Wow. This is turning into a great discussion.

I'm not against direct questions as a rule. I've just found that during an interview when you've first walked through the door is when many less than "team oriented" people may be on the look out for any reason to position themselves in front of anyone they feel may be a fast mover and may misrepresent your questions to others for less than honorable reasons.

I agree with what you said, Andrea, about building trust and a relationship with the the more direct, no nonsense questions. I guess for me though (and this is just a personal preference from various situations over the years), I like to save those conversations for a bit later after I've felt people out a little bit.

Although, since the initial point was to see if you even wanted to work for a particular company to begin with, you may not want to have to accept the job to find out those kinds of details. As for the bulls*** meter, I guess mine fluctuates with accuracy depending on how much is going on in my life.

Maybe it all just boils down to going with your gut and your own preference. Either way,it's still fair to ask questions of the company so you can make an informed decision.

Also, it's probably fair to point out that the types of employment I've had in the past may color the way I feel I like to ask the types of questions Phillip suggested and when I am comfortable getting more down to basics with the direct types of questions.

Congratulations on another great discussion topic, Phillip.