Asking Insightful Questions to the Interviewer

In Silicon Valley, an interview is a two-way street. The company is interviewing you, but you are also interviewing the company. The questions you ask at the end are your chance to show that you think like a leader.

Categories of Great Questions

1. The Role & Success

• "What is the single biggest challenge the person in this role will face in the first six months?"
• "How do you measure success for this position?"
• "What does a typical 'day in the life' look like for an engineer on this team?"

2. The Team & Culture

• "How does the team handle code reviews and technical debt?"
• "What is the most common reason for technical disagreements on the team, and how are they resolved?"
• "How would you describe the management style of the engineering leadership?"

3. The Company & Strategy

• "I saw that you recently launched [Feature X]. How has that impacted your product roadmap for the rest of the year?"
• "What is the company's biggest competitive threat right now, and how are you addressing it?"
• "Where do you see the company in three years?"

4. The Interviewer's Perspective

• "What is your favorite thing about working here?"
• "What is one thing you would change about the company if you could?"

The "Research-Backed" Question

This is the most powerful type of question. It proves you've done your homework.

• "I read your engineering blog post about the migration to Kubernetes. I'm curious, how has that changed your deployment frequency?"

What NOT to Ask (Yet)

• Salary and benefits (Wait for the recruiter).
• Vacation time.
• "Did I get the job?"

Summary

Asking great questions shows that you are a professional who cares about the quality of your work and the environment you work in. It turns you from a "candidate" into a "potential teammate."