3 X 5 Tips on applying for and starting a career in the startup: Applicants must be aware of this!
// By Stefan Rippler
Currently, a young Frenchwoman in the ZEIT a stir that has worked in 12 Berlin startups and says: hip work culture - all bullshit. Working in startups has advantages - if you find the right company. 3 X 5 Selection Tips.
Startups are job engines
Startup companies are often seen as the bright pioneers of a new, better working world. The Frenchwoman Mathilde Ramadier has worked in 12 Berlin startups and reported on it ZEIT ONLINE. Her sobering conclusion: "Participation, meaning and responsibility are nothing but bad promises."
The sometimes violent comments on the post show: There is at least a need for discussion. Because startups hire an average of 3,5 employees in the first year. In comparison: 0,8 positions are offered by "regular" companies after the start-up in the first year. In other words: innovation means growth and needs motivated high potentials who live the idea of ??the start-up, drive product development forward, react flexibly to challenges and enjoy making decisions.
Innovation is risk
Sure: Innovation can mean success - after all, Google, Facebook and Co. all started as startups. Who doesn't want to be there for the next big thing? However, an application for and everyday work in the start-up scene differ significantly from the medium-sized or corporate world. What startup applicants and employees should know.
Innovation is also risk. Each day in the startup looks different. You do tasks and projects, of which you have never heard before - and in part despite the lack of expertise. In the background the pressure of investors - not to mention overtime.
Startup Jobs: Top alternative to corporate career
How do you know if starting a startup is really worthwhile for one? Where can you find good positions? What are the specific requirements of a startup job? How do you establish yourself in the startup company and gain influence in the team? And is one the right type for such an unconventional career perspective?
Particularly young people are showing a steadily dwindling interest in the cooperation in corporations and are looking for innovative job opportunities created by the strong upheavals of the digital revolution in the labor market.
Startup employees are tinkering with the future of the company
Startups all over the world promise a new kind of lifestyle that does not exist in traditional and established companies. The independent work, flat hierarchies and room for creativity attract many of these people to pursue their career path in a startup company.
But they are not only working on their own careers, but also on the future of the society in which they live, if not on the way of life of many people in a global context. It's about making a difference; to create something big. Something that changes the world. And in a startup, this claim is not even so outlandish, considering that many new technologies have fundamentally changed the way we live.
There is no guarantee for success!
What can also be seen as an advantage for cooperation in start-ups: the people who are encountered in young companies are often the visionaries of our time, the rebellious, the brave, who want to do everything better, and therefore services and goods from the ground up rethink and revolutionize. These people often work together across national borders.
However, reality also shows that there is no guarantee of success in the startup world. While some startup companies, such as Airbnb and Spotify, are successful globally and generating millions of dollars, there are a considerable number of startups who simply can not make it and fail. This aspect should also be taken into consideration if you decide to pursue a career path in the startup world. It is essential to understand what you need to engage and hire to make the startup successful as well as successful and smart in shaping your own career path.
5 benefits of career in a startup
If you want to find out if the work in the startup is something for yourself, then you have to weigh carefully. The advantages at a glance.
- Much responsibility and decision-making authority: Personal responsibility is a key skill that is expected of every member of the startup team. The chance for employees in small teams to be able to achieve a great deal in a special way fundamentally differentiates startups from traditional companies. "Just do it" - that is the motto in many cases, which is also meant very seriously in this sense. This takes a bit of courage. You have to take on unexpected challenges and tasks and try it out. However, this will not always be successful. Here the backing of the founders is especially necessary.
- A high learning curve: Learn from mistakes - fail fast. This is important, as is the mantra learning by doing. A "trial and error" mentality is indispensable, since many processes and structures are not yet available in startups and you are often active in fields of work that you actually have no idea about. It means "doing and learning" - learning on the job.
- A special team culture with flat hierarchies: Flat hierarchies are also a feature of startups, which characterizes the workplace and is often classified as positive. Often the entire team, including the founders, sits in an office or office. It also happens that employees work independently of the location. In each case, the interchange is uncomplicated and usually digital.
- On the work result it depends: This is often the motto of success: It is not important which hierarchy concept is particularly popular in the management literature, or which hierarchical models were often practiced before 50 years. Only the concrete results of work are relevant.
- Quick career opportunities: The work motivated in a startup, because you can see very quickly and directly the results of your own work. These results, in turn, are often perceived and often celebrated by team members, unlike in large companies. In startups you work in a very performance-oriented environment. Due to the proximity to the managers, motivation and output are directly seen, often promoted and also rewarded. This creates the possibility to rise in much smaller time windows than would be possible in larger companies.
5 disadvantages of the career in a startup
Working in start-ups does not only bring advantages. Of course, disadvantages must also be taken into account before deciding on the startup job.
- Poor (re) pay and little security: It is no secret that the start-up life provides little or no collateral for all the opportunities it offers. This is mainly due to the lack of revenue and the resulting bad, under-average and sometimes even in individual cases even a lack of remuneration. The decision to work in a startup is and remains a risk.
- Little structure, excessive demands and a lack of work-life balance: In start-up companies there is not a few structures due to constant change. It is planned for the youngest to be in the short term - often also because the necessary experience to build immediate structures is simply missing. Missing structures often involve long working hours and overburdening. This is often associated with the accessibility after the evening's work and a lack of work-life balance.
- Bad management style: Since the founders are often inexperienced in managing employees, the team often suffers from an inadequate management style. This can also be seen in the recruiting of the individual members in the team. Job interviews are conducted in an unconventional manner and the selection of personnel is based on rather atypical criteria: Many founders use friends and acquaintances to complete their team, especially in the initial phase - for "professional recruiting" both the experience and often the time are lacking.
- Lack of reputation: Startups do not have the reputation that established companies enjoy, and are even often ridiculed. You usually work on ideas that hardly anyone else believes outside the startup team, or even worse: visions that are so innovative that they do not really understand anyone yet. It goes with the fact that as a startup employee you often work on ideas that have a great chance of not being successful at all. This can lead to frustration and a feeling of failure.
- Bankruptcy and termination: A quite untypical scenario is the start-up insolvency, which can naturally occur with new, innovative company foundations without a securely tested business model. This means that you have to arrange yourself as an employee. It is quite clear that startups often have financial bottlenecks or uncertainties as compared to established and successful companies. Other risks include the termination, which may be attributable to the uncertain or difficult business development of the company. Here too, one must count as an employee. Specifically, in such a case, a certain stress resistance is useful, which is necessary in dealing with risks. This includes its own psychological resilience, which is linked to the general and special uncertainties of the startup life.
5 Selection criteria for startup selection
If the path to a startup future is clear, it's about finding a start-up company that fits your profile. There is a lot to be aware of, because startup is not the same startup - and just to avoid the problems of Mathilde Ramadier, applicants should look carefully.
- Attention whitewashing: Whether in an interview or in exchange with (ex-) startup staff (XING, LinkedIn):...
