Beyond the Resume: What Are Founders Really Looking for in Potential Hires?

Cracking the founder's hiring code can give you a powerful edge in your job search! While technical skills might get your foot in the door, what truly captures a founder's attention goes beyond your resume. By understanding what founders genuinely value in team members, you can transform from just another candidate to their must-have hire.

Showcase these standout qualities through personalized cover letters, thoughtful responses to custom questions and notes, strategic resume highlights, and authentic interview stories. When you demonstrate what founders are searching for, you become not just visible—but memorable.

This article, based on our 'Why Work Here' series, captures some of the key attributes that startup founders look for when building their teams.

🔑 Ownership Mentality

Founders repeatedly emphasized the need for new hires to be able to take ownership of projects and outcomes.

"Ownership is a huge value that we have here," explains Sagiv Ofek of LibLab. "You own your decisions. You have the autonomy to decide what you want to do, but you also have the accountability to be accountable for your actions."

This means being proactive, taking initiative without being asked, and following through on commitments. It also means being accountable for both successes and failures.

Sean Kelly of Amperon shares how this quality appears in candidate reviews at his company: "The word agency showed up in every single person's review...just the ability to get crap done essentially."

💡 Curiosity and Hunger

A genuine desire to learn and grow was another quality frequently mentioned by founders.

Lukas Biewald of Weights & Biases values curiosity above all: "The really successful employees have a real innate curiosity. The shelf life of your skills is not going to last that long, especially in AI. You need to keep learning about new developments."

This curiosity often manifests as a hunger to achieve and improve. As Arjun Kannan of ResiDesk puts it: "There's just a hunger in those people. A hungry dog runs faster. They've got something to prove."

This quality is particularly valuable in rapidly evolving industries and early-stage companies where adaptability is essential.

💪 Resilience

The ability to persevere through challenges was highlighted as crucial, especially in startup environments where uncertainty and obstacles are common.

"Resilience number one," says Anjali Menon of TBH. "We need people who can navigate through tough times when there will be 30 million things coming at you that go wrong. How resilient can you be, and how committed can you be to this cause?"

This resilience often translates to self-motivation, which is especially important in distributed teams. In remote environments, founders need people who can maintain momentum without constant supervision.

🤝 Collaborative Mindset

While independence is valued, founders also emphasized the importance of working effectively with others.

Zach Conway of Seeds Investor looks for people "who can seek information, receive information, and tie the information together in a way that moves the business forward."

This collaborative quality includes sharing knowledge, supporting others, and being willing to seek input and feedback rather than working in isolation.

🚀 Mission Alignment

Numerous founders spoke of the importance of candidates who genuinely connect with the company's mission.

Jason Ball of Beautiful.ai explains how this connection to purpose fuels their team: "Everybody really relies on each other, and at the end of the day, we're helping over 100 companies now essentially keep their lights on. Everyone takes their job very seriously."

Candidates who demonstrate authentic enthusiasm for the company's purpose often stand out, especially for mission-driven organizations.

📝 Final Takeaways

While technical skills and experience matter, in today's competitive market, founders consistently look beyond the resume to evaluate qualities like ownership, curiosity, resilience, collaboration, and mission alignment. By understanding these priorities, you can position yourself more effectively and authentically showcase what makes you exceptional.

During your job search, highlight specific examples that demonstrate these attributes in your application materials and interviews. Share stories that reveal how you've taken ownership, shown curiosity, bounced back from challenges, collaborated effectively, or aligned with a company's mission. Remember to also assess whether potential employers value qualities that match your own working style and career goals—finding this mutual fit creates the foundation for long-term success and satisfaction.