I ask what I suspect are some unusual questions about potential positions in order to help decide if the job & I are a good match. Here's a sample of the sort of thing you should be prepared for:
- Can you sponsor a New Zealand visa?
- How big is the software engineering organization?
- How do you support remote workers?
- Which cities have offices, and how big are they?
- How do you support collaboration within & between locations?
- What does the tech stack looks like? What are the main values driving those tech choices?
- What does the build/deploy/provisioning infrastructure look like, and what values drive those processes?
- What business & technical problems are being solved? Who are the primary customers/users/stakeholders?
- What forms does mentorship and support for career growth take?
- What do the review, promotion, and raise processes look like?
- Can you share attrition/retention rates?
- How do you encourage diversity in the workplace?
- What shape is the compensation package? That is, what proportion of total compensation tends to be covered by salary, bonuses, & stocks/LTIPs/equity?
- What is your PTO policy?
- What is your policy regarding personal projects & open source?
I'm currently earning >$300k/year, and I'm happy in my current position, so a compelling offer would need to beat that by a significant margin while also providing an excellent work environment with great opportunities & support for growth. I may entertain reduced monetary compensation in exchange for New Zealand visa sponsorship.
Current breakdown:
- $211,140 base
- 10% quarterly bonuses (or more)
- LTIPs vesting at >$120k per year
- RSUs vesting at >$65k