Sorry about the lame formatting on the previous post. As a long-time lurker, and first-time poster, I didn't think of putting in the paragraph breaks in html...
Absolutely. I would also advise paying close attention to the interview process itself,
and how the company tries to make itself attractive to you.
First, look carefully at how they are trying to evaluate you. Are they asking tough questions? Have they thought about what kind of employee they are looking for, and how to evaluate them? Are they focusing on quality more than quantity? Selecting employees is a very critical and difficult thing, and a company that is not dead serious about it is doomed.
Second, does it look like the company is just interested in "ramping-up" to please a VC? Is the company's pitch something like: "our goal is to have 200 people by the end of the year and then IPO"? Or is it: "our goal is to solve problem X for N customers by the end of the year, and thus make $Y in revenues. To do that, we need 20-25 great people and we plan to grow at a rate commensurate with our ability to absorb them into our team." The latter sounds less sexy, but it's a good sign that the company is there for the long term.
The problem is that many companies use headcount as an end in itself, rather than the means to the end. Often, this is simply because that is how VCs measure their companies, and entrepreneurs are under constant pressure to please the VC. It may be good for the VCs, because they are spreading their bets across many companies, and having a quick measure like headcount is more efficient than spending hundreds of hours following the company's fundamentals. This results in companies ramping-up impressively, and then finding a cliff at the end of the ramp: no cash, no revenues, and the VC herd has moved on to the next fad.
Finally, of course, you should always think of the business itself, and convince yourself of the fundamental value that it provides to society.
If you get positive answers to all of the above, then you may have found a good startup, and a far greater opportunity to build something good, make a meaningful and lasting contribution, than you could working as a corporate drone in cubicle land.
-nemo-
Shameless plug: if all this makes sense to you, visit . We are looking for a few great programmers who are smart, and get things done!
Slashdot Mirror
Sorry about the lame formatting on the previous post. As a long-time lurker, and first-time poster, I didn't think of putting in the paragraph breaks in html...
Absolutely. I would also advise paying close attention to the interview process itself, and how the company tries to make itself attractive to you. First, look carefully at how they are trying to evaluate you. Are they asking tough questions? Have they thought about what kind of employee they are looking for, and how to evaluate them? Are they focusing on quality more than quantity? Selecting employees is a very critical and difficult thing, and a company that is not dead serious about it is doomed. Second, does it look like the company is just interested in "ramping-up" to please a VC? Is the company's pitch something like: "our goal is to have 200 people by the end of the year and then IPO"? Or is it: "our goal is to solve problem X for N customers by the end of the year, and thus make $Y in revenues. To do that, we need 20-25 great people and we plan to grow at a rate commensurate with our ability to absorb them into our team." The latter sounds less sexy, but it's a good sign that the company is there for the long term. The problem is that many companies use headcount as an end in itself, rather than the means to the end. Often, this is simply because that is how VCs measure their companies, and entrepreneurs are under constant pressure to please the VC. It may be good for the VCs, because they are spreading their bets across many companies, and having a quick measure like headcount is more efficient than spending hundreds of hours following the company's fundamentals. This results in companies ramping-up impressively, and then finding a cliff at the end of the ramp: no cash, no revenues, and the VC herd has moved on to the next fad. Finally, of course, you should always think of the business itself, and convince yourself of the fundamental value that it provides to society. If you get positive answers to all of the above, then you may have found a good startup, and a far greater opportunity to build something good, make a meaningful and lasting contribution, than you could working as a corporate drone in cubicle land. -nemo- Shameless plug: if all this makes sense to you, visit . We are looking for a few great programmers who are smart, and get things done!