Some notes:
1) > But upon interviewing I have to be convinced I'll get those things. I'm feeling more and more that we as a startup have to convince the engineer that we are worth joining us.
2) > How low is the salary? I won't take less than what I see as market rate for small companies Totally understandable. Do you think it's possible to propose reduced rate for some period of time (until investments come to the bank account)?
3) > I pick jobs in part based on what I want to learn next. Mentorship is what we heavily do for our current small team. This comment helped me to understand what I need to highlight in my job offer :) As we have a tool inside iOS simulator, there are many new things we can propose to learn. Can be a good point for candidates.
4) > What's the commute like? Together with the comment from @lovelearning, you made me think about the commute... Seriously, I have no idea that it can be an issue. We have a room in the friends' office near the subway station. It's like 5 min walk from the subway and it's near the city center. We're from Kyiv and public transport is pretty good here, so it can be one more good point to mention.
> Even better, allow me to work remote at least 3 days a week, with zero commute and more control over my environment Generally, we would prefer someone in the office but that's something discussable. If a person can deliver and we build remote process, then fine. Good point to mention too.
5) > What's the office like? small room with 6 tables, nice flowers, my paintings on the wall and mutual kitchen. As we rent that room from friends, they are working in that space as well. Our room is always closed by the door, so it's quite there.
6) > What are the hours like, and are they flexible? Flexible hours and we try to care about mental health. By this, I mean we don't push the team with extra work hours or workload, unless it's critically needed. As founders, it's our job to work 24/7 and fix all the fires, as well as do all shitty tasks.
7). > But most of us who have been around the block a few times just want a sane working environment and reasonable compensation at a place where we won't completely stagnate. as anyone else :)
Thank you again!