Understanding The Product

The first question you want to start with is digging a bit deeper into the product or area the team works on. What aspects of which products, or what pieces of infrastructure, does the team own? How do they interact with the rest of the company's products? Are the products launched yet? What scale are they at? How do they fit within the company's broader goals and mission? Make sure you ask questions to get a good idea of the overall picture and feel free to take notes.

Why it matters: This sets the stage for understanding the answers to the rest of the questions. Also what the product does, and the types of problems the team is solving will help you determine how interested you might be in the product and the team.

How to ask: Chances are the hiring manager will start by telling you about the product. If they don't, or if their explanation is too brief, you can ask something like: "I'm curious to learn more about the product your team works on. Could you please tell me more?" Then follow up with any of the questions mentioned above to learn more.

Technologies And Tools Used

Once you understand the team's product areas, you should get a sense of what technologies they use to build and maintain the software. What languages are used? Databases? Serving infrastructure? Distributed queues? Monitoring? Storage? Are they self-hosting or do they use a cloud service? If it is a cloud service, what cloud services do they use? Get a good sense of the technical stack.

Why it matters: This shows you are curious about the technical aspects of the team. It also tells you what you can look forward to learning more about. Finally, there might be technologies and languages you are excited to learn about, and there may be ones that you might not be interested in working with, so it is important to understand what the team uses.

How to ask: "I'm curious about what tools, technologies and languages your team uses. Could you please tell me more about that?"

Team Structure

Ask how many people are on the team, their roles, and the levels of the team members. Is there a Product Manager (PM) or Technical Program Manager (TPM)? Knowing the team composition can help you gauge how the work is distributed and the level of collaboration.

Why it matters: A team with a diverse range of experience levels can provide a more supportive environment for growth. For instance, a team with a mix of junior and senior engineers, for example two L3s, three L4s, two L5s, and one L6, is typically easier to join and grow within compared to a team composed mostly of senior engineers. The presence of a PM or TPM can also indicate a structured approach to project management, which can affect your day-to-day work and the overall pace of development.

How to ask: "Could you please help me get a sense of the team structure? I'm curious how many engineers are on the team and what seniority levels they have, and if there's a PM, TPM or UX designer that I will be working with."

Adjacent Teams

Ask about the teams they work closely with. Understanding the interactions between teams can give you a sense of the company's organizational structure and the potential for cross-team collaboration.

Why it matters: In large organizations, you'll often need to coordinate with other teams, whether it's for integrating APIs, managing dependencies, understanding and implementing complex aspects of software such as legal, privacy or security requirements, or sharing resources. Knowing who you'll be working with regularly can help you anticipate challenges and opportunities for collaboration, especially if there are aspects you are more interested in.

How to ask: "What adjacent teams do you work with frequently? What products and areas do they work on?"

Current Priorities

Inquire about the team's current priorities. Are they focused on developing new features, shipping a new product, improving system efficiency, or hardening the system by making it more resilient and reducing downtime?

Why it matters: Understanding the team's immediate goals can give you a sense of what your initial projects might look like. If the team is in a high-pressure phase of launching new features, you might need to hit the ground running. On the other hand, a focus on system hardening might involve deep dives into existing codebase and infrastructure, which could be more suited to engineers interested in stability and optimization.

How to ask: "What are your team's and the broader organization's current top priorities?"

On-call Rotation

Ask if you'll be part of an on-call rotation and get details on what that entails. On-call responsibilities can vary widely between teams, so it's important to understand the expectations upfront. If the answer is yes, ask about frequency, hours, and expectations for the on-call shift. For example, will you be expected to be on-call for one week, 24-hours with a 15-minute expected response time?

Why it matters: On-call duties can significantly impact your work-life balance. Understanding the frequency, duration, and nature of on-call rotations (e.g., handling critical incidents, routine maintenance, etc.) will help you assess whether this aligns with your personal and professional life. For example, if the team supports a global product, you might be required to handle incidents during off-hours, which could be challenging if you're not prepared for it.

How to ask: "Are engineers on your team on an on-call rotation?" If the answer is yes, you can follow up with: "How frequently are team members usually on the rotation? How often are they paged? What are the on-call hours and duties?"

Other Team Responsibilities

Ask if, in addition to possibly on-call, there are other duties the team has. Examples are doing interviews, owning the release process, owning documentation, and helping with customer support escalations. If the answer is yes, you can ask how much you can expect to spend on each of these duties on an average month.

Why it matters: Extra duties like the ones mentioned above can provide an opportunity to cross-collaborate and learn new skills (such as interviewing) but they can also distract you from your main tasks. Different engineers have different levels of interest and tolerance for them so you should have a sense of what might be expected of you. This question will also demonstrate you are aware of the likelihood of such duties which shows a degree of professional maturity and preparation.

How to ask: "Are there any other duties that your team has? Maybe owning the release, or responding to escalated customer service issues, or technical documentation?"

Onboarding Process

Ask about the onboarding process for new software engineers on the team. How do they ensure that new hires are integrated smoothly into the workflow? You should check if there are formal onboarding processes, documentation, or an assigned mentor system in place to support you as you get up to speed

Why it matters: A well-structured onboarding process can make a huge difference in your early days with the company. It can affect how quickly you become productive and comfortable in your new role.

How to ask: "Could you please tell me a bit about your onboarding process? Will there be a formal onboarding period, an onboarding document, or a mentor assigned?"

Team Growth Plans

Inquire about the team's growth plans. How many people are they hiring? Do they plan to grow, and if so, how rapidly?

Why it matters: Understanding the team's growth trajectory can give you insights into the potential for upward mobility and job security. A growing team might offer more opportunities for advancement, taking on leadership roles, or working on new and exciting projects. However, rapid growth can also mean growing pains, such as evolving processes or increased workload.

How to ask: "I'm curious about the growth trajectory of your team and organization. If you are able to share, I'd love to know how many new engineers you are looking at adding to the team in the near future."

Employee Survey Results

It's a good idea to ask about recent employee survey results. At Google this was called Googlegeist, and at Meta it was called Pulse; most larger companies have something similar. These surveys provide insights into employee satisfaction and areas where the team and the broader organization excel or need improvement.

Why it matters: Survey results offer a candid glimpse into the team's culture and the overall health of the organization. By asking about what employees like and areas that need improvement, you can gauge the team's morale and identify potential red flags. For example, if the survey highlights issues with work-life balance or management support, that might be a concern if those areas are important to you. On the other hand, high marks in areas like collaboration, career development, and innovation can signal a positive and supportive environment.

Understanding the results and the actions taken in response to feedback can help you make a more informed decision about whether the team is a good fit for your needs and values. It also shows that you're proactive about joining a team where you can thrive and contribute positively.

How to ask: "Does [company name] have an annual employee survey that breaks down results by team and organization? If yes, could you please share any insights from the most recent one? I'm curious about what your team and organization like and if there are any areas you're focused on improving."