Instead of having all meetings with company executives at outside locations, make sure that you have at least one on-site meeting, so that you can look around. Trust your eyes: Is the office empty at 7 PM, or is it still bustling with activity? The CEO may say that you can leave at 7 PM, but how comfortable would you feel doing that if everyone else was working until 9 PM or 10 PM? Kramer, for instance, took it as a positive sign when Justin Kitch, Homestead.com's CEO, left the interview at 6 PM to do volunteer work. "That told me that he respects people's outside commitments," she says.
Does the interviewer seem organized and focused, or scattered and indecisive? You can tell a lot about people's work styles just by watching how they conduct themselves during a meeting. Sunny Bates, founder and CEO of the eponymous New York-based recruitment firm, recalls meeting with one hyperactive executive who was "choosing carpeting and paint color, talking on the phone, and talking to me -- all at the same time." It was clear, Bates says, "that this was her style and that no one who worked for her would have a life."
Most job-hunters know enough to talk to current employees. But if you want a full picture of your prospective employer's work style, cast a wider net. Talk to investors and advisory-board members, if possible, as well as to ex-colleagues of your boss-to-be. Don't put too much weight on what any one person says. By the end of the process, you'll be able to determine whether the startup can give you a job and let you have a life.
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