So you want to work for a startup?

If you haven’t worked for a startup before you don’t know what you don’t know. Trust me. I was you a few years ago. It’s hard. The hardest job you’ll ever do. If you’re not willing to graft, if you’re not fired by the hustle, by problem-solving every damn day, walk away now ???? Do not pass go, do not collect ￡200.

The ￡200 here is the proverbial flip side. <1% of startups raise venture capital; ergo if they’re hiring, they’ve got something most don't. You’ll work for leaders with dynamism, the ‘je ne sais quoi’ you’re unlikely to gain exposure to in the more established corporate world. By the very definition of working for?‘businesses that want to disrupt industries and change the world’?[Forbes] you’ll experience innovation like never before; remedying inefficiencies in existing products ( Daye , Ashby ), creating new categories ( Heights ), or flipping archaic systems on their head ( Multiverse , Beam ). Each day will center on problem-solving, add to this speed to market, and you’ll be doing so at pace; trial, error, iterate, evolve.?

Juicy stuff. Yet the very nature of this work requires you to sit in discomfort. Hiring best-in-class talent takes time, more often than not the team will be underresourced, you’ll wear many hats, and without the infrastructure of that corporate cushion, you can forget about a nice neat progression framework. Your learning will come from the work you do and the phenomenal team around you, with bags of autonomy to boot.?

Still here? Great. the challenges, to you, present opportunity.?

Let's land you that dream role

If this is your first foray into a startup, to a hiring manager, you pose risk. Do you?really?have what it takes??

Smarts and hearts

Again, the crux of any role within a startup is problem-solving, at pace. What evidence can you point to that highlights this? Regular promotions, excelling in one role leading to progression to the next; or high performance: outperforming sales targets, meeting milestones on time and within budget?

Emotional intelligence is as important. As a small team working towards a common goal, you’ll need to foster connections, provide an effective feedback loop, and win and lose together. You don’t have to be extroverted, just able to build and maintain relationships; influence across all levels in your own way. Use the interview process to showcase this, do your research, align company values to your own, and follow up at every stage.?

Grit, determination, and drive?

What can you point to that demonstrates tenacity, grit, and an unrelenting drive to succeed? Where have you overcome obstacles to achieve something most people wouldn’t? Context is everything here. Ran a marathon? I don’t give a sh*t. Ran a marathon, set yourself a challenge to complete your next marathon in record time, trained 6 days a week for 12 months resulting in a top 100 finish. Now we’re talking! You don’t need to point to work or sporting achievements. Maybe you’re a single mother of three carving out time in the evening to skill up on coding. Again, context is key.

Hunger to learn

Leave your ego at the door. Growth comes through failure, and in order to achieve this you need to make and own mistakes. Furthermore, as startups scale, your remit will change, you’ll need to let go of some of those lego-blocks as additional expertise arrives.?

Get ready to be asked about this.?

‘My greatest weakness is I work too hard”?YAWN!???

Try

‘When I’m passionate about something I find it hard not to want to do everything at once, in the past, this has led to burnout. Through research and seeking external advice, I’ve learned how to prioritise for impact and set boundaries to ensure I switch off and recharge.’?

Evidence

A CV is not a job description.?

Split each position into responsibilities, a few sentences on role and remit, and?achievements. Use data to evidence meeting and exceeding targets.?

Before you go

During my time at Multiverse, we hired <1% of candidates we engaged with (a top of funnel of 60,000 led to ~ 400 hires). It’s a competitive game, if you’re serious you’re going to need to take a (considered) dogged approach.?

Good luck!?