Team Values
Smart questions for engineers who want real answers
Get past the polished company-approved answers, avoid sounding like a "bad" candidate, and uncover details that aren't in a job description.
What would you say the biggest challenge facing the engineering team over the next six months or year is?
What's tough about working here?
The work itself: challenges and expectations
Notes
This question helps you get a sense of the short- and long-term obstacles the team is expecting to face, helping you understand what you're walking into and how your role might evolve.
Who to ask
Team Manager
Team Member
What to listen for
- What technical or organizational challenges do they mention?
- Is it something you find worth working through?
- How open is the team to discussing their struggles?
Red flags 🚩
- Avoiding or deflecting the question, especially if the team seems to avoid discussing difficulties. This may signal there's more going wrong under the surface.
- Overly idealistic or overly negative responses
- "We're not struggling with anything"