Get the offer — Step by Step guide from Intro to Hired.
In phase I, you narrowed your search to companies that matched your filters. Now let’s get an interview and an offer.
Get Introduced
You’re ready to move onto the interview stage. We’ll go into details on how to ace them and make the most of your offer in Part Three. First, though, you have to get some interviews lined up. And there’s a way to go about besides applying.
After you’ve done all the research you can about the companies that made your final list, try to get an introduction to an executive on the team — preferably the one you would report to. If you’re applying to a startup of fewer than 100 people, you can likely get a hold of the CEO directly. If you can’t get to the CEO directly, try to get an intro to an executive from someone you know or one of the VC firms that invested in the company. (This is how I got an introduction to OneSignal.)
I like to make it extremely easy for the person to make an intro by just adding them to my note.
[Subject]
Intro Request to [Company Name] for [Your Name] / [Role]
[Body]
Hi [Name],
I’m currently looking for the next opportunity in my career. I have searched all the [city] companies that are in [vertical], and from my point of view, [company] is one of my top choices for the next phase of my career.
I would appreciate it if you could introduce me to [Contact at Company]. I’m interested in applying for [link to the role] and think I could be a great addition to the team. Please find my resume attached.
If you apply for a job online, you have the chance of being either filtered out immediately, ignored by an HR manager, or simply being missed in the shuffle. So make an effort here. It’s always best to find someone to place you on the top of the stack of resumes.
Onto the Interviews
You’ve taken your “next job goals” and matched them to a list of real-life companies that made the top of your list after applying filters. You gathered details about these companies, set up an application tracking system, and you’ve looked for every possible way to get an introduction to a key decision-maker.
In part three, I’ll go into detail on the process that I’ve used to hire great team members and how we approached the hiring process. You’ll find out the exact steps to take so the hiring managers demand they hire you. Make sure you’re subscribed.
With so many factors involved, it’s hard to know what to prioritize when you’re deciding on your next career move. Because I get asked for advice about navigating job changes so frequently, I’ve created a deep-dive, three-part series so you can walk through the method I and others have used with success.
In this third and final piece, I’ll share the hiring manager’s view of the interview process, and arm you with scripts you can use to negotiate terms that work to your advantage. I’ll also go over tips on navigating the transition and thriving in the first 90-days.
There’s a universal rule I’ve found about interviews: those who do the right work — and work hard at it — before they get to the interviews are the same people that hiring managers work hard to hire. Part one and two will walk you through the preliminary steps to complete so you can be that candidate.
Know Everything You Can Ahead of Time
Tech companies have a reputation for their rigorous interview processes. If you’re about to go into one, it pays to have an insider view of what they’re like.
You should have done as much public research as you can on the company before you come into the office for an onsite interview. I recommend at least 4 hours of research on the company, the founders, their competitors, the people you are interviewing with along with their backgrounds.
During the interview, get answers to these questions, if you didn’t already find that information in your research.
- How was this company founded?
- What’s the mission statement, core values, etc. of the company?
- What’s the structure of the executive team; who’s on it, and how is the headcount broken out? e.g., 40% Product Eng, 30% Sales and Client Success, 30% Operations
- What’s the current headcount plan/number of open roles?
- What goals do you need to hit to achieve the next round of fundraising?
- What’s the current monthly burn rate, and how many months left until you run out of money?
- What metrics is the company running?
- What are the perks, benefits, offsites, vacation policies, team events, and opportunities to learn/work on new things?
- Which partner at X VC firm is the investor on your deal? What got them excited about this company?
- Who’s been a successful addition to the team, and what made them do so well?
An important note before I dive into the nuts and bolts: An interview is a mutual decision. It’s just as crucial that you like them and want to work with them as they want to hire you.
How the Pre-Interview Process Works
From my experience, most tech companies follow some version of this process before interviewing any candidates onsite.
- Post Job Opening — Publicly post the opening along with requirements along with an internal discussion of who will interview the candidates, ideal background/skills and what to look for
- Resume Screen — Typically done by an internal HR rep or recruiter to make sure that the person’s experiences match the external and internal requirements. Remember, if you did the work of getting an introduction to the hiring manager or executive at this company, you’d be at the top of the pile from the start
- Phone Screen I — 10–30 minutes with the HR manager or recruiter who asks a set list of questions that the candidate must answer. This screen covers things like current base salary, does your company know you are interviewing, timeline, where else you are interviewing, how you heard about the company, etc.
- Phone Screen II — Not all companies do this, but most will have the hiring manager (your future boss) do a 30–60 minute call to talk in-depth about the role, company, what it would be like to work together, etc. The hiring manager will often be the person internally who will be going to bat for you to get you hired
During the interview, show your excitement. You need to make sure that it is clear to everyone interviewing that you want to work there. That includes all the people you come in contact with during this initial screening phase.
What to Know about the Onsite Interview
If you make it through the Phone Screens I and II, companies will ask you to come onsite to interview formally. This interview can either be a single, 4–5 hour session or two or three 1–2 hour interviews with a few people across different teams who will likely work within the role.
Companies often have “hats” — things like cultural fit and fit for the role, teamwork, ability to face challenges, technical expertise, etc. Each person gets a unique set of questions that attempt to address your ability to do the role and work at the company. Each person that meets with you is often asked to write a detailed summary of you and make a recommendation on whether or not they think you should be hired.
If you’ve done your research, you should be prepared to make these meetings productive two-way conversations. Refer to those prep questions I shared earlier, and get answers to anything you didn’t know about already. And remember to use this time to find out if this company is the right fit for you. Again, onsite interviews are a mutual evaluation.
Most companies have some form of “Should we hire this person?” meeting soon after the interview. The executive team meets to discuss the candidate’s feedback, and they make a Hire/No Hire decision — after which they will likely set up a separate internal meeting to discuss what offer to make.
Negotiating a Great Offer
Here comes the fun part: the company has called with an offer — and you now have the leverage. At this point, the exec team has decided on you, and often they’ve already told the interview team that they’re moving forward. Take advantage of that leverage to get everything you want. Especially if you stay there four or more years, this may be the last time you have this level of leverage without threatening to quit.
Most companies won’t send the actual offer until you’ve verbally accepted it, so take this time to ask them to email the offer details: start date, title, base salary, bonus, equity. Please also ask for a copy of the employment agreement to see if it has anything nonstandard.
Once you get all of this, always ask for a few days to think about it. Here’s a script you can use:
“I am very excited about the offer, and you’re my top choice. But I need to take a look at the paperwork and discuss it with people close to me before I can give you an answer.”
After the call, start thinking about one or two more things that you want. As a rule of thumb, unless you ask for more than 25% above what they offered or a title that isn’t applicable, you can usually get a “yes.” My advice is to always ask for more equity, and then one more thing like a 20% increase in the base or a 1-year performance review for Director or VP promotion.
Here’s a script you can follow when you call them back, ideally within a day or two.
“Since I plan on staying here for four-plus years, this may be my last opportunity to ask for what I need. For me to accept RIGHT NOW and turn down all my other offers, I need X and Y.”
If the give it to you, accept the offer!
Make a Smooth Transition
You’ve made it. You’ve landed a gig that fits the job goals you set back when you first started this process.
You may not think you need a strategy for this transition time, but having one will make a difference in your performance-level and satisfaction with the new job. And that’s what the whole point of this career change journey was, right, to enjoy high performance once you got to that next-level job at a “great company” of your choosing?
Here’s my list of recommendations to ensure a smooth transition.
- Say Goodbye. Make sure that you wait until you sign your offer letter before giving your two-week notice. Your current company may try to make a counteroffer, but remember that there was a reason that you decided to start looking (and now that they know you were looking to leave, you can’t go back). Make sure to do everything you can to depart on a positive note, but don’t forget that they have to learn how to succeed without you. Sooner or later, they’ll move on.
- Take some time off. Try to give your two-week notice 3–4 weeks before your start date. That way, you can take a “free” week or two off in between jobs. A short break will help you let go of the previous role, and you’re more likely to start the new role feeling refreshed and ready to work extremely hard.
- Succeed in the first 90 days. Everyone knows you only get one chance to make a strong first impression. But you should also know that many companies have an implicit or explicit 90-day review (during which they are evaluating to see if all the things they were looking for from you turned out to be true.) Once you accept, make sure that you dive deep into all the recent press and any other information you can find out about the company. Then make sure that you are ready to show up early, leave late, hang with your coworkers after work, and otherwise “drink the kool-aid.” (Most early-stage startups are likened to cults for a lot of reasons, but one of them is the fact that they build an all-encompassing culture. Make sure that you are ALL IN on this culture.) In short, do everything in your power to make those first 90 days the hardest 90 days you have ever worked.
Bonus — Get Your Manager Invested in your Success
I think one of the things that most people miss out on is a close working relationship with their manager. You want them to put time and effort into getting you to the next phase of your career. The early days of any relationship set the longer-term tone. So ask for their time in the beginning when you first join. Insist that you work with your manager on some near and long term goals.
Personally, I like to set up three or four annual goals to go along with 8–12 smaller quarterly goals that match your OKRs. I also think you must have a one-on-one of 60-minutes or longer at least every two weeks with your manager. Once you’ve set goals, hold your manager accountable for helping you to achieve them.
That’s it, folks. My tried-and-true insight on how to look for, land, and perform well in your next-level job. If you’ve done the “3–5 years in the future” mind experiment, researched companies using your unique filters, sought out introductions and armed yourself with background information and well-honed questions for your interview, you’ve already upped your career trajectory tremendously.
Don’t let the momentum stop there. Get your manager invested in the goals you’ve set out to achieve, too.
If you do that, you’ll know what to do when it’s time to up-level your career again.
