Durkin’s Getting Hired at a Startup Series (3 of 10): Get to 98%

January 22nd, 2012

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#3. Research the startup you are interviewing DAYS IN ADVANCE. Study up!

Here’s the real reason why. Remember in college when your professor handed back that graded test of yours and you looked at it, and it said “98%,” and you’re friend looked over your shoulder, and said “Man! 98%! Holy shit. You killed it. How’d you do that?!?! Wowwww.” And you replied with… “Thanks man! I really studied hard for this one. Thanks!”

Remember that?!?! Yep. Same goes for interviews.

If you have an interview on a Friday, don’t just go onto the website on a Thursday to research what the company does. If you do, you’ll likely hit that 80% – 93% range, but to NAIL IT, to beat that puppy UP, you need to put the time in. Read up on the company a few days in advance and let that info sink in, day after day. Allow your mind to get to the next level of thinking: where you go beyond simply repeating back information and actually begin to have your own thoughts on the subject.

When I ask someone a question like “Have you been on our website? What do you think about it?” and they respond with something that either repeats something directly from the website or simply just scratches the surface, I immediately dig deeper. My goal is to see if the person has pieced anything together in their head that I find interesting. Something I haven’t thought about, or better yet, something I think about daily and still don’t have an answer to. I’m looking to see if that person can think on their toes and has their own opinions.

Winners take an extra fifteen minutes a day to study the business they are interviewing at and try to offer their own insights that are memorable. A+ players go for 98%. Perfectionists go for 100%. But no one is perfect.

Spit knowledge in your interview. Don’t just scratch the surface. Give some insights you took away from all of the studying you did. Ask questions as to where you see holes and how you think you could improve those holes. Dive in a bit deeper than the stuff you know any average Joe would ask / talk about. Remember that no one is perfect. But 98% is attainable. And if you want the job over the others applying, it’s better to be at 98% than 80-93%. Put in the time to research the company you are interviewing at days in advance. And be proud of the work you put in when you get the job.