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Ask YC: Startup Interview Tips

news.ycombinator.com

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Re: Ask YC: Startup Interview Tips

#11

Post by joshuaxls »

mikesabat wrote: post #5

The biggest issue is whom you choose to interview with. The worst case scenario is a false positive = you get hired and it is a bad match/you don't like the job. This isn't a corpo job where you can hide or distract yourself all day. So with that in mind be very honest and only look at projects/companies that you are genuinely interested in. Don't reach for any position. Make sure you like the co-workers and do some…

Building on the last line of parent's comment, you should also research your co-workers ahead of time. Spend an hour or two googling the company, their email addresses, screen names, etc. If you're decent with Google, you'll find a lot. You should be able to get some idea of who you'll be talking with and working with ahead of time, which, in my case, helped me to be more confident during the interviews.

Anecdote: I recently came home from an interview at a startup, one which shall go unnamed, and decided to do more googling of their employees. I found that they had been taking parts of my cover letter, which was admittedly eccentric, and Twittering them amongst themselves, mocking me. How embarrassing, more so since I had just been in interviewing with them. Jerks.

Re: Ask YC: Startup Interview Tips

#12

Post by tom »

Wesmax27 wrote: post #10

Thanks for all the responses! One piece of information I did not mention is that I am not an engineer/hacker but a biz dev/sales guy. I don't think that changes much but just thought I would put it out there in case it does change anything. Thus far I have been very selective about the startups I have chosen to interview with. From the advice here, it looks like I should continue doing that.

Ahhh, a sales guy. :) Bit of a brain dump here, but I've been on both ends of this - the hiring end, and the sales guy end (and the tech dev end - wait, can you be on three ends?)

Like any sales jobs, have numbers. Show what you did, where and why it's relevant. Don't be too salesy in the interview. Show they why you are committed to THIS opportunity, not that you could sell ice to well, folks who live in cold places. Show that you've done your homework on their market. Show them why you're more than a hired gun. Be ready to pitch whatever they throw at you. Know their competitors dead. Seriously, do all your homework. Also, building on what was said before, it doesn't hurt to familiarize yourself with the founders / head folk's previous work lives. Google is your friend.

Re: Ask YC: Startup Interview Tips

#14

Post by deepster »

Not a tip...

But I'm curious, does anyone else get rubbed the wrong way by some of these job descriptions for these startups?

A good portion of them want "super smart", "kick-ass", "rockstar" developers and a number of them even incorporate puzzles. I understand people will mimic Google but don't ya'll think it's going a bit too far?

Or does it really work?

Re: Ask YC: Startup Interview Tips

#15

Post by deepster »

lux wrote: post #6
tonystubblebine wrote: post #2

Write and release code. Startups often say that they have to hire great people, but I know plenty that would be happy with a junior person. What they can't handle is someone who requires a lot of hand holding. The engineers are going to google you before you interview. If they can't find anything to judge you on they're going to ask you the same questions they would ask themselves (often full of gotchas that you woul…

Agreed! It's amazing how many applicants you get that have only ever written code for school assignments or other jobs. Contribute to OS, start a project, just do something visible! It also shows you actually like what you do, which startups are definitely looking for.

Contributing to OSS would definitely make a candidate stand out in my eyes. Not to mention that you can also review his/her code. Few things in life are more annoying than interviewing a candidate who's fancies himself a programmer b/c he read a "Program ____ in 24 hours".

Re: Ask YC: Startup Interview Tips

#16

Post by kynikos »

When you're in the interview, be sure to ask a lot of questions about the company's origins and the founders' backgrounds. Ask about the company's strategic direction and where they want to be in 6 months/year/5 years...

I had put in a couple of months at a startup of sorts (not tech related, but in 'green' real estate development) doing sales and biz dev work. I left because the founder wasn't putting his all into it and the company began to suffer. He had other business interests and obligations that prevented him from making this company his primary focus. The experience taught me that leadership and strategic planning/execution are extremely important. It can become frustrating if you don't agree with the way your employer makes decisions, especially if you come from a business background.

In short, make sure the people you're working for know what they're doing.

Re: Ask YC: Startup Interview Tips

#17

Post by Wesmax27 »

kynikos wrote: post #16

When you're in the interview, be sure to ask a lot of questions about the company's origins and the founders' backgrounds. Ask about the company's strategic direction and where they want to be in 6 months/year/5 years... I had put in a couple of months at a startup of sorts (not tech related, but in 'green' real estate development) doing sales and biz dev work. I left because the founder wasn't putting his all into i…

That is really great advice. I will definitely research that. Thanks.

Re: Ask YC: Startup Interview Tips

#18

Post by Wesmax27 »

tom wrote: post #12
Wesmax27 wrote: post #10

Thanks for all the responses! One piece of information I did not mention is that I am not an engineer/hacker but a biz dev/sales guy. I don't think that changes much but just thought I would put it out there in case it does change anything. Thus far I have been very selective about the startups I have chosen to interview with. From the advice here, it looks like I should continue doing that.

Ahhh, a sales guy. :) Bit of a brain dump here, but I've been on both ends of this - the hiring end, and the sales guy end (and the tech dev end - wait, can you be on three ends?) Like any sales jobs, have numbers. Show what you did, where and why it's relevant. Don't be too salesy in the interview. Show they why you are committed to THIS opportunity, not that you could sell ice to well, folks who live in cold places…

Thanks for this.

Re: Ask YC: Startup Interview Tips

#19

Post by kynikos »

deepster wrote: post #14

Not a tip... But I'm curious, does anyone else get rubbed the wrong way by some of these job descriptions for these startups? A good portion of them want "super smart", "kick-ass", "rockstar" developers and a number of them even incorporate puzzles. I understand people will mimic Google but don't ya'll think it's going a bit too far? Or does it really work?

It's like the cliche, "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." IMO, just a ploy use to make a company more attractive to Gen-Yers.
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