Re:Ask HN: How to overcome big company resume to work at a s...
by legitster on Thursday August 06, 2015 @04:17PM
(#10019129)
Maybe your cover letter is a bit too straight-jacketed. Some candidates I have looked at try too hard to convey professionalism, when what we want as a salesperson is personality.
And about the app: one of the red flags for us is someone's side project. The nature of a small startup is that everyone has to live and breath the work (we all have terrible, terrible work-life balance). Some projects are fine, but for our salespeople, we don't want them selling anything else on the side. You can't serve two masters.
Other than that, I don't exactly know what I can offer. Being in Seattle, I imagine the hiring scene is completely different down there.
Re:Ask HN: How to overcome big company resume to work at a s...
by jklein11 on Friday August 07, 2015 @11:34AM
(#10023039)
I'm curious, have you been burnt before by sales people with a side project? My intuition is that if the products aren't competing there wouldn't be a problem. Do you have anecdotal evidence to the contrary?
Comp has never been an issue, but I usually don't get that far. I definitely do have some base requirements in terms of what stage the startup is in from a maturity/funding standpoint, because things like benefits are a deal breaker for me. My comp/equity expectations are definitely adjusted for the fact that I am not a founder nor likely employee 1-5 or 10, and if numbers are ever discussed, we're always in the ballpark.
Your first point about being overqualified is a good one; I don't know how I can demonstrate that I'm not expecting a 'process' or an 'environment' in which to sell; those are both horrible at my current company, so I wouldn't want them if even given the option.
I don't know how I square your circle of staying relevant in terms of technology unless it's my day job; that's what I'm trying to do! I'd love to get my 'geek fix' at work and not after hours.