Well, if you want to use this provoking analogy, then I disagree. Recruiting for a company (whether that be a startup or any other) is like selling crack - you hope to make massive profits by taking advantage (long hours, low pay) of other peoples' dependency on you (not enough savings/skills/personal commitments/psychological barriers to move elsewhere).
I have rejected candidates for that. When you're hiring for a startup it's absolutely vital to have people who believe in the mission and the product and not just doing the bare minimum for a paycheck. If that's all you want, go work for the government, or Facebook.
But I think that the startup culture would do well to evolve away from using recruiters and rely more on networking.
The problem with that is that it makes it even more incestuous and hard to enter from outside. Yes, yes, if you can't find an employee to introduce you, you're not trying hard enough, etc, just like pitching a VC.
But seriously, given how hard a time we're having getting new blood now, making it harder to get in is negative progress. It's a lose.
I agree. I was not trying to defend jobs at startups. We're hiring but can't afford high salaries so I totally understand that such jobs are no good for most people : not well paid, you lose it if the company fails, long hours, stressful. There are good points too (I wouldn't be doing it otherwise!).
That's a lovely sentiment, but it's not close to reality when it comes to the presentation made when pitching those early-stage employees to join a startup.
Imagine a founder talking to an engineer about their fantastic idea, explaining how huge the opportunity is, etc. etc. and that the engineer will earn experience and a close-to-market salary. And you'll have options, but they likely won't be worth much unless we become Google, Amazon or Microsoft.
Yeah, I can't imagine that conversation either.
The demand for talent makes this situation appealing only to those who really need the experience. The highest quality talent -- the ones you need for your early-stage startup to succeed -- can do better than this nowadays.
I don't disagree, but at the same time: who gets hired by hot startups is not something under my control, and they have legitimate reasons (mixed in with illegitimate ones) for preferring people with a solid track record and name-brand affiliations.
Huh? I never said anything like that, my post simply explains the rationalizations of why an IITian might not choose to work on a startup. I think you read into something but I can't figure out what it is.
All I wanted to say was that there are several good reasons that make perfect sense in the context for an IITian to not join a startup.
EDIT: Great, so you misread and then downvote ? I don't think that's how it's supposed to work =/
it is not recruiters, most folks in corporates look at startups as competition, insubordinate, have a bias for action and understand business drivers much better
Although you may be warranted, I think you are completely wrong. Many people would love to join a startup that is already accepted into an incubator, live, with customers, and fair size of users.
Anyways, we had our CTO/Co-Founder leave to emergency reasons within his immediate family, forcing him to move homes and find immediate income. Now a great situation for the business and even worse for him.
Consequently, we were put in position to find a replacement in the final several weeks. We have received dozens if not hundreds of "reach outs" for people interested, people willing to help, etc. It is a matter of selecting the correct person that is the process.
We also receive a fair share of these "downer" messages attacking the position saying things like "they just want someone to work for free" or whatever it may be. Maybe warranted, maybe not, but it is much better for everyone to think that yourself.
Then again, you probably wouldn't be looking for a job if your startup was a success. I agree with you though -- I think it's just a case of them not wanting someone with a high level of ambition and drive, and instead needing someone who would fill that position for the long term.
I think hiring young professionals is not the best option for a startup. They consume a lot of your time and energy and can't be as productive as middle or senior specialist.
And, a startup is more than a job, it's a lifestyle.
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