The Hiring Process

The interview is not a test; it is an opportunity to get to know each other and mutually evaluate whether we are a good match. We won’t be giving you gotcha-style algorithms, puzzles, and questions. We want to hear about what you’re interested in and learn about what you hope to do in the future.

🎥 With your permission – we will record the conversations that occur during the interview process. The recordings are purely used for internal purposes. They help us do our homework, so you don’t have to repeat yourself in the later stages of the hiring process. And allow us to loop in team members who were not present during certain stages of the hiring process.

Step 1. Intro Call.

You will have a 15-minute video call with Robby. You won’t need to prepare anything in advance. During the call, you will learn more about this and have a chance to ask any questions about our company, culture, and product.

If we’re both excited to continue, we’ll send along a bunch of information about the company that you can go through on your own time. You’ll then have the opportunity to chat with other people in our company to learn more about them and the company.

Step 2. Deep Dive

We will schedule a longer follow-up call:

1. The first part will involve a chronological walk-through of each role you have had.

2. Once the walkthrough is complete, will take a 15-minute break.

3. The second part will involve a technical discussion:

4. You will also have an opportunity for you to ask any remaining questions that you may have.

Step 3. Technical challenge

Our goal is for you to demonstrate your ability. We’re open to accommodating to what would work best for you.

• The technical assessment will be an open-ended exercise, and you can choose between the following options:

  1. Develop a hypothetical community initiative.

  2. Share details on how you successfully executed a community initiative in the past.

• After completing the assignment, you can present it to us through a recorded Loom, a blog post, or a Zoom call.

We’re open to whatever format works best for you. We are interested in understanding how you communicate complex topics; given that this is a leadership role and we’re a remote-first company, communication skills are critical.

Step 4. Compensation alignment.

We will send you a proposal, and if need be, organize a follow-up call with Robby to discuss/negotiate further.

💡 We have assumed Matt Mochary's approach to compensation

"It is up to the start-up to match the market compensation level, not in cash as the larger companies do, but rather in a much lesser amount of cash (no less than the amount needed to live comfortably), plus equity to bridge the difference.

Here is an example to show how the equity portion is calculated. Let’s say the position is a Level 3 Engineer who is paid $300,000 in total compensation at Google. The team member requires $120,000 in cash to live comfortably, and wants to invest the remainder in startup equity. The amount of equity is calculated by taking the difference between market and cash ($300,000-$120,000=$180,000), and multiplying it by 4 years ($180,000 x 4 = $720,000). This amount is then divided a factor somewhere between 1 and 2, which represents a very conservative estimate of the increase in value of the equity over 4 years. A 1 represents no expected increase in value. A 2 represents a 2x expected increase in value. If 1.5 were used (which is the most common factor used), the final amount would be $720,000 / 1.5 = $480,000. So grant this amount in options, however much equity it purchases at the company’s current valuation. The options vest over four years.

I prefer to then make an offer that allows the new team member to choose how much they want to invest in the startup equity, at three different levels. The lowest cash level would be the level needed to live comfortably.

Here’s an example in which the company is currently worth $50mm. The company will likely need to do another major round of financing along with optional pool refresh before it gets to maturity, which is an expected 50% dilution to the current cap table. A $1 billion eventual value of the company, would result in a 10x increase in value of the equity. (20x increase in company value x 50% dilution = 10x increase in equity value.)".

Based on Matt's recommendations above we developed the following market comp calculator:

Click here to view our market compensation calculator.

Click here for more information on our equity compensation plan.

Step 5. Reference conversations

We will request to speak to a select group of people you’ve worked with before. We will ask that you contact these individuals and make the necessary introductions.

Step 6. In-person introduction

Robby will arrange to meet with you in person for lunch, coffee, or dinner.

Onboarding

We will set up your linear board with tasks and checklists to work through. The tasks will include:

• Signing up to the platforms listed above.

• Accessing the codebase and reviewing the readme's (Engineering).

• Entering payroll information, selecting health care options, and getting set up with a stipend card.

• Reviewing the 90-day roadmap.

Additionally, we will introduce you to a senior member of the team that can assist you with getting up to speed as quickly as possible. Robby will also take the time to set up routine 1:1's to get to know you better.