You don’t want to waste the opportunity to ask questions at the end of a job interview. It’s an opportunity to both continue to prove yourself and determine whether a position is a good fit for you. Before ending the interview, the hiring manager will most likely ask if you have any final questions – take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about their company culture.

There are more insightful interview questions to help determine whether a firm is a good fit than the typical “What’s your culture like?”. It’s critical to have a plan for how you’ll respond, as well as a list of questions tailored to that opportunity. And, of course, respect the interviewer’s time. Choose two or three questions that are most important to you if you were scheduled to speak for an hour and they turn to you with five minutes left. Once you have the job, you will always have more time to ask questions.

Questions about Conscious Work-Life Balance

A healthy work-life balance is part of a healthy work environment. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance reduces stress and prevents workplace burnout, which is especially important in fast-paced environments.

What to look for in the responses: 

Can people take a proper break without being bothered or interrupted by work?

Questions about Continuous Feedback Loop

Instead of receiving feedback once a year, your growth and development will be enhanced if you actively participate in creating and debating goals with the management team.

What to look for in the responses:

• Is the feedback specific, thoughtful, constructive, direct, and truthful?
• Do people wait until a formal setting to give feedback?
• The leadership team is not only open to feedback, but they are also proactive in acting on it.

Questions about Code Quality

High-quality code is easier to read and modify, which makes development less challenging. It accelerates long-term development because you spend less time fixing bugs and refactoring code.

What to look for in the responses:

• The code should be reviewed for readability and simplicity.
• The team is willing to sweat the minor details, trading off speed for accuracy.

Questions about Product Love

What to look for in the responses:

• Speaking to users is an important part of the team regardless of the company size.
• Employees are users of the product outside of the work context.
• The team takes negative user feedback seriously and acts on it.

Questions about Learning Oriented

Organizations with strong learning cultures promote adaptability, flexibility, and innovation. Furthermore, these businesses are less likely to be risk-averse and more likely to welcome change.

What to look for in the responses: How are software engineers developing beyond their work responsibilities?

Conclusion

This opportunity to ask questions is one you don’t want to waste. It’s a chance to continue proving yourself and finding out whether this job is the right fit for you. Of course, you aren’t going to ask all of these questions. Choose the ones that are most relevant to you, your interests, and the job at hand ahead of time. Then write them down — on paper or your phone — and review them beforehand so they’re fresh in your mind.

Good luck with finding your new journey! If you’re interested in finding a remote job as a software engineer with progressive company culture, focusing on results, growth, and human development, check out our Job Postings page to find the right role for you.