Today’s Pill (10): That moment in the job interview when you have questions

When you’re applying to a job at an early-stage tech startup, don’t imagine they know where they’ll be five years from now; and even you don’t know if or where you could fit into their future equation. So, when you’re at that point in the in-person interview where the interviewer is asking if you have any questions for her/him, be smart and ask the right, good questions; the best questions are customized. Btw, if they’re not asking this, forget them; they don’t give a isht and just want some meat hires.

Don’t imagine that if the work-life balance is terrible, you’re going to get a straight answer; but definitely you have to know if they work on weekends or not (and the reason is because they’re working until 11pm every Mo-Friday.) The ”company culture” is not only about perks or funny stuff, but also about meetings, emailing/Slacking, or a founder/CEO acting like a tyrant and micromanaging everyone. And definitely you should know if your direct boss is ”mentally stable.”

Remember the interviews go both ways, as you also have to decide for yourself about whether or not you like this job. And don’t sign for a job because you want to be a C-exec two or three jobs/years from now (even if you will be.)