes, like Scrum, waterfall, or a hybrid model. As a software developer, you know how important it is to work with a suitable model to eliminate inefficiencies.
Asking this question is one of the best ways to gauge your potential employers’ technical proficiency and experience. The best employers have a well-defined and agile development process.
6. Do Any Of The Managers Actively Program Themselves?
Every software developer knows that the best managers are actively involved in programming. They don’t necessarily have to contribute code themselves, but they should at least regularly check up on everything.
A manager who isn’t actively involved in programming is a bad one. Ideally, as an experienced software developer, you don’t want to work for companies that employ general managers instead of technical ones.
8. What Are The Growth Opportunities Like In This Position?
Being a software developer is a high-growth career. So, you wanna ensure you work with a company that gives you long-term prospects. Most sophisticated companies are aware of this, and they actively advertise the career growth they provide.
In the best case scenario, the manager responds to this question by explaining the many different career paths this job can take you. On the other hand, if they give you vague answers, you’re probably not a good fit.
9. How Do You Prioritize And Plan Projects?
Your boss can make or break your workplace experience. As a software developer, you want a supervisor who’s technically literate, doesn’t micromanage, and has your back when problems happen.
You don’t want a boss with tendencies to overwork and underpay their employees. It’s also important to ensure you don’t see any immediate personality or leadership clashes with potential employers.
10. How Much Do a Software Developer Interact With Other Departments?
Software developers aren’t known for their strong interpersonal skills. That’s a huge problem, but it can also be an opportunity for you. If you have strong communication skills yourself, you’re better suited to a company with regular inter-departmental communication.
That being said, asking this question also clarifies why the company has regular inter-departmental communication. A good firm has a positive and friendly company culture that encourages people to communicate.
A bad company has regular inter-departmental communication just because they lack proper organization.
In the end, finding the right employer is all about matching your needs with your employer’s. Ideally, as a software developer, you want an experienced and professional employer with an off-hand management style. You also want to ensure your employer offers you appropriate career opportunities and gives you the space and resources to flourish at work.