[jcadam]

- Does this job posting represent a real, urgent need or are you just fishing?

- Team Size

- Can I choose my own tools, or are you going to force Eclipse on me (deal-breaker)?

- Office environment. Open (no thanks)? Cubes (Meh)? Private offices (nice)?

- Salary range

- Average number of hours per week. Don't say 40 if it's really 60.

- Employee development. Do you send people to conferences (this is rare nowadays, and can really differentiate you as an employer)? Tuition assistance/reimbursement? Books?

- Health care benefits information (This is so variable that I always ask for this information before accepting an offer).

[majewsky]

> Does this job posting represent a real, urgent need or are you just fishing?

Why does a "real need" have to be urgent? In my team, all important needs are covered, but we still add new people when budget is available because there's always more stuff in the backlog. Six people can usually do more than five, and 21 people can usually do more than 20. (Although 20 people do not necessarily do more than 5 because [insert comment about middle management culture] but that's not my point.)

Also:

> - Health care benefits information (This is so variable that I always ask for this information before accepting an offer).

This bullet point sounds absurd to my European ears.

[jcadam]

> Why does a "real need" have to be urgent?

Because continuously reposting the same position for months/years and interviewing hundreds of candidates just in case a god of computer science happens to apply to your company wastes candidates' time and makes us hate you ("He would be prefect except for that thing he does with his eyebrows while he talks, so let's pass and wait for a better candidate.")

> This bullet point sounds absurd to my European ears.

I'd rather my employer just hand me a (large) wad of (tax-free) cash and say "Go buy yourself some health insurance", but that's not what happens. My current employer's prescription drug plan (Express scripts), for example, is the worst thing in the universe. I'd much rather be able to shop around.