How Can You Tell if a Startup Is a Good Place To Work?
Hint: it's not by interviewing there.
This column originally ran on Fortune.com on March 28th.
As a software developer who would like to work for a startup, what should I look for in a company so that I know it’s legit? If I am putting a lot of work into a product, I want to know that at minimum it’s for a legitimate company and founder—not just another person with an overdone app idea that knows nothing about the tech world. —Sarah C.
If you’re learning the startup game, the best bet here is to go later-stage. Focus on a pre-IPO company that is growing quickly, has raised money from blue-chip investors, and is getting positive buzz in the market that it will go public within the next two years.
Then, don’t believe any of it.
Network your way into three of the company’s team members on LinkedIn or through your network. Have three virtual or IRL coffees. Have them tell you about the culture: if they’re learning; if the company’s really growing; and most important, whether or not they respect and, ideally, admire the leadership.
Keep looking until you find this vetted opportunity.
That’s a systematic, rational approach. But that’s not the only way to go. You could throw it all out the window.
Find a company where you believe in the mission. One where you fall in love with the product or service. You might already be a high LTV customer or a power user. Check your credit card statement and your app home screen to source ideas. Your passion for the mission will make it work for you for some time, even if the company doesn’t work in the long run.
However you get there, once you’re inside for a year or two, you’ll be learning.
You may have to switch horses. That’s okay.
When you do, you’ll know more people, you’ll have more insight, and the path on what to pick next will be clearer. Heck, you might even notice an inflection point and meet a cofounder that leads to you starting a company yourself.
It’s like dating.
You probably won’t marry your first love—but you might. If you don’t, your judgment will iteratively improve. And the good news is that unlike in a marriage, you can change out your partner every few years. (What I’ve found, though, is that the most successful people professionally, and those who generate the most wealth, have more like five- to 10-year runs.)
Trust your intuition. Follow your heart on the mission or product. Then, don’t trust yourself. Study the market. Use the product. And do at least three off-list references outside of who you interview with. Read every single Glassdoor entry.
And then jump!
You’ll be fine.