The other week, my sidekick Kailey made the claim that because of it’s unique diversity, the city of Chicago is poised for incredible growth and stands as a major player in the larger global tech community.
Further bolstering that claim is the startup report that our friends at Built In recently published. In the report, Built In cites 2014 as the most active year for investments and exits for tech startups in the city’s history. Over the course of the year, 155 digital companies raised over $1.6B in capital and 34 exited for over $7B.
With all this investment activity, the Chicago startup community will be (and currently is) bursting with new career opportunities. To wit: Avant Credit right now has 45 amazing open career opportunities. So, what does that mean for you?
Study up on your basic biz skills: Knowing the business = better employees. Go into your coffee meetups or formal interviews understanding how the company’s business/revenue model works. Ask smart (preferably not smartass) questions about their next stage of growth. Ask what you as their potential new hire can do to contribute to the top or bottom line. Stand out by studying up. High-growth companies like Jellyvision figured out their best team players strut the goofy attitude and the laser-beam business acumen.
Investigate all companies, not just the pretty ones: Sure, fintech, security and health care might not sound sexy, but these are fast-growing portions of the economy. Scratch beneath the surface and you’ll find Chicagoland companies like CareMerge, NowSecure and Rippleshot are actually pretty sexy for what they do! What matters for you is finding a management team that inspires you, and a value proposition that you think can change the world for the better.
Assess your learning curve: If you’re making the career switch, consider what role you’re aiming for and what skills, pitch and network you need to position yourself as a stand-out candidate. Build on your current knowledge base and layer in new skills, like our alumnus Danny Jankiewicz did to make the jump from health care admin to manager of digital marketing at Clique Studios. Don’t forget your amazing transferable skills, of course. Tick off what you’ve already got from the list of job requirements to see where you need to skill-up, and what can be learned on the job.
Be passive: What kind of lunatic advice is that for a startup enterprise? When it comes to finding the best talent, passive candidate identification is a top-emerging trend for recruiters and business leaders. So, get out there and meet the people who work in the companies you want to work for. At a sold-out Startup Institute panel discussion last week Review Trackers CEO, Chris Campbell, advised tech career-seekers to simply ask to meet with someone in the companies and roles they want. Doing effective coffee meetups matters - be ready to offer your help in some meaningful way (Chris joked he wasn’t ready to do coffee meetups with everyone in the room, but he’d try).
Be persistent: Fellow panelist, Erin Wasson, UrbanBound VP of Marketing, tackled the flip side of the passive job-search coin. The people she loves to hire are the ones who show the most persistence and passion. That said, Erin also said she could tell from a mile away if people are looking to just get in the door but aren’t really psyched to do the job currently available.
2015 will continue apace with exciting scale-up stories from our tech ecosystem, and yes, many brand-new startup stories.
Note: Because last week’s event sold out, the Startup Institute Chicago team is hosting a free info-session on Feb. 3 if you want to give it a shot.
