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I was struggling to find a job with big corporations and also with startups backed by big VCs (the trendy ones with a lot of big corporate clients) but I had no

I was struggling to find a job with big corporations and also with startups backed by big VCs (the trendy ones with a lot of big corporate clients) but I had no problem finding jobs with independent bootstrapped startups (quite the opposite; I had to turn down offers and they were outbidding each other)... Weird. If you're going through interviews which are going perfectly and companies are backing out at the final stage with weird excuses which don't make sense, you could be in the same situation as me. I'd recommend to NOT apply for any big corporation or VC-backed startup; only apply for bootstrapped startups; you will save yourself a lot of time. Some of these bootstrapped startups are very successful/profitable and growing quickly. I had a lot of weird stuff happening to me. One big name company I was interviewing with (and perfectly matched for) seemed very interested to recruit me; they told me they had several different possible roles open for me and already hinted to a high salary... Then after the final interview (which seemed to have gone very well), I got an email saying "The role has been filled." - Whatever happened to all the other roles they said I would be suitable for? I had wasted hours on a challenging tech test (which I aced) and did 3 interviews - I thought the final interview was meant to be a formalty. Sometimes I think that maybe I've been blacklisted by big tech.

jemmyw 4y ago
> Then after the final interview (which seemed to have gone very well), I got an email saying "The role has been filled." I would guess that one of the many people you interviewed with decided they didn't like you. That would shut down the whole process and give you no meaningful explanation. I think it's an example of how hiring is really quite bad, hard and bears little relationship to performance.
- gamblor956 4y ago
  No, it means that he was just one of several people interviewed for the position, and either they liked someone else more, or they already had someone considering an offer when they interviewed him but were interviewing a backup in case the other candidate declined.
  - jemmyw 4y ago
    I doubt that, for a big company there are always a bunch of roles. It would be unusual to get through the interview process successfully and then be dumped after they've made the effort because there was another good candidate. My experience with big companies, on both sides, is that they would make an effort to place someone.
- KyeRussell 4y ago
  There are a huge contingent of people whose idea of “performance” isn’t aligned with those around them. Given some of the absolutely terse personalities I see on HN sometimes, and the wider developer community, I always take these “I aced the interviews” stories with a grain of salt. I’ve certainly interviewed and ultimately rejected candidates who ace the technical component but have some other blatant showstopper.
  - jemmyw 4y ago
    I do agree with you about people's attitude to how they did in technical tests. But I also think all interviewers having a veto is the wrong approach. However, I don't think companies really have time or inclination to do it any other way. I think I do well on both technical tests and the conversational side. I'm basing that on ratio of offers.
    - scarby2 4y ago
      > But I also think all interviewers having a veto is the wrong approach It's based on people assuming that others will use that veto reasonably. Company i work for had a veto system but i don't think it was ever used. It was also essentially 3 level system "hire", "probably not" and "i object to this person ever working at this company" I've heard the latter being expressed a few times but only with candidates that nobody was keen on.
bigthymer 4y ago
> but I had no problem finding jobs with independent bootstrapped startups Is there a particular place where you go to find these?
- jongjong 4y ago
  Speak to an independent tech recruiter/agent who deals with many clients and tell them that you're looking to work for a bootstrapped startup. Those who work with startups usually know their backstory.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- kirso 4y ago
  Generally speaking, I wouldn't search for bootstrapped but rather sustainable. Plenty of companies that raised a seed and become profitable. Just that the current situation of the company would be a reveal during the interview where you should ask whether the company is profitable or what is the runrate and plans for the next round. Nonetheless, here is one resource: - https://peoplefirstjobs.com/ https://peoplefirstjobs.com/ I was thinking about creating something similar for ages, regardless of profitability or money. There are so many great companies out there.
  - eaenki 4y ago
    is that the sole respurce you use? is that where you found your current employer? please suggest others if you do use others.
quickthrower2 4y ago
Big companies can be more bureaucratic, disorganised and so on. In feel like big companies are suited to people who can master the interview hoops, gauntlets and summersaults and small companies need someone who can clearly just get the job done.

jemmyw 4y ago

> Then after the final interview (which seemed to have gone very well), I got an email saying "The role has been filled." I would guess that one of the many people you interviewed with decided they didn't like you. That would shut down the whole process and give you no meaningful explanation. I think it's an example of how hiring is really quite bad, hard and bears little relationship to performance.

gamblor956 4y ago
No, it means that he was just one of several people interviewed for the position, and either they liked someone else more, or they already had someone considering an offer when they interviewed him but were interviewing a backup in case the other candidate declined.
- jemmyw 4y ago
  I doubt that, for a big company there are always a bunch of roles. It would be unusual to get through the interview process successfully and then be dumped after they've made the effort because there was another good candidate. My experience with big companies, on both sides, is that they would make an effort to place someone.
KyeRussell 4y ago
There are a huge contingent of people whose idea of “performance” isn’t aligned with those around them. Given some of the absolutely terse personalities I see on HN sometimes, and the wider developer community, I always take these “I aced the interviews” stories with a grain of salt. I’ve certainly interviewed and ultimately rejected candidates who ace the technical component but have some other blatant showstopper.
- jemmyw 4y ago
  I do agree with you about people's attitude to how they did in technical tests. But I also think all interviewers having a veto is the wrong approach. However, I don't think companies really have time or inclination to do it any other way. I think I do well on both technical tests and the conversational side. I'm basing that on ratio of offers.
  - scarby2 4y ago
    > But I also think all interviewers having a veto is the wrong approach It's based on people assuming that others will use that veto reasonably. Company i work for had a veto system but i don't think it was ever used. It was also essentially 3 level system "hire", "probably not" and "i object to this person ever working at this company" I've heard the latter being expressed a few times but only with candidates that nobody was keen on.

bigthymer 4y ago

> but I had no problem finding jobs with independent bootstrapped startups Is there a particular place where you go to find these?

jongjong 4y ago
Speak to an independent tech recruiter/agent who deals with many clients and tell them that you're looking to work for a bootstrapped startup. Those who work with startups usually know their backstory.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
kirso 4y ago
Generally speaking, I wouldn't search for bootstrapped but rather sustainable. Plenty of companies that raised a seed and become profitable. Just that the current situation of the company would be a reveal during the interview where you should ask whether the company is profitable or what is the runrate and plans for the next round. Nonetheless, here is one resource: - https://peoplefirstjobs.com/ https://peoplefirstjobs.com/ I was thinking about creating something similar for ages, regardless of profitability or money. There are so many great companies out there.
- eaenki 4y ago
  is that the sole respurce you use? is that where you found your current employer? please suggest others if you do use others.

quickthrower2 4y ago

Big companies can be more bureaucratic, disorganised and so on. In feel like big companies are suited to people who can master the interview hoops, gauntlets and summersaults and small companies need someone who can clearly just get the job done.