Every job description I write starts as : “Startups are hard and they are not for weak hearted people”. It’s not easy to work in a startup. Everyone is not made for startups and you have to accept this fact. Next time if you accept a Job offer from a startup, just ask these 10 things to yourself and you will get the answer :
- Is it okay if startup CEO tell you in a meeting that he won’t be able to pay your salary this month and story repeats itself for three months continuously?
- Is it okay if your girlfriend call you up to meet but you are busy shipping your work and story repeats itself for more than 10 times continuously ? (You will end up in a break up
) - Is it okay if you have to work till 2 AM in the morning but still start the day at 10 AM and story repeats itself for 15 days in a month ?
- Is it okay if you will be asked to do the work that you used to think is the most suckiest job in the world ?
- Is it okay if your MBA friends warn you continuously is that this startup idea can’t work as they haven’t seen any case study like that ?
- Is it okay if your Parents call you up everyday and say : “Your brother is not just getting more salary than you but his company gave him a stay in hyatt for first one month” ?
- Is it okay if your friends get a US vacation from their company and upload the pics on facebook ?
- Is it okay if startup decides that current strategy is not working and your complete work is of almost no use ?
- Is it okay if startup in not able to raise VC money that CEO promised in last meeting and it has to bootstrap further ?
- Is it okay even after doing all this you can be fired ?
Haha, Sounds really tough. Actually not. It’s just that you should love what you are doing and everything will be okay to you. But yeah, there is no work life balance in a startup. Work is life, Life is work.
Okay important thing : We are still looking two hire to people for Operations Profile at bluegape. If you think you should accept the Job offer from a startup, drop me a mail at sbaghla@bluegape.com and we will catch up for a coffee/beer/tea.
P.S. : This shapeless soul tweets @sbaghla
P.P.S. : We just launched our customization tools, check at : bluegape.com/createyourown
Anamika Joshi
Hi Sahil.. It was a good read.. But as a start-up company (just completed 3 years), I wonder whether or not I want my employees (associates to be frank) to ask these questions to themselves. In fact as a start-up, you try to break this long-working hour myths (as put beautifully by a fellow rodinhooder – Perzen in her blog), we also try and help out people working for us to live a great life where work definitely comes first but doesn’t hamper their relationships outside.
Some of your points fall correct at times when there is a situation that calls for such dedication.. but the main thing I want my employees or associates to ask themselves before joining would be – are they looking for a job that gives them salary or a job that gives them growth and fulfills their passion to do something really meaningful.
Thanks for sharing your points.
Dr Saurabh Bhatia
Hi Sahil
you seem to be an expert on this 🙂
I have written a JD which i plan to float next week. Can you please help me improve it or at least comment on it:
**
We are a Healthcare-IT Startup and we are looking for a *Business Development Officer*
asha chaudhry
sahil,
anamika and some other rodinhooders of delhi are meeting up tomorrow – https://www.therodinhoods.com/events/delhi-rodinhooders-meet-up-structured
bluegape will allow you to do some rodinhooding!!! try to be there 🙂
Mahesh Khambadkone
I think your post is so relevant, it should be on a Naukri, not just on a portal celebrating entrepreneurship.
In this hyper-competitive economy, your rules don’t apply to just startups.
Haresh Patoliya
Thanks buddy, good information about jobs…