

Ask HN: What do you look for in a startup job? - gentschev

I've been working on an alpha version of my product for a few months, and I'm planning on hiring my first developer in the next month or two.  With that in mind, I'm curious to find out what you look for in a startup job.  How much of a concern is a pre-funding company?  Does the specific technology platform make a big difference?  What do you look for in terms of culture and personality fit?  What kind of tradeoffs do you look for between cash comp and more equity?  What are red flags for a wanker whose "work for equity" means "work for free for my doomed company?"  Other stuff that's top of mind?
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hga
For your situation, I'd:

Look at you, most of all. Your character, and savy in things technical,
business, etc. Experience (which can be traded off for willingness to listen
(my first startup was in 1982)). Etc.

Pre-funding is probably going to be an individual thing, you'll not be able
attract some people without it, but you can make the deal sweet enough to
attract others (some of whom might not have other good options at the moment).

Technology makes a _big_ difference. If it's something that I find unpleasant
to use for the requirements I wouldn't take the job unless desperate. (Perl is
about the only thing I've decided is in that category for almost all
requirements, after a decade of using it every once in a while.) This also
shows if you're savy in technology.

Culture and personality have to be a "works well with others" sort of thing. I
look for reasonably professional and tolerant types. I'm also politically
conservative and libertarian; if the workplace environment is uncomfortable
for people like me, well, obviously I wouldn't find it desirable (one reason I
left the field of biology).

Cash is king, stock is pie in the sky. I'll maybe believe that you can pay my
salary, but there are so many unknowns WRT to equity that I'd only look for a
fair deal and then forget about it. (This was true long before the 2001
technology crash, after which the prospects for equity payouts became pretty
grim.)

Mostly: will you pay me (enough and often enough (I'm willing to work for a
while without a paycheck I can cash)), do you look like you've got a fair
chance of succeeding, will the work have _enough_ fun and challenge (I also
expect to sweep floors, do backups, do some of this technology generation's
COBOL ... whatever is needed, it's a startup), etc.

Good luck!

