“Chase the vision, not the money, the money will end up chasing you.” -Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Apple
These are many inspirational quotes from entrepreneurs who have made it in the business world. Many of the multinational corporations you see now were started in a garage with little funding, but by young entrepreneurs. Gone are the days when a great business tycoon was in his fifties. In recent times, CEOs under the age of 30 are commonplace and surprisingly they have made a splash in the great whirlwind of business and redefined old traditions and norms.
However, whether you are a job applicant, new or experienced, the choice to work at a new company should never be rushed. The uncertainties will be greater and there will be more possibilities of being asked to work for more than one job profile. You will be asked or required to do the duties of others when they are on leave, and you will have to compensate for responsibilities other than your own. If you are low on energy and have a 9 to 6 mental attitude, then the job is not for you.
These organizations start with an idea and innovative thinking, but the advantage is that here you can learn the basics of any job profile. Unlike a large organization, where you would be entitled to a specific job profile, and you would be working the same for decades, unless the project is changed; In a start up, you would be responsible for many jobs.
In recent times, after 2010, many prefer a new company, since in recruitment they do not look at the previous track record and are ready to start with new ones. And they are not interested in recruiting students from elite business schools.
However, the recruitment tests will be tough. The CEO of a start-up will want employees who can contribute to the project and not just a title with many years of experience. If you are someone who can easily understand the details and can walk the mile by yourself, then the best job for you to choose is a start-up. Also, your work will be easily recognized since the team will be small.
Looking at the list of employees at startups, you’d be surprised to find that many of them came through referrals. The bottom line: HR won’t risk hiring labor that doesn’t fit their remit. Whereas, through a reference, the present employee knows the ‘whys’ of the company; he/she can select the best preferable job applicant for a job.
It is vital that if you are new, you have to ask a lot of questions to the hiring manager in a startup company. The main reason, if the idea does not work, then you can easily be given the pink sheet. You should be more careful when signing on the dotted line. Some start-ups advertise stock options to their workforce. The reason: your salary will be lower than the norm.
You can pay a salary as the company in the initial stages will depend on the projects. Revenue or profit earned will be diverted towards advertisements and product development rather than bonuses or reviews. In the event of bad financing or loss, paychecks may not arrive on time.
There will be no rules and regulations in place and there are chances that you will be separated from agreements and arguments. There will be no manual to teach you and no knowledge tool where you can learn by yourself. You will be required to learn on the job.
There will be no fixed goal. Priorities will change from time to time. One week, you’re targeting a different website or project, and suddenly you’re prompted to switch to another project. Changes are the norm of the day in startups.
