You’ve landed an interview with a startup or small company. What do you need to do differently to succeed?
Applicants need to pay close attention to the subliminal messages they’re sending the interviewer/hiring manager. (Tweet this thought.) Your standard large company approach could backfire in this situation. Here are some tips to prepare yourself to succeed in this unique interview environment:
Interview Structure
- Don’t expect this to be a standard large company interview with a formal process. You need to be open to a more flexible approach.
- You will likely meet with several different people and possibly the whole organization because cultural fit is key. They need to identify someone they want to work with on a daily basis.
- In a smaller operation, fit is critical. Many of their questions will focus on fit. Demonstrate your adaptability, your ability to multitask and your willingness to do a wide variety of tasks.
- Don’t present your prior employment as being overly structured; if you just know how to follow the process, step by step, in order, then you’re not likely to find success and satisfaction in a less structured environment.
- Be prepared with examples of how you offered a creative solution to a problem, revised a process, etc. Show that you can think creatively and respond to business needs.
- Be careful while presenting your prior employment that you don’t focus too much on the tools and support staff who enabled you do get the job done. Startups tend to run lean, and you have to be willing and able to perform a wide variety of tasks and often will need to work independently.
- Avoid the “not my job” mentality. There may not be a team in place to execute the entire plan; you may have to do it yourself. Show that you’re willing to get your hands dirty and do whatever needs to be done.
- Don’t talk about how frustrated you were when a priority changed after you had invested significant effort. This is the reality of the startup world. Show that you can go with the flow and deal with ambiguity and changing priorities.
Thinking Like the Interviewer
As part of your preparation, consider the perspective of the interviewers for this position and consider how you will address these questions and concerns in your answers to their questions:
Fit
- Is this someone you’d be comfortable working with every day, and often for long hours?
- Does this person bring valuable skills and perspective to enrich the team?
- Can this individual grow with the organization?
Ability to Deal With Changing Priorities
- Can this individual cope with changing priorities?
- Can they deal with ambiguity?
- Can they make decisions with incomplete information and data?
- How do they make decisions without complete data?
Ability to Work Independently and As Part of a Team
- Can this person take a project and run with it?
- Is this person comfortable working on his own to meet a deadline?
- Can this person collaborate with a team and define an implementation plan?
- Does this person have personal accountability?
Willingness to Do Whatever It Takes
- Is this someone willing to roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty to do what needs to be done?
- Can this person be successful without a support team in place?
Comfortable With the Risk/Reward Approach
- Does this individual understand the risks and rewards of a startup?
- Is this person able to tolerate that risk?
Have you ever worked for a business that didn’t fit the traditional corporate model? Tweet us your best interview tips!
This post originally appeared at the Get to Work Blog.
Image: Flickr
