Benefits and Risks of Startups Looking For Employees

As we know, startups are young companies in their early development stage, focused on creating a single product or service for the market. Typically a startup would be founded by one or two entrepreneurs and receive funding from different sources, including investors, loans, or even self-funded by the founding team. Besides, they offer a range of benefits, from a flexible work environment to gaining new skills for the employees.

Since the number of team members is less in a startup, with fewer than fifty employees, the focus of startups is experimentation rather than operation. They are continuously in the process of testing and learning to identify their ideal customers and fulfil the gap in a market. As a result, there are startups looking for employees that play a significant role in their organizational needs and missions. They want employees to expand the vision and objectives of their company with the right attitude to learn and deliver their given tasks.

Therefore, the most vital aspect of a startup, apart from the business plan, revenue, or time is its employees. Without the right number of talents in the organization, there is a high chance that the business can face loss. So, if you are planning to join a startup company, there are a few things to learn and understand.

In this blog, we will observe the following:

• Benefits of working for a startup company
• Risks of joining a startup
• Questions to ask when joining a startup

Benefits of Working for a Startup Company

Working at a startup can be overwhelming and challenging when compared to a big corporate company. However, startups looking for employees offer various benefits different from that working at a well-established company. They provide you with experience that guides you to gain new skills and prospects helpful for your future career. If you are new to the professional world and looking for entry-level startup jobs with learning opportunities, then a startup is an ideal place with several benefits:

• Learning opportunities: The one key advantage of working at a startup is the opportunity to learn new things that you might not experience in an established company. Since startups do not hire many employees and have small employee bases, there is a high chance you get assigned different responsibilities. As a result, you get introduced to a new skill set for the job and fill the gap by completing tasks not mentioned in your job responsibility.
• Flexible work environment: When compared to established companies, startups have flexible office hours with relaxed business space. Moreover, most startups provide remote working policies, which are helpful for employees who have responsibilities outside their work. Additionally, these companies offer a unique experience for the employees by giving them perks like nap rooms, games and activities, free meals, etc.
• Advance your Career: Startups looking for employees who wish to grow in their careers. They provide you with the insights required for building entrepreneurship and management. Moreover, you will have opportunities to advance in the company and help you to understand and learn different skills beneficial for your future jobs.
• Improves your decision-making skills: Since there is less supervision in a startup and more tricky situations to handle, employees will have to make their own decisions for their roles. As a result, it is an opportunity for an employee to contribute to the company's growth and gain leadership potential.
• Job satisfaction: In a startup, an employee's role is valued because they are directly involved in the company's success. Moreover, these companies appreciate an employee's involvement in brainstorming sessions, give focus to their ideas and provide quick feedback. All in all, these factors help the employee to be happy at their work.

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What are the Risks of Joining A Startup?

While there are several benefits to working at a startup company, it also carries risks that are worth noting in your mind before joining. Some startups pose to be stressful to work in and have an unstable working environment. Therefore, before joining a startup, ensure they provide the best business space for you to learn and gain opportunities. So, here are the risk factors:

• No Job security: The major disadvantage of a startup is its lack of job security. In other words, you are often left with uncertainty on whether you will remain in the job or not. Besides, if the company is out of business, it can also mean that you are out of a job. As a result, an employee must wait for years for the startup to flourish to gain job security.
• Less Pay: The early-stage startup salary is less since most startups are not financially backed and may not make profits in their initial years. As a result, these startups looking for employees who will work for less pay. However, you may see significant growth and profits with increased revenue after years.
• Long Hours: Another disadvantage of working at a startup is the need to work for more than the required 9-5 work hours. Many times, employees will have to work overtime to achieve the company goals with limited holidays since startups quickly want to reach their objectives to compete with established companies.
• No organizational structure: Most startups lack a proper hierarchy of position and power when compared to established companies. Most often, employees become clueless about their roles and tasks since there is uncertainty regarding who supervises the startup company.
• More workload: Though working at a startup brings more opportunities and responsibilities, it can also cause a workload for most employees. Since there are limited resources to hire extra staff, startups looking for employees who are willing to take on more responsibilities. As a result, it can cause heavy work-related stress for employees.

Questions to ask when joining a startup

When joining a startup company, you must understand a few things about your role, the work environment and the company's objectives. Therefore, ensure you take time and prepare appropriate questions before joining the startup to decide whether to accept or reject the offer. Given below are a few questions you can ask when joining a startup:

What are the company's vision and mission?

Asking this question helps you to understand the company goals and objectives, and thereby, you can gauge your future at the company. Moreover, the company vision and mission guide you to identify your work role and purpose.

What can I learn from my role?

This question helps you to clarify your role and responsibilities within the organization. Since startups looking for employees to take on further responsibilities, you will be given more tasks outside your job description and an opportunity to learn new things and skills. Therefore, asking this question can help you to know how well you can perform in your work.

What are the team structures?

For a startup, it is essential to have the right team structure to succeed. Besides, good team structure helps in effective communication and efficient teamwork.

What is the current runway of the business?

The runway means the amount of time a company has before it runs out of money. It is necessary to understand the runway of the business before joining the company since it mitigates the risk of losing the job. Moreover, it says if the business is sustainable or not.

Discover the benefits of walk-in interviews, and learn how to make the most of these opportunities to showcase your skills and experience.

Conclusion

To conclude, startups are a great opportunity to learn new skills and qualities that help you to accelerate your career. Moreover, startups give you space to demonstrate your abilities and talents with the potential to gain diverse skill sets. However, it does pose risks and stress, since there is a lack of resources and stability. Therefore, study and understand the company's objectives and its background by preparing questions to ask before joining.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1) What are the best ways for startups to find employees?

The best ways for startups looking for employees :

• Developing and investing in employer brand and marketing
• Using social media platforms
• Creating job posts with good job descriptions
• Building employee benefits package
• Using job referrals
• Investing in the applicant tracking system.

2) What should startups consider when looking for employees?

While startups looking for employees, it is necessary to find the right fit who can work for long hours at low pay and take on more responsibilities when compared to big corporate tech companies. Apart from that, the employee must possess relevant skills and qualities to achieve the visions and objectives of the company. They must be passionate, fast learners, and have the leadership potential to provide value to others. Moreover, it should have problem-solving skills to face all sorts of issues that arise in a start-up company. Above all, they must be able to fit into the work culture of the start-up.

3) How can start-ups attract top talents to join their company?

To attract top talents to a startup company, first, they must provide a remarkable reason for the employee to work in their company. As a result, it is necessary to build an employer brand and secondly offer intangible employee benefits and perks like health insurance training and development programmes etc. Thirdly, treat your candidate as your future customer by providing a seamless candidate experience. Lastly, be authentic and innovative by creating a work environment for employees.

4) How can start-ups ensure they make a good hire?

Start-ups looking to hire ensure good candidates if they conduct a proper recruitment and selection process. Therefore, firstly, define the job by providing responsibilities and qualifications for the position. Secondly, collect applicant resumes for the selection process. Review the resumes of all applicants to shortlist the good candidates fit for the company. After, you can interview the candidates to examine if they are qualified for the job or not.