Turnover rate: a FANTASTIC question to ask at your next job interview. Keep them on their toes.
We love the people who ask hard questions. If the person interviewing you doesn't: don't work there.
Thanks for that post.
We love the people who ask hard questions. If the person interviewing you doesn't: don't work there.
Thanks for that post.
It's the employer's equivalent of "what is your biggest weakness". It just tests their ability to BS.
"How long was the person before me here?"
"What's the average length of time someone stays here?"
"How long have *you* been here?"
You're asking for a number. Your interviewer either gives it to you, or he evades.
Another brilliant one is "how long are you planning to stay?".
This can lead to some of the most revealing and unstructured discussions you'll engage in during your interview process. Not for the feint of heart.
For example, if you join a small company to lead, say, their first Android application's development, and one of your first tasks involves hiring another developer or two to round out your team, there's not going to be a lot of tenure there. That certainly represents a risk, but it doesn't indicate something wrong with the company.
When I encounter situations like this, I often ask about the team members' prior experience. They're not obliged to share those details, of course, but most people are eager to tell you about their past achievements and how they hope to outdo themselves in their new roles.
The second and third questions are good, but short tenures could also signify a rapidly growing company (which is something to be wary of, but not for the same reason) like Google in 2006.
Sure, but if everyone interviewing you are less than a year in, where are all the people who worked here before?
And why are you being interviewed mostly or exclusively by junior team members who haven't proved themselves yet? Is the company entrusting the selection of successful employees to newbies who haven't yet proved they can be such?
An interviewer for a company in the middle of a growth spurt should be able to explain that, quote some enticing growth figures, and mention that "almost all of the original team members are now project leaders and executives... in fact, if this goes well, you'll meet some of them shortly".
"Tell me why the last three people to leave your team left?" "How long ago was this?" Then at a different point in time, "How big is your team?"
You are likely to get accurate answers. You can do the math. And the way they talk about the departed will tell you volumes about their environment.
Honestly, the most surefire litmus test I've found is ex-employees who still speak positively about the employer.
Conversely, a very vague non-answer, like "I couldn't really say" may hint at a non-disparagement clause in exchange for a severance package (with an NDA covering the existence of the agreement itself).
Maybe the best answer is that one's greatest weakness is being OCD about fixing one's weaknesses :-)
And for a serious answer: I spend too much time worrying about weaknesses when I should be delegating affected tasks to others while I focus on tasks that play to my strengths.
Or: If I don't do something well, I delegate it to someone who can and get back to doing what I do best.
It's possible the organization encourages people not to linger in the sense Alex Papadimoulis discusses in http://thedailywtf.com/articles/up-or-out-solving-the-it-tur...
Of course, getting the why of a turnover rate is hard; an employer with a culture that encourages negative turnover probably won't be willing to fess up. That probably involves contacting enough former employees to get a non-biased sample, and convincing each of them to be honest. That is, if they are willing to talk to you at all.
You'll often get a better answer to the question, though, if you ask it of the junior person in the room (e.g., the engineer if the hiring manager has brought one).