How to Find the Right Job at the Right Start Up
Transcript
I get asked about coming to work for startups all the time. People come to me and say, hey, what company should I work for? Where should I find the right fit? And I give them two pieces of advice. The first is a piece of advice that I learned in college, although much too late. Take professors, not course descriptions. And the second is sweep the floors. Let me explain. You see, even the most interesting course, if taught by a horrible professor, is going to be boring,
and a waste of your time.
But what I learned in college was that the best professor
could take the driest subject and bring it to life,
and I would learn so much.
When you're looking at going to work for a startup,
look for a founder or a manager
who's like that awesome professor,
someone who's gonna take that business
and bring it to life, who you're gonna learn from,
who you're gonna grow from being around.
And then the second piece of advice is sweep the floors.
You see, people who aren't used to startups
are really concerned about what the job description is,
what the current salary is, what the title, all of that.
And none of that matters because in a startup,
things change every single week.
So when you find that right person
that you want to learn from in that business,
take any position that's available,
even if it's sweeping the floors.
Because if you do an amazing job sweeping the floors,
within a matter of weeks,
you're going to be promoted to the next position.
That might be stocking the shelves.
And within a matter of weeks,
you'll be promoted to the next position,
which might be inventory manager.
And within a matter of weeks, you'll be promoted to the next position, which might be head of marketing.
Things change so fast in startups, and the people who are doing a great job are promoted consistently.
So if you're looking for a position, look at the people.
Look at the managers.
Look at the founders and find people you can learn from, you can grow from.
And don't get hung up on the initial job title.
And by the way, the corollary to this is if you are the founder looking to hire great people,
focus on figuring out how you can be that amazing professor. Focus on how you
can be the person that people want to learn from because that will help you
attract the best talent, build the best team, and have the most likelihood of success.
How do you find the right job at the right startup? So many people are focused on their job description, salary or title that they overlook the most important things. Troy’s advice is to “take professors not classes” and “sweep the floors” – watch to see what he is talking about.
Originally published on the MATH Venture Partners blog.