5 steps to nailing a startup interview
By Georgie Hazell, Head of Talent at startup studio The Eleven
Picture the scene: you’re in a cafe [/in a whiteboard-walled meeting room/perched on a beanbag]. Your palms are sweaty and you’ve spent longer than you’d care to admit carefully choosing your outfit so that it screams ‘I’m professional and ready to work for you. Yet super fun. And I’m really good at ping pong’. A trainer-wearing 17 year old steps into view, flat white in hand. She sits down… ‘So, tell me about yourself…’
Stereotypes aside, job interviews in any industry are unnatural, high pressure situations. In many ways the startup world is no different, but there are certain tips and tricks that can prove useful for standing out from the crowd. As someone who’s been lucky enough to interview a large number of people from all kinds of companies (from corporate multi-nationals to 2-person startups), I get asked this a lot. So here you go — my top 5 tips for nailing a startup interview:
1. Demonstrate your drive
The startups that survive depend on teams of incredibly proactive, ambitious, quick-thinkers. They’re run by people with huge ideas, who usually figure out how to actually get there as they go along. That is the whole point. Find a company that excites you and you’ll have the chance to make a huge impact, having a lot of fun and learning a lot about yourself along the way.
It’s very British to talk down our achievements or muffle our grand plans. Don’t. Obsessed with space and want to go to the moon? Tell us. Want to launch 50 companies by the age of 50? Make us aware of this. It will show hiring leads that you’re on their wavelength and won’t be phased by their big ideas.
2. Show you’re adaptable
The specifics of the role you’re interviewing for will rarely be what you end up doing if you get the job. One of the best parts of working in startups is the opportunity to dip your toes into a wide range of functions and learn the ins and outs of how it all fits together.
Not 100% sure what you want to do? Join the club. Make it clear that whatever you’re doing at that moment you give your all to, and you love the challenge of adapting to new situations and offering solutions rather than complaining about problems and you’re onto a winner. Do you have experience of jumping in when it wasn’t asked of you? Tell us about it!
Find a company that excites you, with people who inspire you, who you can learn from and encourage you to be the best possible version of yourself and commit 100% to whatever you’re doing in that moment and you’ll go a hell of a long way. Trust me.
3. Stalk away
There’s no better time to get stalking. Twitter, LinkedIn, Medium, there are more ways than ever to learn about your potential new workplace and teammates. How have the company reacted to wider industry developments? What kind of thought-leadership is taking place? It is just as important for you to see if you could imagine yourself working there as finding out whether you’re a good fit for them.
Some of the best interviewees have asked me what my favourite thing about working at the company is. Or what’s surprised me most about my time at the company. Remember that interviewing is a test for interviewers as well and it’s not a one-way street. They are under huge pressure to get it right — one bad apple in the company can be crushing… not something many startups want to risk! Help them by finding out what’s important to them, then demonstrating how you can complement that.
4. Be passionate about the company
If you’re not, please don’t bother applying. A huge benefit of interviewing for a startup is that you are likely to be interviewed by someone who cares a LOT about the business (indeed they may well be a founder), and it will come as no surprise that interviewees who demonstrate their genuine interest in the company and what they’re trying to achieve will impress. Go to events they run or panels team members are speaking on. Find out their plans for the next 2 years. Ask if you can look around the office to get a feel for what it’s all about. Grab the opportunity to speak to someone on the team while you’re waiting.
Genuine passion can’t be faked and an enthusiastic, positive attitude is hugely valuable in a tough, exciting, rollercoaster of an industry.
5. Be yourself
This is by far and away my top piece of advice. I know you’ve heard it many times before. But that’s because it is SO IMPORTANT. In the best companies, being yourself is encouraged. In fact, I strongly believe you should stay well away from companies who don’t actively encourage this. Good interviewers will help bring this out by asking great, open-ended questions that make you think, but don’t rely on this. Surprise us. Tell us about your crazy hobbies and weird obsessions. We love this. It makes you stand out.
Keep in mind that in early stage companies, the interviewer may have limited interviewing experience — interviewing is just as much an art as being interviewed! If there’s something you’re keen to get across, don’t leave the room without saying it! Don’t wait to be asked. As mentioned above, startups require a high level of proactivity and with so much going on, it’s important people make their voices heard… This starts at the interview stage.
Learn to articulate your ‘why’ — why do you do things the way you do? Why have your choices to date led you to this particular interview? What’s your One Thing? Your experiences, personality and differences are unique and to be celebrated. Diverse teams are as crucial in startups as they are in later-stage companies (if not more so!) — differing perspectives and experiences are simultaneously empowering and grounding in a world that’s easy to get swept up in the excitement. Feel as though this isn’t the case in your interview? It’s not the company for you. Research the company culture before. Do they have values? What do they stand for?
My final note is easier said than done for sure, but don’t panic. It’s just a chat. Overly stressing gets you nowhere and stops you communicating your true self. Take a deep breath and have confidence that you have a lot to offer. Whether this particular role/company is a good match is something that can only be determined if you go in with a clear head and an open mind.
So there we are! There is no set formula for the perfect interview. But by being yourself, communicating your drive and enthusiasm for the company (and the people in it), you’ll go a long way to finding a startup in which you can thrive.
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