As I’ve moved back into contracting/consulting, I’ve been drawing a list of questions to ask potential employers. I won’t discuss the answers I prefer to hear. But, I think if one knows what answers they’d like to hear, they are better prepared to evaluate if the employer is a fit for them.

Does all of the code compile?

Number of automated tests?

What is your code coverage?

What is your branch coverage?

What is your average cyclomatic complexity?

If working with legacy code, how long has it been since it was modified?

If working with legacy code, who wrote it, an employee or contractor?

Are you familiar with the Joel Test (or something like it)? What’s your score?

If you have the basic infrastructure:
What type of source control do you use?
What tool(s) do you use for continuous/daily builds?
What tool(s) you use for bug tracking?
What tool(s) do you use for deployment?

How long does it take to get a user environment set up?

What type of machines (RAM, CPU, monitor(s) size)?

What type of phones? Obvious how to hang up, redial, etc?

How easy is it to get conference area?

Do conference areas have projectors?

Do conference areas have whiteboards?

Do cubes have whiteboards?

How many managers have programming background?

How many managers to a person?

How are people organized? Matrix, hierarchical, team?

Who makes the estimates?

What is the basic unit of measurement for estimates? Hours, days, points, etc?

Type of browser? Are daily tools dependent upon browser?

And, of course,

Is coffee provided?