How To Find A Job at a Startup
When we first created College2Startup, our primary objective was to make sure we put as many startup jobs in front of as many eyeballs as possible. We also knew right off the bat that we needed to educate people on a lot of intricacies of the startup world. Finding a job could be an easy decision, but finding ‘a startup job’ is a much different proposition. I once heard a founder address an audience at a Baltimore tech meetup and compare the search to a young man looking for the perfect bride, “it’s like marriage” he said. Choosing to join a startup could mean making a huge sacrifice financially, freedom-wise and in terms of job security.
Before applying for a startup job from the list of opportunities we send to your e-mail in our newsletter, the first decision you must make is to conclude on what stage of the startup ladder you are comfortable slotting into. Are you fine being the third employee and sharing a table with the two co-founders in a shared co-working space? or are you more comfortable joining the team after they’ve raised a seed or series A round? These are questions you need to ask yourself and answer first before applying.
For some people, it really doesn’t matter what stage the company is in, be it early or funded. Once you have settled on the preferred stage, you can then start sorting through the job openings we’ve sent over.
Choosing the right one:
There will be many opportunities that you might find yourself able to fit into, however a lot of startups are so small and close-knit that company/team culture plays a huge role. We advise that you take the time to ask around and do some further research about these startups. Study how the company has be portrayed in the news, tech blogs and amongst their local startup community. It really is not enough just reading about the founders, learning about the other employees, future plans etc wouldn’t do you any harm.
That being said, if you are looking to work at a startup, tell us here, and if you own or work at a startup and are looking to hire, get the word out.
