Insider Guide Careers in Venture Capital PHẦN 9 docx

Getting Grilled

Venture capitalists hire people who will make good investing decisions. Unlike

consulting interviews, which focus on seeing how your mind works, venture

capital interviewers want to find out how well you understand a particular

industry, how good a judge of people you are, and what your instinct is for

picking the right horses. Expect very specific questions about your opinion of

particular start-ups and about the industry in which you have expressed an

interest. Here are some samples:

• Tell me about the industry segment or segments on which you would like to

work and what your background is in this industry. (The key is specialization.

Rather than saying “communications,” zero in on optical switching technology

or something equally arcane. The theory is that you can always broaden, but

true depth is more useful and more difficult to obtain. Depth is knowing a

field inside out: key players, historical developments, products and customers,

informed theories on the future of the business, pets owned by industry

leaders. . . . You get the idea.)

• I’ve got people from the best business schools in the country who want to

work here. Why should I hire you? (This question is from a venture capitalist

who made $7 million one year.)

• What has your reaction been to the other people who have interviewed you

so far? (Remember that being a good judge of people is an important VC

skill.)

• What will your sources of deal flow be? (More than any other industry, VC

thrives on connections. If you can bring in networks not already available to

the firm but within the appropriate lines of business, your value to the firm

skyrockets. Your sources can be relatives, friends from your MBA program,

or customers and suppliers from previous jobs.)

• Where is the best place to invest right now? (That’s the bottom line.)

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Getting Hired