Intern at a startup, trust me.
Hello,
I’m new to content writing — but you got to start somewhere, hey.
Bit of a short background on me, am currently midway through undertaking a Commerce / Information Systems degree at UNSW, Co-President @ Startup Link, a UNSW society that aims to bridge the gap between entrepreneurially-minded students and startups. Also, working as an analyst @ Vollardian, an end-to-end business consultancy working with some of Australia’s most exciting startups.
A key focus for Startup Link in 2019 is working with startups to build out accessible career pathways for students to help shape the future of the Australian Startup Ecosystem.
Hold up. What actually is a startup?
The term “startup” has floated around with exponential frequency in recent times to everything from trendy Silicon Valey apps, AI solutions, to an idea that transpired over Friday arvo drinks after reading “No Split Bills” at the counter, (yes, I now use Beem It). But what is a startup, really?
“A startup is a company working to solve a problem where the solution is not obvious and success is not guaranteed,” says Neil Blumenthal, co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker.
Hmm vague.
Sounds cool (but risky). Why should I intern for one?
Glad you asked. Let me walk you through it.
Yes, it may be slightly less stable than your 6-week auditing vacationer internship at an accounting firm spelt only in capital letters. But no doubt, you’ll get far superior exposure to the intricacies, exhilaration and rawness of business.
Intricacies — business is complex. Sometimes things aren’t as simple as outlined in your, “Principles of Marketing. 6th Edition” course textbook. At startups, you will no doubt be immersed in tedious contract negotiations, dealing with investors, navigating tricky deals and more.
Exhilaration — business is exciting. In startup land, celebrating milestones are key (and often ends up at the pub). Whether it’s landing a huge client, experiencing your first repeat customer, or as simple as setting up a legal entity. Milestones are often important, frequent and thrilling.
Rawness — business is real. Yes, turns out most startups do fail (roughly 9/10 to be precise). Whilst most are familiar with this, it’s critical to recognise that setbacks are inevitable and one should learn to channel the lessons of failures into positive outcomes — often (most cases), there cannot be success without failure.
“You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.” Richard Branson
So yes, I guess startups are more “risky” (but hey, who said a little risk was a bad thing?)
Startup Pros
- Opportunity, opportunity, opportunity — imagine being the first intern at Google, Facebook, Apple, Amazon. Being involved in an early stage startup could potentially be the best career decision you’ll ever make.
- Change the world — as previously touched upon, startups are built to help solve problems. Be it, a social, commercial or political problem — you are more often than not either directly or indirectly shaping the world to be a better place.
- Varying tasks/responsibilities — in a startup, you will wear many hats and be intimately involved in several aspects of the business. This can be unsettling but also extremely rewarding, enabling you to discover where your interests lie and uncover your strengths.
- Autonomy — taking initiative is encouraged, rewarded but expected. Many founders are eager to harness the creative minds of our generation — use this as a platform to delve into your passions and uncover hidden gems. A lack of hierarchical structure usually translates into quick approval time for new initiatives — shoot for the stars.
- Valued input and impact — operating usually in a smaller team or company, your work could ultimately be the difference between a net cash flow positive or negative financial year.
Startup Cons
Again — it’s not all roses and fairies.
- Lack of structure — some days you’ll go into work with not much to do and your boss is in back-to-back meetings until midday. Find ways to make yourself useful; ask your colleagues if they could use a spare set of hands, start a research project, think of new workplace health initiatives and if all else fails, do an office coffee run (unless you’re in a co-working space — that’s a lot of coffee.)
- $$$ — There’s a chance a founder will be eager to offer you work but unpaid (touchy subject.. for another time). Anyhow, startups aren’t always blessed with the resources to pay you top dollar. But, on pro # 1 — the opportunity could be very (very) worth it.
- Résumé glossiness — yes, “Intern at XYZ Ventures” certainly doesn’t read as nicely as your fancy banking internship. But, no doubt you can draw upon unique key learnings and experiences that can be equally impressive.
Okay, you’ve convinced me. Where can I find an internship?
Great question. No clear cut answer.
The corporate university recruitment process is a well-oiled machine. Armies of campus recruiters are at the university from day one and accordingly, there are numerous opportunities available at various stages of your degree.
The startup space is less defined (but improving). Network, hustle and be so good they can’t ignore you. See some great tips from a previous Startup Link post to help you land on your feet.
Startup Link and Textbook Ventures are collaborating in launching a platform of startup jobs for students, watch this space.
If you’re from a startup looking to hire university talent, please get in touch careers@startuplink.net
If you’re a student looking for startup experience, please keep posted via our socials @startuplinkunsw or feel free to message me personally.
If you’re just generally curious and keen to get in touch. Great too. president@startuplink.net
