đ Hey all! This is Jason with the first edition đ of The Startup Almanac. I was conflicted about what subject to write about. I wanted to start with something positive yet relevant to the current times. Many of my friends, ex-colleagues, and broader network are going through tough times with layoffs and interviews. Thus, I decided to write about a topic commonly associated with negativity: rejection!
Join me in this weekâs edition, where we positively approach rejections and learn how to cope with the psychological stress of interviews.
Interviewing as a software engineer right now is hard! This post will summarize the various forms of rejection you might encounter in the current market and how to process them positively. By the end, you will have a healthier relationship with your job search. You might even start enjoying the process as a result! What this post will not do is provide explicit interview and job-seeking advice.
I'm a Senior Software Engineer with four startups under my belt, including my own. I've conducted ~50 interviews across engineering, product, and design, and for Junior to Lead roles. Additionally, I have interviewed regularly over the past five years, including in â23-â24. Here are the key rejection categories Iâve seen firsthand:
Skill
Culture Fit
Business Needs
Unforeseen Headwinds
Timing
Luck
Most of these will be familiar to you. Letâs go over in more detail what each category means, whatâs different in todayâs market, and the positive interpretation of each.
âI have not failed. Iâve just found 10,000 ways that wonât work.â - Thomas Edison
1) Skill
Interviewing today is much more complicated than interviewing pre-COVID. As time goes on, the process evolves, and the bar rises. You can think of solving the problem as the introduction. What companies need to see after is multiple follow-ups or multiple problems with optimal solutions in <35 minutes. You need to explain your reasoning in greater detail. You will often be asked open-ended questions about hypothetical situations. These questions may involve applying or designing AI systems.
The skill bar is also affected by the economy. If money is tight, headcount is generally low which means selectivity increases. An interview that wouldâve passed just 6 months ago is now not good enough.
+:Â Take comfort in the fact that these are all learnable skills. A rejection at this stage is an encouragement to keep up the hard work. Itâs not goodbye forever. Itâs a see you later, please come back again. The bar is high but you will rise to the challenge. In the end, you will not only become a stronger candidate, but you will be a better engineer. Also, other factors may still trigger a rejection even if you outperformed 95 out of 100 candidates. If there are only four spots to fill, youâre out despite a 95th percentile performance!
2) Culture Fit
The bulk of solving any problem is figuring out how to get a bunch of humans to work well together. The actual physical problem is usually trivial in comparison. As humans, we all subconsciously judge. This can affect our assessment, even if it shouldn't.
Fit checks are subjective. Nowadays, companies are even more concerned with adaptability and a growth mindset. This is mainly due to the industry going through significant change. Companies are adapting their internal culture for the modern world. The rigid, formulaic engineer is a saturated archetype. If they donât show more soft skills, they might have trouble getting through the door.
+:Â The bottom line is that so many aspects of cultural fit are out of your control. Instead, pay attention to the factors that you can control. Work hard to develop your soft skills and cater your answers appropriately. Do your research ahead of time but don't be bummed if your best efforts don't result in passing a fit check. Like in dating or any environment, there are cliques you will and wonât fit into. Itâs normal, so hold your head up high and be yourself.
3) Business Needs
The needs of the business come first. During regular reviews, particularly annual reviews, companies set budget caps and high-level goals. During the year, they will fill talent gaps to reach their goals. Likewise, they will cut talent to meet goals.
Today, businesses are struggling to navigate many macroeconomic variables. Iâve received countless emails over the past few months from companies congratulating me on passing. In these same emails, companies mentioned that they were reassessing needs and would not be moving me forward. This has happened at every stage of the process with companies small to large.
+:Â As candidates and future employees, itâs always a good idea to keep tabs on the economy, world news, and company happenings. The more we know, the more we can predict possible outcomes and guard against them as best we can. If things donât work out for business reasons, itâs not a knock on you. You might even receive confirmation from your interviewer or recruiting team of a job well done. Pat yourself on the back and keep trying!
4) Unforeseen Headwinds
The world is always in chaos, but there are periods of greater destabilization. The release of ChatGPT and other Large <anything> Models, as well as parallel economic woes, have forced companies to reassess their productivity level, needs, and processes.Â
After all, anyone can develop an AI-powered interview assistant using GPT and Whisper Models. The speed and accuracy of these assistants is truly impressive. It is tough to differentiate clean candidates from AI-powered candidates. After much thought, I decided to include this section despite it being somewhat taboo. The shortest path to a solution here is to confront it collectively and immediately. Let me know your thoughts on this issue, Iâd love to hear!
Until Chaos Theory sorts itself out, we must continue dealing with turbulent waters.
+:Â All the factors mentioned above are detrimental to both candidate and company. We all must accept the ebbs and flows of society and be part of the solution. Meanwhile, be mindful that winds come and go. Adapt to the times, even if that means settling for less. The key is to weather the storm until fair blue skies return.
âTough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do!â - Robert H. Schuller
5) Timing
Timing affects everything. You could do everything perfectly and still come home empty-handed. An email notifying you that the role was already filled is very common. You could have an offer letter on hand only for the economy to crash and the offer rescinded. If this hasnât happened to you yet, consider yourself lucky.
+:Â If timing doesnât work out, we should ask ourselves why rather than cursing higher beings. Maybe we took too long to prepare and let the opportunity slip. We shouldnât let timing affect us any more than we should ignore its significance. The best path is to accept and review the sequence of events that led to the timing. Sometimes, we can find nuggets of wisdom that enhance our timing in the future. Other times, we got plain unlucky.
6) Luck
If youâve been paying attention, youâll have noticed that each category is a little more unpredictable than the previous. Finally, weâve arrived at the topic of luck. Luck is unpredictable and often the most demoralizing.
A stroke of bad luck can occur in any of the previous categories. Preparedness can often decrease the chances of bad luck. But, bad luck is not a probability; it is the certainty that you will encounter it.
+: Develop a relationship with luck. Understand how to lessen the probability of bad luck through preparation. Interpret results based on statistics and the bountiful data available online. In statistics, the 68â95â99.7 (empirical) rule allows us to measure results based on how many standard deviations away from the mean they lie. Along a standard bell curve, all data points are possibilities. Sometimes, remote possibilities come to fruition. Understanding where the result lies and finding comfort in your preparation can lessen the shock to your nervous system.Â
Life is always full of highs and lows. Since there has been so much to be pessimistic about recently, I wanted to write about the positive side of rejections. Try finding positivity in adverse outcomes. Own your outcomes and figure out ways to get ahead. The most valuable skill in life is figuring out how to pull yourself out of tough times. Itâs always worth it. Stay resilient, stay positive, and pay it forward.
Thanks for reading,
Jason Wang