The world of startups is booming, from banking to healthcare, startup firms are everywhere! This is fantastic news for technical talent, as a great deal of these young businesses are digital and are on the hunt for the top technical talent to join their teams and help them to scale up.
Working for a startup business can be a career-changing experience, and is appealing for many reasons, including; the autonomy and the opportunity to play a fundamental part in the success of the business. However, it can sometimes prove a challenge when understanding how to navigate and grow your career in these environments.
We provide our advice on managing your career in a startup environment. Exploring various ways in which you can give your career a boost.
Expand your knowledge
A common theme across many of our blogs – we are big believers in the philosophy that there’s always more to learn, especially when it comes to tech! Without the relevant skills and experience, there is no doubt that you’ll struggle when it comes to advancing your career to the next level.
There are plenty of great ways to continue learning once you land that dream role at a startup – from online communities, such as the Salesforce Trailblazer community, to certifications and courses that will develop your skills. Simply keeping up to date with the industry you operate in will ensure that you don’t fall behind.
You might be working within a small team, but this can definitely have its advantages. You are able to learn from colleagues working in different departments. This will help to expand your knowledge outside of your original remit, providing you with more opportunities for growth as the business scales up.
Set goals
One of the worst things you can do, in any role, is to start without any goals or keep quiet about the goals you do have. If you don’t have a clear vision about the future of your career, it’s going to be incredibly difficult to advance. Be clear about what’s important to you, about where you’d like this opportunity to take you and about the role you want to play in the firm’s success.
When you are transparent about what you want, it enables your company to help you when it comes to achieving these goals. This will really set the path of your future in the company as it grows.
Get involved
It’s important to be aware that in most startup environments there is the mindset that everyone helps out where they can. They always have more work than they do the human-power to complete it.
This is great news for advancing your career, as you will very rarely have trouble getting more work, and oftentimes your colleagues will welcome your help on projects. Getting involved in projects outside of your job description will, not only help with expanding your knowledge but also your colleagues will notice you going above and beyond to help the business succeed
Maybe the startup you’re working in wants to expand its DevOps team and you’d like to get some exposure in that area; offer to put in extra hours with the current DevOps Engineer. As long as you’re performing well in your core role, your team would welcome the extra help, and you’ll get the opportunity to build a new skill set.
The Ships: Leadership and relationships
Something we also mention a lot at Third Republic, is the importance of networking. Forming strong relationships in the workplace, especially when it’s a small team, will be invaluable when it comes to giving your career a boost.
When it comes to leadership, although you might not currently be managing anyone, it’s important to demonstrate that the skills are there. This will prove to managers in the business that you are adept when it comes to leadership, and could handle a management position, should the opportunity arise.
Working for a startup can be incredibly rewarding and a fantastic career move. You might even find that you are able to advance in your career at a faster rate than if you’d have taken a job at a larger firm.
If you have just started a new role in a startup business, adopt these tips as part of your day-to-day now and watch your career develop in front of your eyes!
Even if you have decided working for a startup is not for you, the points above can still be applied when it comes to giving your career a boost.
