🚀 For Startups
What They Do
Mission: How do you see this company changing the world?
Market: What is the market opportunity? Why now?
Product: Who is the target customer & what do they need?
Customers: How are customers responding so far?
Why is now the right time for this product to exist?
What is the primary revenue model, and how has it evolved?
Are there any milestones or goals that the team is focused on?
What are the highest priority projects?
What are some of the main growth channels?
What are some patterns and trends you’ve all learned so far?
How is your product differentiated from competitors?
How It's Going
Metrics: Can you share the company’s key growth metrics?
Financials Revenue, burn rate & runway?
Funding: Valuation? & What is the plan for the next round?
Real Talk: What are the biggest obstacles at the moment?
What were the terms of the last funding round?
What valuation are you hoping for in the next round?
What is the expected timeline for future funding?
What do you think it will take to get to the next round?
What metrics or KPIs do you share with investors?
What are the company's values regarding spending?
How do you feel about the company’s current runway?
How They Work
Culture: What makes someone successful here?
Who tends to succeed here and why?
What does the company value -- and not value?
How is an ownership mindset fostered among employees?
How does the company celebrate wins?
How is documentation managed and maintained?
How does the company balance asynchronous work and meetings?
Compensation: What is your compensation philosophy?
Are the pay bands defined for each role?
Are there distinct levels based on seniority?
How do you all view employee equity?
How do you all approach employee benefits?
How are performance reviews structured?
What criteria are used for promotions?
Work Life Balance: What are the working norms like here?
What does the core work week look like for most folks?
Is there a required number of days in office?
Do people tend to have the same start and end times, or is there more flexibility?
Are there parents who work here?
How do you all balance the startup grind?
Who wouldn’t like the work culture here and why?
Diversity & Inclusion: Is the culture here inclusive for everyone?
Do you all value diversity and inclusion here?
Can you share any examples of DEI in action?
Do you have any stats regarding the % of employees from various racial, ethnic, gender, and age groups?
How do you ensure inclusivity in your policies and benefits?
How do you ensure inclusivity in recruiting?
Are there any diversity & inclusion advocates in this org?
Do you all partner with Leopard.FYI? ^_^
👩💼 Role Fit and Hiring Process (For Hiring Manager)
What qualities are you looking for in a candidate for this role?
Which specific technical skills are most valued in your engineering team?
What types of problems – in terms of complexity and domain – are most common in your projects?
👥 Engineering Team (For Peers & Hiring Manager)
What are the current high-priority projects for the team?
What metrics and KPIs are most critical for engineering?
How much autonomy does the engineering team have in decision-making?
What are the most significant engineering challenges right now?
How is the engineering team structured?
How do you all collaborate with other departments?
What is the current technology stack?
How do you all decide on adopting new technologies?
How do you manage and maintain the health of your codebase?
How would you describe the engineering culture here?
What does the code review process look like in your team?
How does the team handle incident management and on-call duties?
What metrics are used to measure success in the engineering team?
What does the career path look like for engineers in the company?
What initiatives are in place to promote DEI within the engineering team?
How does the engineering team contribute to product innovation?
What disruptive technologies you're particularly excited about?
Can you describe the level of ownership and responsibility typically given to engineers in projects?
Besides technical skills, what skills do you value most on the engineering team?
How does the company view risk-taking and experimentation in engineering?
📊 Strategic (For Leadership)
What are the immediate milestones or goals the team is focused on?
What are your growth targets for the next year, and how does engineering contribute to achieving them?
As the company scales, what do you anticipate being the biggest technical challenges?
What are the company's key top-line metrics? How are they this year?
How have recent developments in the tech industry impacted the company’s strategy?
How do you envision the engineering team evolving as the company grows?
What skills/abilities/habits do I need to be successful here?
📦 Product (For Cross-Functional Interviews, Recruiter Screen, & Leadership)
How does your product disrupt the current market, and what role does technology play in this disruption?
What is the company’s primary technical competitive advantage, and how do you plan to sustain it?
Can you describe how you've achieved product-market fit?
What does your product development roadmap look like?
What does the typical product development cycle look like in your engineering team?
How does engineering stay aligned with customer needs and feedback?
How is the product development process structured?
Could you explain your customer feedback loop and its impact on product development?
How do you manage customer churn and retention?
Can you describe how data-driven decision-making is integrated into engineering?
💰 Funding (For Leadership or Recruiting at the End)
Can you tell me more about the company's financial health overall?
What is the current burn rate and runway of the company?
How does the company view spending and investment?
What is the total funding received to date, and who are the major investors?
What were the terms and valuation of the last funding round?
Is there an expected timeline for future funding?
Have there been any recent layoffs, and what were the learnings from cost-cutting?
🎉 Culture (For Onsite Maybe, Hiring Manager + Recruiting/People Team)
How would you personally describe the work culture here?
How do different teams collaborate on projects within the company?
Can you describe how the team dynamics and company culture impact you in your role?
How does the company approach diversity and inclusion at various levels?
What initiatives are in place to promote a diverse and inclusive workplace?
Tell me about a time you listened to a quiet or minority voice in a group setting.
Tell me about a time you supported initiatives for underrepresented groups (work or personal).
Tell me about a time you recognized your team's / team member's hard work.
What are your team's/engineering/company's values? How do they align with each other?
Is there a career ladder? What does it look like?
🗣️ Real Talk (Various Team Members @ Final Stages)
What are the current market challenges faced by the company?
Can you describe the competitive landscape in your market?
What are the current market growth trends?
How does the company navigate regulatory and external factors?
What keeps you up at night? Aka what challenges is the org facing that you want to improve/fix?
What is a personal guiding principle of yours?
Why should I not join your team?
Is there anything you'd change about how your team works to make the team more effective?
Is there anything you wish you knew before joining?
What's your favorite thing you've worked on during your time here?
