Great products are built by outstanding teams. At item, we take that seriously.

We operate in a culture of High trust. High agency. High ownership. High craft. That only works if the people around the table carry a true founder mentality — the kind of person who owns a problem from zero to one, moves fast, makes hard calls, backs decisions with learnings, and raises the bar simply by how they work.

Finding that isn’t easy. It’s not something you can evaluate through interviews alone. So we run work trials.

For most roles, we invite candidates into the office for a 2–5 day paid trial. You work on real initiatives we’re actively building. No hypothetical exercises. No busy work. Just actual problems, alongside the team.

Work trials are mutual. We get to see how you think, how you move, and how you operate inside a culture built on trust and ownership. You get to experience our pace, our standards, and what it truly feels like to build here.

We don’t take them lightly. They require time and focus from both sides. If we invite you into one, it’s because we’re genuinely excited about the possibility of building together.

We care deeply about who we build with. This is how we protect the culture we’ve built — and how we make sure that when we say yes, it’s with conviction.

Here is a bit more on what to expect on trials:

What a trial looks like

You’ll spend 2–5 days with us in the office (depending on the role) working on real initiatives we’re actively pushing forward.

You’ll be paired with a mentor and given a set of briefs to choose from. From there, how you approach the problem is up to you. That’s intentional. We want to see how you think, how you prioritize, how you navigate ambiguity, and how you collaborate.

In many cases, what you start during the trial becomes work you continue if you join full-time.

What we’re evaluating

Output matters. Process matters more.

We’re paying attention to how you break down problems, where you spend your time, how you respond to feedback, and how you make tradeoffs under real constraints. The trial isn’t about polishing something in isolation. It’s about how you operate inside a team.

Why we do this