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8 Red Flags When Choosing A Developer Job
8 Red Flags When Choosing A Developer Job
When searching for a job, it can be very easy to fall into the trap of accepting any offer that you get, especially if you’re having trouble even getting a nibble from the whirlwind of applications you’ve sent out. It’s important to diligently consider any job offer before accepting it. Here are a few red flags to look out for when choosing a developer job. 1. The Interview is Only Technical As a developer, your technical capabilities are of utmost importance, therefore they tend to be the primary focus of interviews. However, if you are not asked any behavioural questions, questions that give the interviewer and insight into the type of person you are...run. People and processes are more important than technology. Your job role extends to more than coding. You will have to collaborate cross-functionally, hold meetings and make plans with other staff members. The people you work with are most important. If you aren’t asked anything about yourself, the likelihood is that no one else that has been hired has had their personality screened either. 2. You Get Offered The Job During or After The Interview If you’re currently unemployed, this may seem great. In reality, it conveys that the hiring of staff is a low priority to the company. Companies should diligently weigh up their options when filling a position. A quick offer signals that they’re simply hiring someone to fill a vacancy ASAP, increasing the likelihood that you will be undervalued and unappreciated going into the future. 3. Won’t Let You Meet With A Developer You should always be afforded the opportunity to meet a developer prior to, during, or after the interview, without management supervision. Developers can give you a real insight into the processes of the company and how it really is to work there. If they refuse this, it’s likely their developers are unhappy. 4. Change in Offer If there is any change in the offer that was advertised or as you discussed, walk away. If a company has already lowballed you at the first afforded opportunity, they’re likely to do it again. 5. Poorly Defined Job Specification This is a clear red flag indicating that the company is unprepared and not well organised, especially due to the highly technical and specific nature of developer jobs. You may end up performing tasks outside your job description that serve no benefit to your career. 6. Poor Glassdoor Reviews Glassdoor is an excellent resource for getting the low down on what it’s really like to work for a company. On Glassdoor, current and former employees rate the company, giving their own personal reviews and comments. If the majority of these are negative, stay clear. 7. If The Interviewer Doesn't Sell You On The Job Interviewers should aim to have all their interviewees wanting the position as it gives them the best opportunity to hire the best candidate. 8. Highly Rigid Start/Break Times Everyone works differently, especially in the developer world. Tech giants such as Google, Microsoft and Facebook offer flexible break times/working hours, as they have realised the clear benefits that it offers. Companies who strictly enforce start and break times are likely to be less productive and have lower morale.
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What To Expect in a Developer Interview
What To Expect in a Developer Interview
Interviews are the gateway to landing your dream job, but for most people interviews are a stressful and uncomfortable endeavour. You finally have your chance to impress a prospective employer and secure that golden opportunity, but unnerving thoughts and doubts begin to make you nervous. Nerves are to be expected, but if you let them overcome you, they could dampen your chances of securing the job that you may well have the skills and expertise for. What is the best way to ease your apprehension? Being prepared. Having an understanding of the overall interview process, the types of questions asked and what is expected of you will not only enable you to be more prepared, but it will serve to quieten some of them unsettling anxieties. So, what should you expect from a ‘typical’ developer interview? Every company has their own way of doing things and the procedure may differ slightly depending on the role that you are, but a lot of companies follow a similar process. The interview process tends to comprise of one or two phone interviews, followed by up to four on-site face-to-face interviews. The initial phone interviews are used to simply screen candidates to assess whether they are worth meeting in person. The first of the two phone interviews (or first half of the interview, if there is only one) will ask primarily behavioural questions. Behavioural questions are not designed to challenge you; they’re used to get you talking and to make you feel comfortable. Big open-ended questions are often asked such as “talk me through your CV” or “tell me about a challenging project you worked on”. The questions are designed to help HR professionals get a feel for you, the type of person you are and whether you’re a good fit with the company. Some light technical questions may also be posed asking you about your relevant coding knowledge, database expertise and so on. Following the initial phone screenings, you may be invited in-house for a series of face-to-face interviews with the appropriate members of the team. Large companies such as Facebook, Microsoft and Google hold four face-to-face interviews lasting approximately forty-five minutes each. These interviews primarily focus on your technical abilities with only one focusing on your behavioural traits and/or culture fit with the respective company. The technical interviews are a means of evaluating your problem-solving skills. The interviewer wants to see if you can translate your thought-process into reasonably correct, well-structured code. You will be asked a coding/algorithm question and be expected to write, test and optimize code often using a whiteboard, with some companies offering a laptop instead. Having a foundation in data structures and algorithms is really important. These are fundamental concepts, like binary search trees and breadth-first search. You will also be asked to develop an optimal algorithm for your code. It’s important to note that your code and algorithm does not need to be flawless. It is your approach and methodology that is being evaluated. Once the technical side of the interviews are complete, you will be given time to ask questions that you may have regarding the role or company or whatever may be on your mind. This is what a ‘typical’ developer interview process is like. However, every company is different. A great resource to discover the interview process for the position that you are applying for is Glassdoor. Here you can read what other applicants experienced with sections offering advice and types of questions asked.
