Job Searching — Millennial Edition

A few months ago, I faced a classic millennial issue. I liked my job — I was learning and growing within the role. However, I wanted more. I wanted to ‘get my hands dirty’ beyond what I was able to do in management consulting. Having returned to India, I was reading more about the Indian startup space.
From funding to awards, inspiring “30 under 30” lists and multi-billion-dollar buyouts, there was a lot of energy in the India startup ecosystem. Personally, I was intrigued by the chance to be in an organization that aggressively challenged the status quo of the industry it was in.

Having said that I had a few non-negotiables on the kind of company that I wanted to work with, including:
- A chance to learn constantly and pro-actively surround myself with people who could help facilitate this.
- To join an evolving company with a compelling growth story.
- To be in an environment where I felt inspired, motivated and valued with a strong sense of community.

As I set out on the journey to find a company that fulfilled these criteria, I was struck by a key realization: job searching is a two-way street. While the company is thoroughly evaluating the candidate, the candidate is also constantly evaluating the company and its people. Amidst this, it’s often the little things that leave the most lasting impressions.

At Drip Capital, there was clarity in the value proposition of the company in all forms of communication – from the articles I read online, to conversations with the team members, ranging from folks in the HR team to the Co-founder. I remember the first conversation with Naqiyah from the HR team, in which she clearly laid out the three factors that made Drip different for an SME exporter. I had done my homework and read up about the company online. The conversation with her clearly re-enforced and built upon what I had already read.

Drip understood that culture was important to me. The team took the time to answer all my questions (there were many!) and connect me with team members across departments to learn about the work culture. Offeree days and job shadowing might be common at larger companies, with the volume and resources to support programs such as these. For startups, this is probably more challenging. However, at Drip, I provided a clear rationale for why it made sense to do this for me, and they helped facilitate it. Before accepting the offer, I spent a day in the office meeting team members and shadowing meetings to experience what the culture was like first-hand.

I also realized that at Drip, career progression wasn’t just an abstract concept. During my interviews, I was given multiple examples of people who were hired into the team, did a great job, and were able to grow quickly within the organization. Everyone who I spoke to sounded motivated, smart, and down-to-earth.

Author Mandy Hale once said, “Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong.” I did my due diligence, accepted the offer at Drip, and feel happy about my decision. Only time will tell if it was the right choice.