1. Careers
About.com
Tech Careers
See More About:
Interviewing with Start-Up Companies

Interview Questions to Ask Start-Up Companies

 More of this Feature
• About Interviewing with Start-Up Companies
• Interview Questions to Ask Start-Up Companies
 
  Related Resources
• Interviewing
• Quit your Job
• Reference Checks
• Research Companies
• Resumes and CVs
• Salary Surveys
• Start-Up Jobs
• Start-Up Risks
  and Rewards
• Thank-You Letters
 

The list below is to help you formulate questions to ask while interviewing with start-up companies. Wait until start-up company interviewers ask if you have questions, but don't be shy. Most employers expect you to have questions and a start-up company should be even more open to scrutiny. If not, consider looking for another.

  • How much financial backing do they have and by whom?
  • How long have their financial backers given them to become successful?
  • How do the financial backers define success?
  • What is their current financial status and profit or loss?
  • What's the five-year plan? Ten-year plan?
  • What is top-management's experience and track record?
  • Are they planning an IPO? If so, when and how much capital do they anticipate raising? (They may be a bit coy about their IPO strategy, per SEC regulations.)
  • Who are the competitors and how well are they doing by comparison?
  • What's the market like for their product or service?
  • What benefits do they offer, including vesting time for stock options?
Take sales pitches exactly as such. After all, even top-management won't know for sure how well the company will do, as it's likely a speculative career investment for them, too. Speaking of top-management, once you know their names, you might search the Net for articles about their track records at previous companies, especially to verify answers to the question above. Some leave their traditional job roles to gamble on start-up companies. Online magazines such as Forbes, Fortune, Business Week and CIO are good starting places.

Since start-ups are typically struggling, as for salary, negotiate a reasonable amount for your skills, but don't try to make a killing. They probably can't afford it. If they can't afford to pay you even a reasonable amount, you might be able to negotiate thousands of stock options instead, plus some other bennies like part-time telecommuting. Get important promises in writing.

Once you've done your homework and asked your questions, you still may not have enough information about the start-up to know if it's worth the risk. But, that's the thing about start-ups. Nobody knows for sure. It's a gamble for everybody and there are no assurances. You must decide if you too want to gamble. See Jobs at Start-Up Companies for the potential risks and rewards. Since it's an older article the links might be old too, but the potential risks and rewards haven't changed.

Interviewing with Start-Up Companies
Page > 1, 2

Job Searching: Technical supports Equal-Opportunity Employment.
Copyright © 2000, J. Steven Niznik. All Rights Reserved.

©2012 About.com. All rights reserved.

A part of The New York Times Company.