Company Types
Startups
Getting a job at a fast-growing startup
This page is still under construction.
Difficulty: Hard
Getting a job at a startup is generally harder than at a bigger company because they are moving faster and require folks who can already code and design well.
There will naturally be less mentorship and more ambiguity.
Downsides
- Less job security. Companies can go under. (Depends on when the funding rounds were done)
- Less work-life balance. Being overworked is common.
- You won’t be compensated as well as you would at a bigger company. You’ll receive more equity which is your bet on the company’s future.
Benefits
- You’ll be working on cutting edge technology- You’ll learn in 1 year what it takes to be a senior engineer at a bigger company in 3 years
- You’ll likely have a say in what gets built
- You’ll likely have a say in how the company is run
- You’ll be working with some of the brightest minds in the industry
Who should apply?
- You’re a high-achiever
- You thrive in a very fast-paced environment (i.e. you don’t mind working 60+ hours a week)
- You genuinely believe in the product/company’s mission
Startup Interview Strategy
For startup interviews specifically, consider writing a pre-interview memo to stand out:
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Research & Analysis
- Study the company’s market position
- Analyze competitors
- Identify growth opportunities
- Understand current challenges
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Create a Pre-Interview Memo (2-3 pages)
- Company overview and market analysis
- Specific improvement opportunities
- 30-60 day action plan if hired
- 2-3 ambitious long-term goals
- Strategic assumptions and rationale
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Using the Memo
- Send before onsite interviews
- Use it to guide discussion
- Focus on your potential contributions
- Demonstrate strategic thinking
This approach shows initiative and deep understanding, making you stand out from candidates who only prepare for standard interview questions.
How to find startups?
Well-funded startups/scaleups are hiring across the board:
- Welcome to the Jungle (fka Otta (good matchmaking, can choose remote, good UK/EU coverage)
- Hacker News Who’s Hiring (very high signal and usually can connect directly with founder/early team. Check out the March 2025 thread)
- GrepJob (mostly mid-stage and almost faang, filterable by stack/level)
- Startups.Gallery (good directory of top startups/scaleups + job board)
- Joining a VC’s talent networks / job boards (Greylock, a16z, SPC, etc)
- Next Play (lots of founding/early team type roles, mostly SF/NY-centric tho)
- Communitech (mostly for Canadian tech)
- Hiring Cafe (less curated, but literally millions of roles and good filtering)