If a candidate has been cofounder in a startup, will that increase the possibility of you, handing them an offer?

Comments

[Max Ong Zong Bao]

There's not a lot of context but it depends on the type of company that will hire the candidate. Some view startup founders as a liability or as a asset depending the type of job or work they want the candidate to carry out.

[Periklis Gkolias]

Why do you think they are a liability? The only problem I can think of is that they might not be a good fit as an individual contributor because they have a different modus operandi

What context is missing? Let me phrase it differently in case it is more helpful. You have 2 engineers, equally good. One has been co-founder&CTO in the past. Would you prefer he/she or not?

Same question if he/she is for a managerial role.

[Max Ong Zong Bao]

Periklis Gkolias,
What you said about the person being put in an individual contributor & management role is one of the few contexts that is missing.

What I'm giving you is in an organisation or company point of view. In term of company culture and the type of work, you want the person to do will be subjected is another context that is missing.

My question to you, regardless if the person is in an IC or management role. What do you want them to do? is it?

• Do you want them to be an intrapreneur or create research & innovation team?
• A person who is there to shake up the company to transform the company to break away what they are doing now into something entirely new?
• Be in the research & innovation department to create value through new products/services to which may spin off a new company??

Those are considered a liability if your hiring the person to be a bean counter who is not involved in any of this above. Especially if your focus is hiring them to improve an existing product or scale-up existing operation but without anything new things to be created with it. Since change is something everyone dislikes especially your in comfortable position.

[Periklis Gkolias]

I see your points. Though the fact that they CAN do something, doesn't it should bother the company. At least I wouldn't be bothered

[Max Ong Zong Bao]

Yeah, that is provided your hiring them to not rock the boat which doesn't make any sense to hire them at all. but if you are hiring them for the above type of jobs then having a startup experience can greatly increase the success rate to be executed.

[Tea]

Though I see your point, there's a number of reasons people become co-founders. I wouldn't assume just because they were a co-founder they will rock every boat. In a more fuzzy way this signals an ability for independent thinking and other transferrable skills. All else equal I'll pick the former co-founder over the former soccer team member.

[Max Ong Zong Bao]

Yes your one of the open minded person. Which it is why it comes down to company directive. On what type of role they are gonna fulfil. With the decisions maker's opinion on what is their ideal candidates he/she is given to select for the job.

[Stephanie Morillo]

Hi Periklis,

That alone wouldn't increase the possibility of me handing them an offer. As with anything, it would require multiple conversations to learn of their impact, the projects they led, and also understanding their management style/people skills. In other words, their founding a startup would be a great conversation starter and jumping off point for asking questions, but it's not necessarily an indicator of being the best hire for the role.

Thanks for sparking this conversation!