What Questions Would You Ask in a Peer Interview?

rachellevysarfin·Aug 17, 2023

Hi, all! I'm excited that I've made it to the peer interview round with a company I'd love to work for. While I've found lists of questions I might be asked by my interviewers, I'd like to come up with some questions to ask them. One question off the bat I'd ask is, "What do you love about working for this company/the culture/your role/the team?"

What other questions would YOU ask your potential team members?

Thanks!

Morgan·Aug 17, 2023

- What project have you worked on here in the past year that you enjoyed the most?- Are there any trends in the industry you want to see integrated into the work here?- When was the last non-emergency time you took a day off of work just to have fun?

rachellevysarfin·Aug 17, 2023

@MorganLucas great insights, thanks!

Iynna·Aug 18, 2023

YAY best of luck with the interview process and definitely keep us posted on how things go! I'd ask the flipside of this question here: what is something you wish you could change about the org? How does the reporting process occur? Depending on what type of person you are, it is useful to understand how many layers of management you need to go through to get one minor or major thing approved (I personally like to get it done asap without having to ask many layers of upper management but I know not everyone is like that).

rachellevysarfin·Aug 18, 2023

@iynna Thanks for the well wishes, and thanks for the advice - those are some great questions!

SoRo·Aug 18, 2023

Congrats on getting this far. That’s exciting! A few questions that I ask peers and leaders are:- How have you seen the company, team, or manager handle adversity? I ask this to find out the culture and how people operate when things don’t go as planned. Are they punitive or do they move on quickly? I don’t want to be in a blame culture. We are all human and make mistakes. - What’s one thing you wished someone would have told you before joining the company? I ask this because I want to know what I’m walking into. If they struggle with answering, it does make me wonder if they’re hiding something. Good luck!

julietrell·Oct 30

I was going to suggest the question (in addition to the “what do you like about working here) “what do you find challenging here or wish you could change”. I do like how you phrase it with “what do you wish someone would have told you before joining….”

rachellevysarfin·Aug 20, 2023

Those are awesome questions, @SoRo! Much appreciated!

michellesmanifesto·Aug 18, 2023

Congrats! Lots of great questions shared already and some that I've asked in peer interviews. If the interviewer reports to the same hiring manager, one great question that I've asked recently is: give me 3 words to describe HM's leadership style.Best of luck to you!

rachellevysarfin·Aug 20, 2023

Thanks, @michellesmanifesto! That is another excellent question. I think the people I'll be speaking to do report to the hiring manager I'd be working with, although I haven't figured out if said hiring manager will be in the interview.

HeidiHuenemann·Aug 21, 2023

My favorite one: How do the company's values show up in your day-to-day? If they hesitate or don't have a clear answer, then I'd wonder if the espoused values are really being actioned/lived or if they're just a paper/marketing exercise with no follow-through. Good luck!!

rachellevysarfin·Aug 22, 2023

@HeidiHuenemann that's an awesome question - thanks!

rachellevysarfin·Sep 13, 2023

@MorganLucas @iynna @SoRo @michellesmanifesto @HeidiHuenemann it's been a while since I've been on here, but I got the job! Thanks to everyone for sharing their thoughts with me - you all gave me some great questions to ask during the peer interview.

Iynna·Sep 14, 2023

Omg this is such amazing news, Rachelle! When do you start? Congratulations 1000x

rachellevysarfin·Sep 14, 2023

@iynna Thanks very much! I started this Monday, so tomorrow finishes up my first week.

Iynna·Sep 14, 2023

WOWOW congrats! And so far, how is it?

rachellevysarfin·Sep 14, 2023

@iynna so far, I really like my boss and my coworkers. I actually understand the industry we operate in, which is a first. I have a good feeling about this!

HeidiHuenemann·Sep 14, 2023

That is amazing news!! Congratulations!! 🎉🎉🎉

rachellevysarfin·Sep 14, 2023

@HeidiHuenemann thanks very much!

Morgan·Sep 13, 2023

Yay! Congrats!

rachellevysarfin·Sep 13, 2023

@MorganLucas thanks so much!

SoRo·Sep 14, 2023

Woohoo! That’s awesome news…congrats!

rachellevysarfin·Sep 14, 2023

@SoRo thanks very much!