4 ms·

13 years of working for startup companies (10 as CTO and 3 as CEO) Then My first thought is to cram leetcode I think you need to figure out what kind of job

by kjs3 2y ago

13 years of working for startup companies (10 as CTO and 3 as CEO) Then My first thought is to cram leetcode I think you need to figure out what kind of job you're actually looking for. I'm assuming you mean "something not another startup"; if you're angling for another startup gig I'm not sure why you're concerned. If you've been a C-level for 13 years, I'm sure not going to be interested in bringing you on as a programmer (unless maybe you have a notable project I'd know about), and probably not as a line manager. It's not just that you should be wildly overqualified, but as cajunboi said, you're not used to having a boss and I'm used to managers who understand what having a boss means. I spend enough time with HR without "my new hire still thinks he's the CEO". I would de-emphasize the C-level job titles to the extent of changing them to 'Manager' or some such, and if brought up demure with something like "hey, it was a startup...everyone was C-something". Focus on the nuts-and-bolts of doing a job, so to speak. "I managed a team of 15 people and we did X" (citing 'on time' and/or 'under budget' metrics is good here), "I did X things to keep my team happy, productive and had low turnover", "I have a track record of taking a product from inception to X revenue", "I'm a recognized industry expert through my book(s) and participation in X events". Emphasize the team aspect of your accomplishments. Tailor the pitch to the job and don't just spam out generic resumes. And as always, work your network. FWIW, I came from the startup side too, several times CTO. Now doing my penance in the corp world. :-)

throwaway2016a 2y ago
> I think you need to figure out what kind of job you're actually looking for. I don't want to be an individual contributor but my issues are two fold: 1. I found most management jobs want me to have managed more than 15 people and a low seven-figures budget and 15 is a non-starter. 2. I've been told (on HN, actually) a lot of companies these days ask coding questions even for management roles. I could be wrong on one or both or those things but they are my working assumptions (the first one being based on job listings). So I've kind of resigned myself to the idea that the only senior management or executive job at an established company. > If you're angling for another startup gig I'm not sure why you're concerned. I'm pretty sure (ok... 100%) I could get a leadership role at an early stage startup but the reason I'm looking is because I need a stable paycheck and benefits (for various life reasons) and most of the early stage startups I see are only paying equity with a token salary for leadership roles. If startups could pay well I'd be continuing to work on my current startup.
- georgeashworth 2y ago
  What kind of cash comp are you looking for? I assume $100-200k leadership roles at early startups should be pretty trivial for you to land with your experience, but maybe that's a token salary to you?
  - throwaway2016a 2y ago
    I need to make $150k minimum to support my expenses (mortgage + 2 kids). My previous startup I was making $175k but my current one I am trying to raise money on (and haven't been able to yet) and the potential investors are opening saying they won't want the founders to be making more than $100k. Which is kind of why I'm looking, even if I get a seed round I won't be able to pay myself enough to cover expenses.

by kjs3 2y ago

throwaway2016a 2y ago

> I think you need to figure out what kind of job you're actually looking for. I don't want to be an individual contributor but my issues are two fold: 1. I found most management jobs want me to have managed more than 15 people and a low seven-figures budget and 15 is a non-starter. 2. I've been told (on HN, actually) a lot of companies these days ask coding questions even for management roles. I could be wrong on one or both or those things but they are my working assumptions (the first one being based on job listings). So I've kind of resigned myself to the idea that the only senior management or executive job at an established company. > If you're angling for another startup gig I'm not sure why you're concerned. I'm pretty sure (ok... 100%) I could get a leadership role at an early stage startup but the reason I'm looking is because I need a stable paycheck and benefits (for various life reasons) and most of the early stage startups I see are only paying equity with a token salary for leadership roles. If startups could pay well I'd be continuing to work on my current startup.

georgeashworth 2y ago
What kind of cash comp are you looking for? I assume $100-200k leadership roles at early startups should be pretty trivial for you to land with your experience, but maybe that's a token salary to you?
- throwaway2016a 2y ago
  I need to make $150k minimum to support my expenses (mortgage + 2 kids). My previous startup I was making $175k but my current one I am trying to raise money on (and haven't been able to yet) and the potential investors are opening saying they won't want the founders to be making more than $100k. Which is kind of why I'm looking, even if I get a seed round I won't be able to pay myself enough to cover expenses.