In light of the coronavirus pandemic, you may currently find yourself at a bit of a crossroads in your graduate job search, seeking guidance as to what to do next.
After all, with concerns over furlough, redundancies, unemployment and repaying your student debt, the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic will probably be playing havoc on your mind, affecting your ability to identify which kind of job is right for you.
Well, that’s where we can help.
Join us as we run through some of the key reasons why we believe choosing to work for a start-up business could be the best decision you ever make.
You’ll Make A Bigger Difference.
At a start-up, since the team you’ll be working with will be a lot smaller, everything you do on the job will get noticed. As such, you’ll be able to see the difference your work is making and observe the direct impact it’s having on the business – in essence, you’ll feel like part of the team more quickly.
Say, for example, you spend weeks and weeks on end tirelessly trying to get a new pest control client on board. When you eventually convince them to join, getting them on as a new client will probably be a lot more appreciated in a smaller business than a larger one, which will give you a more satisfying feeling.
The last thing you want, after all, is to work somewhere you feel underappreciated, as this could lead to burnout and you needing to start your job search all over again.
The Atmosphere Is Better
While applying for a corporate position may come with a number of advantages – a better salary, employee benefits, a bigger team – start-ups offer more of a family atmosphere, often allowing you to work smarter, faster.
Plus, since you’ll be working as part of a smaller team, the chances are that you’ll possess a different skillset to your colleagues.
Therefore, you may feel like you’re contributing more to the team effort working at a start-up, rather than in a corporate role where you’ll likely be sharing the same set of skills with a range of other people.
There’s More Variation
When you work at a start-up, you will have lots of opportunities to learn different skills and responsibilities within the team.
This, in turn, should help keep you stimulated in your day-to-day role, while also providing you with the chance to discover the areas you are most interested in. What’s more, you’ll also be able to more quickly identify the skills you’re best at actually doing.
If you land a graduate marketing executive job, for example, you may go into it thinking that search engine optimisation (SEO) will be your favourite area to work in. However, over time, you could discover that, while you enjoy SEO, you actually prefer working on social media campaigns.
In a corporate role, there could be less flexibility like this, so it could end up taking you longer to work out which areas of work particularly interest you.
Faster Movement Up The Ladder
While corporate roles may offer better salaries to begin with, start-up jobs come with the added bonus of being able to move up the job ladder a lot more quickly.
This is because you will be working closely with senior members of the team, taking on a number of different responsibilities and being able to prove your worth to the people that matter.
In other words, if you’re determined to make a difference and go into a start-up role with a positive growth mindset, you could be rewarded a lot more quickly for your efforts than if you were to land a more corporate role instead.
Where to find graduate jobs at startups
Here are some websites where you can find start-up opportunities for graduates:
- Otta – jobs at tech companies
- BrighterBox
- Give a grad a go
- Milkround
- UK start-ups
- Work in start-ups
Final Thoughts…
So, there you have it – some of the key reasons why working at a start-up business could prove to be the best decision you make.
While corporate roles may have more of the glitz, glam and wow factor, if this isn’t something you’re particularly fussed about, start-up businesses can offer a number of added benefits.
The key thing to do is weigh up what exactly it is looking for from your role. If making as much money as possible as early as possible is important to you, then go corporate.
But, if you’d rather work in a role where you can make a difference, be valued for your job performance and work as part of a close-knit team, applying for roles at a start-up business could be a much better decision.
Featured Photo by RF._.studio from Pexels
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