Please keep in mind that the tips/tools/techniques that people list are highly subjective and may not be applicable everywhere. I realized this from my own experience (worked at two startups in the past, and now at BigCo):
* Glassdoor: Sort reviews by date (people are relatively happy when they join, negative reviews tend to be more current). Take every review (good/bad) with a grain of salt. Reviews with higher "helpful" counts could be more reliable because there are so many companies where the HR writes glowing reviews
* Crunchbase: To know more about the funding situation, list of execs, etc.
* levels.fyi: Salary info. Also check h1bsalaryinfo (website). May/may not be applicable to you, but will give you an idea of what your peers potentially make.
* LinkedIn: Search the name of the company, click on the "People" tab, and look at the list of people who match your background, and then dig out their backgrounds. How long have they been working at the company, what are their previous jobs, how well do you think their background support their roles (even before you talk to them). At my previous company, there were a bunch of people who did sub-par job of being software engineers at their previous companies, and took director/lead/vp roles purely based on their years or experience rather than technical expertise and screwed up the mission big time. This tends to happen at medium/big companies more frequently than at small startups.
* On-site interviews: I know it is going to be extremely hard to gauge a team/company while they are gauging you, but this can be done. Prepare your questions beforehand, and try to see how close or vague their responses are.
* Blind (app) or teamblind (on web): Search for the company and look for comments/questions etc. There may be some discussions which may not be applicable, but it doesn't hurt to search.
* GitHub/Medium: Some companies/startups have their own pages, or at least their team members do (although not current). It'd be good to check those as well.
* Cold emailing: Previous and current employees. Not many will respond, but if even one or two do, I'd highly value their input
* Coffee: Doesn't hurt to try (most people are willing to do this, but don't do this just because they don't have time, or feel awkward about meeting new people)
Most of these will be applicable for smaller companies/startups, but at big companies, it'll be tough knowing all the people you will work with. Ultimately, it's going to boil down to few things:
(a) your instincts: whether you feel you'll fit right in or not, whether the company is good for you or not, whether you believe in the core mission or not. I tend to believe this more.
(b) your team: a good team/team member can make your life at work the best experience or the worst experience. And unfortunately, there is no way to predict this unless you give it a chance.
I agree. The more proactive you are about reaching out or asking the right questions, the more you'll know. Thanks for the detailed suggestions.
I personally think Glassdoor is pretty outdated. Blind is more 'real time'
* Glassdoor: Sort reviews by date (people are relatively happy when they join, negative reviews tend to be more current). Take every review (good/bad) with a grain of salt. Reviews with higher "helpful" counts could be more reliable because there are so many companies where the HR writes glowing reviews
* Crunchbase: To know more about the funding situation, list of execs, etc.
* levels.fyi: Salary info. Also check h1bsalaryinfo (website). May/may not be applicable to you, but will give you an idea of what your peers potentially make.
* LinkedIn: Search the name of the company, click on the "People" tab, and look at the list of people who match your background, and then dig out their backgrounds. How long have they been working at the company, what are their previous jobs, how well do you think their background support their roles (even before you talk to them). At my previous company, there were a bunch of people who did sub-par job of being software engineers at their previous companies, and took director/lead/vp roles purely based on their years or experience rather than technical expertise and screwed up the mission big time. This tends to happen at medium/big companies more frequently than at small startups.
* On-site interviews: I know it is going to be extremely hard to gauge a team/company while they are gauging you, but this can be done. Prepare your questions beforehand, and try to see how close or vague their responses are.
* Blind (app) or teamblind (on web): Search for the company and look for comments/questions etc. There may be some discussions which may not be applicable, but it doesn't hurt to search.
* GitHub/Medium: Some companies/startups have their own pages, or at least their team members do (although not current). It'd be good to check those as well.
* Cold emailing: Previous and current employees. Not many will respond, but if even one or two do, I'd highly value their input
* Coffee: Doesn't hurt to try (most people are willing to do this, but don't do this just because they don't have time, or feel awkward about meeting new people)
Most of these will be applicable for smaller companies/startups, but at big companies, it'll be tough knowing all the people you will work with. Ultimately, it's going to boil down to few things:
(a) your instincts: whether you feel you'll fit right in or not, whether the company is good for you or not, whether you believe in the core mission or not. I tend to believe this more.
(b) your team: a good team/team member can make your life at work the best experience or the worst experience. And unfortunately, there is no way to predict this unless you give it a chance.
Good luck!