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What one question should startup leaders ask early-stage hires to make sure there’s potential for growth?

CAN YOU ADAPT?
“Ask for examples in which potential hires completed tasks or projects that were outside their comfort area or not directly related to their role.  At startups, employees will likely wear many hats, so it’s important for them to demonstrate adaptability to new tasks.  For instance, our web developer recently built a mobile app for Learning On-The-Go.” – Bhavin Parikh | CEO, Magoosh Test Prep

WHERE DO YOU SEE OUR COMPANY IN 5 YEARS?
“Their answer doesn’t have to be the same as yours (though if it’s drastically different, that might be a bad sign), but early-stage hires need to have a big-picture vision for the company and its growth and potential, rather than just thinking about the responsibilities of their specific role and what role they would play in the company right now.” – Stephanie Kaplan | Co-Founder / CEO / Editor-in-Chief, Her Campus Media

WHERE’S YOUR AUTONOMY?
“Can you provide me with a couple of examples of cases where you worked independently to successfully get a project completed?  This is a critical question for a startup because most entrepreneurs do not have time to ‘babysit’ in an early-stage company.” – Raoul Davis | CEO, Ascendant Group

WHAT’S YOUR AVAILABILITY?
“You need to know that your hires are in it for the long haul.  While they may be excited about working in a new company, the fact is, if you hit a few rough spots and don’t show enough growth right away, they’ll fly away to another opportunity.  But if you’ve established that they do not have high expectations for the short-term and can seriously run with it for the long haul, then it’s perfect!” – Danny Wong | Co-Founder, Blank Label Group, Inc.

WHAT’S YOUR DREAM JOB?
“Too seldom do managers ask new hires about their life dreams and goals.  This is especially important as Gen-Y employees seem to greatly value work satisfaction and work-life balance.  Getting the answer to this question will help identify if the job candidate is a good fit for the position, or help you gear part of the work towards the employee’s ideal career trajectory.” – Doreen Bloch | CEO / Founder, Poshly Inc.

 WHAT DO YOU ENJOY LEARNING?
“What do spend your free time learning about?  This question cuts to the heart of whether or not a candidate is willing and eager to learn how to do new things.  Early-stage hires who have no interest in expanding their skill set and who do not already invest free time doing so may find themselves woefully unprepared for managing later hires and projects.” – Victor Wong | CEO, PaperG

HAVE YOU FREELANCED BEFORE?
“I give my team plenty of ways to move forward, provided they help the company grow along the way.  But to take advantage of these opportunities, I have to bring in self-starters.  I’m reluctant to hire people who have never struck out on their own, mainly because those who have branched out have already proven that they can keep growing.” – Thursday Bram | Consultant, Hyper Modern Consulting

HOW COMFORTABLE ARE YOU WITH CHANGE?
“Outside of inquiring about their core skill set, most questions should revolve around flexibility and the willingness to tolerate change.  Startups are about pivots, and most people can’t handle that much shift in direction.  Startups are not for the faint of heart.” – Brent Beshore | Owner / CEO, AdVentures

CAN YOU COMMIT?
“Regardless of the fact that the person you hire might be capable, talented, motivated, adaptive, autonomous or even magical – if they don’t want to build with you, it doesn’t matter.  Make sure they can commit to building and growing with you and the company, and that this isn’t just a bridge for them to get where they really want to go.” – Yael Cohen | Founder / President / CEO, Fuck Cancer

HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT TO EARN?
“Ask the question that everyone avoids.  First, this question usually catches people off-guard, which helps you evaluate how quickly they can adapt.  Second, it allows you to see how flexible they are, and how committed they are to the company’s growth.” – Nicolas Gremion | CEO, Foboko.com

DO YOU WANT TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR YOURSELF?
“I’ve noticed that as an entrepreneur, I know a lot of other entrepreneurial people and thus I’m naturally inclined to want to hire other entrepreneurs. But the truth is that if someone is entrepreneurial, they’re going to want to strike off on their own eventually.  Hire for the long-term.  Ask if they want their own business or if they want to help you build yours.” – Nathalie Lussier | Creator, The Website Checkup Tool

WHY SHOULD I HIRE YOU?
“This is a very direct and honest question that cuts to the core of the employee/employer relationship at an early stage.  If someone can’t answer in a way that makes you feel as if they’re right, they probably aren’t the person you’re going to be happy with down the road.  If someone nails it, you’ll know it.” – Derek Shanahan | Growth Marketing, Playerize

HOW HIGH IS YOUR INITIATIVE?
“Ask the candidate to give you an example of when they demonstrated high initiative.  Startups need go-getters – people who won’t wait to be told what to do.” – Jun Loayza | President, Reputation Hacks