7 Reasons Why You Didn't Pass the Remote Job Screening Interview
They give you the nice "no" email--this is the tough love you need
Since early 2022, our startup, Hearty, has been fully focused on a Matchmaking service. We bring together early-stage, VC-backed startups that are eager to hire with software developers that are ready for their next gig. Through this process, we and our clients have done video screening interviews with 100s of job candidates—most of which are computer science majors with +5 years of programming experience. Combine that with the 1000s of interviews our leadership team has held over our careers, and we know what works, what doesn’t, and why.
It’s so freaking hard to make it through the application/resume stage in a world of remote work where any job post gets inundated with “easy applications.” So a tiny bit of us dies when we see strong candidates miss on the Screener. It’s especially painful when the same mistakes pop up over and over.
Some of this is natural. Hiring managers and recruiters play the interview game for a living, but you, Dear Talent, only return to the hiring board every couple of years. Sure, it sucks, it’s stressful, and you’d rather your reputation, relationships, and the Great Resignation do the work for you. But no matter how good you look on paper, or how desperate a company is to fill its openings, each time an offer is extended it can feel like a minor miracle.
To win this game, you’ve got to study and practice. Here’s a starting point…
Hiring Manager Mentality
The first thing you’ve got to do is put yourself in the shoes of the people that are interviewing you. They’ve got 3 things on their minds—consciously or unconsciously:
They want you to want them - To the early-stage startup employee, the company is their baby, and they are offering a coveted seat on a rocket ship to some lucky soul with the right stuff. You’ve got to show them that you are excited about the job from the first minute. Plus, their time is severely limited; if you come in cold without doing research and prep, then it feels like you’re not serious.
They will forget about you - Once you’ve said goodbye to your interviewer they are off to the next Zoom/Slack/Email/Jira message. If you haven’t made a unique impression they literally will forget who you are and everything that was said.
They’ve got to cover their butts - The person interviewing you almost always has to present you to someone else. The HR person has to pitch you to the CTO, the CTO must sell you to the CEO, and the CEO has to run it by her Board. To win you’ve got to make it easy for them to re-sell you to the rest of the team.
Everything below is a riff on these three insights…
7 Reasons Why People Fail the Screener
No clear & succinct personal story - As sure as the sun rising in the morning, every interview starts the same: “Tell me about yourself and why you’re looking for a new job.” Since you know this is coming, sit down to write and rehearse a 4-5 minute response (time it!) with: (a) your overall career theme (e.g. “I’m someone who loves early-stage startup work because I get to make a big impact”); (b) why your current job worth leaving (e.g. “I’ve accomplished a lot here but my current company stopped growing and is getting bloated); and (c ) the kinds of companies and future growth you’re looking for now (e.g. “So I’m looking for at an opportunity to be on the founding tech team of a company where I can leverage my React+Node skills and eventually grow into a team lead position."). See? That was easy!
Can’t answer why you really want this job - This one usually follows your personal story, and in the best scenario you’re making a link between their product mission and what’s meaningful in your life—e.g. “I heard about your company, saw that my experience fits, and I love that you guys are looking to improve patients’ lives through your A.I. diagnosis tool. I have friends and family members that have been impacted by what your company addresses.” Remember, early-stage startups are mission-driven. That’s what gets us through the struggles and dark days. So if you can’t come up with a personal, mission-oriented connection to the company, it might not be right for you. Don’t believe me? Check out this text we got from a candidate who just landed her dream job:
Haven’t tried or used the product - Again, these employees are at a startup because they’re on a mission. They are pouring blood, sweat, tears, and missed sleep into this crazy idea. When you haven’t downloaded the app or dug into their company blog it looks like you’re lazy and comes off as insulting. Even if you’re not, say, a healthcare administrator who uses their SaaS tool, go look at their code or landing pages and note what you like and what might be improved. Effort = “A” on this one!
Can’t answer the red flags - Look, we’ve all got stuff on our resume that looks a bit off. That 9-month job assignment, a string of Contract work, the company you worked at that no longer has a website (or whose founder is now in jail). If you can’t scrub these marks from your resume, just be ready with some good explanations. Bonus points if you can answer with something that further shows your capabilities and character—e.g. “I left that job after only a few months because I discovered they were defrauding customers.”
Can’t explain the fine details on your resume - This is where some interviewers look to throw you off or simply find interesting nuggets to explore. So if it’s on your resume, you must be ready to dig into details about it. But don’t just be ready to explain, be ready for the “Why you did you choose that undergrad Minor degree?” and “What was the hardest thing about becoming an Eagle Scout?”
No good ending question from you - Most interviewers turn things over in the last 5 minutes for a question you may ask them. Don’t ask about next steps or for information that’s already on their career page. Go different, deep, and personal with something that gets them talking. My favorite is, “What do you love about working here?” It gets them talking and gives you rich insights about the company that you can use in future interviews (fingers crossed).
No follow-up - Immediately after the interview you’ve got to stay top-of-mind and re-iterate how much you’d love this job. Send a LinkedIn connection request with a note. Email a genuine thank-you note that references something specific from your conversation (no form letters!). Bonus points if you include an article that might interest them or an idea that popped up after you got off the call. If you show you’re thinking about them, they will tend to keep thinking about you. Almost no one else does this, so you rise above the competition—remember, it’s a competition!
It takes real work to prepare for interviews and perform well. Never forget that it is a performance. And while you may dislike the posturing process and wish for an easier solution, the reality is that interview practice and prep is itself a test of your mental fitness and discipline. If you put the work in, you’ll deserve and receive more job offers, higher salaries, and more exciting job opportunities.
It’s your choice to play the game—or be played by it. Go get ‘em!
Bob Gilbreath is a 2x-exit entrepreneur and co-founder of Hearty, a curated matchmaking service that puts together top software developers with early-stage, venture-backed startups.