How to Get your Dream Graduate Job in a Tech Startup

So you want to score your dream graduate job at a tech start-up, but you don’t know where to start. The world of EdTech, FinTech, PropTech and everything in between can be really confusing to navigate. Suddenly, ‘tech startup’ as a category becomes massive.

Scoring a graduate job in this field is no easy feat. You need to figure out just what you want and what the employers want to see.

Let’s focus on improving attitude to secure a graduate job

One thing tech companies seem to care about a lot is their culture. This is basically the vibes employees experience while working there. Tech CEOs want to work with people they actually like, so the best way to get a grad job at a startup is to become a chameleon.

I’m not telling you to change your entire personality, but if you can make yourself seem more in tune with them, you’re going to increase your chances.

Tech companies tend to really value the all hands on deck approach to work. So this means that they’re looking for enthusiasm, passion and that mystical can-do attitude.

So if you’re someone that really thrives working on their own projects alone… this life might not be for you. But saying that, tech startups also value independence! You need to be able to manage your own time, have your own ideas and make things happen.

As you’re looking to score a job in a smaller company, you’re going to have very few people to cover for you. This means that being independently minded and results-driven is vital! If not, nothing would get done.

How is your mindset?

If there’s one characteristic you’ll find in all tech startups, it’s innovation. I know innovation is like a buzzword in this industry, but what I mean is the people in these companies are always trying to improve.

They’re fuelled by creativity and are constantly coming up with new ideas.

A great way to show your dedication to innovation is to put your money (or lack thereof) where your mouth is!

So run your own blog, create a big social media presence, work on open source projects in your spare time and above all else – keep trying!

Innovation isn’t about making the best thing all the time, it’s about having the resilience to stick with a project and make it work.

Prove your skills to secure the tech graduate job

One thing tech companies can’t afford is dead weight. They want to grow – fast – and they need the top talent to get there. But lucky for most of us, they also probably can’t afford the best of the best to hire. So they give average Joe’s like you and me a chance!

The way to prove that you’re able to grow and become the best is to demonstrate your passion for learning. Tech is always evolving, so you not only need to keep up with the news. You need to actually like keeping up with the news!

So take a free course (or 15), attend webinars, build up a stunning portfolio and take on every little job you can until you make it to your big break.

Be crafty

Hunting for graduate jobs is super tough. I hate to break it to you, but you could be hunting for months… if you do it the normal way.

Traditional job hunting is all about diligently waiting for opportunities to come to you when they’re advertised. But that doesn’t sound very tech start-up to me.

I would seriously recommend making opportunities, not waiting around for them!

This means doing some dreaded networking, cold emailing founders and being proactive. Now this is the part of job hunting that most people shy away from because it’s scary! Reaching out to strangers can be really hard, but it’s worth remembering that these people probably got to where they are by chatting.

You’re never going to thrive in a startup if you aren’t bold and brave, so give it your best shot! You got this! Your dream graduate job in a tech start-up is waiting for you.

Guest post by DigitalGrads.