Ask Away Why Should I Work for a Startup [Part 1]

Ask Away Why Should I Work for a Startup Part 1 Welcome toAsk Away, Recruiter.coms new weekly column Every Monday, well pose an employment-related question to a group of experts and share their answers. Have a question youd like to ask the experts?Leave it in the comments, and you might just landsee it in next weeksAsk Away This Weeks QuestionWhy should anyone work for a startup instead of an established business or major corporation?This is a question I face from potential hires all the time Why should I join a company that may or leid make it? The answer is simple upward mobility. Larger companies have larger budgets and will only hire you into a position you have been trained for and have experience in. Who will give you that first shot to get your foot in the door? Startups.At The Suit Depot, pretty much everyone came in at the entry level and worked their way up. We now have a manager, a Web developer, a head of SEO and marketing, and many mora positions. All of these people would not have been qualified to get jobs at larger companies and would have been stuck doing the same thing for years. With our company, everyone is constantly learning and growing with the company. Its hard to describe the energy in such an environment.-Marty Babayov Founder The Suit DepotIm a big fan of the startup world and cant imagine not working for one. Im hooked. Startups are unique because they are fast-paced and exciting. You can see the impact of your work right away, which is incredibly rewarding. If you want to implement a new idea, it doesnt take long to discuss with the team and receive approval. Startup teams are truly invested in their work and it shows. This creates an inspiring, sky-is-the-limit environment that is extremely motivating.-Hannah Wright Marketing Specialist FormAssembly.comThere are some advantages to working for a startup, as opposed to an established company or l arge company. You come in and learn many things as the company is growing. It is new and exciting because there are no prior restrictions and the company culture is not yet developed. That can be very exhilarating.However, the disadvantages are many. The company is getting off the ground and may not have its corporate policies in place, and that can be risky. The company may be run by someone inexperienced. They will make some mistakes, and that can be a real problem. If it is a family-owned business, the owners may favor their children or relatives, despite their lack of talent. That may create dissension in the startup. Many startups have to play the learning-curve game people dont learn until they make a mistake, and it may be costly.-D. Anthony Miles CEO and Founder Miles Development Industries CorporationI left large corporation with over 100,000 employees to be the 11th employee at a start up. My rationale large corporations dont care about individual growth. They look at the larger picture. You are just a statistic. Your growth and learning are dependent on you and your boss mostly your boss. Things move slowly, decision-making takes eons, and you are left to fend for yourself.Smaller organizations, on the other hand, empower you. So learning is exponential, decision-making and action are way swifter. Channels of communications are clearer and shorter. No red tape. And, they are flexible.-Ketan Pandit Director, Marketing and Brand Aureus AnalyticsWorking for a startup, as opposed to working for a large corporation, means that each employee has more of a voice. If someone has great ideas for the company, theyre more likely to be heard thanks to the smaller number of total employees and the tighter-knit teams. These ideas are also more likely to be put into place than they would be at a more established company, as change is much easier to implement at the beginning of a companys journey, before the mindset of the way we do things here sets in and gets t he business stuck in a rut.Working in a start-p also means more opportunity to create real change and disruption in an industry. Radical change rarely comes from within established companies, due to fear of reduced profits and a need to move fast. Startups offer the gelegenheit to be part of an industry shake-up that would most likely never happen in a larger business.-Rob Rebholz Managing Director and Cofounder SpaceWaysStartups arent for everyone. Job security, set hours, and guaranteed income may not be certain. For many a family man, a startup can be crippling to work for.However, for those who are a little less risk-averse who dream endlessly of possibilities and want a life where there are no limits a startup has to be one of the most exciting businesses to work for.As a startup company ourselves, we find that every single day brings with it great rewards and possibilities. Each time we talk with clients, we walk away with new goals, reasons to work smarter, and a desire to achieve even more.While the financial rewards (and risks) can be great, the greatest rewards come from being counted as part of a tight-knit team, valued not just for the work I do, but also for the ideas I contribute.-Gordon Hall Director Flyover 18I have worked at a startup for three years, and it is definitely the best decision I have ever made.You should work for a startup because you get to have a direct impact on the business. You can also be exposed to all aspects of the company, which, if you are just starting your career, can be a great way to figure out exactly what it is that you want to do and are good at. Also, youll generally get some portion of equity, which means that the harder you work to make the company successful, the more your shares will be worth.-Scarlett Sieber COO InfomousA lot of people clamored to share their thoughts with us on this particular topic. Stay tuned for part two, which well post tomorrow