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Ask HN: How should I evaluate a startup as I job hunt?

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Re: Ask HN: How should I evaluate a startup as I job hunt?

#11

Post by OmarIsmail »

You first have to decide what kind of startup you're looking for. Do you want to be hire 1-10, 10-50,50-100, or 100+? Each of those company sizes is a substantially different beast and depending on which one is more suitable to you the other questions change dramatically.

If you're looking at the 50-100 range then the startup is obviously more mature and the nature of the company isn't as important so much as the work you'll be doing. If you're looking to be hire 1-10 then the company itself is a lot more important, especially the founders.

Let's assume you're looking to join a smaller team. If that's the case then I'd concentrate almost everything on the founders. Ultimately it comes down to trust. Do you trust these people to focus on important matters? Do you trust them to be fair and mature about tough decisions? Do you trust them to treat you and your coworkers right?

For many people this can be a difficult thing to gauge and it's made especially more difficult since the founders will be actively trying to sell you and therefore make themselves look better.

Ultimately there are some high level filters that can help carve out a lot of options and save you a lot of time. And these are actually the same kind of filters that investors apply:

Are they a YC company?

What is the experience of the founders? Have they done a startup before? Do they have an "in" for the space?

Does the company have traction?

The reason why I put YC company first is that pg and co are going to be better than most people at picking winners. So if you limit your choice to YC companies then you're going to have a much lower chance of joining the wrong company. I say that from some bias as being a founder of a YC company, but also because I've met many of the founders of other YC companies, and it's just crazy how many of them are awesome and trustworthy.

Re: Ask HN: How should I evaluate a startup as I job hunt?

#12

Post by tomasien »

A tl/dr version would be

1. Runway - how much runway do they have until they run out of money assuming revenues will not increase (which of course they should)

2. Culture - does it seem good? Good gauge - are people there even when they don't have to be.

3. Compensation - does it pay enough to make your comfortable and have upside in stake? If so, raises don't matter as much, make your own raise by adding value to your stake.

Re: Ask HN: How should I evaluate a startup as I job hunt?

#13

Post by rabidsnail »

Ask: "Will I have fun working here? Will I wake up in the morning excited to come in to work? Will I learn something new every day?"

Working for a short period doing something you love in a company that ultimately fails is better than doing something you don't love for 30 years. You can always get another job.

Re: Ask HN: How should I evaluate a startup as I job hunt?

#14

Post by eshvk »

whichdan wrote: post #3

Here are a handful off the top of my head: - Are you profitable? If so, for how long? - How long until you need another round of funding? - Are you planning on hiring more staff? If so, for what positions? - How do you gauge promotions/raises? - Who will my coworkers be? - What is the office setup like? - What hours will I be working? - How much time is spent on maintenance vs. new development? - Is your code unit te…

> - Are you profitable? If so, for how long?

For some reason, a few companies seem to think that including investor infusions while computing profitability is somehow a good thing. It is wise to (gently) probe and figure whether this is what they are doing.

Re: Ask HN: How should I evaluate a startup as I job hunt?

#15

Post by greghinch »

There is no magic way to tell. Go with your gut, keep some of these lists and advice in mind, but ultimately if you have some opportunities on the table, just pick one and don't look back. And don't be afraid to walk away if you start to feel unhappy. "I'll just stay here until ______" is just an excuse.

Re: Ask HN: How should I evaluate a startup as I job hunt?

#16

Post by pearkes »

Get to know the people. I personally feel that these traits trump everything else if you're keen on growing as a person and professional:

  - Vulnerability (openness)
  - Forgiveness
  - Passion (for both the company and life as a whole)
It's hard to find cut-and-dry questions to determine these traits. Try to talk about what these people love to do, even if that's outside of their craft or the company.

  - What was their first job?
  - Where are their "people" from? (Family, ancestors)
  - What do they dislike most about their industries culture?
Although the answer doesn't matter, these questions can expose a lot of a persons personality and history in a short amount of time.

Re: Ask HN: How should I evaluate a startup as I job hunt?

#17

Post by brudgers »

whichdan wrote: post #3

Here are a handful off the top of my head: - Are you profitable? If so, for how long? - How long until you need another round of funding? - Are you planning on hiring more staff? If so, for what positions? - How do you gauge promotions/raises? - Who will my coworkers be? - What is the office setup like? - What hours will I be working? - How much time is spent on maintenance vs. new development? - Is your code unit te…

I think

   - How long is your runway?
might be toward the top of my list. It gets right to the point regarding stability and opens the door to further explanation regarding short term and medium term plans for company growth.

Re: Ask HN: How should I evaluate a startup as I job hunt?

#18

Post by danilocampos »

There's plenty of great advice here. I'd add one more signal to evaluate:

How tight is their hiring process?

Hiring is one of the most important tasks of a startup. As the business grows, it identifies new things it wants to get done and eventually that means adding people.

Watch your interactions with a prospective employer carefully. Are they swift in communications to schedule your interviews? Do they seem prepared when you show up to talk? Is their follow up clear and prompt after your first meeting? A startup with their shit together should be able to go from phone screen to signed offer letter inside of 7 - 10 days.

Any longer than that suggests sloppy management, poor communications skills or lack of focus. Or worst of all: lack of clarity/urgency around the initiative they're hiring you for.

If their hiring process is sloppy, it's a safe bet you're in for a bad time.

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