5 qualities to crush your startup interview. Signed, the intern.
Startups are as exciting to work for as they are to start. I’ve interned for two, including my current position at rhubarb studios, and have had many interviews. Joining a company at its outset means you’re there for the blueprints. Don’t expect established rules or guidelines to what you’ll be doing; the best part is you can create and develop the role as you go. Transparency is often at the core of these organizations; a raw culture exists, and it’s pretty casual compared to what you’ll find in larger corporations. It’s incredibly refreshing — interviews have more flow and one can navigate into a realm of idea bouncing. At the same time, there’s a high possibility you will be interviewing on a bean-bag chair, while dodging ping-pong balls and talking over Vampire Weekend in the background. So, relax and be yourself!
Here’s some qualities I’ve made sure to highlight when sitting down with a startup.
Passion
Startups are founded on this single premise: passion. Inherently, the people behind them have this driving force coursing through their blood at all times. This isn’t the kind of passion that breeds from enthusiasm and excitement (though it helps), but rather it’s a dedication and drive that is manifested to push through when shit hits the fan. Luckily, from a young age I’ve always had a problem engaging in scenarios that I’m not the slightest bit passionate about. Ask me about the seven hobbies I’ve started and quit, knowing after a few short weeks: “nope, not for me”. Instead, this has come from truly knowing what it is I want to do. Sure, options are everywhere, decision-making feels like an over-dramatized life-death situation scenario for us millennials, and it’s hard to find that ‘push’ most of us need. Having a solid idea you can portray to a potential new workspace will assure them you’re stable, you’re dedicated to your vision, and you aren’t simply floating around.
I found my work passion simply by choosing a place to begin and going the trial-and-error route — once you start, you can begin to create a funnel. The truth is there is no one path to finding your passion. I’ve sat through many interviews, openly and honestly stating “I have no damn idea what my next five years looks like, but this is what I’m working towards right now, and I love where it’s taking me and can’t wait to see what happens”. This approach has received great responses, at least with small startup-like businesses. Hell, they too are unsure of even the next year! They become your solution and you become theirs. Not having a clear answer to the five year question doesn’t mean you’re not passionate, it actually just validates your normality as a human being that lacks access to a crystal ball. Instead, you’re given an opportunity to paint a hopeful trajectory and compare your passion to their own.
Your passion will be questioned many times — in bold forms, I might add, during the interview. As will your decisions in choosing them specifically. So choose your startup wisely. Create passion for yourself by making decisions that lead you in the right direction.
Self-starter
Nothing is more impressive than someone who creates their own value. Startups and founders don’t have time to delegate every piece of work out to their team. If they did, they’d probably be better at running a daycare, not founding a business. Consider how you have kept your own deadlines and created work for yourself in the past. For example, when I lived in the Netherlands (where they speak Dutch), I found an English-speaking publication to write for and used my tourist naivety to create articles around news in the city, lending a new perspective to the team all together. Show them you were born to get shit done, that it irks you when things are left unsolved and untouched. Startups need people that can dive right in. Being able to not only strategize but also execute a plan speaks so much louder than simply proposing a direction.
There’s no question you’ll be doing the best work of your life, and probably the most work of your life. Enthusiasm is key and if you don’t have that — you can’t be part of a startup.
Research
Ask questions — startups are doing this all the time. Do your homework prior to sitting down for the interview. It’s been said time and time again, but I still hear about the mass amount of interviewees who can’t hold a conversation because they have no information. Showing a genuine curiosity in a company who is validating their idea daily, further validates your ability to know the field and efficiently maneuver through it. Read what people have said about them, get to know who they’ve worked with, know of any appearances they’ve made in the news. Read it all.
At this point, most interviewees also know the importance of interviewing back. It’s a two-way street. Unlike large corporations, you’ll most likely be meeting with a founder either for the first or second interview. I’ve interviewed with a startup and unknowingly sat across the table from the company’s founder (she wasn’t introduced as such) and felt like a complete fool learning this later when I wasn’t hired. I’ve also walked into a workspace, knowing the founder’s faces (they were displayed on the website) and was able to walk up to them personally and introduce myself. This time, I was hired. Lesson: know your shit. Take this as an opportunity to peek further into the company. Ask about their vision, their strengths and weaknesses, their challenges and opportunities. Remember your role as a potential candidate and the passion you have for your own vision — you too are evaluating how they can fit into your life.
Think of this process as the friends you make. It’s hard to make a good friend when they show very little interest in the person you are, your failures, your passions, etc. These kinds of people are not worth the investment and add little value to your person. The same goes for a startup when evaluating the value you can bring to their company. Being interested will make you interesting.
Take advantage of social media in your research in order to visualize the ‘look’ of the environment and be able to dress the part. The same as you would when researching the unspoken dress-code of a restaurant. Find the medium between the formal suit and the t-shirt and jeans combination. Be professional, but don’t overdo it.
Problem solver
Show off your problem-solving skills, your ability to fill in the gaps. Founders have a brain geared towards providing solutions. You, too, want to be part of their solution. Show them you have an understanding that entrepreneurs experience roadblocks on the daily, and that you are able to act fast and act cool by bringing solutions to the table immediately. The ideas you bring will come from the knowledge you’ve built from your research. I’ve walked into an interview and gone through a list of things they can improve on, on the company’s website and ad campaigns. Be ready with ideas, share them, and provide solutions.
Sign up for their product, subscribe to their enewsletter, follow them on Twitter, poke around, and find reasons why you love it and hate it. It’s almost a guarantee you’ll be asked about their product, what you like or dislike about it, and why you chose to apply to work as part of this startup.
Also, don’t forget to mention the problems you’re trying to solve within. How can this company help your own skills grow? Sure, the tried-and-true ‘weaknesses’ question makes many of us itch, but use it to show how you want to learn and how they can get you there. A desire for personal growth makes your job a reciprocated endeavor and feeds back into the passion mentioned above.
Wearing many hats
You’ll be joining a small team, but that doesn’t mean tasks are smaller or dreams aren’t as big. It just means that more jobs are divided between fewer people. You have to be up for that. The upside: it makes your job(s) more exciting. You won’t be sitting behind a desk crunching numbers all day, waiting for that lunch hour to hit. In fact, in my experience, you’ll forget it. Make yourself available to these opportunities because it’s a chance to experiment and test your own skills. The only reason I got into social media management is because I interned for a startup that had yet to dive into that realm and manage it consistently — so I offered to give it a shot. No matter how big or small your accomplishments, be proud of every skill you’ve accumulated over the years. Confidence is key. Again, these accomplishments might have been trial-and-error, but nevertheless, they’re a first-hand account of what not to or what to do.
The company will not be fully established, that’s why it’s called a startup. Expect to wear many hats and definitely bring all your skills, even if at times it seems random to the interview. You’ll most likely be pulling from a bucket of random skills you have to make shit happen. All your work experience is relevant. I did this when I was hired onto a team with five founding members of a startup. While an ‘editor’ might be the position you signed on for, you’ll find yourself helping plan events and make graphics from your basic-level Torrented version of Photoshop. Oftentimes, roles are placed but are not defined, and job titles are overlooked. Don’t be expecting senior, junior and mid-level titles. Make your own name for yourself and forge your own direction. Forget the hand-holding.
Once you’re hired, you’ll soon find it’s an honor to be considered to work with a small team. Building a company from the ground up. Knowing full well your potential is seen beyond the core skills you can bring. Nevertheless, just be honest. It’s OK if you’re missing one requirement for the position, but meet many of the others. Being a good fit for the culture is rare, and oftentimes just as important in these startups than a list of credentials. Desire to learn, to educate and to spread that passion. Keep this in mind and you’ll be on your way towards on one of the most inspiring journeys of your career. I should know — since starting this article as the intern, I’ve just been hired to lead rhubarb’s social and content. Yee haa! Good luck.
Kelsey Coppetti, rhubarbarian and contributing writer
LinkedIn
Originally published at www.rhubarbstudios.co.
