It is perfectly fine to ask anything from the interviewer. How long have they worked there? Did they have other jobs? Why did they leave? Is there anything specific that is great about this place? Why are you looking for employees? Did someone quit? Do you have a lot of meetings? Do you enjoy coding? Do you have anything interesting on github?
Not specifically that but give it your own twist.
If they are confused remind them that getting along with people and fitting the team is at least as important as the ability to do work. The work is the least of your concern. It will probably involve dusting off some old skills and learning some new things.
Except that the interviewer has the power to fail you if you put them in a bad position. It is fundamentally an asymmetrical situation where the interviewer is in a dominant position.
I would argue that is only true in an employer employee relationship.
I fondly remember laughing my ass off with the owner of a company about what a shit job he was offering. A shit job with shit pay, no wonder you are looking for employees. It took me 5 minutes to figure out there was no real job worth considering. We spend the better part of an hour just chatting after that. [In my opinion] he was drowning in work because he was to cheap, it makes the company unreliable.
> I would argue that is only true in an employer employee relationship.
Then let me tell you: it's not really a choice. It's not something the company writes somewhere. If the interviewee feels like the interviewer is in a dominant position, then the interviewer is in a dominant position.
I feel like that as an interviewee, and I am absolutely certain that most people do. Maybe you don't, that's good for you. But you are more of an exception. And it's still important to know that you are in a dominant position when you are an interviewer.
Never forget that you can totally abuse someone without realizing it when you are in a dominant position. Remember #metoo.
> Ideally something you are madly overqualified for.
Sure, I don't deny that! I'm just saying that not everybody is lucky enough to have that luxury. I am quite confident that most interviewees somehow need the job (or "a" job, but each opportunity matters), and most interviewers are effectively in a dominant position.
And it is much easier for an interviewer to realise that they are in a dominant position than for an interviewee to not give a shit about the fact that they need the job.
Not specifically that but give it your own twist.
If they are confused remind them that getting along with people and fitting the team is at least as important as the ability to do work. The work is the least of your concern. It will probably involve dusting off some old skills and learning some new things.