Most startup founders often think hiring staff should be a breeze. While many enthusiastic people would find the prospect of joining a young, dynamic company attractive; uncertainty about the future of the company and a lack of corporate structure might deter potential candidates.
“For the most part, the culture of a startup is very different to a large, established corporation”
VentureVillage, an international online resource, recently conducted a survey of more than 150 participants.
Pros
One of the key findings from the survey was that company perks, surprisingly, did not even make it to the top five pros of working at a startup, which include greater flexibility and more responsibility. Good team dynamics and an open work environment were the biggest reason given by respondents for working for a startup.
“For the most part, the culture of a startup is very different to a large, established corporation. It feels more personal, and employee ideas still have a chance of being heard,” one respondent wrote in the survey.
Cons
The downsides of working for a startup according to the survey respondents, was a lack of organisational structure and low salary.
Researchers also found that although a certain amount of self-belief and self-promotion can be good for the startup ecosystem in terms of bringing in talent, however, that self-belief can also breed a culture of self-righteousness; with one respondent saying they were put off by, “evangelic startup people preaching that their companies are something like the Mecca”.
All is not lost however, small business owners can work on effectively marketing the benefits of their startup, and also find creative ways to work around some of the disadvantages.
The infographic below shows what potential staff will be considering before they make that leap.
