

Thoughts on the Y Combinator interview process - randomwalker
http://arvindn.livejournal.com/105675.html

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cperciva
_Near the end of the interview, Jessica said, "so do I make the check out to
you?" I said yes. "Did you actually spend 700?" I said I'd spent most of it. I
actually spent more than 700, but I only had receipts for slightly less. So
she wrote a check for 700 right there on the spot. I was kinda speechless.. I
was expecting a bunch of paperwork. We kept laughing about it later. That
little incident tells you a lot about why YC is awesome. No bullshit._

And there's an important lesson to be learned here, too: Sometimes it's worth
simply trusting people. It's possible that someone who spent only $500 could
have gotten a cheque for the full $700; but even if _everybody_ was in that
position and was dishonest enough to take advantage of the trust, the amount
of money YC would lose would be insignificant compared to the total amount of
money involved.

 _So guys, remember that they interview a bazillion companies all at once, so
don't assume they remember what you said in your application._

I think this pretty much applies to all interviews: The job of a resume / YC
application / scholarship application is _to get you the interview_ , and once
you've got an interview you shouldn't rely on your written application for
anything.

~~~
patio11
_don't assume they remember what you said in your application._

For interviewees, on the other hand, it pays to remember things about the
interviewer or their organization. It is an opportunity to demonstrate both
interest and competence.

My first job ever was as telephone order entry operator at a store that sold
office supplies. At one point in the interview the interviewer walked me to
the floor, past the section that was doing drop shipping. Then she started to
explain to me what drop shipping was -- "It is when we take the order on
behalf of the supplier and then the supplier ships it from their location
directly to the customer's door, without the merchandise entering our physical
control at any point."

I mentioned "Well, strictly speaking, you don't deliver it to the door. You
deliver it to anywhere on the first floor or anywhere accessible by dolly if
there is an elevator provided, for an extra charge of $35, with exceptions
noted in the catalog."

That got me some googly eyes.

"Its on your website. I made it my business to know your business."

As soon as I said that I realized that a) that was probably the best line I
had ever delivered in my life and b) that job was _so_ mine. And it was. There
is a reason they put "attention to detail" in the solicitation. (Incidentally,
you can totally hack this. Learn five interesting facts about the opposite
party, and steer the conversation such that you're able to use one or two of
them. I certainly didn't memorize _everything_ about the company prior to my
job interview.)

------
100k
I was also surprised by the interview process. I'd read and been told that it
was likely to be confrontational and we would be expected to defend our idea,
explain our market, and why we could beat our competitors. But they mostly
just wanted to see our demo.

------
vaksel
would be interesting if someone brought a hidden mic to their interview, and
upped it for other people to listen

~~~
Zev
Would also be very unscrupulous to upload such a thing without the folks from
YC's consent. However interesting it would be, I would hope that no one would
actually _do_ this.

Personally, I'd much rather just find out how an interview goes by actually
going to an interview.

~~~
edw519
Nice catch, Zev.

your value = the sum of your assets * your integrity

Zero times anything is still zero.

