What do founders look for in a job interview?

Beyond experience and skills, founders look for how candidates handle the unexpected. Women founders in the Entreprenista League community say they value resourcefulness, curiosity, strong listening skills, and emotional intelligence, and they don’t expect candidates to have every answer.

Do you need to have all the answers in a job interview?

No. Every new job comes with a learning curve, and founders know it. What matters more is showing how you’d navigate a challenge, like finding several possible solutions before asking for help, rather than having a perfect answer to every question.

How can you stand out in an interview if you don’t have much experience?

Show your curiosity and willingness to learn. Founders say a genuine interest in learning and adapting can matter just as much as years of experience, which is good news for anyone early in their career.

What does “strong communication skills” mean to employers?

It goes beyond being charismatic or a confident speaker. Founders say strong communication includes listening carefully, asking thoughtful questions, and accepting and applying feedback without getting defensive.

How do you show soft skills in a job interview?

Instead of simply listing traits like “team player” or “emotionally intelligent,” share specific examples. Talk about a time you received feedback, solved a problem, or owned a mistake, and what you learned from it.

Your Interview Cheat Sheet, From 8 Women Founders

Girlboss The Monday Manual in collaboration with Northwest.

Victoria here, Girlboss’ executive editor. 👋

I’ve sat on both sides of the interview table, and I can tell you it’s not always the candidate with the most impressive resume who gets the job. So, what makes you stand out in a job interview? We teamed up with our friends at Entreprenista to ask eight women founders their thoughts. We’ll let you in on a little secret… You don’t need to have all the perfect answers. Phew! 😉

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Bootstrapping a side hustle? Get a free domain, website, professional email, and phone line with Northwest's identity services, so every cent can go toward the fun stuff.*

💼 Job of the day: Calling all kidults: Hasbro is hiring a Marketing Creative Director in Boston ($155,300–$269,100). You’d lead the creative vision behind campaigns for some of the most iconic toys and games, like Monopoly, Nerf, Play-Doh, and Furby. Basically, getting paid to play. 🪀

What Makes You Stand Out in a Job Interview? We Asked 8 Women Founders

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