How to Find a Job at a Startup – The Details

There are many ways you can find a job at a startup. The best way is to contact directly the companies that match your skills and requirements. There are lots of job sites available, from where you can also find a job at a startup.

Key Takeaways

• Startups are small companies or businesses that are in the initial/development stage
• More than 50% of startups hire employees from the network
• You can contact a startup directly to talk about a job opportunity
• Joining various startup conferences increases the chance of getting a job at a startup by 30%

What is a Startup?

According to Wikipedia –

“A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship refers to all new businesses, including self-employment and businesses that never intend to become registered, startups refer to new businesses that intend to grow large beyond the solo founder. In the beginning, startups face high uncertainty and have high rates of failure, but a minority of them do go on to be successful and influential.”

So, basically, a startup is a type of small business that is in its initial stage. In most cases, a startup is funded by the founder or the founding members. The owner of a startup is known as an entrepreneur. The main idea of a startup is to establish a business therefore initially startup companies have high costs and low revenue. Some startups work with existing products or services while others try to create new products or introduce new services to the market.

How to Find a Job at a Startup?

Finding a job at a startup won’t be a difficult task if you do it properly. There are quite a few things that you have to consider while looking for a job at a startup. You have to consider your educational qualification, skills, experience, expected salary, career goal, etc. while looking for a job at a startup. There are some proven methods that you can follow to find your dream job at a startup. Let’s check them below!

Method – 1: Find your Niche

There are lots of startup companies available where you can get a job. But you should keep in mind that all the startups are not right for you. You have to identify your industry and then look for startup jobs. Some of the best startup industries of 2022 are –

• Ecommerce
• Delivery Services
• Healthcare Tech
• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Virtual Reality (VR)
• Educational Technology (Edtech)
• Financial Technology (Fintech)
• Big Data
• Supply Chain Management
• Leisure and Entertainment
• Real Estate
• B2B Software
• Shared Mobility
• Security Service

You have to identify your requirements and what type of work you want to work in a startup company. It will help you find the appropriate startup industry according to your skill, experience, education, etc. If you have previously worked in a company then you should try to find a startup that reflects your current skills and experience. This way you will be a good fit for the company as well as you don’t have to acquire any new skills.

Method – 2: Contact with the Startup Directly

According to many experts, this is the most effective way you can find a job at a startup. You should research your niche and find out the startup companies. Then you should check if any of these startup companies have job openings or not. If there are job openings then you can apply for the job. However, if there is no job opening then you can reach out to companies directly via email or you can also physically visit their office. While sending an email, show your interest in working with them. You can include your skills and experiences. It will help the startup find out whether your skills and experiences match their company’s requirements.

Method – 3: Contact your Networks

You should contact your networks and find out if they can help you find a job at a startup. You should conduct research and find out what organizations your connections are affiliated with. You can also research by the school, college, community group, etc., and see if you can find out anyone who is within your network. You can also consider connecting with your career services office and see if they can offer you any help.

Method – 4: Meet up With Startups

If there is any startup incubator program available near you then you can visit the co-working space and meet up with the startups. Try to attend all the startup conferences you can and see if they have any job offerings for you. This is the best way to meet one-on-one with the founders and gather knowledge and experience from them. That being said, you will also be able to share your desire to work with them as well as your skills and experiences. This is an excellent way you can get a job at a startup.

Method – 5: Keep a Close Eye on Job Listing Sites

You should also closely monitor all the available job listing sites. This is because most startup companies list jobs on job listing sites. The best part of job listing sites is that you will find all the information in one place. It will help you do the research conveniently and find the right job for you. Some of the popular job listing sites in the USA are –

• Indeed
• Google for Jobs
• Jora
• US.jobs
• Handshake        
• Ladders
• AngelList
• LinkedIn
• Chegg Internships
• Learn4Good
• PostJobFree
• SimplyHired
• Hubstaff Talent
• Jobvertise
• startupers
• Jobxoom
• JobSpider
• ReliefWeb
• Find jobs near you
• Jobisite
• JobInventory.com
• TechFetch.com
• Careerbuilder
• Glassdoor
• Job2Careers
• Next
• Resume-library
• ZipRecruiter      

Advantages and Disadvantages of Working at a Startup

Advantages of Working at a Startup	Disadvantages of Working at a Startup
The startup offers more learning opportunities	Startups offer less job security and lack stability
Depending on the startups, you might have flexible working hours	There might be long work hours of up to 10 – 12 hours
You will gather unique experiences while working for startups	There might be a heavy workload while working in a startup
You will have more options to advance in your career	The salary range of startup companies is very low compared to established companies
Startups offer various workplace benefits like stock options, etc.	Most startups have limited resources to work with
There might be minimal supervision while working for a startup	Lack of supervision results in workplace confusion and uncertainty

Average Salary of Various Job Titles at Startups in the USA

Job Title	Range	Average
Software Engineer Lead Software Engineer Sr. Software Engineer / Developer / Programmer Account Executive Mechanical Engineer Principal Software Engineer Process Engineer Product Manager, Healthcare Research Engineer Senior Data Analyst Senior Software Engineer Laboratory Manager Software Developer Software Engineer / Developer / Programmer Solutions Architect Sr. Product Manager, Software Staff Software Engineer Supply Chain Manager Senior Software Architect Technical Product & Program Manager Implementation Manager Front End Developer / Engineer Associate Partner, Consulting Services Business Analyst (Unspecified Type) Business Development Associate Business Development Representative Chief Communications Officer Chief Information Officer (CIO) Chief of Staff Chief Operating Officer (COO) Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Clinical Research Manager Communications Technician Control Systems Engineer Corporate Controller Design Engineer Director of Operations Director, Business Operations Electrical Engineer Head Brewer UX Designer	$73k – $138k $74k – $129k $104k – $176k $31k – $60k $112k – $211k $146k – $234k $77k – $118k $62k – $107k $98k – $156k $73k – $122k $87k – $148k $54k – $107k $43k – $78k $80k – $147k $51k – $112k $76k – $148k $99k – $190k $69k – $127k $99k – $157k $44k – $116k $55k – $101k $100k – $209k $158k – $255k $45k – $74k $37k – $66k $34k – $60k $104k – $220k $152k – $295k $62k – $173k $87k – $204k $247k – $448k $58k – $111k $37k – $74k $59k – $92k $113k – $200k $40k – $62k $72k – $167k $63k – $138k $84k – $139k $43k – $74k $68k – $137k	$102,803 $99,852 $138,264 $43,371 $157,992 $187,271 $96,359 $83,640 $124,981 $94,031 $114,532 $76,310 $58,603 $110,916 $77,647 $112,319 $142,718 $94,789 $127,123 $73,619 $74,592 $145,616 $212,654 $57,999 $49,400 $45,600 $152,658 $216,907 $104,211 $134,369 $343,660 $80,264 $52,351 $74,272 $152,429 $49,737 $110,655 $94,316 $109,948 $56,074 $97,367

References:

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/find-job-at-startup

https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Employer=Startup/Salary

Last Updated on December 25, 2023 by Magalie D.