Like a good VC, I'm hoping my insight will be useful if I'm successful or not. If successful, read the series as a what to do. If not, read it as a what not to do.
So you've decided a job at a NYC tech startup is the right next step in your career path? Everyone's motivation is unique whether it's to experience the trials and triumphs of working for a young company or for the potential rewards associated with internet gold. Mine is the former as I've always been an aspiring entrepreneur and startup junkie. The process not the rewards are more valuable to my growth as a professional and as a person. Understanding your motivation is critical to identifying the size and type of startup where you'll be happy and most likely to succeed. Hopefully this series can help anyone get a position in NYC by encouraging you to start by focusing on yourself.
Searching for a position in this industry requires a robust and always up to date online presence. Learn the benefits and time commitments of each social media resource and think about how they each contribute to your personal brand. Building a personal brand shows you have the ability to implement Web 2.0 technologies that will benefit your future employer and set you apart from other applicants. Twitter is a great place to start as it's nearly effortless and provides a tremendous opportunity to interact with company founders, CEOs, and potential coworkers. The next critical feature of an online profile is the dreaded blog. Two reasons people choose not to blog is fear of criticism and not understanding why people would want to read what they have to write. Having a blog demonstrates your interest in a field, your ability to create content, and it forces you to write. Once you get started on Twitter and a blog it's important to maintain your LinkedIN account and ensure new material is flowing through your social channels.
Once you've settled on a potential career, identify professionals who are in your target field and start researching their backgrounds. Understanding how Reid Hoffman went from Philosophy major to arguably the most successful entrepreneur/VC of this generation is critical to understanding your potential career path. A counter example to Reid's story is someone like Fred Wilson who has been a VC for his entire career and is one of the most respected VCs on the east coast. These two examples demonstrate the prominent paths for those interested in VC. The entrepreneur path typically starts in a sales/BD (Reid Hoffman; Greylock Partners), technical (Mark Suster, GRP Partners), or product (Guy Kawasaki, Garage) position before starting a company. After a successful exit or several failed attempts they leverage their experience and knowledge into the VC community. The second path (less likely) starts as an Analyst or Intern with a VC firm followed by an MBA or Associate position with the eventual hope of becoming a partner. The former path is filled with significantly more opportunity and potential rewards but it can also be much riskier. The latter can be a much smoother trajectory but is nearly impossible to get started because Analyst positions are hard to find while the applicant pool can be extensive.
Once you understand the potential paths, focus on the skills you have to offer a company. Start identifying companies you'd be interested in and what type of jobs those companies have to offer you. Do you want to be on the sales side? Is marketing more your jam? At the end of the day, customer (user) acquisition is the most critical aspect of an early stage companies success (after technology/product) which is where many young graduates can find opportunity. Understand that some companies focus on direct sales while others might rely on inbound marketing to generate customers. You should also be reading constantly! Subscribe to the daily emails from Mashable, Techcrunch, Dan Primack's Term Sheet, and blogs like Fred Wilson's AVC. The more you read, the more you'll uncover new companies that you otherwise will never hear about or ever think you could work for. Another great source is the Jobs section of most VC firms such as First Round Capital, Union Square Ventures, and IA Ventures. These boards can be a great starting point for learning about companies but be cautious about allocating too much time to applying for jobs where you don't have a possible introduction or connection.
Connections and potential introductions are the most critical aspects of finding and obtaining the right job. Companies are much more likely to interview and eventually hire someone that comes with a referral than they are an unknown respondent to a job board. So are you screwed if you don't have a connection? Absolutely not! Network, network, and network until you're meeting the people that founders and HR professionals know and trust. The place to start is VCs as they're constantly looking to refer talent to increase their value and to ensure the success of their investments. Head to NYC Meetups, General Assembly, and Ultra Light events where you can meet VCs, founders, and more importantly people in a position similar to yours (Charlie O'Donnell offers a great resource through his weekly newsletter). You never know who at an event is Dennis Crowley's cousin or plays softball with Charlie O'Donnell (almost everyone in NYC). The more you develop relationships with these people, the more comfortable they'll feel referring you to open positions which makes your search that much easier.
Knowing how to sell yourself in writing and in interviews is an incredibly important skill that many people don't practice. It isn't enough to research possible questions and know your resume as you should know exactly how your skills will result in more users or sales for the company. You also have to do your research and understand the product or service as much as you possibly can. Signup for a webinar or register to demo their product and start thinking about ways it can be improved, how you would sell it to a user, and any connections you have that could benefit the company. This can be incredibly difficult as many startups (such as Kohort) operate in stealth mode with limited websites and product access as they search for a position in the market place. Find every article, video, and blog post on the company to understand their PR cycle and to learn what users think about the product.
The most important thing to remember is this can be a very long process especially in our current economy. However, the excitement (read Bubble by the media) for technology companies in Silicon Alley is creating the perfect environment for getting your feet wet and finding opportunity. There are plenty of companies with fresh cash looking to hire and the task is even easier for technical talent as the NYC ecosystem lacks the same depth as Silicon Valley or Boston. At the end of the day: don't get discouraged, try to find the lessons from each experience, and enjoy the ride!
The plan for this series is to elaborate on each of these paragraphs with a dedicated post on each. Here is the outline for the series which should be published every Thursday:
1) Understand your motivation
2) Build your online presence
3) Have a long term perspective
4) Research and understand the paths
5) Frame your skills, know your place, and use the right sources
6) Network, Network, Network
7) Sell your value
Once you understand the potential paths, focus on the skills you have to offer a company. Start identifying companies you'd be interested in and what type of jobs those companies have to offer you. Do you want to be on the sales side? Is marketing more your jam? At the end of the day, customer (user) acquisition is the most critical aspect of an early stage companies success (after technology/product) which is where many young graduates can find opportunity. Understand that some companies focus on direct sales while others might rely on inbound marketing to generate customers. You should also be reading constantly! Subscribe to the daily emails from Mashable, Techcrunch, Dan Primack's Term Sheet, and blogs like Fred Wilson's AVC. The more you read, the more you'll uncover new companies that you otherwise will never hear about or ever think you could work for. Another great source is the Jobs section of most VC firms such as First Round Capital, Union Square Ventures, and IA Ventures. These boards can be a great starting point for learning about companies but be cautious about allocating too much time to applying for jobs where you don't have a possible introduction or connection.
Connections and potential introductions are the most critical aspects of finding and obtaining the right job. Companies are much more likely to interview and eventually hire someone that comes with a referral than they are an unknown respondent to a job board. So are you screwed if you don't have a connection? Absolutely not! Network, network, and network until you're meeting the people that founders and HR professionals know and trust. The place to start is VCs as they're constantly looking to refer talent to increase their value and to ensure the success of their investments. Head to NYC Meetups, General Assembly, and Ultra Light events where you can meet VCs, founders, and more importantly people in a position similar to yours (Charlie O'Donnell offers a great resource through his weekly newsletter). You never know who at an event is Dennis Crowley's cousin or plays softball with Charlie O'Donnell (almost everyone in NYC). The more you develop relationships with these people, the more comfortable they'll feel referring you to open positions which makes your search that much easier.
Knowing how to sell yourself in writing and in interviews is an incredibly important skill that many people don't practice. It isn't enough to research possible questions and know your resume as you should know exactly how your skills will result in more users or sales for the company. You also have to do your research and understand the product or service as much as you possibly can. Signup for a webinar or register to demo their product and start thinking about ways it can be improved, how you would sell it to a user, and any connections you have that could benefit the company. This can be incredibly difficult as many startups (such as Kohort) operate in stealth mode with limited websites and product access as they search for a position in the market place. Find every article, video, and blog post on the company to understand their PR cycle and to learn what users think about the product.
The most important thing to remember is this can be a very long process especially in our current economy. However, the excitement (read Bubble by the media) for technology companies in Silicon Alley is creating the perfect environment for getting your feet wet and finding opportunity. There are plenty of companies with fresh cash looking to hire and the task is even easier for technical talent as the NYC ecosystem lacks the same depth as Silicon Valley or Boston. At the end of the day: don't get discouraged, try to find the lessons from each experience, and enjoy the ride!
The plan for this series is to elaborate on each of these paragraphs with a dedicated post on each. Here is the outline for the series which should be published every Thursday:
1) Understand your motivation
2) Build your online presence
3) Have a long term perspective
4) Research and understand the paths
5) Frame your skills, know your place, and use the right sources
6) Network, Network, Network
7) Sell your value
No comments:
Post a Comment