How do I ask questions that would eliminate my interest in a job without appearing uninterested?

manpreet Best Answer 2 years ago

Whenever I get a response to a job application (e.g. being asked into an interview), I ask whether developers (I'm a software developer) are permitted to choose their own operating system. A lot of the people who I've asked seem to think this is a strange question, and either don't have an answer or seem put off by it.

For me, I'm just not interested in working somewhere that will require me to use an operating system that I'm not comfortable with. I understand that there is a big benefit to having teams using the same software to ease collaboration, which is why I don't have a problem with being rejected based on my refusal to work with a non-Linux operating system.

For me, I'd rather have a job where I can work with the tools I prefer (like Linux) rather than take a higher-paying job where I'm required to use different tools.

That's a personal decision and I'm quite comfortable with it. I don't mind sacrificing money for comfort. The question is, though, how do I communicate that to potential employers? I'm not trying to get them to make exceptions, I just want to make sure they're going to be ok with my choice before I waste both of our time with an interview.

For context, the work I do doesn't lend itself to one operating system over another; it's not like I'm applying for a position as a .NET developer, where Linux really doesn't make sense. The kind of work I do can be done on pretty much any operating system, I just prefer to stick with the one I've been using for the past 15 years.

manpreet 2 years ago

It seems to me you don't mind appearing uninterested when you truly are. What you don't want to do is tick off someone at a job you would have liked. So instead of jumping straight to the "you will let me be an exception to every one of your rules regardless of cost or inconvenience to others, won't you?"chase, perhaps you could start with "What are the developer machines like?" and then work up to "is there a standard suite of tools preinstalled?" and then "is it ok for me to have a different suite of tools, or even a different OS, if I want it?"

The kinds of places you don't want to work will reveal themselves to you very quickly with that line of conversation. And places you want to work won't have been put off by your assumption up front that whatever crap they were planning to provide you with isn't good enough for you, and you need permission in advance to replace it. Perhaps that isn't really what you meant by the question. But if any applicant asked me, as early as a phone screen, "whether developers are permitted to choose their own operating system" that is what I would hear. I want you to know that employers hear that, because I don't think you actually mean it, but you're leaving that impression.