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:
- Evaluate the real work. 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 working at Aretta.
- Give something back at every step. Aretta is centered around growth towards excellence. This is carried forward to our hiring process as well — 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
1. Application package (~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. We believe clear written and verbal communication is reflective of clear thinking. You can choose to either complete these questions in writing or by recording a short (< 5m) response, whichever medium you excel at.
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 evaluates or summarizes your application. We promise to read and listen to every word you've thoughtfully put together. If we invite you onward, the questions we still have about you shape the next step.
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.
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.
3. Mentorship + Reflection (~1.5h, in person where possible)
- 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 mentoring, 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.
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 copy of your answers by email when you submit. Many people find these reflective questions useful for their own career thinking, whatever happens next.
- Written feedback from us if you reach the working session, whatever the outcome.
Closing Thoughts & Credits
Our process is inspired by many others who have thought hard about building exceptionally strong teams with clearly defined culture, values, and identities. The scaffolding for our initial process is inspired by Oxide Computer Company’s well-known RFD 3. We also love the hiring philosophy of Adam Ward, who leads talent at Cursor; it has significantly influenced our approach to team building.
Lastly, this is a living, breathing document that will evolve as we learn and improve from feedback. All embellishments from the original inspirations are deliberate to fit our culture and values.
Common questions
- Can I speak my answers instead of writing them? Yes, for every question except the one about your work sample. Record up to 5 minutes per answer, as many takes as you like.
- Do I have to finish in one sitting? No. Your progress saves automatically if you come back on the same browser and device (not in a private window).
- What if I have no work I can share? Class projects, research code and open-source contributions all count. If you truly have nothing shareable, tell us and we'll send a short, scoped exercise that should take you no more than 2-3hr instead.
- Can I use AI tools? You may use AI Tools to brainstorm and refine your responses. But you should own the submitted responses, i.e., should reflect your experiences and communicate your story in a way that you naturally would. Honestly, we’d rather read (or hear) your imperfect thoughts, with nits and idiosyncrasies that are uniquely you, rather than perfectly phrased AI responses 💜
- Do you negotiate offers? Usually no. We put in a lot of work up front to tailor your offer to be reflective of the current market, your current skill, and what you will grow into. We do this in good faith to put together a package that we think is the best in the market; rather than shooting low and negotiating up. Besides, negotiating on offers disproportionately benefits those who are good at negotiating, rather than rewarding the focus on skill and craft. We believe this detracts from the company’s vision, culture, and values.
- What if I'm not advanced? You'll hear from us within two days. Because we can't write detailed feedback for every application, we don't promise it at this stage, but if you ask, we'll share anything useful we can.