Want a Startup Job? Date the Company (Three to Get Ready video series)

The third in the series of interviews where entrepreneurs give their top three tips for getting a startup job, keeping a startup job, and knowing if it’s time to run screaming from your startup job.

Yup, this entrepreneur is hiring now too. 

Entrepreneur: Brandt Page
Company: Launch Leads
Jobs: market research assistants (5+ openings, perfect for current students), marketing director (more about the jobs at minute 13:00)

You know what I’m talking about. The profile picture looks great. The “I like” and “I look for” are spot on. You even both share an affinity for moonlit walks on the beach. And then you meet.  And there definitely won’t be a second date.

According to Brandt Page, CEO and founder of Launch Leads, it’s the same with resumes.

Okay, Page didn’t say that exactly. But he did say that they’ve stopped relying on resumes in the hiring decision. Resumes can be just as misleading, and they never showcase the applicant’s personality.

And with startups, just like dates, personality rules. Personality and attitude. Launch Leads has got both in spades, and they’re looking to add to their team. So go ahead. Date ‘em. Who knows where it might go.

(For the time challenged all the juicy take-aways are summarized in the post.)

Three to Get Ready Tips

GET the job (minute 2:40-4:40)
Bring the attitude. Hard to shine in one or two pages of bullet points? Don’t confine yourself to the resume. Find another way to let your personality show.

And keep it real. Page is a former recruiter so he knows a thing or two about resumes. He says he can smell the BS a mile away. Okay, once again, Page didn’t say exactly that. What he said is that he could tell when a person is over selling their assets.

Just like on a date. Again, you know what I’m talking about. For me, it was the guy who told me he was a best-selling author (hmmm, intriguing), and an  actor (oh, maybe he knows Clooney), and a dentist. Ah, what?

Startups want to know what you’re really about. Who you are when you’re at home in your bathrobe with your feet up. You’re going to be spending a lot of time with these people. Your skills may be important, but being a cultural fit is critical.

Focus on those details, not stretching the truth about your experience. Or dental degrees.

KEEP the job (4:50 – 7:00)
Your parents lied to you; it is NOT all about you. It’s about the business. Always. Period. Finito.

Show that you have the interest of the business foremost in your mind, and you’ll be foremost in your boss’s mind.

Page isn’t saying that he’s not interested in your growth and happiness at work. He is. In fact, he says he’ll go to great lengths to make sure you’re happy if he believes your interest is the company’s best interest.

Like any good relationship, put the other person first and it’ll be a happy union.

LEAVE the job (minute 7:10 – 8:20)
Did you make your startup take a cab to the airport? Stop returning texts from your startup? Face it; you’re not in love. And it shows. More so in this job than in any corporate job you’ve had.

Startups thrive on the enthusiasm of the team. In this case, one bad apple does spoil the whole bunch, girl. You’re not hiding anything. Your coworkers (and your boss!) can see it all over your face.  Break up now before too much of your stuff gets stuck left in the closet.

The JOBS

Market research assistants (perfect for current college students) 5 – 10 open positions now!

Director of marketing – SEO and social media skills a big plus. This job not posted yet! But if you’re qualified, let them know!

http://www.launchleads.com/careers/

Hint: Want to get Page’s attention? Be able to finish this Mark Twain quote, “always do right.” Page talks about this around minute eight. Everything after minute eight gives you insight into his personality. (You catching that? His personality….want to date this company, learn about the ceo’s personality before you reach out to them.)

Got questions about Launch Leads, getting a job with a startup, dating? Drop them in the comment section. Can’t guarantee any solid dating advice, you heard the story about the actor/dentist. But I promise to steer you in the right direction on the other stuff. And let me know if you land an interview with Page!