Working as a developer - how do you know that the company is a good fit for you? A guide for applicants

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Are you looking for a job as a developer? Then read this guide to help you determine more quickly whether the company you want to work for is worth working for. Reflect on the interview questions asked by the recruiter and check whether you have found a reliable and honest employer!

Compared to the past, a career change is no longer a big deal. After all, our parents and grandparents were used to spending several decades at a single workplace. Nevertheless, a change of position is of course always associated with stress. Employees have increasingly higher expectations of employers, especially in the IT industry. Both the statement "I work to live" and "I live to work" are no longer (fortunately) valid.

In the current model, the work adapts to the individual lifestyle and is a source of satisfaction. Your position and your workplace should be optimally tailored to you and your goals. So how do you make the right decision?

How do you start the right job search?

It's best if you start with basic questions about your goals. Would you like a more responsible position than before or just a different work environment? What bothered you at work that you want to avoid in your future job? What is important to you at work and has brought you the most satisfaction before?

The result of your considerations should help you to determine what type of position is suitable for you, what type of company suits you and what working conditions and benefits are important to you.

Think about whether you would rather work in a software house or agency, where you can prove yourself in a wide variety of projects and gain experience in many different technologies, or whether you would rather work on a specific product that you are very familiar with , want to work with a more stable technology stack. Also consider whether now is the time for you to move up the career ladder (e.g. from Mid to Senior Developer), which of course comes with additional responsibilities. Perhaps you would like to keep your current position but work with different technologies or project content.

The question of the preferred location as well as the type of office (open space and office building versus a small office in an apartment or house with a garden) is also justified.

When looking for a job, do not only concentrate on advertised IT job advertisements, but also ask your friends about interesting vacancies in their companies. This gives you the advantage of being informed about interesting opportunities and projects in the industry at an early stage.

What questions should you ask yourself before you apply?

• Am I willing to accept a longer journey and increased efforts to achieve my goal?
• Is security and stability important to me or do I prefer to work as a freelancer?
• If my future career is to specialize in a new technology, am I willing to work at a lower level than before (often this means a return to a junior position)?
• Where would I like to be in the next few years and can my future employer pave the way for my development?

Another topic that candidates often forget to think about is the financial framework before they apply. It is unsatisfactory if, at the end of a successful recruitment process, it turns out that the company's offer does not meet your minimum financial requirements. For what minimum salary are you willing to accept an interesting job and at what level will your expectations be met to your complete satisfaction.

A good company will use your expectation as a serious yardstick for the conversation. If there is a possible job offer, the company will offer you a proposal that matches your skills and experience as well as the company's internal criteria. Remember that every employer has their own salary scheme. As a result, different salaries are often suggested for the same positions. When in doubt, ask for specific feedback.

What questions should you ask the recruiter?

Find out what specific expectations the company has of the advertised position. Specify your understanding of the job advertisement with the recruiter. Don't be afraid to voice what you're looking for! For example, if you're aspiring to a senior position, ask about the responsibilities that come with the job. The area of ​​responsibility can vary greatly from organization to organization, but it can also be completely different from your general idea of ​​a senior position.

At the interview, be honest not only about your experiences, but also about your preferences and plans. Do you prefer to work in a team or alone, do you prefer to be in the office or do you prefer working from home to name a few examples. Talk honestly about your strengths, as well as areas for development and your professional future plans. Applicants are often reluctant to answer these questions for fear of giving the wrong answer. The truth is, there are no good or bad answers here. To avoid misunderstandings and to guarantee positive cooperation, a good HR manager is very interested in these answers.

What kind of questions are you asked and what is the climate like in the interview? Do you feel like you are at a CIA hearing or do you feel that the recruiter is genuinely interested in you. In fact, a good recruiter looks for characteristics and skills to validate certain traits or abilities. However, it is important for a good recruiter to get to know the candidate as a human being. No one wants to spend eight hours a day with someone who has absolutely no topics to talk about. Your potential future team definitely not!

During the interview, you should also gather information about the company in general and its history. Ask about the company's plans and goals. According to which vision and values ​​does the company orientate itself. Also question how these values ​​are implemented in practice. It is also an informative experience to ask HR managers and team members why they work in this company and what they appreciate about it. The reaction and the content of the answers can tell a lot about the company.

Inquire about projects and products you will be working on. This not only gives you valuable information for yourself, but also signals curiosity and commitment to the interviewee. Find out which customer structure appeals to the company, learn more about project methods and how overtime is dealt with. Are there product-technical co-decision options, is the working method "agile" or is the work carried out according to the classic waterfall model. Especially with product companies, learn about the team structure, how up-to-date the tech stack is, and the challenges the team faces as the product evolves.

How do new ideas and products come about? How does product management work and how can you participate in strategic product development? Although these are things that do not relate to operational development, you will learn a lot about the management, their strategy and tactics.

Always remember that a good HR manager will always have specific answers to your questions. If not, make sure they get back to you with answers after the interview. Of course, the recruiter should also be able to give you feedback on how to proceed with your application after each step of the process. If there is no feedback on the horizon, do not hesitate to ask about the current status of your application. Don't forget, however, that a HR manager is only human. It can quickly happen that an e-mail is forgotten or that “Send” is not clicked.

What should you pay special attention to during the interview?

The first impression you have when entering the office says a lot about your future employer. You will be greeted in a friendly manner, you will receive the necessary attention, you will be taken to the right place without being asked, you will be offered something to drink and much more. The way you are greeted is an indicator of the internal working atmosphere. Also ask for a tour of the company if you are not offered one. The decisive factor is not the office decor, but the way the employees behave. Laughing and friendly employees say a lot about the working atmosphere.

When it comes to employee benefits, the existence of them is no longer a big revelation in today's job market (especially in IT). Virtually every company offers certain bonuses and perks to its employees. However, it is important that the benefits offered are consistent with the company's mission and values. It's easy to determine whether the benefits offered are part of a coherent employer action plan, or were introduced in a random manner to lure candidates or simply to differentiate themselves from the competition. In addition, I would like to remind you that a large company usually has more budget than a small product company or tiny software house.

Many applicants wonder how the values ​​declared by the company can be checked in practice. First look for concrete examples in the company with which the statements of the personnel manager can be checked. For example, if the company is big on “development and training”, the company should also offer various options such as: is there an education budget, internal and external training opportunities, the possibility of internal knowledge sharing, a company library, space to focus in being able to work in silence and much more. Of course, not all of these examples need to be present at the same time.

If it is about the compatibility of "work and family", it is worth checking in advance whether there are flexible working hours and remote options. Not only knowledge about the existence of certain amenities is good, but also the rules of using them. By asking specific questions, you can check whether what has been promised is only shown on the company's website or is actually lived out.

Before you go to the job interview or send your application, you must first take a close look at the “Career” or “Team” tab on the company website. Look at the profiles of your future colleagues and read their job descriptions. Is the site kept generic or does it score with individuality and personality. Which language is used in the texts and in the imagery. This and much more are further indicators of the working atmosphere at the potential employer. Authenticity and a clear and simple approach to applicants are crucial.

Also take a look at company profiles from Instagram and Facebook. Here you can get an insight into the company through text, graphics and pictures (showing funny situations and emotions and hopefully no staged poses). You will also get a better sense of how the industry ticks and you will be informed about updates from the organization.

Summary

In summary, there are proven methods at every stage of recruitment to check whether the company you are applying for is a good fit for you. Pay attention to all the details during recruitment, check the recruiter's statements for coherence with corporate communications, but above all listen to your intuition.