Startup Company Interview Preparation
This list of interview tips was written by Jeremy McCarthy, the CEO of VentureLoop, who has over 15 years of experience working and recruiting with the venture capital community and with startups. While nothing guarantees a successful interview, the information provided can help candidates better prepare themselves for success in the interview process with a startup company.
Purpose - get an offer
The purpose of any interview is to get an offer. Even if you have concerns about the company or job during your interview, make sure you still interview your best. You can always say no to an offer when it arrives. You can rarely overcome a poor first impression if you later decide your initial instincts about the position were mistaken.
Research
Go online and find out as much information as you can about the company and anyone you will be interviewing with. Companies are blown away when you can mention press releases, know their revenue numbers, quote statistics, know backgrounds of executives, etc. For startup companies, you should know who the venture capital investor is, know which partners sit on their board, and know how much money they have raised so far. Many times this information is not available, but some savvy online searching can turn up valuable information about a company.
Most companies like to hire people who are experts in their industry, and startups are no exception. They have to answer to their investors when things don't go well, and executives don't want to tell their venture capital investors that they had a poor product launch after hiring a product manager with no experience in their industry. Know the company, know their industry, know their competitors, and use their product if it is available.
Rehearse
Most successful athletes and performers visualize their craft prior to playing or performing. Try to visualize your interview and how you will present yourself and answer questions prior to interviewing. If you get nervous during interviews, you might even consider having someone you know do a mock interview before you go. The more you practice, the more comfortable you are, and the less nervous you will be when the interview arrives.
Cover strengths, weaknesses, etc.
Think about questions related to where you are in 2 to 5 years, your most difficult work situation, your most stressful job, your favorite job, what kind of person you'd like to work for, etc... Sit down and come up with answers to all of the stereotypical questions that get asked in interviews. You don't want to get caught making something up off the cuff, only to think later "DOH! I shouldn't have said that!" If they ask where you see yourself in the next X number of years, let them know that you are more focused on the current position at this time, but you would obviously want to be considered for appropriate promotions as you master this position and show high performance. And take a few minutes to write down the questions and answers so that you don't have to re-invent the wheel with each interview.
Prepare for Behavioral Questions
Many companies use an interview technique known as behavioral interviewing. This method of interviewing asks candidates to give specific examples of situations they have encountered. For example, "tell me about a time you didn't meet a deadline and how you handled it." Take time to go through the questions below and write out examples to keep for future interviews. It can be difficult to come up with good examples to behavioral interview questions on the spot, and you will be far better served if you can determine good examples in advance.
Work-related examples of:
· How you handled not meeting a deadline
· How you dealt with conflict with a co-worker or boss
· What you did when someone else's actions caused your project to fail
· When you have shown initiative
· What you did when a customer was upset with you
· A time when a co-worker blamed you for something that was not your fault
Appearance
Remember to ask ahead of time what the expectation is on your attire. It is always preferable to over-dress for an interview unless you know the company has a strict casual environment. Make sure you are well groomed. If you are a coffee drinker, smoker, or have lunch/breakfast prior to an interview, be aware of your breath. Use a mint or brush your teeth prior to your interview. Do NOT chew gum during an interview. Do not wear perfume/cologne or wear little enough that someone cannot smell it unless they are closer than one foot from you. Think about how you appear when you are confident and on top of the world. Head high, standing straight and tall, a slight smile, relaxed.
Arrival
Arrive for your interview at least 5 minutes early but no more than 10 minutes early. Everyone has their watch set differently, and giving a 5 minute cushion is a good idea. Some interviewers are also very time-sensitive and notice if you're even one minute late. However, arriving more than 10 minutes early will often pressure the first interviewer if they are not ready for you yet. Plan to arrive 15 to 20 minutes early in the parking lot and enter the building about 5 minutes early. If you are running late or think you might be late, call ahead of your arrival to let them know.
Introduction
When introducing yourself to each interviewer, give your first and last name, make eye contact, and let the interviewer be the person to initiate a handshake. When shaking hands, match the pressure of their handshake. Do not be limp or unusual with the way you shake hands. Wait a moment and smile at the interviewer after meeting them.
Presentation
Your body language tells a lot about you in an interview. Sit up straight. Lean slightly forward in your chair. Keep eye contact with your interviewer as much as possible (especially be aware of this when you are the one speaking as many people make eye contact when listening but not when speaking). Stay alert. When you go through a long interview process, you can sometimes start to show weariness, and startups often have a high energy culture. Make sure you project energy and do not appear tired. Try to mirror your interviewer's demeanor and style. Be yourself, but let them set the tone of the interview and match their energy level and body language. Never swear or use casual words like "yeah" and "uh-huh". Even if your interviewer swears and speaks casually.
Take Notes
Bring a notepad or portfolio and a pen to take notes during each interview. This is a very effective way to show your interest in the opportunity and your attention to detail.
Biggest challenges? Where can I contribute?
Ask each interviewer what the biggest challenges of the position are at the beginning of the interview. Write down what they tell you and focus on how you can overcome those challenges with your skills and background during each interview. This question basically gets the interviewer to tell you what their hot buttons are, and each person will have different hot buttons for the same position. Also, focus on how you can help them, not on what the company has to offer you. Where can you contribute to their company, team or project?
Forbidden topics - money, benefits, office tour, overtime
Never bring up money on your first interview. If they ask what you're making, be honest but tell them that you feel it's probably premature to talk money at this point and, besides, you're interested in evaluating the entire opportunity rather than the salary alone. Let them know that you're confident that you both can work out a fair offer if you are both interested in moving forward. Don't ask about benefits info or to take an office tour. Those things will come at a later time. And never ever ever bring up overtime. Even in a positive way. The interviewer will almost always remember that overtime was discussed during the interview, and they will perceive it negatively, regardless of how you positioned it. If you want to express that you work hard and long hours, let them know that you do whatever it takes to get the job done and that you are quite familiar with startup culture and expectations.
Want, not Need
Companies don't like to hire people who seem desperate. Interview with a confident style that shows you want the job, but don't give the impression that you need the job. Even if you desperately need the job. If you have been out of work for awhile and have been getting a lot rejections, inevitably an interviewer will ask you what your interviewing experience has been the past few months. Let them know you are having a very positive experience evaluating companies and opportunities. Tell them you are being selective in your interviewing process to find the right opportunity for yourself.
Laid off or Fired
It is always awkward to let an interviewer know why you left your last job if you were laid off or especially if you were terminated for cause. Never lie when asked. While it might be unfair, many hiring managers assume the poorest performers are cut when layoffs occur. Be prepared to answer your layoff question with information that will dispel any assumption someone might have about cutting the poor performers. Try to show that there was a specific business reason behind your layoff. Your department was eliminated. The office was moved. The product you supported was being discontinued, etc.
Being terminated for cause is always difficult to answer. Never use the word "fired" when describing your situation and instead use a softer term like "let go". Do not go into great detail about the circumstances and do not express anger, blame, or a grudge. Speak with confidence when discussing the situation and do not appear meek or apologetic. Look the person in the eye the entire time you are discussing what happened. If possible, offer a reference at the company who will give you a solid reference about performance. If you can't get a reference at the company that terminated you, find a reference at a previous company that will give a reference to help show you are a solid performer and offer up that information at the time of discussing your termination with the interviewer. If you show that you are uncomfortable and lack confidence when discussing this subject, you will give an interviewer the impression that there is little doubt the last company made the right decision.
Close - Any concerns about ability to do job? Next step? These are the two MOST important questions in each interview you have. You should ask them of each individual interviewer.
· Do you have any concerns about my ability to do this job? - This is your last chance to make sure you didn't leave out anything in your background or incorrectly communicate anything during the interview. Once you leave the interview, it's almost impossible to change someone's incorrect impression. Be direct and try to get a sincere response from the individual.
· I'm very excited about this opportunity. What's our next step? - This might very well be the deciding factor in getting an offer. Even if you have reservations, express to each interviewer that you are definitely interested in the position and want to know what you need to do next to keep the process moving. And make sure that you actually SAY it in words at the end of the interview. Don't assume that they should have noticed your enthusiasm and interest level from the rest of your comments during the interviewing process. Trust me. They didn't. On numerous occasions I have seen a less qualified candidate get the job over a more qualified candidate based almost entirely on their perceived interest level in the position.
Follow up
Always follow up with a company after you interview within 24 hours. In this electronic age, it is appropriate to send an email to each person who interviewed you if you have their email address. If you do not have everyone's email address, you can ask for their email addresses from someone whose email you do have. If you really want to impress someone, send a written thank you card. It is rare that people send written thank you cards today, and it will make you stand out as someone who took the extra time to do it. Thank the interviewer for his or her time, re-iterate your interest in the opportunity, and mention one area from your notes that answers the interviewers hot button area (you did ask them what the biggest challenges of this position are during the interview, right?).
