Top 5 questions to ask during a growth interview

Hi there 👋,

You get a new growth role, and you’re excited to change the company's future. They are excited to have you onboard.

Only to end up six months later on… frustrated.

Maybe, they weren’t ready to hire a growth role.

Maybe, they expected something different from growth.

But there is a simple solution that will lead both sides happier at the end of the day:

Have better conversations throughout the interviews

The only way to do that? Ask the right questions.

If you are an individual looking for a new growth role: this is what you need to be asking.

If you are a company hiring for a new growth role: this is the information you need to be sharing.

Here are my top five questions and why.

1. How have you checked for Product-Market Fit? (PMF)

Why: Asking like this ensures they can’t give you just a yes or no answer. You want to understand how they have found PMF and how certain they are of it.

Red flag: For a growth role, it is important to come in post-PMF to make an impact, especially if it is a more channel-centric role. If they are pre-PMF, you want to have very clear KPIs so that you focus on PMF before the growth rate.

2. What are the focus areas of growth?

Why: This helps you understand their focal points from retention to acquisition. It also enables you to understand their process of growth.

Red flag: If they only talk about acquisition here, that could be a sign they are actually looking for a marketing hire. Another red flag is if they list focusing on five different areas simultaneously, suggesting a lack of prioritisation.

3. Who else is responsible for growth within the company?

Why: This will tell you where they feel growth falls within the company and if they see it as a team effort.

Red flag: It would only be you. That probably means they are trying to fit everything into one growth role rather than make multiple hires.

4. What resources will I have?

Why: This question was a great suggestion Rosie Hoggmascall (Growth & Product Lead at Peanut). It helps ensure you have the resources needed to be successful.

Red flag: If there are limited resources available related to the areas of impact, e.g. the website needs improving, but you won’t have any design or development resources.

5. What will be the biggest challenges in this role?

Why: This helps you understand what is not working so far and whether you are a strong fit to solve those challenges.

Red flag: If the biggest challenges are areas that are your weaknesses, e.g. the challenge is a lack of organisation around the growth process, and you aren’t an organised individual, then it might not be a fit.

Keep an eye out for the full article and Linkedin post coming soon, which will cover all 11 questions I recommend discussing. As always, I wanted to give my newsletter first access to new content 😊.

The layoffs of multiple large tech startups these last month have been tough. I hope these questions help you in finding a new role. It may seem counterintuitive to be extra critical when you’ve lost your job, but if you can afford to be, it is worth it for the stability and happiness you find in finding a role that is a fit.

Recommendation

In every newsletter, I also share a related book, individual or newsletter to check out related to the topic of the week.

Recruiting for growth is hard; the competition is tough, and it is hard to know who to look for. I’ve learnt a lot over my career in growth, but I’m definitely not an expert.

So whenever I have questions (like what are the best questions to ask during growth interviews), I reach out to Joseph Fitzgibbon.

He has seen both sides: having worked at Graze as their Head of Growth and now helps companies hire/build their growth teams and find candidates.

He taught me to question the companies I work with more critically; do they actually need a growth hire?

I’d recommend following him on Linkedin for helpful tips on both hiring for growth roles and applying for growth roles. I’m also happy to introduce you if you are looking for a growth role or hiring for a growth role.

If I can help in any other way, just give me a shout! Like I said not an expert in hiring, but always happy to share tips, roles or potential candidates I know.

Daphne