
Questions to ask in your next startup interview - teen
http://www.kohkim.com/home/2016/9/questions-to-ask-in-your-next-startup-interview
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rdoherty
Here's what I would ask (in addition to the ones already listed)

\- What is your current runway and burn rate?

\- How much funding has been raised at what evaluation and type(s) of equity?

\- What % of the company are my shares?

\- What is the founder(s) background and expertise?

If you're interviewing for a startup, don't focus on the product at all, that
will change. Focus on the founders and core team. Those are the people that
matter. Are they CEO/CTO/CMO/etc level material? Mature, focused, driven? Able
to accept harsh truths and make tough calls? Have a strong vision for the
future, but are pragmatic now? Can you see them being able to fire someone?
Negotiate with other companies?

If they don't seem to have what it takes to go from a tiny startup to big
company, you may want to reconsider.

~~~
joezydeco
_\- What is your current runway and burn rate?_

I can't think of any possible scenario where a company would hand that
information to an outsider.

Perhaps try something a little more subtle on the non-executives and look for
warning signs:

\- Does the company use a payroll service?

\- Have you ever been paid late, even by one day?

\- Have you ever been offered alternate compensation (say, a few more shares
instead of your weekly check)?

~~~
x0x0
For small companies, it's very reasonable to ask, at minimum, their runway.
There's a big difference between 3 months and 18 months, and this is very
relevant to your decision, particularly if you're currently employed.

If the runway is less than 6 months, it's reasonable to tell them to complete
the raise and email you when they're done. A friend of mine was laid off less
than 4 months after a startup talked him into leaving apple because they
didn't get their raise done.

I'd also ask when they're going to raise their next round on -- what features
/ milestones / usage / whatever get the raise done in the ceo's mind. And
where they are on getting the aforementioned accomplished. I would prefer the
ceo to know this off the top of his or her head.

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JD557
> When considering any startup, you should always ask to meet the [investors].
> If they don’t let you meet or speak candidly with these individuals, then
> run as far away as possible.

This seems a bit odd to me... Maybe it could work on a place like San
Francisco where a lot of VC companies are located. I guess you can just meet
them during lunch or for coffee.

But how would you manage that on a european startup where a lot of investors
come from different countries with different timezones? Are you saying that
every potencial hire should schedule a skype meeting with each investor?

Also, what about crowd-funded companies? Do you still contact every investor,
even though some of them might just have chipped in $100 bucks because they
saw a video pitch?

~~~
kohop
In today's world, "meet" doesn't necessarily have to be in person. What's more
important is to have a conversation with a representative sample of the people
and/or partners you could be working that's related to the role you're
interviewing for.

Re: crowd-funded companies -> See last point. In the end, the most important
are the people actually working on the product.

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gumby
> When considering any startup, you should always ask to meet the founders,
> investors and any relevant people (employee, external partners, vendors,
> etc) you would be working with...

Unless you will be working with the founders and investors, you won't and
shouldn't meet with them. Find out what working there is like for your
potential peers, and whether you'd like working with them. Maybe your job
would be working with one of the founders (technical architect say) or maybe
the company is still so small that the founding team all fits around a table.
In THAT case it makes sense to talk to the founders, because you'll be working
with them.

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paulcole
Subtitle suggestion: If you can afford to not get/take the position.

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w1ntermute
For those curious, the startup the author[0] was referring to was Mobcrush[1],
where she was Head of Business Development.

0: [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kohkim](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kohkim)

1:
[https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mobcrush-2](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mobcrush-2)

------
hitekker
+1 to the idea of asking important questions across all the people you talk
with.

Also: 'what is your most favorite part about working here?' and then follow up
with "what is your least favorite part about working here?'

The latter is guaranteed to cause discomfort if the work environment is toxic,
without being impolite or crude.

~~~
kohop
That's a good follow-up question, especially for those who recently joined in
the last 6 months. As noted, this set of questions work best to ask across the
sample because I started to notice trends.

------
iMark
The single best question an interviewee ever asked me:

"How has working for your company helped you grow as a developer?"

~~~
dkarapetyan
Why is it the single best question? Most companies do not hire engineers for
their growth potential. Most hire for a very exact fit and then pay for
exactly that. That's one reason most companies are constantly bemoaning the
"shortage of talent". I put that in quotes because I don't believe there is a
shortage, just a lack of focus across the board to acquire and nurture talent
and general software engineering aptitude.

~~~
iMark
I was interviewing a candidate in a technical interview and it was a question
they asked me.

I was impressed because it made me think, and it showed that the candidate
wasn't just looking for a job, but was looking for a job in which they could
learn and grow their skills.

~~~
dkarapetyan
What was your answer?

~~~
iMark
I'm still thinking about it.

------
aaronbrethorst
6\. What percentage of the company do those options represent, and can I see
the cap table?

