Our hiring process is designed deliberately with the goal of assessing if working at Aretta is the right fit for your current experience, growth, and the overall company ethos. We very much treat this as a two-way assessment. It goes without saying: it would be most beneficial if you treat every interaction as a two-way conversation with a peer, rather than a traditional “interview” …. and, just have fun!

This page explains what the process is, why it works the way it does, and where the ideas came from. If you want to skip straight to the process first before the rationale, jump here:The Steps.

Why we hire this way

Most hiring processes measure how well someone performs under artificial conditions: a timed puzzle, a whiteboard, a string of interviews that each ask the same questions. We don't think that tells you much about how it is to actually work with someone. We'd rather see your work itself, and then work alongside you on a real problem.

Our process is built directly on Our Culture. Through many conversations, we figured out the aspects that are really important for us to learn about anyone who might join us. Specifically: whether they've gone deep on something, how quickly they grow with feedback, whether they can give feedback candidly and kindly, whether they take bold bets, whether they stay calm under real pressure, whether they think clearly, and whether they have a full life beyond work. Underpinning all of this is integrity and honesty. Then we asked how we could be see each of those, rather than claimed, and designed every step around that.

A few principles came out of this work:

• See the work, not the performance. Real work you've done, and real work we do together, says far more than answers to questions you'd never face on the job.
• Decide early, then confirm. Most of what we learn comes from your initial application package. Later steps are all tailored to answer our open questions, not to just put you through more rounds. If we proceed to the next step, it means we are seriously interested. So please take your time in putting together the initial package.
• Mirror how we actually work. We designed the process to mirror our work rhythm: intense, focused work followed by a short reflection, the same rhythm as our sprints. If you enjoy the process, you'll probably enjoy the job.
• Give something back at every step. You should come away having learned something, whatever the outcome.
• Respect your time. We are respectful of your time. We do not schedule additional interviews just to play out the process — we move fast the moment we have conviction. You'll hear from us within two days at every step. All-in-all, we expect this to take about a week (subject to scheduling availability).

The Steps

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1. Written materials (~3 hours, on your own time). You share a piece of real work, such as code, a proof, a paper or a design, and answer a few questions about it and about you: something you've gone deep on, a bold bet, a hard piece of feedback, when you've done your best work. Much of it can build on things you've already made. You can write your answers or record them, whichever lets you think best. We ask for writing because clear writing is central to how we work, and we offer speaking because we don't want to lose great people who think better out loud.

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We reply within two days, either way. We read everything closely. We know you put a lot of effort into putting these materials together, and in return we promise no AI is involved anywhere in our hiring process, starting with reading your application. If we invite you onward, the questions we still have about you shape the next step.

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2. A working conversation (~3 hours, in person where possible). We work together on a real Aretta problem, chosen around open questions. Usually, the problems are open-ended — there may be no optimal solution; only trade-offs. We are more interested in seeing how you’ll approach this problem, what types of questions you ask, what challenges you surface, and how you give & take feedback live. In short, we want to get a mutual feel for what it will be like to work together everyday.

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Before this session, we share our own answers to the same written questions with you, in confidence, so you meet us as a future peer rather than as an interviewer.

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3. Mentorship + Reflection (about 90m)

• You'll also teach us something you know deeply. It can be anything: the thing you wrote about going deep on, a corner of mathematics, a recipe, a climbing technique, an instrument. About 20 minutes, no slides needed. We ask because teaching is at the heart of how we mentor each other, and because explaining something you love to someone who doesn't know it shows both how deeply you understand it and how well you can bring others along. It's usually our favorite part of the process.
• Reflections on the working conversation. The lingering points, any new insights you might have thought about offline.
• We exchange feedback in both directions, including what you'd change about this process, how we can make Aretta better, and you get time with the founders to ask anything you like. </aside>

References and offer. We ask for 1-3 references: your peers, managers, and for more senior positions, the people who you’ve mentored and managed. This is for us to get a more holistic picture on how you operate in a collaborative setting, and for us to figure out how best to support you if you were to join Aretta. We are respectful of your time and relationships. We only talk to references when we are almost certain to make you an offer.

What you get along the way

• A Reading List from the founders when you start.