Is it reasonable to require "startup experience" when filtering resumes?
- Claire Baker
- Nov 2
- 2 min read
Is it reasonable to require "startup experience" when filtering resumes?
It depends what you're looking for.
I have startup experience. I’ve hired a lot of people into startups. I believe I’m qualified to have an opinion on this.
Truth: Working at a startup is different from working at a BigCo Inc.
Myth: There’s some magical secret to it.
In a startup you’re going to need to...
... make a lot of decisions without much information. Also known as "guessing."
... work without much structure.
... work a whole lot harder than in a large company (or at least in a different way).
... have a thick skin.
Often, when a hiring manager says they’re looking for “startup experience,” they really mean, “tolerate a lot of dysfunction without pushing back.”
You need to tolerate a lot of dysfunction, sure. That’s part of building.
But not pushing back? That’s where startups fail.
So if you’re looking for candidates “with startup experience,” ask yourself if you’re looking for the right reasons:
Valid:
Needs to be able to operate in ambiguity/without much guidance
Is competent in several areas besides their specific expertise (call it ”range,” “T-shaped,” “generalist”)
Can make confident decisions on partial information
Doesn’t need much management or mentorship to succeed
Doesn’t need external structure to be productive
Brings insights from what has/hasn’t worked at similar companies
Less valid:
Will put up with a lot of BS without challenging an amateur leader’s tactics
Will work insane hours indefinitely for low compensation and a vague promise of an equity jackpot someday
Has worked at companies whose logos will bring cred to our Teams page and pitch deck
Has a high output and doesn’t mind if it’s all wasted effort because “we changed our mind again.”
Knows a guy, who knows a guy who has a lot of money
💡 Consider this: what if what if there’s an untapped mine of what you’re thinking of as “startup experience” hidden in the candidates you screen out first?
Startups are a great place for people with nontraditional backgrounds to launch their career. Often, the skills of leadership, organization, administration that they’ve developed somewhere else are exactly what’s needed to build a new team from scratch.
Krista Lane, AnnE Diemer, and I talked more about how to identify talent from other backgrounds in Episode 3 of HR Peep Show. Give it a listen.
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