Four Valuable Interview Lessons from Startup Institute
Week 4 marked the halfway point of my time at Startup Institute (SI). This week, a lot of focus was on the interview process, particularly as it relates to startups. In this one week, I received the same amount of insight and interview training as I did throughout all of my time in college. How the hell is that possible? Well, because the staff at SI, has been helping place hundreds of students in a position to succeed at high-growth companies for the past three and a half years. Not only are they providing insight, but they are also helping put us in contact with not only the recruiters who make hiring decisions but also the founders of startups in the Boston area. Additionally, SI is extremely well-connected when you take into account the staff as well as the alumni.
According to “Top HR Statistics”, a recent study by Glassdoor, “on average a corporate job opening will attract 250 resumes out of which 4 to 6 will get a call.” I’m not sure what the statistics are for startup companies, but startups are looking to attract the greatest talent and don’t always have a ton of openings (of course depending on the stage of the company). Because Startup Institute is well placed in Boston’s startup ecosystem, we are much more likely to get at least a first interview. Below is an infographic that gives several statistics about Startup Institute and their success in placing alumni in jobs they love.
Everyone in the cohort has been pacing their job application process differently, while some have already received and accepted offers, others are hunting down the first interview. For myself, I’ve decided to pace my process and have had a couple of phone and in-person interviews but am also waiting to hear back from a few more companies. One of the ways that I have been able to acquire these interviews has been through the two partner fairs we have had.
SI has over 80 hiring partners, which are companies in the Boston area that get to meet us throughout the eight weeks with the potential of extending an offer. Partner fairs are an opportunity for both partner companies and SI students to get acquainted in a more informal setting. Our co-working space is split into sections and we go around in small groups getting to meet the different companies. More than anything, it’s a great opportunity to practice your short narrative and iterate on it based on feedback you get from the companies. Of course, this process is all just an introduction to a bigger goal, landing an interview.
On the surface, the purpose of an interview is pretty straight-forward. A business has a role that needs to be filled and a conversation happens with a potential employee that might have the skills to fill that role. However, interviews are much more complex than that, as there is a certain finesse required to navigate different types of questions and interview styles.
Here are the 4 most valuable lessons I have learned about the interview process.
1. Every question is intentional
Throughout the entire interview the recruiter has one motive, and that is to figure out whether or not the interviewee is the right fit for the job and the company. Every time you get an interview question, whether the interviewer says it or not (which in my experience he/she never says), you should immediately try to relate your answer back to the company and the position in question. For example, when an interviewer opens with “Tell me about yourself,” you should immediately think, “Tell me about yourself…as it relates to this position within this company.” Too many times I’ve made the mistake of not understanding the context in which I was being asked this question, and I’d respond with, “Well, I was born in Mexico and then moved to California. I love to play soccer, travel, and read”. Boom-lost the job. Again, it comes down to understanding that while we all have our individual stories, we have to learn to place those stories within a particular, and relevant narrative in an interview. Here are some other common questions and what they really mean.
2. Quickly identify the interview style
Each interviewer has their own style, and while there are many different kinds, we covered three of the most common styles at Startup Institute. The first is the bulldog interview style, which is all about creating a stressful scenario during the interview to see how you work under pressure. If you encounter this syle, you should immediatly recognize that the interviewer is not trying to be argumentative with you. Do not shy away. Always keep your cool, be honest, and be professional.
The second is the nice guy/woman interview style. This one is tricky because this style will quickly put your guard down and may lead to you forgetting that you are in an interview. What may happen is that your answers may lose specificity with regards to the position for which you are applying.
The final style is what we at SI call “captain disorganized”. This isn’t so much a style as it is a situation in which a recruiter may be slightly overwhelmed, which is understandable at a startup, where a fire can start at any given moment. As soon as you recognize you don’t have the undivided attention of the other party, you should take the lead on helping him or her to not feel badly. You can say, “Hey, it seems that I may have caught you at the wrong time. Can we reschedule for a time that works better for you?”
3. Deliver a winning narrative of yourself
Going back to what we learned in week one, the narrative you present is very important, and you have the ability to curate that content. Going back to my example where I mentioned the common question, “Tell me about yourself…”
Make sure that your narrative is cohesive and has a common thread. At SI, they have us go through mock interviews with recruiters from some of our partner companies, and I have received feedback that I typically come across as open-minded, coachable, curious, and excited about new experiences, which is important to me, and I am constantly trying to showcase. This is great because it’s the message I’ve been working on being able to communicate and is exactly who I strive to be. Make sure you have examples that showcase what your values are and how they align with those of the company you are applying for.
When answering a conflict or failure question, remember the SAR tactic, which stands for Situation, Action, and Result. What was the situation? What action did you take? What are the results of your actions (aka what did you learn)?
4. Prepare a set of questions that you want answered when they ask, “do you have any questions for us?”
100% of good recruiters will end the interview with allowing you to ask them questions. Here are some good ones for your tool box:
i. “Who has been successful in the position and where are they now?”
ii. “What kind of relationship would we have?” If the person interviewing you is going to be the manger.
iii. “I don’t understand what you mean by…could you clarify?” This can be from something that happened during the interview or something you read while researching the company.
iv. “Where does the company want to be in 3 years?” Very important for startups.
v. “What is your biggest concern about bringing me on as an employee?” The last one can be a tough one to ask but can give you very helpful information. In fact, I asked this at my most recent interview and the interviewer told me their concern was my lack of professionalism because I had confirmed the interview at 12:00am. I used this knowledge to switch how I prioritized responding to emails and will not be making the same mistake.
In conclusion, as Allan (the VP Program Director in Boston) said, “Remember, it is not about being perfect-It’s about being directionally correct.” This comment really struck me because often we worry about having the perfect story of ourselves, sometimes overthinking our interview before it even begins. It’s important to have prepared some anchor points like examples of conflicts we’ve experienced or success stories, but it is just as important to remember to listen to the question and keep in mind “What are they really trying to learn about me?”
Here are some additional resources I found very helpful:
· 12 Surprising Interview Tips
· 10 Best Job Interview Tips for Job-Seekers
· 33 Questions That Were Asked at Apple Job Interviews
· If You’re Not Getting Job Interviews, Read This
· 25 Fun Facts About Resumes, Interviews, & Social Recruitment
A huge thanks to Allan Telio, Rich DiTieri, Diane Hessan, and the rest of the SI staff for helping us with this process, as well as Miro Kazakoff from Testive and CeCe Bazar from OpenView Venture Partners.
This blog would have never been posted without the help of some amazing people from my cohort, Maggie and Casey.
