Is a corporate or startup job better to initially build my resume?
I am very passionate about learning and would like to launch my own startup, but I also want to start building my resume. Would a startup help me do that or would it be better to first go to a larger company? In either event, I think having a mentor would be helpful. I would have mentoring at a larger company, but how do I find mentors if I start my own business?
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Nov 1, 2019
Starting a startup gives you experience unmatched by any organization. This experience not just helps you to grow professionally but also adds skills in your resume. It is all about positioning skills that you gain from your startup.
Here's a link to a blog which can help you and guide you further: https://workshiphq.com/failed-startup-in-resume/
Hope it helps you :)
Jul 4, 2019
Large companies have set hours, but startups are more flexible. Large companies offer benefits; startups offer free food. (And free travel. And free concierge services. And office pets).
Startup job or not. It depends on what you want to be.
My company is Worldvaping.com. It's a startup. It provides more flexible hours and more of a challenge.
Jul 2, 2019
I think in a startup you have a huge potential if your business is a success and would be well settled in life but in the latter, it may or may not work. So don't try to build a resume, Instead build a career. For Startup mentoring visit: http://www.startupxperts.com/business-mentor-for-startups/
May 25, 2015
If you want to launch a startup, your resume doesn't matter once the business is a success. But having some experience in your industry first would be helpful so you know the tips & tricks to grow a successful business.
I don't think I ever cared about "building my resume" - I cared about gaining experience & knowledge to help me grow. The fact that I added it to my resume was secondary in focus.
Don't assume mentoring occurs at larger companies - every company is different, every department is different, every co-worker is different. And I always find it better to have a mentor that does not work at the same company.
May 25, 2015
If you have a passion to do startups, then I recommend sticking with your passion and go work for a startup. It's been almost 20 years for me since I chose the path of entrepreneurship. After finishing up my doctoral work, I had opportunities to work in academia, government, and large companies. I chose to become employee number one at a startup and haven't looked back.
Entrepreneurship isn't for everyone, so before embarking on the startup route, I recommend asking yourself why you want to do startups rather than work in a larger company.
I do recommend having mentors though. Such mentors can fill the void that you may feel you have in not getting any large company experience.
Any experience helps build your resume. The key is to enjoy what you do ...and do it well.
May 24, 2015
Be careful.
What may seem to be a good idea, does not always come to fruition. Of all businesses which should be thriving in my sector is Credit Control , Debt Recovery and Management.
However, as I have found there are three main issues in my case:
1. Businesses expect you to wave a magic wand and everything disappear in a
instant. To the average employer it seems the line of thinking is :" The more you
throw at the wall the more will stick", by default [sic] the more you recover.
2. I have been a registered Limited Company (SME) for at ten years and actually
far from being an asset, as it was in the 1980s, it has become a liability.
The fact is that the average employer is so frightened now they look at numbers, not the reasons behind them. Also they do not like to hear bad news!
In the first instance, some of the firms that I have approached are either too embarrassed to admit they have problem; or actually on the brink of Liquidation/Bankruptcy. The problem is compounded by overzealous banks too quick to foreclose on securities and larger companies bullying smaller ones in to bankruptcy.
3. In your situation you have to consider whether being an Ltd is actually viable.
i) If you are a sole trader, not pretected with a Limited Company, then you can find
yourself in a lot of difficulties if the business concept fails to perform and you have
debts in your name ; trading as...: those debts still attach to you as the trading
names is merely a front for your.
ii) If you are a sole director of a Limited Company, with the minimum share capital
(paid or unapid) with £100; that value is all you can be personably be liable for.
If you are a sole trader you can lose everything from your house downwards.
That is despute whether you have a trading account with another bank and your
personal affairs under a bank with another name.
There is no protection with a sole trader business as you are the business.
In the case where you are providing a "virtual" service (in my case debt recovery which is merely number crunching, and advice with nothing to physically sieze) it depends whether you are having to make an outlay before your monies become due.
As an example, someone who lends money to a farmer to buy seed for the next crop, you are at a massive risk should that crop fail in 6 months time. You are having to service the debt on an overdraft (19.5% APR -> ), and if the debtor has no funds upon the failure of the crop, you are, if you pardon the pun, up a gum tree!
At least with a Limited Company behind you, only the assets and write offs' affecting the (genuine) trading of that company will not directly affect your own belongings. It should be noted that as a sole trader using your house, flat, bungalow as a trading pitch, particularly if you in a lease scenario (mainly flats and maissoinettes) most will bar you from using that as a trading address, particular if you have people actually visit you site/house.
No matter wherever you trade from; your house (freehold) or rented [Leased] commercial buildings, should the business fail, you will be held liable and could find yourself in more trouble than you could imagine relating to the Head Lease or First Mortgagor. As I note above in the case of flats and maisonnettes, the terms of the lease will /may not allow you to operate a business or Limited Company's Registered office. In the case of personal collateral which is already subject to a Charge (mortgage), the Mortgagor, may not allow business debts to be secured, unless under a Court Order for debt recovery.
Always go for a Limited company which is either registered at a Solictiors's or registered Accountants Offce, so that legal documents are "served" there, not on yor own door-step where you may find your own goods seised. You can also go through Holding Companies which may act as point of service for lots of small bussiness as subsidiaries of that Company name e.g.
XYZ Limited
trading as@ Abc Limited, Cde,Limited, Efg Limited etc. These cases are usually where the terms of trade of each division of a large busiess cannot be held under a common "Aim and Conditions" which may conflict. XYZ Iimited becomes the holding company. By using an "umbrella company" each business can be opened and closed as it pleases without going through a lot of paper work. Equally they can be very expensive to run in terms of fees by the holding Solicitors/ Accountants or even large PLCs.
The point of a limited company is to protect you to a limited value of shares (say £100) should the company fold. As a director, providing you can show that there is no fraudulent intent then, that is the value that you use, out od your own pocket (so to speak) to pay out any liabilities of the business. Beware of banks who insist that you sign a "debenture" ( a cross between preferential shares in a Limited and also holding the director(s) signing the debenture personally responsible for the debt [ think of a mortgage on your house) - defeating the object of a Limited Company.
Read anything carefully !
May 23, 2015
I don't think it really matters. I would make sure that you go to a company where you can learn what you want to and get great experience. At a start-up company, you have the ability to do lots of things. On the other hand, a large company offers mentoring and the ability to focus in on areas that you would like to learn. Just make sure that you research the health of any company that you are looking at and you understand how the stock is performing. Glassdoor offers great advice from real people who have worked at the company.
May 22, 2015
Hi Basant, provided the start up is in the same or closely linked field to the one in which you are seeking a job, you should be fine. What employers are generally looking for is transferable skill. In other words, can you show that by working in the start up you have gain the same type of experience and skills that would be needed in the job. If you can do this, you should be fine. I hope that helps.
May 22, 2015
JTFoxx mentoring / coaching is a good place to start. He and his team do seminars and workshops around the world. Sitting in on it will give you a good idea how billionaires built up their reputation and qualifications - there's almost no mystery to it!
May 22, 2015
I think you have a nice academic interest but I would worry less about either path if you are really hungry for success. For that, find out what your passion is and go after all that surrounds that. You can go nuts with the pros and cons of corporate or startup and I'd tell you in the end there isn't a right or wrong answer anyway. To find a mentor find someone you admire and respect what they've done and tirelessly work to have an audience to express that admiration and ask if they'd be willing to share a little bit of it. From that share your ambition and ask if it would be okay if you emailed them once a month or so...you'd be amazed how relationships build from that. Someone from your own college or hometown or other common person or place is an easier path.
May 22, 2015
If you want to be an entrepreneur, try for the start up. That way you'll be able to do four things:
1. Build some connections and some cred in the start up community
2. See if it's the right path for you by throwing yourself into the fire immediately
3. Learn what it takes to succeed (and/or why some start ups fail)
4. Gain a lot of experience quickly
I have two sons in NYC who have been working for start ups for several years, and they'd never want to work in a corporate job at this point. But that's them. You have to find out for yourself.
May 22, 2015
Hi Basant
That's a really interesting question and the answer depends where you are in your career. From the nature of your question I gather you are starting your career, so I'll answer it from that perspective.
When starting out, don't worry to much about your resume, because it is skill development that matters most. And, you develop skills through experience.
When starting out on your career there are a lot of basic skills that you need to develop, which will be useful to any employer later in your career, including when you are your own employer. the most effective way to develop these skills is to gain them working for someone else; ie joining a corporation. As to whether that corporation is large or small depends upon the corporation itself, initially, and over time, you.
Large corporations tend to offer highly specialised roles, ie if you are employed as an analyst, that's what you'll do 5 days a week, without variation. However, because roles are specialised, large corporations also offer the opportunity to move around and develop a portfolio of skills.
Small corporations on the other hand require generalist skills; and the smaller the organisation the more skilled you need to be because there is no back-up. So in a very small firm you need to be proficient at what you do because you are it!
So for most people starting out in their career, I advise to work for somebody else and develop your skill set and figure out what you are good at doing and what you like doing. By the time you are in your 30's you need to have a clear idea as to what you are good at doing because that is when your career becomes serious.
On the other hand, starting your own company requires you to be proficient at everything! Sure, there are plenty of entrepreneurs who had an amazing product and in spite of their lack of skill went on to be a success. However there are millions more entrepreneurs who were unsuccessful and wasted years of their life because they lacked the necessary skills to build a business. Therefore, I'd suggest that you consider developing your skills before you think about starting your own business.
As to finding a mentor. They just won't happen. You have to go looking for one. You might find them where you work, but that is unlikely, and you might find them amongst your network, or you look for a professional mentor.
Contact me if I can help.
Mark
May 22, 2015
Any job that builds your skills and experience, and pays money, is a good start. A big company will teach you their way, which may not be the best way but it works for them and it is a great deal better than having no idea what to do about anything.
Starting your own business is easy: making it successful and running it is not easy at all, and having some level of business experience is pretty important. I would only do that if if you are just all fired up to do it and willing to spend whatever money you have (and make none) until you succeed at the business or run out of money. Just don't take on any debt.
Since you're early in your career and may not have all the dependents placing demands on your wallet (spouse, children, etc) then you might want to consider a job AT a start-up that can afford to pay you something but not top wages. You'd get to see a lot of parts of the business rather than being buried in a big company.
May 22, 2015
Not sure what industry you're in, but for example in tech you might consider joining a later stage startup with a solid reputation. If you can land a job at a brand name company, that will help "build" your resume, to the extent it will help you get a JOB at another leading startup (not necessarily prep you for starting your own company though. That will take a lot of money and connections, if you're looking to get funded). And remember once you start taking outside investments, it's not entirely your empire anymore.
In a later stage startup, (Series C funding and beyond), you'd be exposed to the fast paced startup environment, energy, and people wearing various hats. You'd see how acquisitions, pivots, funding rounds, and other startup business strategies are handled.
By joining a later stage company you would have the benefit of it being a bit more structured and offering more potential mentors than a lean startup team of 15 or 20 people.
If you're an entrepreneur at heart, working at a slow moving corporation with layers of bureaucracy will become quickly intolerable. I've worked for large corporations and for several early and late stage startups. Much of what you'll learn in a corporate environment won't apply to a startup (you might need to "unlearn" some corporate strategy to succeed in a startup) - even down to the systems and tools you'll use, and what you wear. Startups are running lean and hack together almost exclusively open source solutions to run their businesses, for example. And if you show up in a suit to an interview at a startup, you won't be taken seriously.
Whatever you decide, remember that it's more about the learning experience, the connections you're making, and the value you're bringing to the table. Keep your eye on the prize: providing unique value to customers through your own company. Not building a resume to impress potential future corporate employers. Good luck!
May 22, 2015
Pick what you want to do Basant! Having a resume doesn't help you build a startup. Getting a mentor, joining a business networking group and actually starting the business is the only way to do that.
That being said, there is no shame in wanting to work for a larger company and build a resume. It's a lot easier and less stressful to work for someone else. But don't expect that a mentor at a large company will help you later launch a startup. They will help you grow your career if they are good, nothing more.
May 22, 2015
To help yourself answer the question find an employer whether it is a start up or a corporate that will enable you to build the skills you require to become a founder of your own start up. The skills you will require to launch yiur startup are; marketing; sales; product development; business development; operations; etc. Successful start up founders are more often generalists who have sufficient skills in all the areas above rather than being a specialist in any one area.
May 22, 2015
May 22, 2015
To actually successfully launch your own startup - you really do need the experience of being an individual contributor, a team-member, a people and project manager, ability to influence and persuade higher-profile executives to your way of thinking, etc. This type of experience is best accomplished by working a few years with a larger company that is in-line with your future goals. I would also encourage (even if you do take a job with a larger company) - that you also locate a business coach and mentors outside of the company. S.C.O.R.E , https://www.score.org/ is an organization that connects entrepreneurs with mentors. By doing these things simultaneously - you can continue to pick and choose the proper foundation and skills that you need to develop (while receiving a consistent income and training by the larger company). When you know where you are going, you can strategically select the projects and role within the larger company, to properly build your experience and resume to make the leap into entrepreneurship smoother.
May 22, 2015
Have you scoped out your startup idea? What problem does it solve? What's the market size? Where would you go for your first customers? There's nothing that says that you can't work for a company even while planning your start-up. This would give you time to build a network, refine your idea, even start to go to market with it and build up a little bit of capital to self-fund your growth.
May 22, 2015
If you have some idea that your resume will be used as an entry into the corporate world then go corporate. Don't be shy about explaining you are looking for a mentor in the inverview process. If they don't support that process, don't take a job there.
If you are secure enough with yourself and willing to risk the wild world of startups - go and have some fun! You may not find a mentor there but you'll learn a lot. You can aways find a good personal/business coach for the mentor part.