Think Like a Recruiter

Who Am I? 

• Worked with 5+ startups
• 100+ interviews conducted
• 20+ people hired 

Yeswanth Swami

Engineering Manager @ Peppo

Speaks Javascript, React, React-Native, NodeJS, Python

How many of you are looking to work at a startup?

What is a startup?

What is a Startup?

Young company who haven't found their market fit 

Why do you want to work at a startup?

Why do you want to work at a startup?

1. Learning
2. Wearing multiple hats
3. Growth
4. Young team
5. Culture

What Is This Talk About?

• Hiring Process for Startups in India
• General Advice

Recruitment Process

Keyword Filtering

1. Done by non-technical person

2. Looks at preset keywords

3. For full-stack we look at keywords like NodeJS, REST, Javascript, React 

Team Member filtering

1. Done by a senior developer in the team

2. Looks at project history and experience

Exercise: Pick the CV

Takeaways

• Make a good first impression
  • Indent your CV
  • Keep it crisp & short (max 2 pages)
• Highlight your stack 
• Add your Github & blog links 

Team Member Interview(s)

• Domain Knowledge
• Technique
• Ability to articulate 

Some Questions

1. Know Your Projects
2. Lists & Objects
3. Design Questions

Know Your Projects

• Have good confidence on projects you worked on
• Challenge your assumptions 
• Eg. What happens if there is a scale requirement?
  • Will the API scale? 
  • If not, how will I fix it?

Lists & Objects

• Have solid grip on two data structures list & object
• JSON is list and object 
• 90% of problems can be solved with these two data structures

Design Problem

• Ask questions to understand the problem
• Keep thinking aloud and if something is not specified, just assume and move on. (Bonus: If you are just thinking in a flow)
• Use a sample document and write down the design (as you frame it) 
• Example: Imagine you are building an ordering app for a coffee shop. Design backend APIs to enable the same.  

Assignment

• 4-6 hour assignment 
• Time duration of 2-3 days 
• Ask for more time, if you have other obligations
• Tip: See if you can 1-2 tasks extra if you want to impress them

Expectations

• Solving the task
• UI Detail
• Code quality 
  • Indentation
  • Documentation (Include README)
• Good bundling is a bonus

Example #1

Example #2

For the same question, build APIs to store and retrieve ToDos

1. Design an ER diagram

2. Create REST APIs

Build this using NodeJS and MySQL. Expose the API documentation

CEO/PM Interview

• They normally look for culture fit 
• Typically they look for qualities like inquisitiveness, hardworking, priority to learn and right attitude
• Example questions from the CEO:
  • What are your priorities in life?
  • Why this company's idea might work?
  • Why this idea might not work? 

Ask Questions

• What is your stack?
• How big is your team?
• How is your company culture?
• What is my role once I join?

Offer Letter

• For a startup, optimise learning
  • Company culture 
  • Good team
• Some companies give bonuses (outside of salary) 
  • Joining bonus 
  • Retention bonus (If you stay in company for 1 year)
• If you are early in career, prioritise salary over ESOP (Employee Stock Options) 

Definite No-Nos 

• Companies who have bonds (eg. If you resign within 3 years, you have to pay 5Lakhs to the company)
• Any company with notice period greater than 2 months

Non-negotiable rules

During Interviews

Rule #1: Show up on time

Rule #2: Communicate any change of expectations. Don't make them guess!  

Advice during initial career

• Don't fall prey to Impostor Syndrome (Have belief in your abilities and skills)
• Experiment & Explore Do hobby projects. Learn new things. Be open. 
• Be proactive You are the architect of your growth.

Reach out to

yash@peppo.co.in

We're also hiring developers!

www.peppo.co.in

Thank you!

Questions?