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During the process of getting hired in all my previous jobs, there has been little or no chance to meet my future coworkers before accepting an offer. For my next job, I think it would be nice to join a team lunch, or even just spend 15 minutes chatting with the people I would be working with before accepting.

I know that some companies do this as a standard part of bringing someone new on, but if they do not offer it, what if I did? Would a request for this sort of thing be thought of as too forward, or inappropriate for other reasons?

For context, this would be a tech/software role I would be applying to.

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    I would wait until given an offer first, but you can ask for anything you want. Remember, interviews are a 2-way street. The worst they can do is decline. Then you get to ask yourself whether you want to work for someone who is afraid to let you meet your coworkers. – Seth R Apr 7 '17 at 13:08
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I personally don't think it's inappropriate. I wouldn't want to work in a team where we get new people thrusted upon us that we've never spoken to before, and I wouldn't want to join a team that I didn't know either. You might get paid by the company, but you spend your entire day working with your team so I'd think it's weird that you only meet the former and get the latter on a gamble. The companies I've worked for so far always involve the team in the interview process.

So in my case, I'd ask and if that meant losing the offer then I'd consider it a bullet dodged.

But it really depends on the company whether they go along with it. If you really want the job either way, it might be better not to ask just in case they look poorly on it. If you think meeting your future team is important enough that you'd be okay losing the offer over it, definitely ask.

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    If a company rejects you just for asking, that would in itself be a red flag for me. Even if the company does not want to do this, a polite question to that effect should not be a problem - they can always politely decline. – sleske Apr 7 '17 at 9:08
  • I'm thinking whether asking for it even while arranging the interview is not advisable. This way the team can also plan some time for you and they are not caught by a surprise. – Mike Apr 7 '17 at 13:20
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    @Mike yes I would either ask beforehand, or ask them to schedule a meeting with the team. Asking about it and then expecting to meet them 5 minutes later is probably not feasible. – Erik Apr 7 '17 at 13:28
  • Good to hear that, @Erik. On the other hand such acute meeting would be an extreme test on team's agility (with respect to agile development modern nowadays). – Mike Apr 7 '17 at 13:36
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    @Erik - you would pass the test. This was actually my idea - if the team allows for any random interruption - they are rather chaotic, not agile. Even if full of goodwill, SM should consult the team and Product Owner if they can allow themselves for this interruption, but most likely they would schedule a meeting later on, indeed. – Mike Apr 7 '17 at 14:50
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Would a request for this sort of thing be thought of as too forward, or inappropriate for other reasons?

I always request some time to talk with my potential coworkers.

For me at least, teammates are a very important attribute of the job. If I like and respect my teammates, I tend to like the job.

I always ask my potential teammates what it is like to work for the potential boss, what it's like working at the company, what they like, and what they don't like. I find that I get very honest answers from folks would would be my peers.

And when I'm the hiring manager, I always bring in one of the candidate's potential teammates to participate in the interview process.

I don't consider this as too forward or inappropriate at all. I think it's smart.

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I certainly think it's acceptable to meet the team - but more in a 'walk about' session through the office rather than a team lunch. Also, it should only be done once you're at the end of the interview process - you're distracting your future colleagues from the work they should be doing, so this should only happen if you're one of the the last one or two applicants.

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It is certainly a valid question, but may be a little off-putting.

I have always asked, "Can I see where I would be working?" (I have even once turned down a job offer because the workstation was in a basement room with the drop-ceiling torn out and a 10-ton air handler directly above the desk.)

The benefit of this is that you almost always get to "meet the neighbors" when you are shown where you'll be sitting.

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It would be unusual, it's best to go with company protocols in such things. Unusual requests can be used as a filter on whether to offer a person a job or not. You're basically asking for special treatment before they even decide you're worth hiring. In this case you want to inconvenience a whole team with no perceived value to the team. I wouldn't have appreciated the interruption in my team days.

In saying that, you can request anything you like, I've seen worse (didn't hire them though).

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  • If you're going after candidates who already have a job, I'd suggest accommodating this request (probably not the lunch part). How else do you determine if they''re a good fit on the team? How do your teams feel when they have no input into hiring? – user8365 Apr 7 '17 at 15:16
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Would a request for this sort of thing be thought of as too forward, or inappropriate for other reasons?

I think you are right in thinking so but it will depends on the situation too.Consider a interviewee being stern or harsh in nature.Asking so is bound to bring quiet bad impression.But a genuine interviewee will get it as a sign of you being highly eager to work in the company and will add on in your favour.

So wait then analyse and then ask for whatever you want because one wrong step can lead you to loose the job.

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    I've fixed that.I was in a hurry so messed things up @Erik – Black Mamba Apr 7 '17 at 9:06

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