3 myths of startup jobs - Graduate to Startup

Startup jobs aren't for everyone. The demands of the work tend to be met with amazing rewards. However, sometimes these perks get misinterpreted as guaranteed compensation… as if equity would be just like a salary. Across the board, if you want amazing you have to be amazing… Here are 3 top myths of startup jobs and the truth about them!

Myth #1: "Don't worry about the pay cut, you're going to get equity in the business.”

You might get equity in the company… but you’re not going to stroll into it! If a founder is going to give up their stake in something great, they are going expect you to be great. Compensation for jobs listed on My Career City can be anywhere from free to valuable stock options. It all simply depends on the opportunity and how much effort you invest.

Myth #2: "If the company grows, you'll find yourself in an executive role at an early age."

Answer: It’s very possible but once again you won’t stroll into this position. One Startup is looking for a Chief Marketing Officer. Subscribe to our newsletter to find out more! You would of course need to be Top Talent, but you could walk out of an MBA program and potentially be in the C-Suite!

Myth #3: "You get more responsibility at a start-up, which will translate into better experience."

Understand where the responsibility stems from first. Startups are trying to save on resources and thus will try make each employee carry as much of the load as possible. This can sometimes lead to bad “experiences” of all-nighters or failed projects. However, you would have gotten experience that corporate workers wouldn't have. If Fortune 500 wants something done, it throws its cash at it to make it happen. If a startup wants something done, it throws its talent at it.

Get the opportunity to be a part of or even lead meaningful project

Get the opportunity to be on the ground to see the results of your work

Check out My Career City. The experts on staff help students and recent graduates find jobs in the fast-paced and rewarding world of start-up companies. Join today and see the great job opportunities they have available for someone just like you!

	About Author		Home - Graduate to Startup
	My Career City		4 Secrets to a Great Career
	Facebook		What if money were no object?
	Twitter

Go where you are celebrated – Why 99% of people aren’t satisfied with their jobs.

For many students walking out of University the future seems simple but not satisfying. We are presented with a degree program that promises more potential than it delivers. Soon the need for money, the opportunity for the dream job or the chance to please our parents has us at a job that we aren’t happy doing.

Over the past decade more than 10 million people were surveyed by Gallup. Only one-third “Strongly agree” with the following statement: “at work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.” In a poll of 1,000 people who disagreed with this statement, not one single person was emotionally engaged on the job. Through this study is was found that people who do have the opportunity to focus on their strengths are six times more likely to be engaged in their jobs and 3 times as likely to report having an excellent quality of life in general.

It’s clear that if you want to reach your potential you must work somewhere where your strengths are appreciated and your abilities are left unrestricted. Early-Stage startups are a prime example of this for one simple reason… they don’t have much resources. The average startup founder isn’t going to hire you to twiddle your thumbs and fetch coffee. They want you there so you can achieve goals for them. The only reason they’ll want you is because you have the strengths to achieve those goals. This may seem harsh but it explains why startup employees willingly pull all-nighters. They are operating within their “Strengths zone” where they are simply doing what they do best.

If you want to be challenged…

If you want to work where you and your unique strengths are celebrated!

Then consider working for a startup company and check out My Career City. The experts on staff help students and recent graduates find jobs in the fast-paced and rewarding world of start-up companies. Join today and see the great job opportunities they have available for someone just like you!

	About Author		Home - Graduate to Startup
	My Career City		4 Secrets to a Great Career
	Facebook		What if money were no object?
	Twitter

What Startups look for in employees - Graduate to Startup

A startup focuses on what you can do not what you have done: I can drive this metric for you which is why you should hire me...

I had the opportunity to speak with a founder of a startup that connects students and recent graduates with job opportunities at startup companies. I asked him about the kinds of applications he sees and he had a very interesting answer. He explained to me that students assume that the things fortune 500 looks for are exactly the same as what a startup looks for. In the world of startups progress and growth is the key focus. We need to grow into a sustainable business. We need to progress to our goals. So why should I care about how much your GPA is? Why should I care what clubs you were the president of? I’m not saying there’s something wrong these things, it’s that startups look at this completely different.

On top of that, you might want to take some time to see if startups are not for you…

The startup life isn’t for everyone… But if you want to gain experience that makes you a candidate… not just an applicant...

Then check out My Career City. The experts on staff help students and recent graduates find jobs in the fast-paced and rewarding world of start-up companies. Join today and see the great job opportunities they have available for someone just like you!

	About Author		Home - Graduate to Startup
	My Career City		4 Secrets to a Great Career
	Facebook		What if money were no object?
	Twitter

4 Reasons Why Working at a Startup is More Fun - Graduate to Startup

The best quote from this video summed up the message: “Security robs ambition”. In many ways, if you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backwards! Here are the 4 reasons why working for a startup is more fun and more rewarding:

1. Exposure to more areas of Business
2. More room for faster growth
3. Instant feedback on how what you do matters
4. Greater visibility to recruiters

Check out My Career City. The experts on staff help students and recent graduates find jobs in the fast-paced and rewarding world of start-up companies. Join today and see the great job opportunities they have available for someone just like you!

	About Author		Home - Graduate to Startup
	My Career City		4 Secrets to a Great Career
	Facebook		What if money were no object?
	Twitter

You can be more of who you are! - Graduate to Startup

“You cannot be anything you want to be – but you can be a lot more of who you already are.”

From our first experience with a classroom, we devote more time to our shortcomings than our strengths. Most self-development programs try to make us what we are not. Moreover, in many ways our culture is built around overcoming deficits. However, this is the path of most resistance. We are motivated by this idea that “You can be anything you want to be if you try hard enough”. The reality is that a person who has always struggled with computers is unlikely to be a great programmer. Build upon what you can already do. You may not be the best programmer or CEO-material but you may be the rock star salesman any startup team needs.

If you want to be challenged…

If you want to work where you and your unique strengths are celebrated!

Then consider working for a startup company!

Check out My Career City. The experts on staff help students and recent graduates find jobs in the fast-paced and rewarding world of start-up companies. Join today and see the great job opportunities they have available for someone just like you!

	About Author		Home - Graduate to Startup
	My Career City		4 Secrets to a Great Career
	Facebook		What if money were no object?
	Twitter

Formula for Success - Graduate to Startup

Talent: A natural way of thinking feeling or behaving

X

Investment: Time spent practising developing your skills building knowledge base

= Strengths: What we excel in.

Most self-development programs tries to make us what we are not and focuses on the weaknesses. “From cradle to cubicle, we devote more time to our short coming than our strengths”. This is the path of most resistance. The reality is that a person who has always struggled with numbers is unlikely to be a great accountant or statistician. The key to human development is building on who you are already. You cannot be anything you want to be – but you can be a lot more of who you already are. Having the opportunity to develop our strengths is more important to our success than our role, our title or our pay.

If you want to be challenged…

If you want to work where you and your unique strengths are celebrated!

Then consider working for a startup company!

Check out My Career City. The experts on staff help students and recent graduates find jobs in the fast-paced and rewarding world of start-up companies. Join today and see the great job opportunities they have available for someone just like you!

	About Author		Home - Graduate to Startup
	My Career City		4 Secrets to a Great Career
	Facebook		What if money were no object?
	Twitter

4 reasons you should be an intrapreneur first - Student to Startup

I had the pleasure of interviewing an upper student who was on his way to starting his 3^rd business venture. We had a long discussion about motivation, future goals and then entrepreneurial landscape. Of course we came to the obvious questions:

“What advice would you give to anyone who wants to try entrepreneurship but hasn’t started?”

“Just do it. The upside is there is no roadmap or template like how there is one for a resume or something. So you aren't really wrong, it just may not work.”

“Ok so then is it this freedom that holds everyone back?”

“Probably, but if you can’t deal with uncertainty then you probably shouldn't be an entrepreneur.”

Get your feet wet

The startup life is in no way easy. Late nights and early morning are a given. Sacrifices will be made. So wouldn't it be smart to experience the trials and tribulations first in a low risk situation? This way if you find out it’s not for you, you won’t have disappointed investors, employees or customers. Take a job at a startup to just dip your toes in, you get to experience the life without the risk of absolute failure looming overhead.

You don’t have the resources

Working for a startup is a great platform to help build your networks and meet people much higher up the food chain. Often, we have ideas but not the means to make them a reality. By working for a startup you’ll experience the pleasure of seeing your plans become a reality, while building the resources you need. Some startups are internships only while some offer equity, some offer pay based on performance and in some rare cases you may even get a salary. More than that, you’ll build up the mentorship, connections and friends in high places you may need in the future.

You don’t have an idea or the business sense to execute it yet

In this case, it might be rewarding to work for a startup in the industry you’re interested in so that you can gain experience, expertise contact and have time to incubate your idea.

You’ll learn more on the front lines than you’ll ever learn in a classroom or a book.

There’s no shame in working for a bigger fish

I’ll sell this point with an anecdote. I had an idea to start a social venture and after my partner and I spent 8 months developing the idea, writing the business plan and entering competitions. We found TWO startups doing exactly what we planned to do… word for word. If you’re entrepreneurial minded it would be wiser to go to these startups and offer your ideas, expertise, research and performance than try to scrap resources together and compete. 

If you want to do more than your peers...

If you want to be more than your peers

If you want to meet people your peers will never meet

If you want to accomplish was your peers never will

Then work for a startup and be an intrapreneur first! Check out My Career City. The experts on staff help students and recent graduates find jobs in the fast-paced and rewarding world of start-up companies. Join today and see the great job opportunities they have available for someone just like you!

	About Author		Home - Graduate to Startup
	My Career City		What if money were no object?
	Facebook
	Twitter

Success or failure is in your hands - Graduate to Startup

If you consider that you are the determinant to your success, isn't it motivating to know that success or failure is in your hands?

There are only two constants to life.. change and yourself. Constant change in this situation means that irrelevant of geographic location, 'position' is never a constant. Our 'position' in relation to our goals or fears is always changing as a factor of time, resources etc. Want proof? Your friends, your financial position, your partner, your education or even your goals and fears have changed in some way over the last year, month or even week! Thus we cannot look for certainty in our environment, we must look for it within ourselves.

You can tell me what you want and you know what is required to achieve your goal. However, I ask you this: Your confidence, does it stem from your environment or from within? Do you believe you can achieve your goals because of what you have or will it be because of who you are? If you are the only constant in your life, then I ask you: are you making the necessary investment in yourself to be able to thrive in what ever environment you find yourself in? Is your character right? Are you motivated by the right things? Are your goals in-line with your principles? And do you even have core principles from which you go out into the world?

Begin searching inside yourself. Understand what you can bring to the table and where you need to improve.

If you want to get more for your effort

If you want to push yourself and be rewarded

Check out My Career City. The experts on staff help students and recent graduates find jobs in the fast-paced and rewarding world of start-up companies. Join today and see the great job opportunities they have available for someone just like you!

	About Author		Home - Graduate to Startup
	My Career City		What if money were no object?
	Facebook
	Twitter

Go where you are celebrated – Why 99% of people aren’t satisfied with their jobs.

For many students walking out of University the future seems simple but not satisfying. We are presented with a degree program that promises more potential than it delivers. Soon the need for money, the opportunity for the dream job or the chance to please our parents has us at a job that we aren’t happy doing.

Over the past decade more than 10 million people were surveyed by Gallup. Only one-third “Strongly agree” with the following statement: “at work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.” In a poll of 1,000 people who disagreed with this statement, not one single person was emotionally engaged on the job. Through this study is was found that people who do have the opportunity to focus on their strengths are six times more likely to be engaged in their jobs and 3 times as likely to report having an excellent quality of life in general.

It’s clear that if you want to reach your potential you must work somewhere where your strengths are appreciated and your abilities are left unrestricted. Early-Stage startups are a prime example of this for one simple reason… they don’t have much resources. The average startup founder isn’t going to hire you to twiddle your thumbs and fetch coffee. They want you there so you can achieve goals for them. The only reason they’ll want you is because you have the strengths to achieve those goals. This may seem harsh but it explains why startup employees willingly pull all-nighters. They are operating within their “Strengths zone” where they are simply doing what they do best.

If you want to be challenged…

If you want to work where you and your unique strengths are celebrated!

Then consider working for a startup company and check out My Career City. The experts on staff help students and recent graduates find jobs in the fast-paced and rewarding world of start-up companies. Join today and see the great job opportunities they have available for someone just like you!

	About Author		Home - Graduate to Startup
	My Career City		4 Secrets to a Great Career
	Facebook		What if money were no object?
	Twitter

The 4 Secrets to a Great Career - Student to Startup

I had the pleasure this week of going to lunch with a family friend. It’s always great to speak with someone who’s come from a similar background, there’s something that just clicks. On top of that, the food was damn good, but the food for thought is what nourished me most. Somewhere in between catching up and sharing my stories of the past couple of months, she began to share some advice…

Failure is inevitable, but it helps guide us to the right choice: Regardless of which direction you chose, you may not choose the first road you take may not be the right road. Embrace this as help not a hindrance. You’ll fail before you arrive at the wrong destination… that makes the cup look half full to me! If you keep your eyes open and take calculated risks, you’ll get signs on which path is best.

Distractions are all around us, choose the ones that will support you: Any time spent not working on your goals in my opinion is time you’ve spent distracted. Now there’s a difference between a healthy distraction and wasted time. An hour spent with a good friend is much better spent than an hour playing flappy bird. You have to find balance between work and play, but what play will help your work? Going on a date at restaurant and going out for lunch with your business friends will be two very different experiences.

The best option is usually at the compromise of knowledge and experience: The more you study and research is the more you gain knowledge of a subject, meanwhile, the more you observe is the more experience you have of the subject. When it comes to making a decision, the best option is where these two meet. You may not know or you may not have experienced, but someone or something has, find them or it and you’ll make better decisions.

Work for you, not the paycheck: This website is focused at entrepreneurs but there’s an unfortunate moment where your need for money will temper your desire to build your business. That is the unfortunate day you have to get a job. However, it’s very different when you look at it from this perspective. "I’m hiring your company to teach me and in return I’ll pay you in my services".  The paycheck becomes secondary and your self-improvement becomes the primary focus.

If you want to get more out of your student years. 

If you want to grow professionally and gain vital character strength. 

If you're bored with classes. 

Then check out My Career City. The experts on staff help students and recent graduates find jobs in the fast-paced and rewarding world of start-up companies. Join today and see the great job opportunities they have available for someone just like you!

	About Author		Home - Graduate to Startup
	My Career City
	Facebook
	Twitter

Would you take that job offer if money were no object? - Graduate to a Startup

If money were no object, would you be spending you time the way you are spending it now?

Through this project I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to 2 entrepreneurs and ask them one simple question. What does success mean to you? Interestingly, one individual has money and the other is well on her way to making money, and both of them did not refer to money at all. They both made references to lifestyle, intangible core goals and values, freedom of choice and things of that nature. When we spoke around that topic, we came to a simple conclusion: Money is just a problem right now that has to be solved.

I was so impressed and inspired. We are put in circumstances that make money seem like the end goal and when entrepreneurs are profiled they are advertised as these money hungry people… so far all I’ve seen are people with a hunger for success… not money. I’m sure if I asked every entrepreneur I’ll rub shoulders with over the next years: would you be an entrepreneur if money were off the table, they would all say yes. How about you? Would you still want to be an accountant if you weren't getting money? Would you still want to go into the field you're aspiring to, if money were no object? Better yet, what would you like to do if money were no object? Then why not just do that!

If money were no object, would you be spending you time the way you are spending it now?

If you want to get more out of your working years. 

If you want to grow professionally and gain vital character strength. 

If you're bored with your job. 

Then check out My Career City. The experts on staff help students and recent graduates find jobs in the fast-paced and rewarding world of start-up companies. Join today and see the great job opportunities they have available for someone just like you!

	About Author		Home - Graduate to Startup
	My Career City
	Facebook
	Twitter

Don't join the Corporate Ladder - Graduate to Startup

"Don't climb the ladder to find you leaned it against the wrong building."

Work for you, not the paycheck: This blog is focused at graduates and entrepreneurs but there’s an unfortunate moment where your need for money will temper your desire to build a business or maybe you just want a freer work environment. That is the unfortunate day you have to get a job. However, it’s very different when you look at it from this perspective. "I’m hiring your company to teach me and in return I’ll pay you in my services".  The paycheck becomes secondary and your self-improvement becomes the primary focus. I want to urge young professionals and students to consider what the job is offering in addition to the paycheck.

If you want to get more out of your student years. 

If you want to grow professionally and gain vital character strength. 

If you're bored with classes. 

Then check out My Career City. The experts on staff help students and recent graduates find jobs in the fast-paced and rewarding world of start-up companies. Join today and see the great job opportunities they have available for someone just like you!

	About Author		Home - Graduate to Startup
	My Career City
	Facebook
	Twitter