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Comment by amirathi | Hacker News Reader

> What could I do now to make myself more employable at startups?

Startup hiring is a fuzzy science at best. Apart from abilities it's a lot about what impression you make in the first few interactions with the team.

Before talking to the team, invest a good amount of time researching on the space the company is operating in. The problem space, adjacencies, incumbents in that space and their offering, know what's unique about the company and the product. Learn terminology. Understand key metrics. Go overboard. Know everything you can beforehand. Use this knowledge in your interactions with the team. Ask pointed questions. Recognise and complement if there is something clever about their positioning and the business advantage they have because of it.

You want to leave them with the impression that the guy is not just experienced but is sharp and understands what we are doing here.

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I'm in the process of hiring for our company / startup and you hit the nail on the head here. I'm amazed at the number of people who have done 0 research on us, yet tell us how impressed they are at what we've done.

My favorite line to follow up on these empty complements is: "Thanks for the kind words. What do you think we're doing that is unique? What would you do differently if you were in my shoes?"

In that past week, 2 of 8 interviews have had this empty praise. Neither of the 2 could provide a meaningful example of how what we're doing is truly unique... and it is in the job ad clearly spelled out. One of the 2 hadn't even been to our website.

Interactions like these make you want to put up huge filters to weed out the people using a "resume shotgun" interview process but in my experience the amount of effort you invest in hiring pays dividends once you do hire.

Seriously? It's hard enough to find talented people. Why do you expect them to research and understand your company along with 100 others they are applying to?

Smart people will grasp your product once they get going; I'm more interested in their intelligence, skills, and experience. If your product is sufficiently complicated that a solid engineer might not understand it's market appeal three weeks in good luck selling it.

Sounds to me like you like it when people who interview flatter you with their understanding of your amazing invention.

Applying to != interviewing at.

It's reasonable to not do in-depth research on every company you apply to during a job search (though some would argue that the smart applicant does exactly that and applies to far fewer jobs with a more personalized, targeted approach).

It's completely unreasonable to walk into an interview without having the foggiest idea of what the company does. This isn't complicated; take an hour or two before an interview to learn about the company, the competitors, and the space in general. Yeah, you might get hired by someone without doing that, but you're at a disadvantage against other applicants who understand that "talented" isn't enough.

And the first impression does not have to be made by you! With several years of experience, you probably have a strong personal network. An introduction with a few sentences recommendation can go a long ways.

Fluff.

It's very hard to find good people. If you're good at what you do you'll easily find an appealing position once you sort out culture. Stay away from the megalomaniacs deluded enough to think you have time (or reason) to do in depth research on their company along with the many others you are applying to.

This isn't an internship, you are already valuable.

Rude.

No one said anything about doing in-depth research before applying, and while good people are hard to find, they're not unicorns. If you're walking into an interview without any background knowledge on the company or position that you're hoping to get hired for, you're at a severe disadvantage to those that do show the tiniest shred of initiative.

Your attitude strikes me as remarkably entitled and arrogant: "I didn't spend any time learning anything about this company, what the challenges are, etc, BUT I'm really smart and talented, so you have no choice but to hire me."

Sounds like looking for applicants who show they care even a little bit is a great heuristic :)

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