How To Ace The Interview With A Fast Growing Tech Company

And Then Succeed In The Role…

The SaaS works with some of the hottest tech employers across Australia. We’ve been speaking to people from Hubspot and Qualtrics to find out what it takes to ace an interview with a top tech company. To explore all of the hottest companies hiring in Australia right now, join our marketplace and find a new job with the click of a button.

A recent study undertaken by PwC Australia projected that technology startups could contribute up to 4% of the Australian GDP (or $109 Billion) and add 540,000 jobs to the Australian economy by 2033. (Source)

Clearly, job prospects in this space are extremely bright, and choosing a job at a fast growing hot tech startup can completely change your life for the better.

Are you already working at a tech startup, looking for your next best move? Or are you stuck in a job you don’t really like, wanting to be part of the exciting modern tech revolution?

This post is all about how you can ace an interview with a fast growing tech company.

We’ll take you through the steps of finding a job you’ll love at a fast growing tech company (Part 1), and then provide you with practical insights to succeed in your role once you’ve scored an awesome job (Part 2)!

So let’s get right into it!

Part 1: Ace An Interview With A Fast Growing Tech Company

You can only make real progress, if you’re moving fast. And in order to do that, you’ll need to board a fast growing tech company that’s truly disruptive.

Why is it beneficial for you to join a fast growing tech company?

Ryan Bonnici, Director of Marketing at Hubspot, who is among one of the youngest marketing directors in Australia, says he owes his success to a history of working at fast growing companies. His advice to other hopeful candidates is that by joining a fast growing tech company, you’ll work a lot harder than your peers, but you’ll also learn a ton more.

Clearly, if you get yourself into the right opportunity, at the right time and right place, the sky’s the limit with your personal and career development. You could:

• Rise the company ranks faster, if you’re given more responsibility when you start.
• Learn more and become a subject matter expert in your field.
• Meet like minded people who will drive you to perform your level best.
• Own high-value stock options and a high salary as the company grows.The benefits can be tangible and intangible. But the most important aspect is the amount of personal growth you’ll experience by continually challenging yourself and stepping out of your comfort zone, every single day!

So where do you begin?

Step 1: Identify Fast Growing Technology Companies

As Mark Zuckerberg says, “Move fast and break things. If you’re not breaking things, you’re not moving fast enough.”

A fast growing company does exactly that! Moves fast, and breaks things.

Usually, technology companies growing fast are disruptive in nature, and are changing the way things have traditionally been done. Think Uber, or AirBNB!

Here are some signs to watch out for:

A company that’s growing fast shows signs of rapidly increasing customer traction, having found product market fit. Raising funding, hiring a high number of employees and other ‘vanity metrics’ should, ideally, be by-products of a rapidly growing customer/user base. So make sure you identify a company solving a real problem with plenty of traction!

Usually, a high growth company maintains high profit margins. It’s obviously hard for you to find out profit margins as an aspiring candidate for a job, but compare the prices the company charges with market rates. Does it look like the company you’re applying to has a sustainable and profitable business for the long haul?

Another great approach to find such companies is to follow portfolio companies of well known venture capital firms. If they’re investing in these companies, chances are, they’re growing!

Step 2: The Superstar Job Application

The job application is all about standing out from the herd. You’re competing with hundreds of other candidates with similar skill sets as you. To land an interview, don’t hesitate to be different.

Nina Mufleh is the perfect example of a candidate who took an innovative approach to apply for a job at AirBNB. By creating Nina4Airbnb, a personal branding experiment that’s now a globally recognized viral social media job application!

By focusing all of her efforts on one company, and showing them a ‘market expansion opportunity’ in the Middle East, she got the attention of the founders and landed herself the job of her dreams. Herjob hunt story is a true inspiration to all aspiring candidates out there!

So find a way to stand out, for the right reasons, and you’ll definitely improve your odds.

Step 3: Ace The Interview

Now that you’ve scored an interview, it’s time to set the foundation for nailing it, and landing a great job offer. Follow these steps, and you’ll never go wrong:

Research: You need to really know what the company does, why it’s doing it, and how you can help them. Find out who the founders of the business are, what their vision is and if it’s something that resonates with you.

Find out about the culture of the company by reading employee reviews on glassdoor, and organizing meetings with people who already work there. This can go a long way in ensuring interview success, as you demonstrate your keenness and initiative by getting to know people prior to the interview. You’ll also get a sense of whether you’re a good fit, and how you can serve the company best.

James Gilbert, who now works in Demand Generation at Hubspot, says he read close to 50 blog posts, 2 books and prepared more than 40 pages of notes for his interview. He stalked his interviewers on facebook, twitter and linkedin to gauge the type of questions he might get asked.

So find a way to stand out, for the right reasons, and you’ll definitely improve your odds.

Step 4: The Personalised Follow up

After the interview is over, follow up within 48 hours to thank them for their time and let them know that you’re interested. Pick up a few key points of conversation from the interview and write a personalized note to the interviewers, highlighting your interest in the role and why you should be selected.

Remember to not show any signs of desperation when expressing your interest. Sounds pretty rudimentary, but you’d be surprised by the number of candidates who ruin their chances of securing a job offer as they become too ‘excited’ and almost impatient to receive an offer.

Step 5: The Soft Close

Hooray! You’ve now received an offer from a fast growing technology company. Well done. What’s next?

It’s best to review the details of the contract, know all the relevant details in relation to your start date, salary, and ask any questions you may have before you start. Maintain your enthusiasm, as you would’ve demonstrated during the interview process, and don’t show any signs of complacency! Ensure you provide the employer with as much reassurance as possible that they’ve made the right decision by choosing you!

Don’t forget to congratulate yourself on your achievement!

Part 2: Succeed In Your New Tech Startup Role

You’ve crossed the first hurdle to success by getting a great job, now it’s time to prove yourself.

But before you start going hard at performing your level best, and immersing yourself in your role, you’ve got to take the time to lay the right foundation. This is absolutely essential to your success!

Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Get To Know People

Without first integrating yourself as part of the broader team, you’ll risk isolating yourself. Too many new starters are just too shy to walk up to people and just introduce themselves!

The biggest benefit of working at a fast growing company is that everyone is working towards a common goal and vision. So ensuring you go up to them and let them know you’re now ‘one of them’ is key.

Send out emails to people you meet and organise coffee catch ups. Find out which communication tool your tech company uses. If it’s Slack, you’re in luck! Join relevant conversations and introduce yourself in a friendly and approachable way, people will love you for it!

Step 2: Get To Know The Product

Your company has spent a lot of money, time and resources on developing a product people love. It’s time to show some respect, and really dive deep into what the company’s product or service is.

You can do this by getting access to the company’s product and having a play around with it. Understand who the company’s main customers are and why they use your product. You’ll make life a whole lot easier for yourself by knowing what your company actually does.

Step 3: Meet Your Manager, Set Some KPI’s

It’s time to be proactive! Don’t always wait for your hiring manager to come to you. Instead, take the lead, and ask them to meet you so you can set some goals for the first 90 days of your role.

Using the ‘Smart’ goal approach is usually an intelligent approach. Here’s a sample template Hubspot uses to set KPI’s for their employees:

(Image Source)

Michael Bailey, who was employee number 4 at Qualtrics in Sydney, says he got to be in close proximity with senior leadership, which allowed him to learn about the product from the ground up.

Being part of a small team, he was able to start with a small number of accounts in the inside sales division, and build his client base from scratch, something that isn’t typical of a large company, where you’re just handed a fixed client base and a ‘target’ to hit. His experience working over the first 12 months was incredibly exciting, as he felt well supported by international sales colleagues.

Step 4: Evaluate Your Performance

By setting the above KPI’s you’re now in a great position to benchmark yourself against your goals. Evaluate your performance at the end of 1 month, 2 months and 3 months. Are you on track to keeping your job? You’ll know it!

You need to always be adding value to retain your job and earn the respect of your colleagues and supervisors. Keep doing great work, and adapt yourself to the culture and pace of the company.

Wrapping It Up

Now that you know how to ace an interview at a fast growing tech company, and do well in your job, start taking solid action towards concrete milestones. A support network of like minded people can really help in keeping the motivation levels high! Go ace that interview and shine.

Ready to get started? We have over 50 top tech employers hiring right now in our marketplace, join today and get yourself some interviews.