Get Hired At A Startup With These Three Tips

Gone are the days that most people have excuses for not getting a dream job (candidate) or as an employer, not hiring the perfect candidate.  There are many mistakes in the HR process for large and small companies.

Yet, there are benefits to applying to startups- things like having influence and being heard, intimate relationships with executives, flexible work from home hours, and for my client (who came to me to design his book cover and website ) Nate Sterling, author of Job Interview Blueprint

He states, “as a prospective candidate, there are things within your control that you may use to influence the hiring managers, especially at startups. At startups, you have the chance to acquire more responsibility, learn from innovators intimately, and be recognized (for successes and failures) more often. ”

The size of startups, allow for this type of acceleration in your career advancement. But first, there is the interview.  Here are three criteria that have been found to have the biggest impact on the eventual choice of new hires at Startups. You’ll find them useful if you ever, for any reason, decide to enter into this space.

What have you done?

Clearly, state what you’ve accomplished either working for yourself or for someone else. As much as many candidates are guilty of overstating events and accomplishments on their resumes, most make another fundamental mistake. They never state, in clear terms, what they have done for a previous employer or in their academic pursuits. Startup hiring personnel, like other parts of the organization, are often resource-strained.

You could have done all the greatest things in your career but if no one knows what you’ve done in clear, concise language you’re no better than the person who has done nothing.

 

 

No one has the time to start deciphering the finer points of your resume. What you are trying to say in your resume or cover letter is essentially why you’re the best person for the job. Once it’s hard to read, be rest assured your resume will quickly be thrown aside. Explain clearly, in as much detail and jargon-free language, what you successfully did in a previous role. If you broke sales records for software sales by selling a million units in two weeks via a sales method you derived yourself, state it clearly with figures included. Another key thing to change is to frame points on your resume as tangible achievements instead of responsibilities.

List Your Accomplishments At The Top (placement matters)

Do list your accomplishments as close to the top of your resume as possible. How many prime candidates have made the fatal mistake of letting their finest achievements get lost in the clutter of words that is their resume? Many start Ups have lost superb assets this way as well, a hiring manager at any organization is always faced with the daunting task of having thousands of emails to sift through to find a gold nugget under a mound of dirt. If that is the case, you want your nugget as close to the top of that pile of dirt as possible. Let your finest achievements be listed as close to the top of your resume as possible. Most hiring managers will spend less than 10 seconds on each resume, something has to catch her eye before that window of time runs out. Your best bets to maximize the space and really make an impact on your resume are at the top and the bottom.

Look the Part

Now you’ve gotten over the hurdle of having your resume catch the eye of the hiring manager at your favorite startup, what next? Want to swing things in your favor when meeting the hiring manager for the job, then look the part. Countless studies have proven the human mind and eye have a bias toward more attractive looking individuals, it would be smart to take advantage of that small glitch in the human psyche. Start Ups have earned the reputation of being much more laid back in attire choice than your traditional corporate workplace, however, many candidates have taken this to mean they do not need to try hard to look their best at a startup interview. No matter what the culture of the organization favors, individuals that are more attractive will always be more favored when it comes to salaries and compensation. Candidates need to make an effort to look their best to subconsciously influence the hiring manager’s decisions.