What matters most when choosing a long-term teammate beyond skills and experience?

When I interviewed for my current company, I had a conversation with the Founder and PM that lasted more than an hour. Interestingly, only about 30% of the discussion focused on my experience which made sense, since my background wasn’t directly related to the role I applied for.

The remaining 70% of the conversation was about how I approach real-world problems, my mindset toward the work I would be doing, and how I envisioned growing in the role. They also asked why I chose this product and company, what it meant to me personally, and how I hoped to contribute moving forward.

At that time, I was still very inexperienced. Looking back, I think what convinced the Founder to take a chance on me wasn’t my experience, but my story, sincerity, honesty, and commitment to learning and applying what I learned to help the product and the company grow.

After working for a while, I realized how difficult it actually is for startups to find the right people. It’s not just about experience or salary. Startups need teammates who are aligned with the journey, ready to grow with the product, and willing to take on uncertainty together.

I’m sharing this from the perspective of someone who was interviewed. For those of you on the other side - founders, hiring managers, or team leads

What criteria do you use to choose someone you’d want to work with long-term?