How to preempt the VC interview process (& get in before the JD drops)

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Hi! I’m glad you’re here. You’ve made it to issue #59 of VC Demystified🪄.

My name’s Nicole - I’m a Principal at an early stage venture fund, and I know firsthand that VC can often be a black box. Breaking into the industry may feel daunting and resources can seem scarce and inaccessible. I wanted to put together a newsletter to give others the playbook I wish I had when I first started.

Today’s deep dive: How to identify funds likely to hire soon and craft outreach before roles go public

^{My personal mission is to open as many doors as possible for other people and this newsletter is just one avenue to do that. As always, I will continue to post VC insights daily for free across my socials.}

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Read time: 6 minutes

How to preempt the VC interview process (& get in before the JD drops)

Breaking into venture is hard enough.

But by the time a job posting goes live, you're often already behind.

Why? Because VCs like to hire people they already know. By the time the JD hits LinkedIn, they’ve likely already received warm intros, coffee chat follow-ups, and name drops from people they trust.

So how do you beat the crowd?

You get in before the process even starts.

Here’s a tactical playbook for how to preempt VC interview processes and get ahead, especially when you don’t have connections.

1. Understand the VC Fundraising Cycle

The best time to get on a VC’s radar is right before they start hiring, usually when they’ve closed or are close to closing a new fund.

Most firms raise a new fund every 2-4 years. The hiring tends to happen:

• In Year 2–3 of the fund lifecycle, when capital is ramping up and bandwidth is stretched.

• Right after fundraising, when they finally have management fees to support new hires.

How to Find This Info:

• Look up Form D filings on the SEC EDGAR database

• Google “[Firm Name] closes new fund” and check the press release date

• Scan Crunchbase or PitchBook for signals of recent investment activity

• Utilize AI search tools like ChatGPT to pull any public info quickly

If it’s been 2+ years since their last fundraise and they’ve been deploying actively, it’s a good bet they’ll be hiring soon (even if nothing’s posted).

2. Make a Warm First Impression Before the JD Drops

Now that you’ve got your target firms, don’t wait for a job posting to start reaching out.

Here’s what to do:

• Find people one rung above the role you want (i.e., associates if you're going for an intern role)

• Hopefully you’ll get a response. After a 15-20 min convo, send a thoughtful follow-up:

  • Share a startup you’re excited about

  • Send a short thesis or market you’re following

  • Offer to help on a project or research deep dive

The goal: show them how you think before you ask about jobs.

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