Pros cons working startup

Pros cons working startup

Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg. These and other billionaires like them sit atop the pinnacle of success in capitalist America. They managed to take their ideas from infancy all the way to the corporate behemoths they are now. Somewhere along the way, the idea of working for a startup has been idealized. As young workers enter the workforce, they are no longer drawn to big corporations by their stability and their certainty, but they are instead drawn to startups. Believe it or not, but according to a survey by Accenture from 2016, a mere 14% of college grads in the US want to work at a large firm compared to 44% who want to work in a startup or other small business.

Pros and cons of working at a startup

Before you get dead-set on working in a startup, there some important pros and cons to carefully consider. It is a lifestyle that isn’t meant for everybody, regardless of how exciting or lucrative it may appear to be from the outside. So, before you jump into it, set some reasonable expectations for yourself and reflect thoughtfully about whether or not you think you would thrive in a startup environment. Below I’ll dive into a few of the pros and cons you ought to reflect on.

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Wearing multiple hats

Since every startup is resource-constrained, every team member will necessarily have to wear multiple hats. You will have to do some things you are great at, some things you are bad at, and some things you have never done before- this means you will learn A TON. At the same time, there will be a lot of responsibility put on you. You will have to work on many different mission-critical projects whose success or failure rests on your shoulders. This can be incredibly exciting and rewarding if things go well, but it can also be frustrating and emotionally draining if things don’t go as planned. P.S. This should be exciting if you really want to work in a startup.

Lack of structure

One of the biggest challenges, especially for recent college graduates, is the lack of structure at startups. They are coming from an educational world in which their goals were clear and defined, and they had close supervision from their professors, coaches, or parents. You are then dropped headfirst into an environment in which goals constantly change or are unclear and there is no one to tell you “do exactly xyz to get an A.” This lack of supervision is guaranteed to be quite stressful and challenging to adjust to.

Meanwhile, this lack of structure means that you will be given unique freedoms. Freedom to attack problems your way. Freedom to operate in the manner which works best for you. Freedom to take the lack of structure you are forced into and build whatever structure (or lack thereof) that you need.

Do I have what it takes?

This is a tough question to answer. Everybody wants to say they can withstand whatever is brought against them. Everyone wants to tell themselves that they are capable of doing whatever they need to accomplish their goals. The simple reality, however, is that some people will be able to while many will not. It will take some serious mental maturity. “Maturity of mind is the capacity to endure uncertainty,” and regardless of the size, stage, or industry of the startup you go work for, you will have to endure a lot of uncertainty.

When things look like they are collapsing around you (this point comes for every startup) you and every other member of the team will need to be able to cope with the uncertainty of what comes next. You get to choose if you let these moments be nothing but anxiety-inducing and crippling or to instead attack them with unrelenting positivity and action. In these moments where you have seemingly no control, you get to control how you react and respond. This is where a startup wins or loses.

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Apply job even dont meet minimum requirements

Sure, applying to jobs can be scary and the idea of rejection is never a happy one. Even so, you never don’t want to be the only reason behind why you didn’t get a job that was great for you. Don’t be the one to take yourself out of the running. You never know, the hiring team might just love someone with your problem-solving abilities and might be willing to fill you in on the rest.

So if you’re thinking of applying for that job that scares you just a little bit, we say (within some range of reason) go for it!

Think about your transferable skills

So your previous work experience might not make an obvious beeline to the job you’re applying for. Even so, some of the same skills and experience could very well be useful in the position you hope to get. Things like team or project management, written and oral communication, analytical skills, are all great examples of skills that could easily transfer from one job to another, even if the two jobs aren’t exactly related.

One great skill that will come in handy no matter what job you’re after is your ability to think critically and problem-solve. Hiring managers these days are moving away from the idea that you hire an employee, train them, and they are responsible for that job and that job only. More and more, managers are wanting employees to take ownership over a role and that often means taking on creative problem-solving.

When you’re just short on experience

So under the list of bulleted requirements, you read that the job you want requires 5 to 7 years experience in a field you only have 3 to 5 years experience in. Don’t think you’re out of the running just yet. Why not apply and send along a work example to show the hiring manager that you really could do the job? Katy from ToughNickel says that while years of experience might have a hard cutoff for some job postings, “Other postings treat the listed years of experience required as a general guideline for who should apply and then the salary of the selected candidate is determined by their years of experience.”

That said, if you’re well under the required years of experience, you might want to consider moving on and finding something within the same ballpark. You might even think about applying for a more junior role at the same company. That way, once you’ve gained a tad more experience and built relationships at the company, you may have earned yourself enough clout go over the role that required more experience.

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If you don’t have the required degree

Depending on the job description, having the exact degree for the job may or may not be a big deal. Some will require that you simply have a degree- any degree. Others will want you do have a specific degree or certifications for the job. And other job descriptions might say that a degree is preferred. If a specific degree or certification is listed as required, it might be a better idea to move on, especially if you’re applying through an online portal where an ATS will filter you out before any human eyes can even see your application. If you can, why not see if you can try to make a personal connection at the company. Speaking with a human and stating your case can and may be your best bet to bypass an automated filtering system.

If you have an “in” at the company

According to Business Insider, your chances of landing a job if you have a referral from someone who already works there is up to 6.6% higher. That might sound like a small percentage, which can be an encouragement to you if don’t know a soul at the company you’re applying to work for. But as BI puts it, “Boosting the odds of getting a job offer by roughly 5% would mean on average that 1 in 20 workers gets a job offer who wouldn’t have otherwise gotten one.”

So could making a connection at the company make a difference? Sure! And don’t feel as though your connection needs to be one of your drinking buddies. This study shows that acquaintances are actually 58% more likely to connect you with a job than a close friend or family member. Quartz puts it this way: “Our closest contacts tend to know the same people and information as we do. Weak ties travel in different circles and learn different things, so they can offer us more efficient access to novel information.”

If you can prove you can do the job, and well

Last but not least, employers will- for the most part- boil down their hiring decision to one thing: who is going to be the most effective employee and yield the highest return. Do what you can to make your application process personal and stand out from the crown. Try not to be a stalker and catch the founder of your favorite company on his or her bathroom break to tell them why you’d be great at the job. Maybe try connecting on LinkedIn and sending them a personal message. Ask them if you might be able to send along a few ideas that you think really could help the department where you want to work. The worst they could do is say, “Yeah, no thanks.” That, or take advantage of the time you offer. OR, it could be just the opportunity you need to show exactly how well you’d do if they gave you the job.

Have you ever applied to a job when you didn’t meet the minimum requirements and gotten an interview? Share your story in the comments below and share with a friend who needs to make a leap of faith.

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Where millennials are going to find work life balance

Click here to download the whitepaper!

Each year, Scouted helps thousands of candidates find their dream jobs. To ensure our candidates’ success and happiness, we match them with employers who share their values. We know what’s important to our clients in their job searches, and we find employers who meet our candidates’ expectations. So, what are those values and expectations? We dug deep and found out.

Work-Life Balance

According to a June 2018 study published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Americans spend more time at work and less time on leisure and personal care (a category that—get this—includes eating and sleeping) than workers in most other OECD member countries. In fact, of the 38 countries examined by the OECD, only eight scored more poorly than the United States in terms of work-life balance.

Given these workaholic tendencies—which often go hand in hand with anxiety and professional burnout—it likely comes as no surprise that young job seekers (including those we work with at Scouted) are looking to buck the trend. In a 2014 study of 1,816 engineers, 91 percent of respondents reported that “work/life balance was very important or somewhat important when considering a new job offer—edging out compensation as the highest-rated factor.” And, based on our own study of millennials entering the workforce—the results which we’ve published in our ebook, Where Do Young Professionals Actually Want to Work—we found that young job candidates of various backgrounds, including both engineers and business students, rank work-life balance as their number-one career goal.

As millennial job seekers progress along their career trajectories and also begin to build their families, the pressure to find a happy medium between work and family responsibilities only increases. A 2015 Ernst & Young survey found that millennial parents in the United States who are managers named “finding time for me” as their most common challenge, followed by “getting enough sleep” and “managing personal and professional life.” The same study reported that among the top 10 reasons millennials quit full-time positions are “excessive overtime hours,” “flexibility stigma” (real or perceived penalization for working flex hours or taking leave), and “a lack of workplace flexibility, including the option to telecommute.” Ultimately, millennials are “more likely to have made, or be willing to make, sacrifices to manage work and family/personal responsibilities” than workers of other generations, and they “appear to value increased flexibility and paid parental leave more than other generations.”

Scouted’s research shows that young professionals today are increasingly interested in working at smaller companies and startups, reflecting their reported desire for “a creative and dynamic work environment,” which engineers and business students ranked as number one and number two, respectively, in terms of their career preferences. This suggests that job seekers are looking for employers who value flexibility, think outside the box, and are respectful of their workers as people, not just employees.

Employers can help their employees sustain their work-life balance in a number of ways in addition to providing opportunities for flexible work hours and telecommuting. Company features like on-site or subsidized child care, subsidized rent or local home-buyer incentives, modified leave accrual formulas that reward periods of intense work, in-house gyms or discounted gym memberships, paid sabbaticals geared toward personal growth experiences, and a workplace culture that encourages vacation time and parental leave can also support a healthy work-life balance among employees, reduce turnover, and help attract new employees as well.

For more detailed information about what young candidates want from their future jobs, check out our ebook.

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Salary negotiate youre just college

First of all, let’s tackle the question:

Should I salary negotiate for an entry-level job?

The short, easy answer? Yes. The more complicated answer? A little bit, and the right way. Which of course will make any entry-level job seeker ask “Ok, so how much is a little bit? And how will I make sure I don’t over negotiate and lose the job?”

Don’t worry! We’ll tackle that.

Although over negotiating isn’t the issue for most first-time job seekers because according to Nerdwallet, 62% of them don’t! The reason for that is probably because many of them are thinking…

Why negotiate salary if I’ll eventually get a raise anyway?

Business Insider paints a beautiful illustration that might help you rethink your non-negotiating tactics:

Alex and Taylor are entry-level job seekers who are both offered a starting salary of $45,000. Alex simply accepts the offer but…

“Taylor negotiates for $5,000 more at the outset for a starting salary of $50,000, gets a 1% raise each year, and negotiates a 4% raise every three years.

By the time they’ve reached retirement age, Taylor is making $121,370 a year, while Alex is earning $70,416. Over the course of their careers, Taylor has earned $1.06 million more than Alex.”

So yes, negotiating your salary is important and it does make a difference.

That being said, there are smart ways to go about negotiating and there are not smart ways.

Smart way #1:

Do your research

Just because you heard of a friend getting $XXX,XXX salary at a company, doesn’t mean you will. Everyone has something different to offer and jobs these days will offer salaries “commensurate with experience,” or in other words “depending on experience.” The good news is, this helps to level the playing field. The bad news? You’re just out of college so as far as experience goes… Let’s just say your resume looks something like Pam Halpert’s

In the end, you’re going to want to calculate how much someone with your experience, in your industry, in your area, makes at the type of company you want to work. In other words, if you, with 0-1 years of experience want a job as a marketing specialist in Denver, CO at a 50-200 sized company, you’re going to want to research the average income for a position just like that. Fortunately, there are lots of tools out there that can help you do just that!

Be able to give a reason for why you need a higher salary

Say you have an irregular expense your hiring manager could sympathize with. Maybe you’re starting a family or your rent and loan payment are threatening to take up half your paycheck. You might be relocating to a new city that has a higher cost of living than where you live now. Whatever the case, if you’re about to argue that your salary should be $55,000/year rather than $50,000, you might want to provide a couple good reasons to back that up other than, “I’ve grown accustomed to a certain lifestyle…”

Location

Location is a great (and very reasonable) factor to bring up when negotiating a salary. If you’re moving from, say, North Carolina to Seattle, you’re going to need a significant bump in your expected salary in order to keep up with the cost of living. Try to break down the expenses you’ll have by the time you take the job and determine whether the salary being offered will be enough to cover those expenses. If negotiating a higher salary of 5%-10% could really help to cover your expenses, then do your best to explain your situation to the hiring manager and see what they have to say.

Responsibilities

Whether you believe it to be fair or not, employers might consider the fact that you have a family or not when determining your appropriate salary. If you have a spouse and 2 kids, they might be much more willing to bump that number up a few notches than if, say, you’re a single with no one to take care of but your lonesome self.

Understand your worth

Besides comparing what those with similar experience would make at a similar job, in what ways might your specific skills be valuable to your specific company. Will you be starting a new department or initiative from scratch? How much as the company already invested in finding someone to fill your role? Will they be willing to budge on the salary a few extra thousand in order to not have to start from scratch and find someone new?

Show them the facts

Say you’re looking for a job as a marketing specialist and during your internship, you were able to make a real difference for the company. Be prepared to (nicely) prove how you were valuable to that company and what you’ll be able to do for this company. The key here in knowing when it would be appropriate if and when to ask for a higher salary. If you’re going after a job where there’s a lot competition for the position, you might want to consider playing it safe if you really want the job since the company could very easily give it to someone who doesn’t ask for so much. There may also be cases where the salary for a position is simply a fixed number and has been for years. Do your best to figure out if salary negotiation is realistic for the job you’re after if it

Take benefits into account

Remember, your compensation is more than just a dollar sign. Take into account the value of the benefits package the company is willing to offer you. Is the company offering health, dental, a 401K, and life insurance? What about other benefits like equity, paid gym memberships, a commute/parking stipend, or tuition assistance? Try using a calculator like this to determine the actual value of your benefits package in order to understand the total value of your compensation. Benefits are also a factor that could be negotiated in and of themselves. If the take-home pay can no longer be negotiated, you might be able to ask for commute stipend or tuition/student loan assistance. Maybe they’ll be willing to let you work from home once in a while. Just be careful to not overstep your bounds and look like you’re trying to nickel and dime your employer.

Be upfront about your job search

Say you’ve had more than one interview and now find yourself with competing job offers. Congrats! You might be able to use that to get your interviewer to swing a couple extra thousand your way. It’s perfectly ok to let a manager know you have another job offer in place, as long as you do it the right way. As much as hiring manager want someone who’ll be able to do the job well, they also want someone who loves their company. Very often, hiring managers will love a candidate who loves their company and has the same vision and feel meh about a candidate who can simply do the job.

So what’s the right way to handle a competing job offer? Try saying something along the lines of this:

“Hi John,

I felt as though I should be transparent and let you know that I’ve received another job offer. While your company is definitely my prefered choice and I can see myself fitting in well and making an impact, COMPANY X is offering me $57,000 and because of my living expenses, I’m not sure I’d be able to turn it down. I wanted to ask if there was any flexibility in the salary you offered. I’d love to try to work something out.

All my best,

Avery”

Remember- you’re going to be working with these people

The downfall of many young job seekers who’ve had their offers rescinded was one thing: they forgot about life after the negotiation. Sure, you’ll have to speak up for yourself and be your own advocate during your interview and salary negotiation, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get away with looking overly self-important to your future supervisor. Always do your best to be civil, polite, and nurture the relationships with the people you hope to be working with. Remember- humility and confidence aren’t mutually exclusive. Do your research, know your worth, but don’t burn your bridges!

Always say thank you!

You may not think it’s worth saying, but we’ll say it anyway. Sometimes a job offer might not pay nearly as much as you hoped it would. Sometimes you may have to just walk away and that’s ok! In any case, make sure you thank the hiring manager for their time, let them know they have a great company, and then be upfront about your decision and why. Explaining why you can’t accept a salary will always be better than spitting the water out of your mouth and saying, “Uhm what?”

Prove it

Whether or not you get the salary you’re looking for, you’re going to have to prove you’re worth it. As a recent grad, you may have to take lower pay and then take the time to prove your worth to your employer. Then, you might have leverage enough to ask for a raise. If you were able to negotiate a salary you’re happy with, be sure you live up to it and convince your employers you’re really worth it! After all, they could find someone who might do the job better than for the same or less pay. Instead, make them thankful that you’re the one they hired, even for a higher compensation.

Have you negotiated your salary in the past? How were able to convince your hiring managers you were worth it? Share your experience in the comments below and share with a friend who’s on the job hunt!

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Dress job interview

Dressing for a job interview can be intimidating and confusing. Of course, you’re much more than what you wear, but what you wear can be a sign of how well you understand an industry. And as the term “culture fit” becomes more common during job interviews, it’s becoming increasingly more important to convince your prospective employer that you are a great fit for the company itself, as well as the role.

Research

Of course, before going into your job interview, it’s important to do your research on the company. Doing this will have more benefits than simply picking out your outfit for the big day, but it should help you do that, too. Do a search on the company website to see if you can find a picture with a few of the company’s employees and see what they’re wearing. Of course, you’re not going to wear what you might on a normal day of work, but you’ll get a sense for how casual or formal the company is.

Be comfortable

The last thing you want is to show up to your job interview and feel as though you need to fidget with your outfit the entire time. During your interview, you’ll need your mind to be focused on your conversation, not your appearance. Make sure your outfit, while classy, still feels comfortable to wear. If you feel uncomfortable in your clothes, it could show in other areas as well. Trying having a try-on test a couple days before your interview. Walk, sit, and stand in your outfit to make sure everything stays where it should and fits well.

Better to be overdressed than underdressed

Being either overdressed or underdressed could tell a hiring manager that you don’t have a deep understanding of the company you’re applying for. But, if we were to choose between the looks “I probably won’t take this job seriously” or “I eat ambition for breakfast,” we’d go with the second. Besides, everyone knows job interviews are important, so dressing like you believe that only makes sense and will tell your interviewers you’re taking the job seriously.

Let’s take a look at some job interview outfits that work great for various roles and industries.

Corporate

With most corporate job interviews, the rule of thumb for picking your outfit will be to keep it understated and conservative. For men, this will probably mean going with a blue, black, or grey suit and for women, sticking with a pantsuit, pencil skirt, or conservative dress. While adding a pop of color or an accessory to show your personal style is probably fine, just make sure your overall look says you’re professional and you mean business. See what we did there?

A post shared by Steph K. (@attorney.attire) on May 17, 2018 at 8:06am PDT

A post shared by TWO CORPORATE GIRLS (@twocorporategirls) on Jun 19, 2018 at 3:34pm PDT

A post shared by EJ Samson (@ejsamson) on Aug 30, 2017 at 10:16am PDT

A post shared by Warren Alfie Baker (@warrenalfiebaker) on Jul 28, 2017 at 11:39am PDT

Creative

Whether you’re going after a job as a designer, writer, illustrator, or any other role that may be classified as “creative,” you may find you have a little more freedom when it comes to your wardrobe choices. In this case, adding a color or two or a fun pattern could be a fun way to show off your personality. Always remember to keep it professional and don’t let your outfit take the attention away from how great a candidate you are.

A post shared by kendi skeen (@kendieveryday) on Feb 22, 2018 at 6:59pm PST

A post shared by Alycia Neal (@iamalycianeal) on Dec 11, 2017 at 6:48am PST

A post shared by EJ Samson (@ejsamson) on Oct 11, 2017 at 11:18am PDT

A post shared by Permanent Style (@permanentstylelondon) on Feb 20, 2018 at 1:49am PST

Education

Interviewing for an education role may also give you a little wiggle room in your wardrobe. You really can’t go wrong while making your outfit professional with a touch of prep. Think, J. Crew, Gap, Banana Republic. For women, a pencil skirt, dress, or slacks are fine. Pair that with a sweater or blouse. Patterns and pops of color are ok as long as they don’t distract attention away from you. For men, slacks and a dress shirt or sweater over a dress shirt would be appropriate to wear to an education interview. Depending on the school you’re interviewing for, a tie and jacket may be better suited. A good blazer is an awesome wardrobe staple that can help even the oldest of t-shirt look more put together. Just remember to keep it professional (ie. no shorts or tennis shoes), yet comfortable.

A post shared by Candace Read (@candacemread) on Aug 3, 2018 at 6:45pm PDT

A post shared by J.Crew Men’s (@jcrewmens) on Oct 3, 2016 at 7:06pm PDT

Tech and Startup

While tech companies and startups are known to have a more casual environment, for your job interview at one, you should aim to take it up a notch. Dress pants, khakis, or a skirt paired with a button-down, blouse, or sweater should be perfectly appropriate for your tech or startup interview. Again, you may want to spend time stalking researching the company first. Dresses and suit coats could also be appropriate but so might a nice pair of jeans. Notice what the company’s employees wear to work and then plan your interview outfit by taking what you see up a level. Typically, however, you’ll be able to leave your suit at home.

A post shared by LaTisha Springer (@latishaspringer) on Feb 13, 2018 at 9:49pm PST

A post shared by J.Crew (@jcrew) on Feb 13, 2018 at 11:07am PST

A post shared by Permanent Style (@permanentstylelondon) on Dec 12, 2017 at 9:20am PST

A post shared by Chris Mehan (@chrismehan) on Aug 25, 2018 at 3:52pm PDT

Tell us what your go-to job interview outfit is! Do you typically wear the same blazer to every interview or do you like to mix it up and add a pop of color to your outfit? Let us know in the comments below and share with a friend who needs some subtle wardrobe help.

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Tips improve writing skills can land marketing job

These days, written communication skills aren’t just for novelists or content marketers. Almost every company will, at the very least, require their employees to communicate by email if not be able to create much higher profile written pieces. That being that case, candidates are starting to see “written communication skills” bulleted on almost any job requirement list. If that makes you sweat a little, we’re here to help. Here are a few tips we’ve rounded up to help our candidates take their written communication skills to the next level.

Know your reader

Whether you’re just looking to up your blogging skills or trying to land a job as a copywriter, you’re going to need to know who you’re writing to. New writers, when asked about their ideal audience, often respond with, “What I write is relevant to everybody!” Even if your topic of choice is, say, global warming, which you believe affects everybody, your writing won’t be nearly as effective as if you did you research to find out who is typically the most interested in learning about global warming.

So whether you’re trying to learn how to write the best landing pages or simply start a blog to show off some of your creative writing skills, determining your ideal audience is a must. The best way to do this is to picture yourself writing to one, specific individual when writing your copy. That way, your audience will be clear and it’ll be easier for you to be consistent as the writer.

To figure out who your reader persona is, try asking yourself these questions:

What is the age and gender of my target persona?
What does my persona do for a living?
Is my persona married or single? Do they have kids?
Where is my persona in their career?
Where does my persona hope to be someday?
What are some challenges my persona faces?
What does my persona like to do in their free time?

You might even want to come up with a name for your target persona and find a stock photo of what you imagine they’d look like. And you don’t just have to stick to one personal for all of your writing. Different projects or different blog posts may be written for different people. Try creating more than one persona to see which audience is more receptive to your writing!

Define your tone and voice

Of course, once you’ve determined your target persona, you’re going to want to figure out what tone and voice speaks to them the best. To do this, you’ll want to do some research on what kinds of writing perform well when targeted at your ideal persona. Neville of Kopywritingkourse.com suggests strolling through Amazon to take a look at the top selling books in your industry. What tone of voice are they using? Professional or friendly? Serious or goofy?

By the way, you might be wondering the difference between voice and tone? Here are some guidelines:

Tone: the attitude that you feel or want to convey when writing.

Voice: the personality of the writer.

Now, if you’re writing for a company, they may have a target persona already in mind and they might even have their preferred tone and voice already laid out. Great! If so, it’s time to get practicing writing to that ideal person.

If you’re left to come if with the tone and voice yourself, check out this list of 155 Words To Describe An Author’s Tone. Try to pick about 3 that would relate to your target persona and write them down! Repeat them to yourself before you start writing a new piece and eventually you’ll see your tone consistently across your writing pieces!

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Always provide value

Whether you’re writing blogs or marketing emails, your readers are always going to be more interested if there’s something in it for them. Face it, we don’t read blogs or open emails because we care about who sent them. Unless it’s a forwarded email from your grandma that you know she’ll ask about next time you see her…

Even if your end goal is to make a sale or gain a lead, always provide something of value for free. Do some research and include some information that might help your reader with his or her business. Maybe you can identify a problem your persona usually has with his or her hobby. Try tackling that in your next blog post. Trust us. If your readers see that you’re willing to give away value for free, they’ll be way more likely to believe that the stuff you actually sell is even more valuable.

Good grammar isn’t always good

For those who are new to writing, you might feel extremely uncomfortable straying away from the grammar you learned in grade school and the APA format you killed yourself over in college. Of course, your style of writing will always depend on your audience, industry, and even the specific piece/project you’re working on. But more often than not, a conversational tone will be what keeps people eyes on the page rather than clicking on the ad for Johnston & Murphy’s in your sidebar.

You may or may not have noticed the grammar mistake at the beginning of this blog post: “Whether you’re just looking to up your blogging skills or trying to land a job as a copywriter, you’re going to need to know who you’re writing to.” If this hurt to read because you know the proper way to write this phrase would be “…know to whom you write.” then you’re going to have to practice breaking some rules. In the off chance that you’re writing a textbook or user manual, by all means, use the word “whom” and all other proper grammar phrases to your heart’s content. But if you’re looking to make a connection with your reader and write in a conversational tone, you’re going to have to practice just that, writing conversationally.

Of course, writing conversationally doesn’t simply mean writing the way you talk. If you were to record yourself talking about the best pizza in the world and then hoped to use it on your foodie blog, your readers would be pretty confused and lost when reading it. But there is a happy medium when using proper grammar and the way we talk. When writing, it’s a great idea to picture yourself as acquaintances with your target persona. Say your friend of a friend asked you a question about something you’re an expert on and you’re writing a response to them. Write to your acquaintance in a way that’s helpful and informative, but, of course, friendly. The reason we’re not pretending we’re writing to a close friend is because that email would probably be a tad too informal. Writing to an acquaintance will be our happy middle ground.

So instead of writing to our ideal persona like:

“Hello John,

It would please me greatly to educate you on the subject.”

Or writing like,

“Heyooo John!

Wazzuuup! Sure, I’d ❤️ to help u with that.”

We’d recommend writing to our ideal persona something that sounds more like,

“Hi, John!

Thanks for reaching out. I’d love to help!”

Get in the zone

Let’s face it, even the most amazing writers can’t sit down in the same room as their friends, family, and golden retriever and write the best piece ever. Many writers know the environments where they work best and stick to them. Often a completely silent and distraction-free area or a coffee shop paired with your best noise canceling headphones will do the trick to help you block out distraction and allow you to focus on your writing project. Some writers can only write in complete silence whereas others enjoy listening to lyric-free music to help set the tone of their writing. Find what works best for you and repeat the process when you have an important piece to work on!

What are your favorite writing tips? What helps you get in the zone? Comment your favorite writing tips below and share with a friend who still uses “whom” in their emails.

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Ask too much salary negotiation tips

Almost everyone should salary negotiate a little bit when they receive a new job offer. But young job seekers are not always aware of the implications and risks of over negotiating for a role. Of course, there’s the obvious risk of having the offer rescinded. But what if you actually get what you ask for? Are your talents and contributions going to be worth the dollar amount you asked for during your interview?

Things to consider when negotiating your salary:

Cost of living

Of course, when considering the cost of living in an area, you’re going to want to keep your expectations realistic. Just because you picture yourself in a certain lifestyle once you land your new job, doesn’t mean that’s what the employer will be able to give you.

Experience

We know, Glassdoor tells you that the average Investment Banking Analyst in New York, New York makes $103,000 a year. But what young job seekers need to consider is the fact that they’re probably not the average investment banking analyst, not yet anyway. If you have 0 years experience and are looking for your first “stepping stool” job, you’ll need to take that into account when considering your expected salary. But hey, if you kill it at your first job and have some clout you can point to, you’ll have much more negotiating power in the future.

Manager of… what?

Just because the job title has the word “manager” in it, doesn’t mean you’re necessarily in a management role. Say you’re a content manager or even a project manager, you may be juggling several balls in doing your job, which is great, but managing people is another story entirely and it’ll make a difference in a salary offer. So instead of looking at and comparing titles, instead look at comparable responsibilities when getting an idea of an appropriate salary.

Be honest about what you currently make

Of course it’s now a huge no-no (or even illegal) for an employer to ask what you currently make during an interview, but as a job seeker, you may feel incentivized to use your current salary as a reasoning point during your salary negotiation. If that’s the case and you choose to disclose what you currently make, be honest! Just because you have a pretty good idea that a promotion is coming at your current job, doesn’t mean you can use that prospective salary as leverage. Your employer could look this up during a background check after you’re hiring and have grounds to fire you.

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If you decide to negotiate and ask for more compensation:

Make sure you’re able to live up to it. You don’t want to risk putting a bad taste in your hiring manager’s mouth by making claims and promises (to get them to pay you more) that you can’t follow through on. When your annual review comes around and your manager realizes they could get someone with the same skill set for less compensation, you may find yourself on the job hunt again sooner than you expected. If you are able to live up to what you claim, great! Just be careful not to set yourself up for failure if your negotiation claims end up being all talk.

If you choose to take the lower salary:

While it’s a good practice to negotiate at least a little bit, there’s something to be said for proving your value to a company first. For example, if you ask for $65,000 but your employer can only offer $55,000, it might be worth sticking it out at $55,000 for 6 months, rocking at your job, and then coming back and asking for $65,000 now that you can prove you’re worth it. In the meantime, while you’re rocking at your job, do your best to quantify and measure the value you bring to a company. If you’re able to prove your value to your hiring manager, you may be able to give yourself leverage enough to ask for a significant raise with your track record to backing up your reasoning rather than promises.

Things to negotiate other than compensation:

When thinking about what you should push for or leave on the table when it comes to negotiating compensation, remember that a lot more goes into a total compensation package than your actual paycheck. Think: healthcare, life insurance, dental, 401k, tuition reimbursement, vacation, flexible work hours, etc. Remember that these do have a quantifiable value that should be included when thinking of overall compensation.

Key takeaway:

The key thing you’ll want to keep in mind is that you want your new employer to actually be excited when you start working for them. Having an employer who thinks, “We’re so excited to have you here!” rather than, “This person better be worth it” can set the tone going forward in your work relationships. You’ll also give yourself a much better chance at impressing your employers and exceeding their expectations rather than having to live up to them.

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What size startup should you join

So you want to work for a startup. After binge-watching 5 seasons of Silicon Valley and watching the Social Network you’ve realized you want to work for fast-paced, mission-conscious, world-changing startup. That’s great to hear! Now the real question is what sort of startup should you work for? More specifically what size startup should you be working for… You have definitely heard of companies like Uber and JUUL raising 100’s of millions of dollars during their Series C or D rounds. But what about the average startup? How do they raise money? What is the size of a typical round of funding? And most importantly what does each round of funding indicate to someone looking for a job at a startup. Well, you’re in luck because you’re about to receive an education in startup funding for dummies.

First, who is investing in startups?

Before we jump into the different stages of funding it seems appropriate to start with who/where all of this money is coming from. There are a number of different and creative ways to raise money beyond venture capital firms.

Bootstrapping– Essentially a founding team will self-fund themselves until they raise outside capital or generate revenue.
Friends and Family– Probably the easiest people to tap into, this is usually the first place a startup will turn to for outside capital.
Angel investors- These are accredited investors, usually well-off people investing their own money at very early stages of companies. They not only invest in companies but often times will become mentors/advisors.
Accelerators/Incubators- Are usually sponsored programs to help startups with capital, resources, workspaces, business advice, and networking opportunities.
Venture Capital Firms- These are professional investment firms who invest in startups and growing companies. There are many different VCs that invest at different stages and in different verticals across the globe.
Crowdfunding– Becoming ever so much popular with companies like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, but there is a lot more startup focused ones like Fundable and Seedinvest. Thanks to the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act — Startups and small business are able to seek small investments from a large number of investors.
Loans– Definitely not the most traditional format of seeking capital for startups, it is very much a viable option to receive a loan from a bank or the Small Business Administration. In fact mattress startup Tuft and Needle essentially bootstrapped their business with bank loans until they were profitable ($170 million in revenue 2017) and eventually merged with Serta Simmons.
Private equity firms, hedge funds, banks- Really the only time these larger financial institutions get involved is in late-stage funding when there is less risk associated with the startup OR if the company is fintech related.

Now that we know the different options for funding/raising money for startups we can get to the fun stuff! Aka how do different rounds of funding affect a company and, in turn, your job search…

Pre-Seed

10 years ago the term “pre-seed” was virtually non-existent or known as a “friends and family” round, but with the influx of money coming into the startup ecosystem startups are consistently raising pre-seed rounds. A pre-seed is usually the first time founders will seek outside capital or investment. For the most part, founders have been bootstrapping their company to this point and need an influx of capital in order to reach the next critical milestone, such as hiring a key team member or developing the first iteration of the product.

At this stage, a startup is really just starting… The founders are most likely the only ones working on the project, but they have invested enough time to create an initial concept/product/business that is worth investing in. This is about as true silicon valley as you can get, just a couple of people huddled around some computers in an apartment or co-working space. If you’re really trying to get into the ground-level/hands-on atmosphere with serious ownership, then this is the stage of a startup you should be joining. You’ll experience a lot of sleepless nights and eating a lot of ramen, but in the end, if you believe in the mission and product, it will all be worth it.

Size of company: Founders maybe 1 employee (1-5)

Average Funding Amount: <$1 Million

What the company is valued at: $1-3 million

Where is the money coming from: Friends and Family, early-stage angels, accelerators/incubators, crowdfunding, loan

Seed

A seed round is where you really start to see some traction within a startup, the team is growing, the product is getting off the ground, there are a decent amount of users/customers. In the past, a seed round usually meant that you were reaching out to angel investors, people in the industry who are willing investors/mentors. Though within the last 5 or so years, more and more early-stage VCs have joined the fray and really increased the size of seed rounds. The median angel-funded seed round is around $250k with the median VC-led seed size well over $2 million. With the inclusion of VCs in the seed stage, these rounds of funding are making more and more starts viable/sets them up for the long run.

At this stage, the company is starting to see a market fit and has really jumped its first big hurdle by securing a somewhat sizable amount of funding. If a company has raised a seed with quality angels and early-stage VCs there will be a bit more job security, yet a sense of urgency to really get to a Series A or other milestone. The core team outside of the founders is starting to be assembled, maybe they join an accelerator or incubator, this is really the first major portion company building. Probably not the best time to join if you are a bit risk-adverse that being said this stage is incredibly exciting, and all tasks accomplished here will be incredibly rewarding in the long run.

Size of company: 5-25

Average Funding Amount: $2.2 million

What the company is valued at: $3-10 million

Where is the money coming from: Early-stage angels, accelerators/incubators, early-stage venture capital firms, crowdfunding, loan.

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Series A

Only 46% of startups who raise a seed round ever make it to a series A. At this point, most startups are very much focused on generating revenue, this is where marketing and sales become critical to the business to ensure that there is accelerated growth within the business. For some startups, this is where institutional investments start to come in from VCs, this is also the point where some of the larger household/brand name VCs begin to make serious investments.

At this the point where the startup has essentially come out of infancy, it is very much a real company with serious goals and ambitions. The team has expanded outside of the core group members and now they are poised for growth. With a series A, many companies will begin to rapidly grow their team and build out new organizational structures to support the team. This is no longer your typical bootstrapped company, a startup at this stage while still small is beginning to build out the infrastructure to support growth. A great time to join a startup, it is somewhat stable but still growing super fast, where one can gain a lot of very hands-on experience.

Size of company: 20-50

Average Funding Amount: $7.65 million

What the company is valued at: $10-20 million

Where is the money coming from: VC’s, “super angels”, crowdfunding

Series B

Series B startups are now starting to look less and less like “traditional” startups and more like full-fledged companies. A series B is less about looking at the potential of a company more looking towards how they can take that investment and scale the business into new sectors, markets, and verticals. Investors are expecting to start seeing a company make efforts/forays into progressing that investment. Raising a series B is no small feat, with massive quantities of money being thrown at companies growth is the name of the game since there is little excuse given how large some of the check sizes are.

With every round of funding, the team, company, and culture at a startup change drastically. New challenges arise with every expansion or acceleration of growth. That being said, a series B startup usually receives such a large cash infusion that the startup sees a large shift in the way it operates. With more investors and more eyes on the business, the return on investment becomes critical. The company expands faster, and with such a large infusion of cash, the company has new and exciting opportunities for expansion that early stage companies don’t have. Series B startups are a great transition for someone who is coming from a large or Fortune 500 company and wants to transition into a smaller company, but not one that is a massive culture shock.

Size of company: 25-100+

Average Funding Amount: $24.9 million

What the company is valued at: $30-100+ million

Where is the money coming from: VCs

Series C and beyond

Series C and beyond, this is where investors are starting to look at the exit strategy, whether that is an acquisition or public offering. This is also where the big money rounds start coming in, the ones you see in the news. This is for large-scale expansion, such as going international or purchasing other business. At this point, the startup has raised enough money and has a strong business model where more traditional financial institutions like PE shops and banks are willing to invest in a startup.

By far the safest/most stable startup you can join, that being said, it is well out of the scrappy stage and more into an established business. While it is probably more relaxed and innovative than the typical company, there is far more established teams and business practices involved. That being said, like any startup there are always growing pains and at this stage, certain things are not going to fly. That being said these companies are still on the verge of cutting edge. They are also still an incredibly interesting place to work with very strong opportunities.

Size of company: 100-500+

Average Funding Amount: $50+ million

What the company is valued at: $100-200+ million

Where is the money coming from: VCs, private equity firms, hedge funds, banks

The startup ecosystem is booming, at the time of this blog, 2018 is on pace to hit over $100 Billion dollars in venture funding. With so many different types of startups and various stages in their growth, it is important to know which one is the right fit for you, regardless of how much money they have raised. Be sure to check out Scouted to find an amazing job at startups across the spectrum.

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Resign job without burning bridges

Unless you plan to stay with the same company for 30+ years, everyone will need to write a resignation letter at some point in their career. Doing that right as well as handling the transition period well could be an important factor in whether you’ll be able to add your current employer to your list of references. Do it wrong, and you may end up burning some bridges.

Don’t be too hasty

Say your current work environment is, well, less than pleasant. Even if you just had a great interview at a new company, don’t pack your bags just yet. Make sure your new job is finalized in writing. Meaning: the company has formally offered you the position, you’ve negotiated and accepted, and you’ve set a start date. Then and only then should you have all the green lights to quit your job. Things can often happen during a hiring process and you don’t want to find yourself out of a job or having that awkward conversation to ask for your job back. Just make sure your new job in set in stone before saying “Sayonara!”

Let your manager be the first to know

While you might be good friends with your coworkers and eager to tell them about your new job, hold off until you communicate with your manager. You don’t want them hearing through the grapevine that you plan to leave before you have a chance to talk with them yourself. Also be sure that what you tell your coworkers, your reason for leaving, is consistent with what you tell your boss. Don’t risk your boss finding out the reason you’re leaving is because you don’t like his or her management style rather than that your new company has a shorter commute like you told them.

Also read: How Important is Autonomy and Meaningful Work to Millennials?

After a conversation, resign in writing

Keeping with the theme of getting things in writing, you’re going to want to take your resignation a step further than just having a chat with your boss. However, it’s important that your written resignation doesn’t come as a surprise to your manager, but rather as a formality. After you’ve had a conversation about your intent to leave, send an email with your intended last day of work and thank them for having you at their company. While explaining your reasons for leaving aren’t entirely necessary, you can include this as well if you like. Here’s an example of a resignation email or letter you can write to your employer:

Dear [BOSS],

Please accept this letter as notice of my resignation. My last day of employment will be April 9, 2019.

I have enjoyed my time with [COMPANY] and am grateful for the skills I’ve learned as well as the relationships I’ve formed during my time here.

Please let me know how I can be of assistance during the transition.

All the best,

[YOU]

Even if you resign in writing, you’re going to want to follow up with a conversation, just to make sure you and your current employer are on the same page. And if you first have a conversation with your boss, be sure to follow up with a written resignation letter, just to seal the dale and make sure everything, including your last day, is clear.

Give your employer at least 2 weeks notice

Many employers will have a written policy on how much notice you should give before resigning, commonly two weeks but it could be more. Do your best to stick with that at the very least in order to give them enough time to bring someone in and start training in your position. If you don’t leave enough notice, it could burn bridges and leave you with a not so happy job reference in the future.

Of course, you may out of good will give your employer a whole 8 weeks notice. Be careful to not make your notice overly long if you don’t have to. If you do and you find yourself restless to start your new jon, you’re going to end up resenting your current job and not motivated to get anything done. Also not a great way to leave on a good note. Try to time something that’s quick and painless for both you and your employer, allowing them to transition as best as possible but also allows you to move on bigger and better things.

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Have a transition plan

Want to leave your job but still want your boss to like you? Come up with a transition plan. Coordinate who will take on your responsibilities or unfinished projects during the transition and who, if not you, who you recommend for training your replacement.

Which brings us to our next point…

Train your replacement

In order to keep things smooth and peachy between you and your current employer, why not offer to train your replacement? If you do this, start by creating a master list of all your responsibilities, key documents and files, and write down instructions for using specific software or completing certain tasks. For example, if your job is to write a monthly newsletter, outline how to use the email service provider, the style guide you use when formatting the email, who is responsible for approving the email, and who to send it to. As you work through your notice, keep a document open where you take notes on your day-to-day tasks that may be helpful to your replacement. Your replacement will be able to use this as their playbook or user manual when coming into your role.

Refer someone to take your place

What’s better than training your own replacement? Finding one! Of course, you’ll probably still have to train them, but if you previously had a good relationship with your boss and you’re looking for ways to maintain that, why not recommend who you think would fill the job well? Of course, only recommend someone if you actually think they could do your job well. If they end of being great, you can bet your boss will be your next best job reference!

If you’ve had a good experience resigning from a job in the past, leave your best tips in the comments below!

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