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.
1.
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.
2. 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?).
