How to get a job at an early stage startup
Getting a job is sometimes less like the classroom, and more like the playground. The process is often not fair or transparent (even if the company says so). Who you know is important. Keeping track of rumours pays off.
In a nutshell, the best things to do are:
- Ask for referrals
- Network
- Join communities where startup people hang out
- Look for jobs that aren’t advertised on LinkedIn
Let’s talk about why.
Some background: What it’s like to hire as an early stage company
When it comes to hiring talent, most companies have either a sourcing or a filtering problem.
- Companies with a filtering problem have too many job applicants. Their main problem is sorting through thousands of applicants that come in through referrals, job applications and other channels to fill a handful of highly sought after places. Usually these are established companies with a strong brand — think Google, Microsoft, McKinsey, Canva, etc.
- Companies with a sourcing problem have the opposite issue. They don’t have enough qualifed candidates applying. This isn’t necessarily because they are bad places to work. The main problem is not enough people know about them, let alone think to look there for jobs. They also often don’t have the budget or people power to advertise for roles on the scale a larger company does.
Early stage startups almost always fall into the second category.
By early stage, I mean startups that have raised 10 million dollars or less and usually have less than 50 staff. Aside from not yet having a recognised brand, these startups can also suffer from not having a dedicated recruiter and sometimes don’t even have middle managers yet.
As a result, the founder is often doing the hiring directly — alongside millions of other responsibilities. They might not have the time or know-how to run a traditional recruitment campaign. In fact, they may not have even gotten around to writing a clear cut job description. But that doesn’t mean they’re not hiring.
Approaching companies with a sourcing problem proactively, can be very advantageous. Not only does it show you’re motivated and keen, but you’ll also face less competition. It’s less about appearing better than the 100 people next to you, and more about meeting the requirements, getting along with the team, showing potential and proving you’re a trustworthy person.
How to get a job at a startup — in practice:
The best way to get a job is through a referral
Network with founders, other startup employees and people who partner with them, like VCs. (This applies to any job — not just those in startups)
An oft quoted statistic is only ~30% of jobs are ever advertised, while the rest come through referrals, introductions and recruiters.
When hiring, most hiring managers will hire from within their existing network as a first preference. A candidate seems less risky if they have worked together before or come with a recommendation from someone they already trust. Afterall, most employers aren’t just looking for someone with skills and experience, but someone they can trust and who will fit in with their team and working style.
The less impressive your resume, the more important a referral is likely to be. If you can’t show up as the most accomplished person, having someone say you’re great to work with or simply have good character can go a long way.
Even very weak ties can inform you of opportunities you weren’t aware of and help you get a foot in the door.
As an example: My first UX job actually came through a fellow UX’er I met at an industry event. When we first met, we were both students, but by the time I graduated 12 months later, he had started working as a UX designer at a fintech startup. Seeing he worked there on LinkedIn, I asked if he could pass on my resume. 3 weeks later I started at the company too. We had only spoken in person that one time at the event and made the effort to connect on LinkedIn but sometimes getting that warm intro makes all the difference.
It’s never too late or early to meet new people or reconnect with old acquaintances.
Do not use LinkedIn or other job boards as a source of truth on whether a company is hiring
For a lot of small-mid sized companies, using LinkedIn jobs and Seek is just too complicated or unnecessarily expensive. Depending on a company’s recruitment budget and resources, they may not advertise any roles on job boards, or they may only advertise a few roles at a time.
So where do early stage startups advertise opportunities instead?
As mentioned — through their personal and professional networks, however you can also check:
1. Their website
At the time of writing, Octopus Deploy, which raised $221 million in 2021, is advertising 4 open jobs on their LinkedIn page and 9 open roles on their website. Don’t use LinkedIn or job boards as a source of truth on whether a company is hiring.
2. Create a job seeker profile on SkillsRobin
Personal plug here. I founded a platform called SkillsRobin last year which connects early stage startups with pre-vetted software developers. As a job seeker you can create an anonymous profile and have companies apply to you. Great if you are currently still employed or looking for a side hustle.
We also share roles that aren’t publicly advertised with registered job seekers and referrers and offer referral bonuses ($100-$1000) if you refer someone who gets a role. Check it out at www.skillsrobin.com
3. VC Job Boards
In a similar vein, VCs will advertise opportunities for their portfolio companies for free. So you may see some jobs on VC’s websites that don’t appear on paid job boards.
Some VC Job boards relevant to people in Australia where I am based include:
- Blackbird Jobs: https://jobs.blackbird.vc/jobs
- Airtree Jobs: https://jobs.airtree.vc/jobs
- Folklore VC Jobs: https://roles.folklore.vc/jobs
- Y-combinator Jobs: https://www.ycombinator.com/jobs
Check out venture capital firms in your area to see what roles they’re helping their portfolio companies hire for.
4. Startup community groups and newsletters
Founder and hiring managers will also often post job opportunities within industry and start-up community slack groups, online forums and newsletters.
In Australia, where I am based, some good groups to join include:
- Startmate
- Early Work Village
- Folklore’s Campfire (You may need to join one of their programs to be invited)
- Tech Leading Ladies (Women/Non Binary people only)
- Airtree Pioneers (Women/Non Binary people only)
I know there are plenty of others, so it’s worth researching which ones are best for your industry.
5. Follow and reach out to companies which have recently raised money
If a company raises money, usually that means they are going to be hiring in the next 12 months. Startups can be very bad at making their hiring intentions known, so it can be worth reaching out to them proactively with information about yourself. The worst thing that could happen is they don’t reply or say no. Best case scenario — you get to work with a team and product you’re excited about.
Airtree ventures issues a monthly newsletter on recent capital raises within Australia. Following This week in Aussie Startups on LinkedIn is also a good source of news.
6. Get warm intros to people who already work at the company
A great way to connect with a hiring manager or someone you would like to talk to, is to ask for an intro from a mutual connection
If you don’t know anyone who works at the company, check out who on their team is a second degree connection of yours on LinkedIn. From there politely ask your mutual connection if they would be willing to introduce you. Requests from a mutual connection are far more likely to get a response.
They might not be able to get you a job, but you can always learn valuable information about what it’s like to work there, and what the hiring pipeline might look like in the future.
7. Post about your job search and what you’re looking for
Let people in your network know you’re looking for a new job. Whether through private messages, over coffee, group chats, LinkedIn posts or Twitter. Afterall if people don’t know you’re looking, they won’t be able to help you.
8. Let me know if you want to meet other people in tech, startups, product and design
I am currently considering starting a group for tech professionals to meet other tech professionals working in different companies. The idea is to meet other people you don’t have much cross-over with yet, and can provide you with new perspectives or information. If you are interested in joining please leave your details here.
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** Disclaimer: Some startups offer great learning opportunities, competitive, market level salaries, equity with potential for massive upside and have fantastic, inspiring, experienced leadership. Others might only have some or none of these things. Remember to assess each company individually to make sure it aligns with your personal aspirations.
If you end up deciding that you don’t want to work in smaller startups — and only want to work in big tech — this is a good article to guide you through big tech hiring practices.