How to get a startup job?

When I was 19, I had a bit of marketing experience from building an e-commerce brand and a clothing brand, so I was already comfortable with Web Design & Facebook Ads.

Luckily, it made me more qualified for the job than some other older people who were starting out their marketing career.

But I was still very inexperienced. My only real job so far was selling perfumes in the streets, so I had to find a way to stand out.

I chose to have a high quality approach, in which I looked at hundreds of companies, but just ended up choosing to apply to my top 5 picks, and do it one company at a time, so I could completely focus on it.

This is what helped me to get started with doing media buying & community management in a SaaS fintech with millions of users, and learning from people way smarter than me. (The company is called Bankin' and is based in Europe 🙂)

So here's a quick guide on how you can get a startup job in your early career:

1. Make a list of around 50 to 100 jobs that appeal to you because you like what they stand for, their product, and think you will learn a lot with them. (you also have to be qualified or willing to learn a lot on the job & during your free time).
   You can find a startup job on a job board like Remote ok, newsletters you follow, or simply products that you already use.
2. Keep only the best 5 to 10 in your list. Start with your number 1 pick.
3. Do as much research on the company as you can, find what they need right now, find what future projects they have and how you can help them achieve their goals.
4. If you can help, great! If you can't, learn how to. You may need to follow some online courses. I recommend Skillshare with their free trial to build up skills quickly.
5. When you apply, show them how much you know about their company, their problems and how you can help with examples.
6. If they respond positively, and you get a meeting with their team, tell them how much effort you have made so far, and follow up with everyone you have had interactions with after the meeting, be the most prepared candidate they will see. I hope you get that job!
7. If they answer negatively, you still have a few companies to choose from in your top picks, go back to step 3.

This strategy is pretty efficient in my opinion because you're not choosing random companies to work at and sending hundreds of CVs. Having a highly personalized approach will make you stand out and increase your chances of success.

If you're curious, I also made a video in which I explain how I was able to work with one of the biggest influencers in the French Business & Marketing space with an even more personalized approach, and how other people were able to work with other successful entrepreneurs with similar strategies. ;)