I was looking at a potential new job until it occurred to me to ask about dealing with “on-call” support.
As I work in tech, there is usually an expectation that some level of support is handled off hours in case systems go down. However this position didn’t have any compensation for making yourself available and generally only 15 mins from a phone or computer to support the systems. The best they could offer was “time in-lieu” if you get called, which is basically saying they’ll let you work your contracted maximum hours despite it being unsociable hours.
Fuck that.
After seeing elsewhere someone commenting that they would refuse to on-call if there was also a “return to office”, because if they had to go to the office to work, then how could they possibly support it from home, it made me wonder what other things should I remember to enquire about when interviewing and asking the hiring company?
They ask you to pay for something necessary for the hiring process before even confirming that you are, in-fact, hired.
Fuck that. Never spend money on something for the hiring process, thats a scam.
Except a nice new shirt for the interview, especially if you have been off work for a while since extra kilos are very stealthy until you try to button an old shirt
If the position says you’ll be working directly with the CTO, just say no.
It usually means there is little to no dev team, and the CTO probably whipped together the existing codebase. Worst of all they will fight any attempt to change the patterns they’ve put in place.
“As CTO, I am a unique and special genius with unique and special vision. You exist only to implement my unique and special vision. Expect me to document and define the unique and special vision haphazardly (sometimes literally on the back of a restaurant napkin), if at all, and that I will be hugely critical if you deviate from any of the undescribed features of my unique and special vision.”
Source: have worked directly for more than one unique and special genius.
When they ask you for an indication of what you’d like to earn, only to then casually say “okay” to what you said and low ball you by a lot afterwards. Lady, I can’t help that you didn’t provide the salary range in advance, that’s your fault.
They all do that. They’re actually trained in how to do that. It’s some sick Prisoner’s Dilemma thing. They make you give an estimate first and then low ball from there. They don’t tell you a salary range deliberately because they know people will put themselves at the top of the range.
I’ve had it before where I’ve replied to them saying “What’s the salary range” and they’ve said “we don’t disclose that at this stage in the interview what’s your salary right now?”. The fuck. So they expect me to tell them everything and tell me nothing in return? End the interview right there.
I’ve read some instructions for workers where it says the best plan is to avoid disclosing your own salary or expectations until much further down the interviews. If they’re willing to hire you already, they’re much more likely to accept your request because doing interviews costs then money.
This is what I’ve heard as well and I think it’s good advice. Putting it into practice is hard though. Do you just say “I prefer not to disclose that at this stage”? Or something else?
That sounds more like HR propaganda to me. Interviews aren’t free, but they are cheap. Paying someone what they are worth, vs. low-balling someone desperate, is fiscally practical.
I’ve gotten to the point where I ask recruiters that hit me up on LinkedIn if the position has a listed salary range. If not, I usually bail right then, unless the job or company is interesting enough to have a conversation. But if they are cagey about salary or benefits, I bail. They are the only reason I’m there, so being cagey about them is a red flag.
“So it’s like a pyramid, but upside down”
- MLM I interviewed for.
lol kinda, it was a real office with 3 staff: CEO, CFO, and assistant. I was weirded out seeing all three were ~20 years old. He said I could make my own subsidiary and be my own CEO one day. I asked for the parent company name and did a quick Google when he stepped out of the room for a second. Not only saw the MLM stuff but also a culture of employee abuse and hazing in the subsidiaries. I just walked out at that point.
Some things that worry me are “coding superstar” “your in a small team so must be able to do multiple roles” usually means you have to work put everything on your own without support, just i want moreeee im super wary if i hear “we’re like a family” normally means i want you to do things most companies cpuldnt ask for, like working extra hoirs without pay.
Also i usually ask “how do you find working here” if they seem excited or happy i take it as a good sign, if they look worried, angry or theyre like “it takes time getting used to” im a bit wary.