As college students look for more opportunities to stand out in a pool of job candidates, they are taking their internship experiences outside of the corporate environment. Startups are becoming increasingly more common, and today’s college grads are finding these environments ideal for learning and growing.
We’ve outlined 9 reasons why interning at a startup is key to scoring that dream job.
1. They are young, just like you. Working with others that are close to you in age allows for a certain rapport that you wouldn’t get in another internship. Startups are personable, allowing for more tight-knit and successful teams.
2. Networking and travel opportunities. In order for startups, and their fearless entrepreneurial leaders, to find success, they must know and understand other key players in the startup community. Additionally, startups are constantly going global to find the most effective and efficient ways to grow. Traveling across the country, and even the globe, is an added benefit for many startup employees.
3. Inspiration and motivation. We’ve all heard the stories of big lawyers or corporate CEO’s leaving their high-paying jobs to follow their dreams (which often means building a startup.) It’s hard not to be inspired and motivated by a community with such a forward-thinking and creative mindset.
4. Hands-on experience. Interns at startups are often given more responsibility right out of the gate. Startups are typically comprised of smaller teams, so interns are usually given the opportunity to do real work that gets real results.
5. Casual and flexible work environment. With a focus on growth and innovation, startups understand that happy employees are productive employees. Creativity and productivity flows much easier when employees are given the flexibility to work where and when they do their best work.
6. Your opinion matters. Startups often run a lean ship and aren’t interested in wasting time and resources on people that don’t have the company’s best interests in mind. This means all employees are heard, no matter their title.
7. They want you to succeed. Because startups are small, they know that they must value and nurture all employees. A startup is only as good as its employees, so a successful team is priority number one.
8. No bureaucracy. Startups are not concerned with hierarchy. Titles are less important in the startup realm, as collaboration and innovation determine the true success of a startup.
9. Builds up your entrepreneurial skills. Working with a young startup requires problem solving skills, critical thinking, and flexibility. These skills are keys to becoming an entrepreneurial superstar.
