Startuply Blog

Some more great advice from the font of startup wisdom that is Dharmesh Shah.

And here’s another great piece of interviewing advice for employers from Eric Ries.

I’m not interviewing for the right answer to the questions I ask. Instead, I want to see how the candidate thinks on their feet, and whether they can engage in collaborative problem solving. So I always frame interview questions as if we were solving a real-life problem, even if the rules are a little far-fetched. I’ll then act as their “product manager” who can ask questions of imaginary customers to learn what they think. (I also act as their combined compiler, interactive debugger, and QA tester.)

From this, I can quickly learn a lot from how interested a candidate is in why they are being asked to solve a particular problem. How do they know when they’re done? What kind of solution is good enough? Do they get regular feedback as they go, or do they prefer to think, think, think and then dazzle with the big reveal?

My experience is that candidates who “know” the right answer do substantially worse than candidates who know nothing of the field. That’s because they spend time trying to remember the “correct” solution, instead of working on the problem together.

Go check it out, dudes & dudettes.

Eric Ries has a great post on the six key attributes he looks for in candidate interviews: agility, brains,  communication, drive, empathy, and fit.

It’s a great way to frame your internal thought processes and conversations on interview goals and results. Go check it out.

“If done right, a great startup interview will serve two purposes. First, it gives insight into what kind of employee the candidate might be. But it’s also your first chance to impress them with your company’s values. This second objective is critical to hiring the cream of the crop.“

Go read this article from Tyler Hicks-Wright of Fog Creek Software.

So what makes a good cover letter? There are a lot of resources out there, but for me it comes down to two simple things: tell me why you want to work at my company and tell me why you want to do the job you are applying for. Bonus points for showing me those two things. That’s the generic advice. Specifically for programmers, show me your previous work, your outside projects, the blog you wrote from scratch, etc.

Take the time. You can still share a lot of the cover letter between companies. But make sure the company knows you care by writing a paragraph about what draws you to the company. Be specific, words like “interesting” and “exciting” don’t add anything.

We’ve seen a shockingly large number of applications sent without cover letters at all. That’s not going to get it done, folks - a little effort goes a long, long way. Good hunting.

So asks Tom Davenport in an article on the Harvard Business Review. All I can say is that we’re working on it.

Communities built around niche job boards like Startuply are a big part of the fragmentation that’s currently happening in the online recruiting industry, and distributed job networks that shift the publishing model from push to pull will be another big part of the solution.

How do you see the future of recruiting?

Peter Merholz has a great new post up on his (new!) blog/column that points out  the divide between natural or evolved human behavior, organization and expression and the narrow work roles we’ve been boxed into in the last hundred years. I love some of his conclusions:

As I’ve been thinking of this technological revolution, I’ve realized we need an organizational revolution. The organizations many of us work in remind me of the state of computer technology from five years ago:

They’re remarkably confining.

We’re placed in hierarchical org charts, remnant of railroad and factory operations of the 19th century, and find ourselves in silos that prevent us from collaborating with our colleagues.

We’re given job titles with an explicit set of responsibilities, and discouraged to perform outside that boundary.

We’re discouraged from being too social, from engaging honestly about our emotions, as such behavior is “unprofessional.”

We thus leave the office having only engaged a small part of who we are.

Is it any wonder that most companies deliver such poor customer experiences? They can’t even create a good staff experience, and that’s something they have a higher degree of influence over! The companies that do best in serving others are those that do best in serving themselves. In your business, encourage yourself and those around to do something that’s so simple, it’s truly profound (and maybe a little bit dangerous) — be human.

For many of us, one of the major joys and attractions of startup life is the freedom it provides to break out of the boxes (literally) of stereotypical Corporate America, both physically and intellectually. It’s pretty exciting, too, to watch as startups change the world by recognizing the artificial distinction between the professional and the social and help make work more human.

Welcome back, kids. I hope the week treated everyone well. While Summertime is coming, don’t pull a Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff.  Now is not the time to sit back and unwind. Put back the ice cream and leave the AC off for now.  Fear not kids, there will be time for more ice cream later because right now there are jobs to be had.

This week is about avoidance. No, this is not about giving false numbers or hiding from debt collectors, your parents, friends and significant others. These are tips to avoid when you’re applying for jobs. Colin Stewart, a columnist for the OC Register lays out some great tips for job seekers.

Mistake 1: Show your desperation

Mistake 2: Do all your searching online

Let’s break it down. Mistake number one, showing your desperation. This would be bringing pictures of your pets and loved ones to show your prospective employer. Yes, we all need money but desperation isn’t good at 2:00 am or at 2:00 pm for an interview. Your dog is cute but tears about how you are going to feed Don Vito are best left for your Tumblr . Go strong and confident and show your future employer what you’ve been doing on your time off. Take advantage of the face-to-face to show how you’ve been successful under stressful situations.  Be smart. It’s the best way to roll.

Mistake number two, do all your job searching online. I admit this is a fault of mine. I mean who leaves their apartment anymore? If I can’t find a Web site, Yelp review or forum for your product it probably isn’t worthy of my purchase. Although with unemployment my purchases are left to rice, and if I was lucky enough to buy anything it’d be the item on the sale. To be honestly, and this hard for me to admit, there is life beyond the tubes of the Internet. Talk to friends, go to networking events and look beyond the walls of job sites. Job sites are a great place — not going to lie. They can introduce to you new people and opportunities. Just don’t rely solely on e-mail. Take a lesson from the game Girl Talk and don’t be afraid to pick up the phone.

Have better advice? Share your tips in the comments below.

Rachel (@raee) is one of the bloggers you’ll be reading here. She offers ways to look for jobs, tips for building up your resume, and other assorted  and priceless job-seeking information. She is currently freelancing in PR and blogging about her unemployment experiences over at www.recentlylaidoff.com. Go check her site out!

My name is Rachel and I’ll be one of the bloggers you’ll be reading here. I’ll be offering ways to look for jobs, tips for building up your resume and job-seeking information here. As for me, I was laid off January 16, 2009 from a PR agency that worked in video games and interactive media. I’m currently freelancing and blogging about my unemployment experiences at www.recentlylaidoff.com. I look forward to blogging here and answering your questions about the best way to cook dried beans while applying for jobs at the best start-ups.

It’s not your father’s country anymore, well good morning to you as well CNN.  While it may not be our parents country or our grandparents country either, it’s still our country. So whether you are in line with me for unemployment or you’re just beginning to look for a new job, take every opportunity you can. It’s really up to you.

1. Network. Is it me or does it seem that everyone keeps talking about networking? If we say it three times will we get a job? It worked for calling Beetlejuice but then the undead do have a bit more time on their hands and less rent to pay. Networking won’t guarantee a job but will help you get your foot in the door. Sending out blind resumes and cover letters is not enough. Sorry, kiddo. Write, call, go to events and make yourself known. Meet people and find out who works for the companies you want to. It’s a full time job.
2. Be open and available. When I was first laid off I called everyone I knew and told them my situation. I did it so that they knew, as friends and former colleagues, and second if they heard of any openings they may think of me.  This is not a time for embarrassment. It’s a time to lead yourself to your next job. No one else will do that for you.
3. Information Interviews. Coffee. We all love our caffeine. Who doesn’t enjoy a sugar-free Red Bull or chai latte? Find a spot and take someone out for coffee. This isn’t a date but you’re paying for drinks. Words of advice: don’t ask about open jobs. It’s not appropriate. You are there to take this opportunity to talk about the trends in the industry, what are factors for growth or weakness in the market, and listen to what they have to say.  Always follow-up with a thank you letter and keep in touch. More than likely if you’ve impressed the person enough they’ll let you know if there are openings or where to find them.
4. Freelance/volunteer. You have the time so use it. Build your own brand and sell yourself. You may not have a full time job but look at what skills you are missing and work on fixing them. Find some work you can do and volunteer for it. It doesn’t have to be a soup kitchen for you to volunteer. You can build Web sites, design brochures — whatever your skill set is there is a need. You may not get paid in dollars but if you can meet that right person or put it on your resume, it’s invaluable. Plus it gives your warm fuzzies. Honestly, who doesn’t like warm fuzzies?
5. Hobbies. Learn a new trade. I have been teaching myself PHP, French and hopefully piano — still working on finding one to practice on. Sleep is great and so are reruns of Family Ties but really what else can Alex P. Keaton do for you? Stop saying I want to learn this and start learning it. Plus it totally works as a pick-up line at the bar. No one likes an employed bum but an unemployed bum learning a trade — now that’s good.

This market is tough. It’s no game. There’s no reboot here. Adapt, change and own it. As much as we’d all like a sympathy job it’s not going to make you happy in end. Start researching and building your future. There is no better time. If this were a musical we’d all break out in no day but today.

“But people are often successful not despite their dysfunctions but because of them. Obsessions are one of the greatest telltale signs of success. Understand a person’s obsessions and you will understand her natural motivation. The thing for which she would walk to the end of the earth.”

from Peter Bregman’s great post “The Interview Question You Should Always Ask.”

What do you do in your spare time?

At almost three weeks old, this may be a little dated according to Internet time. That being said, I can’t resist throwing this piece your way. Eric Ries, over at Startup Lessons Learned (one of my favorite blogs), has some great points on the role of the hiring manager in guiding discussion and group decision making in the hiring/recruiting process.

Check out Assessing fit with the Wisdom of Crowds.