What matters most when choosing a long-term teammate beyond skills and experience?
When I interviewed for my current company, I had a conversation with the Founder and PM that lasted more than an hour. Interestingly, only about 30% of the discussion focused on my experience which made sense, since my background wasn’t directly related to the role I applied for.
The remaining 70% of the conversation was about how I approach real-world problems, my mindset toward the work I would be doing, and how I envisioned growing in the role. They also asked why I chose this product and company, what it meant to me personally, and how I hoped to contribute moving forward.
At that time, I was still very inexperienced. Looking back, I think what convinced the Founder to take a chance on me wasn’t my experience, but my story, sincerity, honesty, and commitment to learning and applying what I learned to help the product and the company grow.
After working for a while, I realized how difficult it actually is for startups to find the right people. It’s not just about experience or salary. Startups need teammates who are aligned with the journey, ready to grow with the product, and willing to take on uncertainty together.
I’m sharing this from the perspective of someone who was interviewed. For those of you on the other side - founders, hiring managers, or team leads
What criteria do you use to choose someone you’d want to work with long-term?
Replies
Murror
@fitnessrefined I also find this necessary, especially in a startup environment.
this resonates so much. as an indie dev who's worked with a few collaborators over the years, i've learned that alignment on values and vision matters way more than resume.
the best teammates i've had were people who:
- genuinely cared about the problem we were solving (not just the paycheck)
- were comfortable with ambiguity and willing to figure things out
- communicated openly when they hit roadblocks instead of going silent
- had a growth mindset - saw challenges as learning opportunities
one thing that's helped me: during interviews, i ask "tell me about a time you failed at something and what you learned." the answer tells you so much about self-awareness and resilience.
also agree with your point about commitment to learning. in startups, you're constantly wearing different hats. someone who's curious and adaptable is worth 10x someone who just wants to stay in their lane.
Murror
@jonathan_song2 It's true that when recruiting, we need to see how they solve problems.
Murror
@george_esther Thank you for sharing Esther.