This is a fantastic guide that I think anyone thinking of working at a startup should read. There is far too much hype, personality and gimmickry it seems arou

This is a fantastic guide that I think anyone thinking of working at a startup should read. There is far too much hype, personality and gimmickry it seems around startup hiring much of the time. We're interviewing lots of folks these days and here are some more questions I think candidates should ask or which we've been asked which I appreciate: 1. How many months (or years) of cash do you have in the bank? The founder might not say the exact number of dollars, but they should be willing to give you a # of months/years left esp if they're not revenue generating and are reliant on other people's money (VCs, angels). If it's 3 or 6 months, I'd think twice as there are no guarantees of funding being raised and do you really want to be job-seeking in 3 or 6 months or get laid off cuz of the Last In, First Out principal? There are no guarantees of more money being raised. Plus they might be exaggerating about how much they actually have. If I were a candidate, I'd love to hear 2 years but 1 year at a minimum. 2 years only happens generally if the business is real (making revenues/profits) Clarification: On the money in bank question, you're looking for real money in the bank now. Not what they expect based on their projections or if they land that big customer they are "on the verge of landing" or the "we have termsheets from investors and will be closing in the next few weeks" -- none of those are money, they are promises/hope. So perhaps the better way to ask this is "If you earned no more revenue or got more financing after today, how long will the money you have in the bank today last the company?" -- Also, this is a question you should only ask of a founder, CEO as they'll prob be in the best position to actually answer it. 2. What specific projects do you see me working on if I were to join? This may in all likelihood change by the time you join, but they should have a clearly defined plan for the areas your talents and skills be used. This will help give you a sense for what you'll be doing as well and whether it's interesting. I also think if they articulate some nasty, unpleasant work you'll be doing, that is good as well. Jobs are rarely all rainbows and butterflies so someone who is going to be honest with you about the good, bad and ugly up front is probably better than someone trying to sugarcoat up front with all the amazing stuff you'll be doing every day to "change the world and make people's lives better." My only comment on the post is the question about "What technologies do you want to be utilizing?" Technology enables solutions to problems. So whether some company is adopting some new, shiny technology is less relevant than whether they're using technology in a way that is solving a real problem and ideally becoming a real, fast-growing business. I think the better question is to somehow gauge their receptivity to being flexible about technology if there is a real benefit to doing so. Not sure the right question to test for "technology rigidity" but that is the question I'd ask if I were a candidate talking to us or any startup.