Highly recommend an “Anti-Sell Interview” step in your hiring process.
At the very end of the process, we take an unconventional approach. Instead of continuing to sell on perks, growth opportunities, or how fun life at our startup can be, we do the opposite.
We tell them things like:
🍥“We’re chaotic despite our best efforts.”
🔬“You’ll face many shifting priorities and likely many failed experiments.”
📉“Market trends could impact our trajectory in ways we can’t fully control.”
In short, we share why this job will be hard, and why there’s a non-zero chance the startup could fail.
Why? We’re an early-stage startup. Chaos, pivots, and unpredictability are inevitable, and we want team members who not only understand that reality but are ready to embrace it. We need people willing to weather the storm alongside us.
If someone joins without understanding the reality of startup life, it’s much harder—and costlier—for everyone to course-correct later.
If the right person accepts, they do so fully aware of what they’re signing up for. They often end up happier and unsurprised because we’ve set those expectations up front.
So far, this “anti-sell” step has helped us hire fantastic members. Highly recommend!