I can identify with the "Networking" advice, as all of my past employment situations were the result of "someone who knows someone who knows me."
How to get a job after your startup fails
11–20 of 43 posts
Re: How to get a job after your startup fails
#12In the process of shutting down my own company. I was bootstrapping a software startup with consulting gigs for the past 5 years. What killed it was my inability to expand, i.e. costly attempts to expand dried up my funds.
Though I learned a lot in running a company I feel I lost touch a bit on the programming side. My bread-and-butter was C/C++/ASM from about 1996-2008. De-rusting those skills now feels somehow liberating.
Re: How to get a job after your startup fails
#13I found that having a failed startup was good resume fodder to some extent. I was worth more in the marketplace after my failed startup, since I was perceived as having a more versatile skill set.
(It helped that my failed startup, while financially a failure, was cool and helped me demo a lot of advanced coding skills. :)
But I did run into a personal problem: after being a startupper, I found it very hard to transition back into working for someone else. In the end I had to sit down and be honest with myself: did I want to start another startup right now or did I just want a paycheck? I decided-- for the time being-- on the latter. So I had to swallow a bit of the radical self-direction I'd become accustomed to and decide to work for my employer since that's the deal.
Re: How to get a job after your startup fails
#14I found that having a failed startup was good resume fodder to some extent. I was worth more in the marketplace after my failed startup, since I was perceived as having a more versatile skill set. (It helped that my failed startup, while financially a failure, was cool and helped me demo a lot of advanced coding skills. :) But I did run into a personal problem: after being a startupper, I found it very hard to transi…
It's definitely about having the right attitude. I was able to find a job that gives me a lot of autonomy, but also direction. At the moment, I quite enjoy letting someone else make the big decisions for me!
Re: How to get a job after your startup fails
#15It heavily depends on the market. When my startup failed in 200x after popping of the dotcom bubble, the market for programmers was terrible and I was lucky to get a job at a state funded research institute. Comparing this to today, where I get at least one offer a week, this was completely different.
Unfortunately I'm not a programmer (I can write enough code to be dangerous) - but more of an ops/product/sales type person instead, so it was a bit harder for me to find something.
I was also surprised at how long it took our developer to find a new role - he was extremely good, got first interviews quickly but it took companies a long time to make a decision. And we're in London, where those skills are in very high demand.
Re: How to get a job after your startup fails
#16I found that having a failed startup was good resume fodder to some extent. I was worth more in the marketplace after my failed startup, since I was perceived as having a more versatile skill set. (It helped that my failed startup, while financially a failure, was cool and helped me demo a lot of advanced coding skills. :) But I did run into a personal problem: after being a startupper, I found it very hard to transi…
It's definitely about having the right attitude. I was able to find a job that gives me a lot of autonomy, but also direction. At the moment, I quite enjoy letting someone else make the big decisions for me!
There's always a freedom/stability trade-off. One thing I discovered with my own startup attempt, and also by watching others, is that being completely out there on your own can be a real pain in the butt. You have to hustle, and you have to spend a lot of time doing things you don't enjoy doing that are done for you in a larger employer.
I might do the independent thing again, but I'm going to be a lot more careful and deliberate about it. I've decided that the "throw yourself to the wind and then buckle down" model romanticized in startup cowboy culture is questionable. This time I'm being a spreadsheet nazi, and with my own finances as well as the venture's, and I'm making much more pessimistic assumptions about uptake. I'm also going for something where I can bill customers directly, not something that requires B2B selling. The latter is really hard to do for a little guy. B2B could come later if the product is successful in the open product market.
Re: How to get a job after your startup fails
#175. Be clear about wanting to work for someone else I think this particular point requires a bit more emphasis. I work for a large development company that requires me to source the top technical talent in the UK. A significant number of highly talented individuals are currently running their own start-ups which is understandable. Regardless of how brilliant a developer may be, that's not a guarantee of success and th…
Steve, does it really matter? Even if a super-talented developer only stays with you for say 6-12 months surely they would deliver enough value in that time to not make it a huge concern? Also, let's flip the question on its head, if a company can't hold on to talented, entrepreneurial staff, is it indicative of a problem with the staff or with the company? What's the common denominator here?
What is better? Being fortunate enough to have a super smart person come on board, deliver a large amount of value, and then leave after a short period; or a less talented developer delivering lower quality work, at a lower velocity over a longer period?
I'm not sure talented but flighty people are a problem. Once they're in the door, it's the company's job to make sure their staff are happy and want to stay rather than moan about it.
Re: How to get a job after your startup fails
#18The best way to get almost any job is to knowing someone who already works there.
It is old advice, but it is probably the best, it is easier to get your foot in the door when they already have someone to vouch for you.
In other words, while you are working on that startup, dont forget to keep in touch with people and look for new friends in your field of interest, it will go a long way.
Re: How to get a job after your startup fails
#19It heavily depends on the market. When my startup failed in 200x after popping of the dotcom bubble, the market for programmers was terrible and I was lucky to get a job at a state funded research institute. Comparing this to today, where I get at least one offer a week, this was completely different.
Unfortunately I'm not a programmer (I can write enough code to be dangerous) - but more of an ops/product/sales type person instead, so it was a bit harder for me to find something. I was also surprised at how long it took our developer to find a new role - he was extremely good, got first interviews quickly but it took companies a long time to make a decision. And we're in London, where those skills are in very high…
In Berlin we have two open ops positions ;-)
" but it took companies a long time to make a decision"
Yes, a lot of companies get that wrong, sometimes we do too. But we strive to have interviews as fast as possible and make decisions within a week, most often the same day as we do not consider it fair letting people wait on a decision (and it rarely gets better with time).
Re: How to get a job after your startup fails
#205. Be clear about wanting to work for someone else I think this particular point requires a bit more emphasis. I work for a large development company that requires me to source the top technical talent in the UK. A significant number of highly talented individuals are currently running their own start-ups which is understandable. Regardless of how brilliant a developer may be, that's not a guarantee of success and th…
Steve, does it really matter? Even if a super-talented developer only stays with you for say 6-12 months surely they would deliver enough value in that time to not make it a huge concern? Also, let's flip the question on its head, if a company can't hold on to talented, entrepreneurial staff, is it indicative of a problem with the staff or with the company? What's the common denominator here? What is better? Being fo…
6-12 months is plenty of time for a talented dev to have a big impact but I'd much rather hire them on a contract basis than a permanent basis in that circumstance.
Regardless of how adept a company is at retaining their best talent, you will never be able to compete with the appeal of running your own business and being your own boss.