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Working for a Startup

Apr 26 2020

CBInsights recently published the top 20 reasons why startups fail. The top three were no market need, ran out of cash, and not the right team. If you want to join a startup, therefore, you must do your research to determine that they have a product or service that customers want; they have enough cash to sustain them, and you will be part of a healthy team.

How can you tell if working for a startup is right for you?

Begin by researching past companies (if any) that the leaders have started but also find out whether they have experience in the industry or field. Moving on from a top job in a top company to found a startup in the same industry is a good indication that the leaders have the background to succeed. Innovation usually builds on existing knowledge.
Expect a salary commensurate with your own experience and skill (although not necessarily at the top of the salary curve). Their ability to pay you is one sign that they are properly funded.
Make sure you research online and with people who are familiar with the leadership team or the organization to find out more about the company’s reputation.
Also, be prepared for and know what it means to you if the startup fails: do you have enough money and time to survive and pick up your career after failure?

How will the startup tell if you are right for them?

Flexibility and stamina. Startups generally begin with a skeleton staff, and you may be asked to wear multiple hats and take on roles that require skills you did not think you would need. Your resume should demonstrate flexibility in roles, industries, or other aspects of your career. One warning: some startups believe that the way to success is to run their team ragged; if you do not believe in 90 hour weeks and exhaustion, avoid those startups.
Cultural and intellectual fit. The culture of startups evolves over time as people are hired and teams are formed. But the need to offer and discuss new ideas is constant. Your resume should show the kinds of culture you believe in and your commitment to learning and contributing.
Problem-solving. Startups usually have no lack of problems; they want employees who concentrate on solutions, not finger-pointing or recriminations. Your resume should show that you take ownership of problems and find solutions.
Passion for the product or service. It is almost impossible to convince customers about the company’s ideas and positive future unless you believe in them yourself. Find a startup you can believe in and make sure your resume and attitude convey that belief.

Your resume and cover letter are important to position you as a valuable employee for a startup. Robin’s Resumes® can help you do that.

Resume Q&A: Job Titles on Your Resume

Aug 22 2019

Q. I work in one of those companies where job titles are pretty creative. The marketing department is headed by a “Chief Amazement Officer” rather than a Chief Marketing Officer; and as the second in command, I am the “Idea Builder Extraordinary” instead of the Vice President of Marketing. The Chief Amazement Officer recently went on to another job, and I’ve been temporarily fulfilling that role, too. So how do I translate those titles and indicate what I’m really doing these days?

A. Your first problem, translating your title into something more standard, is actually the simplest. You can write Idea Builder Extraordinary and then put the equivalent standard job title after that in parenthesis like this: Idea Builder Extraordinary (Vice President of Marketing). If your field is notable for creative job titles, then providing both the creative and standard title is important.

There are many reasons why a job title might not align with an employee’s real-life responsibilities. In your case, you have filled in after your boss left. In other cases, an employee is simply handed extra work and responsibility without a title change, or the organization may be so flat that job titles are meaningless. In all those cases, parenthesis can work to explain the additional functions. For example, as a Vice President of Marketing who is actually fulfilling a CMO role, you might write Vice President of Marketing (CMO-level).

But it is also important to explicitly state in your job description that you took on the role of your boss and to clearly describe achievements that reflect that higher level of responsibility.

When you are applying for positions, you will find that even standard titles cover a wide variety of actual responsibilities. Read the job description carefully to weed out positions that may not be on your preferred career path as either Idea Builder Extraordinary or Vice President of Marketing and potential CMO.

If you are still feeling frustrated by the gap between your title and real life, contact me at Robin’s Resumes®.

Keep Your Resume Positive

Apr 23 2017

Your resume is a marketing document—it markets you. You want hiring managers and recruiters to come away from your resume feeling positive about you as a candidate and potential employee. Here are six ways you can help ensure that:

Remove negative facts about your career path. Your future employee does not need to know that you had personality conflicts, problems meeting sales or other goals, a difficult boss, or health issues.
Remove any information that ranks you below other candidates. For example, if you are a recent college graduate and barely passed; if you ranked in the bottom half of your sales team; if you failed to get a promotion that you should have received—do not share that information.
Do not compare your achievements to anyone else’s. Maybe everyone in your office became “employee of the month” at some point; your award is still your achievement. Maybe President’s Club status was easy for you to achieve compared to your peers; that doesn’t lessen its impact on a resume.
Do not pan your former employer with statements about “unrealistic expectations,” “confusing lines of authority,” or “unethical behavior.” You might state that you offered steady leadership through many changes in owners, for example; that you collaborated across silos; or that you finished a project that experienced multiple delays. But be very careful to watch the boundary between your achievements and your former employer’s short-comings.
Do not focus on skills you lack as a candidate. Instead, present them as skills you are capable of learning, as you have learned so many skills in the past. This is particularly important for those in technical fields where postings may include an exhaustive (and exhausting) list of preferred skills.
Focus on your positive accomplishments as an employee. Your resume is not your life story. You are allowed to focus on the achievements that make you proud, not the moments that led you to seek another job. Negative moments are over and done with. Hiring managers and recruiters want to hear what you are good at, not what you need to improve.

Robin’s Resumes® makes sure to do like the old song says: accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative. We give you a resume that introduces you to hiring managers and recruiters in the best possible way.

Transition Resumes: Consultant to Employee

Feb 22 2015

Many individuals who lost their jobs during the Great Recession became self-employed consultants in their field, performing the same work for companies but without the benefits of full-time employment. Some of those individuals smoothly transitioned from consultant to full-time employee as the economy improved. If you are experiencing difficulty in that transition, here are three questions to ask yourself:

Do I really want to become a full-time employee?

Full-time employment brings regular hours, a regular paycheck, paid vacations, and a built-in circle of peers, among other advantages. But a consultant or freelancer also reaps benefits from self-employment (no office politics, the prestige of being the subject matter expert, freedom to work at home, and so on). If you are able to support yourself with the work, like the variety, and can handle the ups and downs, then you may not want to look for full-time employment. I had one consultant who was offered her ideal job and called me in total panic: she had just realized, after all our work on her resume and social media profile, that she never wanted to join any company ever again. That is okay but it is more efficient to realize how you feel before your job search.

Can I look at my experience from the perspective of a recruiter or hiring manager?

As a consultant or freelancer, you have probably worked in a wider range of industries and projects than the full-time employee of one company. But your resume should always emphasize the accomplishments and skills that match the exact job you are applying for. As a result, you may need several resumes, each with a different selection of contracting jobs, so that your experience always matches the requirements of the full-time job you want.

Do I have a realistic view of my value?

Sometimes companies are much more generous in their praise to contractors than they ever are to their employees. I am sure there are solid psychological reasons for this but the result is that freelancers or consultants may have an overly optimistic view of their value. Remember that a job posting’s salary range may be lower because it reflects benefits and overhead; that job titles may not match your expectations; that personal time off will probably be less flexible and more limited; and that you have a better chance of finding a job if you are careful with demands and expectations.

At Robin’s Resumes®, I help job applicants make transitions involving company size, locations, industries, and status. I can help you transition from consultant or freelancer to full-time employee. Contact me today.