Knowing the types of interviews you may have

If you’re interviewing with a startup company, you may not have a phone screen interview. Instead, a company representative will ask you to come to the company’s headquarters to talk with the founders and/or the existing programming team in person. The startup may even hire you after the interview is over because it needs someone to start right away to help meet an important deadline.

In other cases, you may have more than two interviews because they want to know that you’re not just good at programming — they want to hire you for the long term and want to make sure you’re the right fit not just for the culture of the team but also for the company as a whole.

If the company is big enough to pay for a round-trip flight to its headquarters and perhaps pay for a hotel room, too, it’s going to keep you there for as short a time as possible — likely no more than two days. So, expect to receive a schedule from a company representative (probably someone from human resources) that will include at least one entire day chock-full of interviews.

These interviews may include a panel interview that we talk about in Chapter 8 as well as interviews with people in different departments. The people you meet will likely include other software developers on the team you’d work with, as well as

• developers on one or more other teams you would work with;
• the hiring manager, department manager, and/or team manager; and
• one or more people from the HR department.

You may have a second, partial day of interviews, and some of them may be with people who interviewed you the day before. (Then you get to have more fun at the airport. Yay.)

Meeting the team to see if you’re a good fit

When you meet people at the company, the company is evaluating you — and vice versa. You’re evaluating them to find out if this is a company you want to work for. The people you interview with reflect the company’s culture that will influence your life for potentially years to come.

If one or more employees expose a negative company culture, you need to recognize it right away and remove yourself from the interview as quickly and as politely as possible, no matter how large or small the company is.

For example, you may encounter a particularly nasty interviewer who is not only arrogant but just treats you badly. That person may be a fellow coworker on your team or could even be the team or department manager. You would likely suspect this person is acting this way toward you because he’s threatened by your skills, the fact that someone else joining the team will diminish his position, or both. Either way, you probably wouldn’t want to pursue a job there because that person can affect your work environment and your fate at the company to a large degree.

Grasping what you’ll work on with the team

When you’re being interviewed, you’ll also have an opportunity to ask individual interviewers or groups of interviewers questions about the position. For example:

• What kind of project will I be working on?
• What kind of technology will I be using?
• What’s the software I’ll be developing?
• How will I be working with the team?
• Who will my boss and coworkers be?

Asking questions of your interviewers gives you two advantages. The first is that you’re showing interest in the job, and a lot of interviewers will be glad that you’re not only interested in the job, but also that you’re interested in working for the company.

More important, the answers you receive may compel you to ask more questions to get the answer to your primary question: Should you take this job?

For example, if you’re interviewing for a job as a C# programmer, but the interviewers tell you that you’ll maintain an old Visual Basic 6 application for legacy customers, then you’ll want to ask more questions about why they’re hiring for a C# programmer. That could lead to awkwardness for them, but clarity for you.

Learning about your future path with the company

Another important question to ask every interviewer is about your future path with the company. That is, you should ask, “What are my avenues for advancement?” Every employee you talk to should have an answer based on his or her own experiences that should inform your ability to grow your skills and compensation with the company over time … or not.

If you’re going to be relocating to a new city to take a job at this company, this question is very important because you could not only be working at the company, but also living in the city for a significant chunk of your life.

Some companies won’t have much of an advancement plan — if it has one at all. For example, members of a startup company probably haven’t given any thought to advancement plans because they’re too busy trying to meet the next product deadline so they can land the next round of investor money.

Other companies, especially larger ones, may have specific tracks for developing yourself as far as your abilities will take you. For example, we remember that in the past, Hewlett-Packard had a technical track where people could continue to add to and improve their technical skills without any limits. Google also offers opportunities to change your career path if you feel that you’ve reached your limit in your current job and you’re interested in doing something else.

Following up will not lose you the job

It’s easy to feel that calling and following up will only serve to annoy your potential employer, perhaps so much so that the company representative you talk to will tell you that your call has cost you the job. If that happens, thank that person, because he helped you avoid working in a bad company culture.

When you do follow up, be sure to be polite every time and talk naturally, not formally or in a threatening manner. For example, you can say, “Hello again. I just wanted to touch base and see where you’re at. I’m really excited about the opportunity about potentially working for you. And if you need any other information from me, please let me know and I’ll send it right away.”

The company may be pleasantly surprised that you’re showing a high degree of interest and that you’re also a person who follows through. The old, trite saying applies: The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Being annoying can work for you

Don’t just be content with the person you talk to saying not to worry and that he’ll call you soon. When that person doesn’t call you after a couple of days, call again and ask if there’s any progress. Not only will company representatives not forget about you, they may even say among themselves, “Wow, this person’s a go-getter who follows up and takes action, and so we’d better hire her before one of our competitors does.”

You can also use a follow-up call or email message to update your potential employer about projects you’re working on. For example, you can say, “Hey, I’m just checking in to let you know that I finished a new app, I wrote a new blog post about your industry, and I produced a new video that shows how I solved a problem that was bugging me. If you want to know what I’m up to, here’s where to find all that new information.”

What’s more, your call can include follow-up information about topics you talked about during the interview, such as “At the interview we were talking about the problem your team is facing. I thought about it some more and I have some ideas, and here’s what I’m thinking and what I’m reading online. I thought this might be helpful.”

In sum, you’re providing value beyond the interview, showing you want to be involved with the company, as well as being less annoying and more useful.

Receiving a generic response

If a company rep does give you an explanation, you’ll probably get it in a generic letter or email message. You may even get a generic form letter in the mail that thanks you for your time, there were many qualified candidates, blah blah blah. What’s more, the form letter probably won’t invite you to contact them and the email message may have been sent by an automated account that no one can respond to.

Even so, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask for an explanation. You may (should) still have the company business card or contact information that you picked up during your interview. That will give you an opportunity to contact the company by phone, email, or both.

You may also try to contact one of your interviewers and/or someone who works at the company either on a social media website like LinkedIn or even in person if you attend local developer meetings. However, don’t expect much of a response from these people, either, as they likely know that if they give detailed information to rejected applicants then their own jobs may be in jeopardy.

Get a hold of your emotions before you ask anyone at the company for more information. If you’re angry or argumentative, expect a polite thank you and a quick phone hang-up, no response to your email message, the removal of your social media connection, or the other person walking away (and maybe other potential employers noticing) if you confront him or her in person.

Asking for more information

A better approach when you contact someone about why you weren’t offered the job is to use it as an opportunity to improve for your next interview with another company. If the person you’re talking to or emailing interviewed you or talked with you while you were at the company, start by thanking her for the opportunity to interview with the company. The next step is to say that you’re trying to improve your skills and that you’d like one or more pointers so you can get better.

For example, you can say, “Is there just one thing that you saw that I can improve on? I’m not sensitive at all. I just honestly want to improve myself and could you give me one recommendation for doing that?”

This approach won’t guarantee that you get the answers you seek. The other person may say that the company won’t allow her to talk with any applicants about the job. In that case, you have to thank her and let it go. But you need to ask, because the other person may be receptive to that kind of question and it may lead to a productive conversation.

If you receive valuable feedback about what you can improve, incorporate what you learn into the next mock interview. Ask your mock interviewers if they notice your improvements if they don’t mention it on their own. If they don’t notice, you have more work to do. If they do, then the real interviewers will, too. (You can read more about the mock interview process in Chapter 8.)

Getting the word

You’ll probably get a verbal offer by phone first. The person making the offer may be the manager of the team, the manager of the department, or the hiring manager.

When you get a verbal offer, ask the company representative on the other end to wait so you can get a pad and paper (or can type on your preferred computing device). When you’re ready, write down or type everything the rep tells you and then repeat what he said to ensure that you both understand what the terms of the offer are.

If you haven’t received the offer in an email message, then it’s important that you negotiate the offer while you’re on the phone, as we explain shortly.

Obtaining a written offer

If the company person on the other line has told you that you’ll receive email with the offer, check your inbox and your junk email folder to find out if you’ve received it. If you haven’t received it, ask the company representative if you’ll receive it during the call.

Though a written offer in email isn’t binding, it’s a good opportunity for you to compare what the email message says and what the company representative told you over the phone. If you don’t receive that emailed offer, then you can proceed to negotiate the offer on the phone based on what you and the company representative mutually understand is that offer.

Negotiating the offer over the phone

You may be afraid to negotiate the offer because you think showing any dissatisfaction with the offer will lead the company to withdraw it and hang up. If a company actually does that, then this is another opportunity for you to celebrate not having to work in a terrible company culture.

Before you receive a written offer on paper, it’s good to use this opportunity to start the negotiation process and try to raise your offer. For example, the team manager has called you to say, “We’d like to hire you for the job, we’re willing to offer you $85,000 a year, and we’ll give you a written offer when you come over. When can we get together?”

This is the time to respond with a counteroffer by saying something like, “That’s great. I’m really excited. That amount does seem a little bit low, though. I’m wondering what we can do here to make this a better opportunity because I have some other opportunities that I’m considering.”

The team manager may not want to show her cards yet … or she doesn’t have the authority to negotiate over the phone. She may say something like, “We can meet in person and talk about that when we talk in person. When would you like to get together?” At that point, you can set up your appointment.

Don’t forget to bring your phone meeting notes to the formal negotiating meeting. You may find that the written offer has different terms than what you and the company rep discussed over the phone. For example, the salary may differ between what you were offered on the phone and the printed formal offer letter, and that will likely be your first topic of discussion.

Knowing when pay is not the top consideration

The person you’re talking to on the phone may not be willing to talk with you about anything other than your salary. Indeed, your salary may not be the top consideration because the company will offer other benefits including medical plans, 401(k) plans, other retirement plans, and time off for a certain amount of time during the calendar year.

A company may present you with a formal offer that shows that the salary is lower than you’d like, but also shows you that the cash value of the benefits means your job will have a combined value that’s worth your consideration. You’ll have to decide if you want to negotiate the entire package with the company, and we talk more about honing your negotiation skills in Chapter 14.

After you negotiate the offer, you’ll get a formal written offer that you’ll be asked to sign. However, if you haven’t started your employment yet, be aware that the company can withdraw a signed, written offer at any time.

Understanding the company’s health plans

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The first wealth is health,” and health plans belong at the top of your benefits list. No matter if your health plan benefits are paid 100 percent by the company or you have to pay a copayment for some costs (like prescription medications), the health plan is considered part of your overall salary because the company is paying part of that salary toward keeping your vim and vigor every day.

As you look at the company’s health plan, you should look at the value of the benefit and how much you would use. For example, if the company is paying for a $5,000 per month medical plan, but you only need $500 to $1,000 per month, the difference isn’t worth much to you. But if that $5,000 per month also includes dental and vision plans that are paid for by the company 100 percent, then you may be more amenable to the company’s plan.

The company may also provide a medical plan that gives you the option of selecting a plan that’s right for you. Some plans give you different options with different deductibles and others give you more flexible “cafeteria-style” plans that let you pick and choose which services you need.

You need to take your time to review these plans carefully during your meeting with the company. If you feel you need more time to review your options, ask the company people you meet with if they’ll let you take the plans home to chew on them and give them an answer the next day.

When you review these plans, you need to take the time to run three different scenarios in your head: the nothing happens scenario, the scenario where you get an average number of medical bills for something that happened (like breaking your arm), and the worst-case scenario where you become seriously ill or injured. Then you can crunch the numbers and find out how much you want to pay each month (if the company offers subsidized monthly payments) and how high you want your deductible to be.

Matching your 401(k) benefits

Your company will likely offer 401(k) retirement plan benefits and offer to match the contribution that will be deducted from your salary automatically so you grow your nest egg more quickly.

How quickly is something that the company should tell you, such as the maximum amount it’ll match every month. You also need to ask the company representatives the following important questions:

• What is the maximum the company can contribute?
• Will the percentage the company matches be affected if you roll over your existing 401(k) to your new employer?
• How much does the maximum percentage equate to dollars flowing into your 401(k) account every year?

You need to ask yourself some questions, too. Do you plan to (or think you will) borrow from your 401(k) account at some point? If you are, then the 401(k) may be worth it to you as a source of funding when you need it, such as to address a family emergency.

If you plan to use your 401(k) as a long-term investment for your retirement, then you need to ask yourself if the matching amount is a worthwhile addition to your benefits package.

Learning how much time off you get

We’re human beings and we all need some degree of downtime, though some people need more convincing of that fact than others. So, the company needs to clearly spell out how much time off you’ll get.

There are a lot of questions about what “time off” really means to the company, so take the time to understand and negotiate how the company approaches time off, including:

• Is this time off for vacation, sick leave, or both?
• If the time off is only for vacation, how much time do you get for sick leave?
• Is sick leave only for you, or does it cover taking time off to take care of someone in your family as well?
• How long in advance do you have to declare that you’re going to take time off?
• What happens if you have an emergency, such as to manage a medical issue in your family, and you need to take time off right away?
• What’s the company’s holiday schedule, and are holidays exempt from your allotment of time off?
• Does time off apply to days before or after holidays, such as the day after Thanksgiving in the United States?
• If you have to work one or both days during a weekend to meet an important deadline, are those day(s) added to your allotment of time off for the year?
• If you take less than your allotment of time off during the year, are you paid that amount at the beginning of the following year, or does that vacation time roll over and is added to the time off you’re entitled to during the following year?

These are just some of the questions to get you started. Your own personal situation and the company’s flexibility may also prompt you to ask some of your own questions, such as how often you can work from home and how doing so affects your allotment of time off.

You need to quantify the pay you would receive if you didn’t take that time off. This is especially important to know if you opt not to take time off because you’re the type who gets bored after being on vacation for a day or if you find you work most, if not all, of the year to meet one or several important deadlines.

Retiring with benefits

You should also know what other benefits you’ll get, or you need to ask about them during your negotiation period. (Full disclosure: This information is explained by Debbie Downer.)

First, you need to know if there are any retirement benefits and if there are any restrictions that come with those benefits. If retirement benefits don’t kick in until 20 years of service, and you’re either going to reach retirement age in 15 years or you expect to be doing something else within 5 years, then those benefits are worthless.

Retirement benefits may include a pension if you’re working for a company that’s big enough to offer one. Pensions are also largely meaningless if you’re not going to use them for years. What’s more, the company may not be around to pay them by the time you retire. If they are, there’s no guarantee that the company will have enough money to offer either the pension amount they originally promised or any pensions at all.

Finally, you should also ask if there will be any stock compensation and when any vesting of the stock will take place. If a company already has stock, then receiving stock is obviously more valuable than if a company doesn’t know when it will go public and the vesting date is only within a vague future time frame.

The sad trombone reality is that in most cases, retirement and stock benefits don’t count toward your benefits package because any retirement or stock compensation doesn’t guarantee you any income now or in the future.