Last week, Startup Institute Chicago joined forces with Next Door to teach a crew of eager startup enthusiasts and job seekers some of our favorite tricks when it comes to the startup job search. Attendees included everything from software engineers, digital marketing professionals, MBA students, to blog writers. Some of the questions that surfaced included, how to understand where you fit in financially at a startup (what does seed vs. Series B mean?) and how to optimize your LinkedIn for the startup job search.
At Startup Institute and throughout the class, one of the overarching themes that we hone in on is the importance of creating, building, and fostering relationships. The job search is about relationship-building, it is not transactional. Here’s one of our favorite relationship-building tips:
Practice your personal pitch. Do you have a clear and concise story of who you are, what you did / are doing, and where you want to be? Your “personal pitch” is the must-have tool in every job search. Being effective at networking events is easy when you begin pitching yourself in a (brief) narrative. Include three things; what you did, what you’re doing, and what you want to be doing. Write it down, practice it, make it second nature. Your pitch is your best weapon.
Remember, the only thing in the tech industry that is not tech-enabled is the job search! Apps cannot suffice for person-to-person interaction. The best advice we could give you is to get out there, network, and start meeting some people. If you’re interested in learning more job search tips or networking with other people interested in tech and startups, you can join us at our next session of “How to get a job at a startup” this Saturday, July 19th at 10am at Next Door in Lakeview as a part of Learnapalooza. Register here for free.
We hope to see you there!
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