Our Screening Process
Applying to BMNT
All BMNT candidates go through a screening process that is comprised of five “levels.” It’s kind of like a game. Each level is designed to assess a specific aspect of fit. If you’re a good player at each level, we can predict that you'll also be a good fit at BMNT.
This is the only piece of advice we can give you. Don't try to "beat" our screening process. It's here to help us find people who will thrive in our unique culture while being respectful of everyone's time. We also designed the process to be intrinsically valuable, meaning the process itself should help you clarify the type of career you're building for yourself and how you can best pursue the goals that matter to you.
This is the only piece of advice we can give you. Don't try to "beat" our screening process. It's here to help us find people who will thrive in our unique culture while being respectful of everyone's time. We also designed the process to be intrinsically valuable, meaning the process itself should help you clarify the type of career you're building for yourself and how you can best pursue the goals that matter to you.
Principles
As candidates go through the five levels, they are asked to embrace the three principles of our screening process:
Goodness of Fit, Mutual Enthusiasm, and Individual Agency
Goodness of Fit:
Based on what you know right now, are you and the current BMNT team aligned across all the major dimensions of personal and professional life?
Mutual Enthusiasm:
Based on what you know right now, are you even more enthusiastic about joining BMNT than you were when you started the process?
Individual Agency:
It is your responsibility to know what's expected and play accordingly. The screening page contains the instructions for playing each level the game.
Goodness of Fit, Mutual Enthusiasm, and Individual Agency
Goodness of Fit:
Based on what you know right now, are you and the current BMNT team aligned across all the major dimensions of personal and professional life?
Mutual Enthusiasm:
Based on what you know right now, are you even more enthusiastic about joining BMNT than you were when you started the process?
Individual Agency:
It is your responsibility to know what's expected and play accordingly. The screening page contains the instructions for playing each level the game.
The 95th Percentile
Using a traditional process based on resumes and interviews, we can determine 80th percentile fit. The first three levels of our process get us to that point, but can’t help after that. The only way to assess the subtle differences between the 80th and 95th percentile are by immersing you in a “real enough” BMNT environment, working on a real problem.
A final note: like everything we do, the screening process is also an experiment. We have significantly changed it at least a dozen times in the last few years. Don’t expect a smoothly running machine.
BMNT’s screening process reflects our commitment to finding the rare person who will thrive here. The way we think about thriving is as a 95th percentile fit. These are the rare folks who take action, emphasize learning over rote execution, work well in teams, are self-directed, and can adapt over time.
A final note: like everything we do, the screening process is also an experiment. We have significantly changed it at least a dozen times in the last few years. Don’t expect a smoothly running machine.
BMNT’s screening process reflects our commitment to finding the rare person who will thrive here. The way we think about thriving is as a 95th percentile fit. These are the rare folks who take action, emphasize learning over rote execution, work well in teams, are self-directed, and can adapt over time.
Questions I Should Ask
Why should I work at BMNT?
What skill/point of view/background do you think BMNT is missing that I can fill in?
How does BMNT prioritize profit vs serving the customer?
What are the current company goals and how does this team work to support hitting those goals?
What’s the most creative way you or your team solved a tough problem for the government?
When did you understand the importance of BMNT's work?
What is the most powerful thing you've learned working at BMNT?
What is a surprising source of creative insight that you’ve had while working with BMNT?
What do you think is that it takes to be successful and thrive at BMNT?
What is the most fulfilling task or project you've ever worked on?
What frustrates you the most about working at BMNT? Why?
What skill/point of view/background do you think BMNT is missing that I can fill in?
How does BMNT prioritize profit vs serving the customer?
What are the current company goals and how does this team work to support hitting those goals?
What’s the most creative way you or your team solved a tough problem for the government?
When did you understand the importance of BMNT's work?
What is the most powerful thing you've learned working at BMNT?
What is a surprising source of creative insight that you’ve had while working with BMNT?
What do you think is that it takes to be successful and thrive at BMNT?
What is the most fulfilling task or project you've ever worked on?
What frustrates you the most about working at BMNT? Why?
Additional Resources
These are challenging, thought-provoking tools for you to use throughout your career. Hopefully you find them useful!
Larry Smith's TEDx talk "Why You Will Fail to Have a Great Career"
Marc Andreessen's series "Guide to Career Planning"
Tim Urban's long-form blog "How to Pick a Career (that actually fits you)"
Larry Smith's TEDx talk "Why You Will Fail to Have a Great Career"
Marc Andreessen's series "Guide to Career Planning"
Tim Urban's long-form blog "How to Pick a Career (that actually fits you)"
Parting Thoughts
BMNT is an experiment, and that includes our screening process. Everything has to thread the needle between disciplined execution and bursts of creativity. Don't expect the process to be smooth. That said, please make sure to share feedback and recommendations as you play. We're always evolving!
Still Have Questions? Send us a message at hiring@bmnt.com
Still Have Questions? Send us a message at hiring@bmnt.com
