“Why did you leave your last startup?”

I recently saw some folks saying that they really struggle to answer this question in startup job interviews – especially in cases that involved toxic culture, harassment, abuse etc.

And here, let me help! Here’s what you can say instead:

“The values of the company diverged from my own as we grew, and I realized I could do my best work elsewhere. I learned so much at X and have many friends there, so I’m rooting for their success.”

Answer as much as you need to, while still being truthful. This is usually enough.

“But what if the interviewer won't drop it and keep pressing for more detail?”

OK then, let’s think about the context: Where is this line of questioning happening in the interviewing process – early on (e.g. recruiter screen) or near the end (just before an offer)?

- In early convos, you can absolutely push back: “I prefer to keep it at that for now, and happy to go into more detail later in the process as we explore a mutual fit.”

- Otherwise, this might be an oppty for *you* to gather more information and find the right team to join.

First, we can empathize with the challenges of startup hiring and the probable reasoning behind the questions.

Hiring employee #10 is so different than #1000, so startups often want to dig deeper into candidates’ backgrounds and motivations. As they should! (cc: @startupbootcmp)

Second, you don’t *have* to share anything. Ideally, you'll have build up enough rapport with the hiring team by then, so that *if you want to,* you feel safe opening up about some details.

Just try to frame it in a way that emphasizes what you’re looking for now and why.

If you don’t feel that sense of rapport/trust yet, that’s not your fault!

You can instead, guide the conversation in a more productive direction: “I’d love to understand if there are any concerns about my candidacy that I can address more directly.” https://twitter.com/jenistyping/status/1143658121434468352

(A side note on Diversity & Inclusion: underrepresented groups are more likely to have negative experiences w/ previous startups, and in 2020, people should understand that and be able to bring some sensitivity to the situation. If they don’t… We’ll, that just more data for you)

Remember this: hiring is a two-way street!

Being the candidate in a job search often feels like a powerless position, but that's just not true. You’re choosing a company as much as they’re choosing you. https://twitter.com/jenistyping/status/1115073212843347968

OK I hope that helps – good luck out there! I believe in you!!

Adding a couple more points of nuance:

- I agree with the comments saying ideally, we should just be able to tell the truth about past jobs Unfortunately, I also think we expect too much out of individuals for systemic problems, and the above advice is for people who need it.

- to the startup CEO who doesn’t “understand the problem” and blames candidates struggling with this issue for their “communication skills” – thank you for your honesty! you’ve effectively signaled to hordes of talented people to never work for your company