How To Know If You Should Work At A Startup
We recently welcomed Hitch co-founder Jay Manickam to our podcast, “Nothing’s Sacred.” A long-time startup advisor and entrepreneur in Austin, Manickam touched on several topics during our conversation. Listen to the full episode here.
Perhaps the most interesting advice he gave was regarding the appeal of working for early-stage companies. With so much competition for talent, many startups vie against major tech companies for the same prospects. Manickam explained how he positions his company to attract the best employees.
Below is his list of the top three benefits of working for a startup compared to a later-stage company.
- Connection to the mission: Having a tangible connection to the mission of a company is possible at startups, where employees are able to draw direct lines between their work and the company’s performance. At larger companies with thousands of employees, people don’t always get that opportunity, and they may not see change happen in step functions in a short period of time.
- Interactions with executives: Small teams enable relationships that are not always possible at companies with hundreds of employees. If you want to interact regularly with a company’s founders and executives without navigating layers of hierarchy, join a startup.
- Speed of work: In startups, people work fast, iterate quickly, and see results in days and weeks (not months). This type of rapid feedback loop is special. The term “pivot” is frequently used at startups, because decisions are made quickly, and it’s not uncommon to change directions often. Also, mistakes typically are more allowed at startups because they’re not billion-dollar mistakes.
If these benefits appeal to you, then it may be time to search for work at a startup. Browse our jobs board to find opportunities at fast-growing companies in roles across finance, accounting, engineering, sales, operations, and more.