> next #unit festival 2016 - Anna Ott How to land a job in a (Berlin) Tech Company
Apr 13, 2017
>next#unit festival 2016 - Anna Ott
How to land a job in a (Berlin) Tech Company
Your checklist
01 Know who you areYour unique pitch Your online visibility Your CV
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Know what you wantPotential employers Potential jobs Potential bosses
Get them to listenMaking connections Making an impression
Nail it!Do the research Do the maths Do the talking
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You skills and assets
Your personality
What do you have that is hard to find for a startup?
What are you really really good at?
What do you want to learn and master?
Why are you good at the stuff you do?
What do you want to achieve?
What do you need from a company and a boss?
Know who you are
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Think about‣ Without comparing yourself to others, what are the two things (or
more) are you great at?
‣ Define what "work" means to you?
‣ What was the most fulfilling moment in your professional life thus far?
‣ During which tasks at work can you lose track of time in a positive way?
‣ Imagine you now have to explain to your grandparents why you want to work for a startup - what would you tell them?
‣ If you would be granted a year off work with full salary, what would you do with your life?
Your pitchline
“Hi I m Anna and I’ve been working in HR for 16 years now focussing on startups and digital companies. My
main expertise is recruiting.”
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Your CV
Choose a layout that matches your expertise and personality.
Use keywords that startups understand and are attracted
to.
Your visibility online
Clean your social network profiles. Google yourself. Align all information available about
you. Connect. Follow. Be active.
Prepare
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Know what you wantCompanies:
‣read startup blogs
‣ask for recommendations of employers/startups
‣follow entrepreneurs
‣check your peers
Jobs:
‣research job descriptions
‣play around with titles
‣know about business models and their specific organizations
‣invent yourself
Berlinstartupjobs Linkedin Angellist Jobsforunicorns Gründerszene Deutsche Startups
Indeed Jobspotting XING Facebook Groups Stackoverflow Workshape
Slack Groups Alumni Networks Twitter
Ignore them. Love them.
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Jobboards
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Make yourself visible.
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‣ Go to meetups, events, conferences, festivals … network! Track down the companies you are interested in
‣ even if you don’t like to talk to strangers, find (real life or online) meetings for people with similar interests/backgrounds and try to make connections
‣ contact well-connected people (esp. HR) for job recommendations and tips - even via linkedin etc.
‣ ask for introductions through shared connections
‣ look out for referral schemes and let someone become your ambassador internally
‣ contact companies directly asking for current vacancies or their talent pool
Even if they are not looking for you.
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A full package1. A simple yet personal message (preferably not addressed to jobs@ but rather to a real human)
‣ What kind of job you apply for (position or title)
‣ When you are available (if applicable: how long)
‣ why you chose this startup
‣ your general ambition/motivation
‣ a short overview of your skills/assets (=pitch line) 2. your CV and further profiles/portfolio 3. references and other documents/certifications upon request 4. only if needed: your salary expectations 5. your full contact details
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Prepare for a conversation‣ Research the people you’re meeting (add them and know
about shared connections/similarities)
‣ Do an in-depth research of the company, their investors, their market and their competition
‣ browse through their current job openings
‣ look at their current (and some former) employees
‣ prepare questions regarding the position, their current stage, product, people and their business
‣ read their crunchbase and glassdoor profiles
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Money‣ check payscale and comparibly for market salaries
‣ speak to HR experts
‣ take their company stage into account
‣ calculate what you need and what is important for you - even non-monetary
‣ prepare for negotiations (and try to do them in person)
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Some ethics‣ Sign the dotted line only if you want to take the
job.
‣ Don’t “overnegotiate". If you don’t have a good feeling about an offer, reject it.
‣ Always check contracts with an expert (not necessarily a lawyer).
‣ Do the follow up. But don’t be pushy.
Your checklist
01 Know who you areYour unique pitch Your online visibility Your CV
020304
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Know what you wantPotential employers Potential jobs Potential bosses
Get them to listenMaking connections Making an impression
Nail it!Do the research Do the maths Do the talking
I’ve been working in HR for startups for quite a while now (actually since the early days of digital businesses in 2000) and have seen both sides of the table. The corporate and traditional HR roles as well as modern, talent-focused work in fast growing companies. I’ve also switched from employee roles to being a consultant and ran a company as a managing director somewhere in between. Recruiting has always been my main task learned my craft whilst being in executive search for several years. With all these varied experiences, I am now focusing on early stage startups and helping them with all people issues in growing their business and becoming a great place to work.
[email protected] & [email protected]
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Some about me