Enternships Blog
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The Only Way Is The Entrepreneurial WayPosted on Monday 06 February 2012 at 13:41PM by trrpaipai |
Joe Levi is the founder of studentmoneysaver.com, a website that provides students with tips and advice on how to get the most of their student years on little money. We recently visited him in his cute little office in North London to discuss the ups and downs of life in a startup and here's what we got.
So why did I do it?
The idea for Student Money Saver began when I started Manchester University in 2007. I fast realized that being financially independent for the first time at university was incredibly intimidating. For the first time I had to live on a budget much more limited than I was originally used to, manage my bills AND pay my rent. Following a quick Google search, I found absolutely nothing that provided me with the type of assistance that I would have liked and so, I took matters into my own hands. I didn’t exactly have a big budget so the movement started off with a group of like minded folk who helped me to get the website going.
When people ask why I chose ‘the road less travelled’ and decided to opt for entrepreneurship instead of working 9-5, the only answer that no one can EVER argue with is the fact that my job satisfaction trumps that of any investment banker. Making money is obviously a great contributory factor to any career path but whilst most city workers [however successful] still come beneath someone in the office hierarchy, I get the immense pleasure of being in control of my own destiny. To be fair, I think I always knew I would go down this route when as a child, I opted to sell sweets instead of eating them but it is admittedly, not for everyone.
The downside?
The immense fear associated with taking the risk of starting your own company. There is always that niggling doubt that the world will not understand your vision, however, it is this very same vision that keeps you going on those days when everything seems to go wrong. To be honest, hard times or no, I wouldn’t change my choice for the world. Alongside the bad days are good days and sometimes, there are REALLY good days and there is nothing like the deep sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing that your vision has yielded results.
To all those who agree that ‘the only way is entrepreneurship’, my key advice to you is to remind yourself of your vision – DAILY. You may get disheartened but [without sounding to cheesy] you have to keep your eyes on the price.
Well that’s all for now. My next blog will keep you updated on the goings on here at Student Money Saver, so join me on my journey: witness my downfalls and rejoice with me in my successes.
Happy Saving!!
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Why Starting A Business While Studying Is A Good IdeaPosted on Thursday 02 February 2012 at 12:40PM by trrpaipai |
Jacky Yapp is the lead founder of Lunchsparks, a networking platform that allows you to meet with awesome and cool people in Singapore, making great contacts for your career. He founded this platform while he was still in college and now he shares his pearls of wisdom on the why's and do's of such an initiative.
Many people wonder when is it a good time to startup, and when I ask around, usually most of those around me (I am currently based in Singapore and spent a year in Shanghai, grew up in Brunei and Malaysia) would say, to first graduate from college, get a job, earn some money, get some contacts and expand your network, and then you are all set to start building your startup. For me, I think the best time to start is during college/university, which is what I am doing right now.
A little background of myself, I am currently in my final year in the National University of Singapore, and I had the chance to be based in Shanghai for a year last year and when I came back, I gathered my cofounders and we started working on our current startup idea. The beauty of entrepreneurship is that extra step you take out of your comfort zone, that will to do something different with your life, having an impact on the people around you, and that extra courage you need to face the possible criticism and possible failure.
And speaking of failure, what better time there is for one to fail during college and start all over again? We all know that out of 10 startups out there, 9 fails. So if your startup venture failed in university, it is easier to stand back up, and the experiences that you gained is invaluable in making you a better person, and in preparing you for the world. I have been working for 4 months on my current startup right now and I have been meeting a lot of awesome people along the way, who gave me great advices, who pointed me in the correct direction as well as those that criticized my idea, and I loved all of them.
Other than that, you also get to experience things that your peers don’t experience such as negotiating with investors, making hard decisions, team expansions, product marketing or even public speaking to sell your idea. For myself, I experienced 2 interesting incidents whereby I received a warning email from an anonymous who essentially warns me of my startup idea and that it is a knockoff of another similar website, and another incident (well not actually incident) whereby a software engineer saw what we were doing and wanted to join us. He sent in his really impressive resume to me but we were not hiring at that point of time, putting me at the other side of the table during the interview.
Had I not started working on what I am working now, I wouldn’t have had the chance to experience all these if I were to get by my university life as a normal student. So to all aspiring entrepreneurs in college today, if you have that one million dollar idea right now, start doing something about it today! There will never be the exact right date to start founding a company, but if you have to, that day is today. Ideas are worth nothing, for it is the execution that matters.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs
Photo from: http://bit.ly/z1SNbP
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Enternships Case Study: A Developer's StoryPosted on Wednesday 21 December 2011 at 09:49AM by trrpaipai |
Rosie Harvey finished her postgraduate studies in Computer Science last year and, after a short break, she started looking for work to get some real-world experience. Soon enough she came across Enternships which helped her find something better than the usual internship: an enternship.
I used lots of different websites to try and find something as there seemed to be a reasonable number of opportunities available without having to investigate recruitment agencies. I was told about Enternships by a friend as a good place to look, especially for jobs with tech startups. Generally the problems I faced when finding jobs to apply for was in the experience and expertise required. The majority of the Enternships I found, whether paid, unpaid, full-time, part-time, or somewhere in between, were very willing to concentrate on potential and willingness to learn rather than standard experience which was very reassuring to see. Becoming an intern seemed like an ideal way to get some really good experience that I could then use to get a permanent job.
"Becoming an intern seemed like an ideal way to get some really good experience."
When applying for jobs I make sure my CV is up to date. Then for each job I tweak it to make sure it's very easy to see that I meet as many of the criteria as possible, even if it's just mentioning specific programming languages that are in the job description (as long as I've actually had experience with them!). For interviews some good examples to think of are how you have dealt with bugs in code, to see how you solve problems, and something you have built and the steps you took in making it show how you approach it. I started an Enternship at Xylyx Ltd (www.xylyx.com) at the start of September as a Developer intern. Xylyx is a startup that deals with online payments, as well as things like digital ticketing. So far I have created websites using WordPress, edited code and written a web-based application with Java and JSP. I've really been enjoying my time there and my brain is completely filled with all the learning.
Working in a small company means we can easily talk, and bounce ideas off each other, and provide a different perspective on all the various things going on.
It's really great working for a small company because I can be incredibly useful and have actual responsibility; it certainly fully dispels the notion of an intern making the tea and doing photocopying and not much else. Some marketing interns started at the same time as me, and my boss was keen to ensure we communicated and interacted as that is often a difficulty between departments in a company, especially technical. It being a small company means we can easily talk, and bounce ideas off each other, and provide a different perspective on all the various things going on. It has also given me much more of an appreciation of what's required for marketing and sales which feeds back into being able to make the technical side better and more in tune with the company's thinking and approach.
My company has made a real effort to help us develop and improve in a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
There is a great deal of debate over unpaid interns currently but I can definitely say that I have benefited from my time so far (and it isn't over yet). My company has made a real effort to help us develop and improve in a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere. We can easily approach my boss with business ideas if we feel the urge; as we come from different backgrounds, our approaches and ideas can provide new and interesting avenues for discussion.
One of the major reasons to become an intern is to get a good reference and this will be much more certain and glowing if you are reliable.
We have had a few interns come and go while I've been working for Xylyx and some of the main things I have noticed is how bad people can be at communicating. If you can't make it in one day, or you're going to be late, or something is stopping you from completing an assignment, it is so much easier to mention it straight away. Don't feel bad about it, don't forget until it's too late. One of the major reasons to become an intern is to get a good reference and this will be much more certain and glowing if you are reliable. I have found that with the relaxed approach to interns it doesn't matter if you miss a day or two, or you have some problems, as long as you're honest about it and let people know. It makes everyone's lives so much easier. Make sure you get a friend or a parent or someone to check your spelling and grammar as well!
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Enternships Case Study: A Financial StoryPosted on Monday 12 December 2011 at 12:08PM by trrpaipai |
Enock Koola is a former intern at Amoo Venture Capital Advisory, a boutique firm supporting pre- and post-VC technology startups with strategic direction and business development. He has taken the time to answer a few questions, revealing how his enternship lead him to be offered a full-time position in a funky financial firm.
How did you come across Enternships?
I was referred on to the website by a friend. He had used it and thought it would be a good tool to use in search of a summer internship.
What made you decide to do an internship?
I was interested in VC/PE and felt an internship will provide me with insight on how either VC/PE work and whether it was a perfect suit for me.
What are the challenges you’re facing when looking for an internship? What’s the most difficult part?
The most challenging issue is finding the right internship to apply for. There aren’t many internship programs for working in the PE/VC sector.
How did you go about the application? How do you usually prepare your job applications?
I made sure I had done my homework. I researched and studied the company to know more about the role and the company. I kept up with the latest global financial news. I made a specific CV and Cover letter to the companies I was applying to in order show my understanding of their businesses.
What do you think is the most important part in a job application? What helped you get the internship you applied for?
In my opinion, making yourself aware of the business and role you are applying for and whether it suits you is a very important key step in getting the job. I got the job because I researched the company and the position and I was very passionate about VC which I think came across in the interview.
What are the top 3 things you’re looking for on an employer’s profile/internship listing?/Why did you choose to intern at Amoo?
- Track Record
- Early responsibilities
- Long term goals
I chose to intern at Amoo VC Advisory as I believed it was a great opportunity to learn more about VC, opportunity to work on real live projects and because the company was small, I believed I would get more responsibility and possibly even manage my own project. In addition after my interview and meeting the director and associate, I liked the atmosphere and the long term plans for the company.
What was your role there? What kind of projects did you work on?
I applied for the sales & research analyst role; this involved working on live projects. Some of my key tasks included analysing business plans, building financial models for start-ups and supporting entrepreneurs in their fund raising process. Furthermore I attended several tech events a week and this provided me the opportunity to interact and meet very inspiring entrepreneurs.
Has the enternship helped you get closer to your career goals? If so, how?
My career goal is to one-day start my own fund with an African focus. The internship allowed me to work with smart, creative and innovate people, gave me the opportunity to gain a better understanding of VC and how they work. I enjoyed working in the VC environment and supporting clients through their different fund raising round. The internship ignited my entrepreneurship spirit and has fuelled my desire to start my own firm.
Was the internship worth it, would you do it all over again if you could go back in time or is there something you would change?
The entire experience was a blessing and I am grateful for that opportunity as I learnt valuable transferable skills. I would definitely do it all over again and again.
What would be your best piece of advice to give other students/graduates looking for internships?
Internships are good as they give you an insight and the opportunity to realise, adjust, and validate your career goals. Sometimes we are not sure what exactly we want to do and doing an internship allows you to see whether the role suits you and if it is the right lifestyle for you. Moreover employers nowadays look for graduates with experience so doing an internship gives you a competitive advantage over the other graduates.
What do you think about the work Enternships is doing in helping students finding internships?
I think it is great what Enternships is trying to do; it allows students to discover their entrepreneurship spirit working with small and dynamic businesses. Especially nowadays where unemployment is at an all-time high, we need such platforms like Enternships to help students get internships.
What is your piece of advice for us at Enternships? Is there anything we could improve on to help candidates in their internship seeking?
The website is great but I think the site could do with a better interface. Also there weren’t as many financial roles when I was applying. It will be good if Enternships could get even more mid-cap companies to recruit through their website.
Looking for an internship? Here are five great tips to help you outPosted on Monday 19 September 2011 at 12:00PM by niraj5hah |
In today's blog we hear from Niraj Shah - a former recruitment industry expert who has transitioned into the world of technology and startups. Here he shares his 5 best tips on how to make sure you get a great internship via Enternships.com:
All internships are not equal so here are some tips to help you ensure your time as an intern is productive and to help you compete for the best placements out there.
1. Get clear on what you want to learn
One of the most crucial questions you need to ask yourself is - "which skills do I want to develop?". You will typically have between a month and three months - that's not a lot of time to develop a skill or set of skills from scratch so you need to focus. If it's only money you're interested in then in all seriousness there are lots of bars and restaurants crying out for good and reliable staff and they're much less competitive jobs to get.
Once you get clear on what skills you want to develop then you can be much more targeted in what you apply for and this focus will shine through in your cover letter, CV and interviews - more on those later.
2. Take the first steps yourself
This is so important. You need to actually get the job in the first place and internship places have never been so competitive. So whatever skills you decided to focus on, the next step is to learn something about it through your own efforts.
If it's programming skills in a specific niche or industry then pick a relevant mini-project that you can complete in your spare time, if it's SEO or online marketing then there's no excuse for not teaching yourself the basics given the masses of information on the net. If it's sales then seriously think about getting a part-time sales job during the term. The point is whatever you're interested in there's a way to get at least the basic experience yourself. Why is that important? Because you can....
3. Use the experience you've gained to make your application stand out
Did I mention right now is a particularly competitive time for potential interns?? Every internship exists because someone needs something done, and the best ones exist because there might be a full time job offer at the end of it. To compete and win you need to show something over and above the average applicant - the quickest way to impress is to demonstrate the practical experience that you've gained in the step above and link it to their needs. In your cover letter/email refer to this directly - "I have recently done X, where I gained Y skills - this is how I can use those skills to help you with problem Z". Pay close attention to their requirements and closely tailor your cover letter to match.
4. Do your research
Before you send an application find out as much as possible about the company and hiring manager. This is where you start assessing how good the opportunity really is - don't take what they say in their advert at face value! Here's some great tools to use:
- Google - you'll be surprised what some targeted Googling of people's companies and names can bring up - learn how to use the advanced search features - you'll be pleasantly surprised by the results.
- LinkedIn - use it to check out the person recruiting the role (e.g. if they say they are a successful serial entrepreneur does their profile reflect this?), how much experience they have, who they've worked for before, what sort of recommendations they have etc. Do the same for other employees you find.
- Social media - if this is important to the type of company it is (which it should be to anyone who sells something to the public or most things technology oriented) then have a look at their presence on Facebook, Twitter etc - do thy have a lot of followers/likes? if not why not? If it's a social media internship then you really need to go to the interview armed with a few ideas on how they can quickly increase their presence.
- DueDil and LevelBusiness - I love these two fairly new and lesser known tools for UK businesses. Use them to check the company's financials, size, progress over time etc - again this is to compare if what they claim stacks up to the reality and to assess if this is a business worth applying to. Take the results with a pinch of salt as I'm not convinced how accurate they always are, but these tools could give further food for thought.
5. Interview the interviewer
Interviews are a two way street. Of course first you need to impress the interviewer, but never leave an interview without having asked some questions of your own. Great questions to ask:
- If the interviewer is an employee ask what attracted them to the company and if they are the owner then ask what inspired them to start it. This question is great for building rapport because when asked sincerely it demonstrates a real interest in the other person. Of course you already know something about the answer because founders are usually publicly vocal about why they set up a business, and in the case of employees you usually know from their LinkedIn profile where they came from and when, but simply to build rapport you should ask anyway.
- Once you have shown you can do the job, ask what help and resources you will get. The whole point is that you have learned the basics yourself and now you want an experienced person or team to help develop your skills whilst doing something useful for them. The answer to this will show how much thought has gone into the intern's learning and development - be very wary of an answer that is only about day to day or ad-hoc support without any mention of a thought out structure such as weekly goal setting and reviews, mid-week catch-ups on progress, what you should have learned by the end of the internship etc
Those are my 5 top tips to get a great Enternship. What do you think? Please share your ideas, tips and comments below!
Niraj is on Twitter @niraj5hah and blogs at www.nirajshah.co.uk
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How to accidentally become a Social EntrepreneurPosted on Friday 18 March 2011 at 08:19AM by Will Bentinck |
This week's guess blog is from Will Bentinck a recent graduate who found himself drawn to social enterprise. Here he explains his story of how he 'created his own job' and how his experience as an 'entern' inspired and helped him on his journey as a serial social entrepreneur.
I finished my degree last summer and spent several months job hunting and claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA). This is not an experience I recommend, particularly because I grew out of getting an allowance when I was ten. And it's really boring. I hated it. So, instead of trying to get hired by someone else, I created my own job. The interview was a doddle.
I had quickly got sick of trying to be heard over the cacophony of voices screaming, "Please give me a job! I am keen to work in a dynamic industry, I have dynamic transferable skills and am a dynamic team player!" My CV wasn't perfect (as I kept being told by my very helpful, perfect-CV lawyer friend) and I had to do something worthwhile (I'm not motivated solely by money, much to my surprise); so I set out to do two things: get an internship or three and start my own organisation. Aside: There is ongoing commentary about internships only being for people from wealthier backgrounds because they can afford to work for no money, but you can do internships even when you're claiming JSA (there are some rules) and it is probably the most effective thing you can do for your career other than sleeping with a CEO. (I'm a CEO by the way.) So I went to w4mp.org (Work for an MP) and looked at their job listings (I wasn't clever enough to use enternships.com). I found an internship at a debating website (read that again, it doesn't say dating website). Debatewise.org aims to create crowd-sourced debates and, among other things, use them to influence policy. I applied, went for interview and quickly started peppering my job hunting with some interning at a desk in Shoreditch. Around the same time, a friend of mine introduced me to an idea in a pub.
"I had this idea..." is a phrase I hear a lot. These ideas usually involve monkeys and occasionally spaceships. This idea was a little more far-fetched. Alex (beardy Glaswegian autodidact) wanted to continue the work of Lord Shaftesbury and rekindle the Ragged Schools, the precursor of state primary education. Except Alex wanted to create the Ragged University.
We've all been in a pub or café and found that we've learned something from the person we've been talking to. The Ragged University's primary goal is to expand that experience so that one person is passing on their knowledge to a whole room. It gives a platform for communities to educate themselves, it increases social capital (I didn't know what it meant either), it encourages civic engagement and allows people who would otherwise be distant from education to engage with topics and attitudes they never would have been exposed to. And it's free.
"That's a frightfully good idea!" I thought (I'm quite posh) and the idea quickly turned into action - raggeduniversity.com. If you take anything away from this article other than eye strain, let it be this compound statement: It has never before been easier to start something; it has never before been cheaper to share your ideas with an almost inevitably growing market; it has never before made more sense to take an idea, mix it with some friends and make some entrepreneurial cake. It's quite an experience being part of a team of your friends creating, developing, repairing, adjusting, relaunching, publicising and then maintaining an idea that is so much bigger than you originally conceived. I could write for hours about my experiences with the Ragged University, but I will share only one observation here (please write to me if you want to know of any others). Don't get too big for your boots, but make sure you wear big boots. I'll rephrase that: Implement your idea on a manageable scale, but implement it hard. This is similar to the advice not to bite off more than you can chew, but with the added instruction not to talk with your mouth full.
My internship at Debatewise went well. Debatewise was an entrepreneurial endeavour itself, the brainchild of the brilliant David Crane. His idea got picked up by IDEA, ironically, and after a couple of years of them funding the site, he has now taken over their UK operations. Or rather, our UK operations, because he gave me a real job when we became a charity at the beginning of the year. So internships can turn into jobs too - especially internships with start-ups and entrepreneurs (I think they call them enternships). Blatant plug: IDEA (the International Debate Education Association) UK are hiring enterns right now. We promote informed public debate to help people build more open, participatory societies. There's a massive revamp of our website going on and we need help with all sorts of things, from code to prose. There's a job advert on this very site, so sign up immediately! The Ragged University would have happened without me; IDEA would have a UK branch even if I'd never worked for David; I was just there at the right time and grabbed at those great opportunities. However, the lessons I learned from those experiences (and keep learning) enabled me to substantially contribute to my next project - Levantine Links.
The lawyer friend I mentioned earlier (Ben) went to Syria a couple of summers in a row, to the Syriac Orthodox community in the north east, to teach English and learn Arabic. Ben kept telling me he wanted to set up a recruitment process in the UK to send top graduates out to do the same thing. He kept talking about it. And talking. I kept pushing and pushing him to actually do it and eventually we sat down and started planning.
We achieved more in eight hours that day than I had contributed to the Ragged University in eight months. When we work together, we are astonishingly efficient and productive. I am new to this entrepreneur stuff, I've only been at it since last summer, but I am sure that the following lesson will prove to be the most valuable one I ever learn. Who you work with will define your business, its successes and its failures. So work with people who inspire you with their brilliance, yet acknowledge and defer to your areas of expertise. If you're one of those people, I want to work with you; whether that be at the Ragged University, at IDEA or in Syria. Drop me a line and let's make some cake.
Enternships.com gives you the opportunity to work with other people and learn how to be better at doing your own thing. While you wait for that world-changing idea to come along, you can intern in brilliant buildings, with passionate people, doing awesome activities.
Let's make some cake.
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Enternships and Incredible OpportunitiesPosted on Wednesday 09 February 2011 at 08:26AM by Ed |
It was in the summer of 1968, and a young, fresh-faced teen found his passion and calling; computer programming. Back then, computers weren’t just rare, but treasured artifacts that even colleges and universities didn’t have. But this lucky teen just happened to go to Lakeside school which had a computer.
Through time invested spending nights and weekend in front of a computer, a genius was born. By the time he dropped out of Harvard University, he was one of the smartest programmers around.
His name is Bill Gates. And all he needed was that opportunity.
Opportunities, or “luck” are one of the key components of creating incredibly successful, talented people. The other ingredient is time - 10,000 hours if you’ve read Malcolm Gladwells book, Outliers.
My Opportunity
Last summer, my opportunity landed. Somehow I landed my dream internship with a company called Distilled, which if you’re in search marketing and online reputation management (areas I’m really interested in) is a big deal. I spent two weeks dissecting big-name clients’ websites alongside some of the best brains in the industry. It was awesome.
I think I got incredibly lucky. Two paths just happened to meet. With Enternships, that all changes. A match-making service for awesome entrepreneurs to spark something off with a new intern.
Enternships = Incredible Opportunities.
For both the employer and the intern, it's a huge win. Who doesn’t say no to a young, energetic partner to go and grow a business with? Take a look at this video an imagine this fusion of entrepreneurship and fresh young faces in your business.
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/7558732 w=400&h=200]
What opportunities can you create?
Opportunities are all around us. Perhaps you run, or are part of a company that is changing the world a little? A small business or even just a startup, a little seedling of opportunity. It starts when you arrive at the Enternships homepage.
August Entern Meetup InfoPosted on Tuesday 11 August 2009 at 12:24PM by amberpietrobono |
*** Enternships' August Entern Meetup***
Are you an Entern? Intern? SME Employer?
Well let us entertain you!
London Enterns are hosting an Entern Meetup
Wed 12th August from 5:30 p.m till late
@Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
145 Fleet Street EC4A 2BU
(Cheshire Cheese is one of the oldest pubs in London, having been rebuilt in the 17th century. Charles Dickens and Voltaire are said to have drank here! Cheshire Cheese is definitely one to visit.)
The event is FREE!
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/enternships/
Feel free to bring guests!
The night will be a great opportunity to meet other enterns, network and most importantly... HAVE FUN!
*Oh, and the party doesn't end there...*
We'll put your name on the FREE VIP GUESTLIST
of a nearby top London nightclub
(Details will be given at the event)
See ya there!
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How to Get Your Dream EnternshipPosted on Tuesday 30 June 2009 at 15:58PM by rajeebdey |
I recently came across a great blog post by Dharmesh Shah: 6 Quick Tips For Landing That Startup Dream Job
In his post he offers the following 6 tips:
1. Match the culture
Remember that advice about dressing one level above the job you’re hiring into? Or the “it’s better to be over-dressed” advice? Forget that. Dress so that you’ll fit in. Dress as if you’re already on the team. Any startup you’d want to work for is not going to hold it against you for not dressing up. They wouldn’t expect you to wear something to an interview that they wouldn’t wear themselves into work.
2. Convey A Passion For Startups
If you’ve worked for startups before — talk about them. Talk about what it was like. Especially talk about the painful parts. They want to know that you know what it’s like to be on a startup team. We want to know that you’ve got that weird genetic flaw that causes you to want to take on that special kind of pain that only entrepreneurial people understand. If you haven’t worked for a startup before, come up with some really
Remember that startups are not in the business of creating jobs, they’re in the business of creating value.
Help them understand how you’re going to be able to help them create value that nobody else can. convincing reasons as to why you want to start now. And it can’t just be because you got laid off from some Fortune 500 company last week.
3. Read, Read, Read
Many startups today have a pretty wide footprint on the web. Does the CEO tweet? Does the CTO write a blog? Read them. You don’t have to be able to write a graduate thesis on their work, but you should be a wee bit familiar with their thoughts and leanings. Oh, and most startups will have you meet the founder/CEO/CTO before you are made an offer and they’re all human. They write for a reason — one of which is to be read; and maybe even understood.
4. Join The Conversation
Find out where the startup team is hanging out and chatting on the web. For HubSpot, for example, we have a relatively active group of people on Twitter. (Just do a Twitter search on “HubSpot” and you’ll see what I mean). Get to know some of the faces/names and find out the tone of the conversations happening around the startup you’re looking to join.
5. Connect Online
Chances are, whoever you talk to on the startup team is going to do a quick scan for you online (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, blogosphere, etc.). Why not be more proactive, learn about them and connect with them online first? Another advantage to this approach? You could ask (without being too pushy or aggressive) some of the “insiders” you connect to what it’s like to work there.
The idea is to convey that you care, you’re doing your homework and are savvy enough to make sure you want to work there first. Startup recruiting is a two-way street (the company should bring a lot to you, just like you’re going to be bringing a lot to them).
6. Emphasize That You “Get Stuff Done”
The single most important attribute that many startups look for in recruits is that they get stuff done. You can be the most brilliant engineer/marketer/whatever on the planet, but if you don’t have a tendency to get a lot of stuff done, you’re not an attractive recruit. The reason is obvious and simple — but I’ll tell you anyways.
Startups are a grand exercise in resource-deprivation. There’s always too much work and not enough people. If the startup team hires you, they want to know that you’re going to put a dent in their workload — not just come up with great ideas for other people to work on.
On top of the ones mentioned above I'd like to stress the importance of developing a strong network; make it known that you're looking for interesting opportunities when you're meeting people and share your passion. I received a great email from a student who applied for an enternship and went for an interview; whilst he wasn't successful in securing the role he made a fantastic contact which subsequently went on to help him in his new role in another start-up which he has joined. That's a great example of networking and how developing new contacts is so crucial in business.
These tips provide a great starter for potential 'enterns' looking for their Dream Role but we thought we'd ask you - what has worked well for you in securing your dream enternship? Do you have any tips to share - if so we want to hear them!
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How to Put the Start in Start-Up...Posted on Monday 22 June 2009 at 11:44AM by leah10 |
Almost like writers trying to start a novel, the hardest part of being an entrepreneur is getting going. It can often feel as though you have an idea, and you know you want to make it work, but beyond that...nothing. This is especially the case for students and graduates with no real work experience to help them figure out how to build a business.
Handily, we came across a blog specifically targeted at students that is a handy guide to jumping off the proverbial cliff. It seems that the key is to keep it simple as the author distills the process into just three (and a half) steps. We decided to round it up to 4 steps by tweaking his list slightly:
Step 1: What do you Love?
Step 1A: Do an Enternship (Learn how to build Business first hand)
Step 2: Write it down (4 Reasons to build a Plan/Organization Chart)
Step 3: Take action (Be Proactive/Baby Steps)
Step 3A: Bring in people around you (Network/Online Persona)
So there you have it...what are you waiting for?
For more useful tips for the student entrepreneur check out: http://startupstudent.com/
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