One of the myriad of challenges in starting a company is finding and hiring employees. You need to find the people with the right talent and the right skill set, but also people with the right mind-frame – people who share that entrepreneurial spirit and are willing to face the challenges of working with a newly-established company.
Although the unemployment rate might suggest that anyone with a job opening would have a long list of applicants to choose from, even in an economic downturn, startups compete with larger, more established firms for skilled labor. And as established firms typically have deeper pockets for pay and benefits as well as staff dedicated to recruiting “the best and the brightest,” startups might struggle to compete.
In addition to startups wondering how to convince someone to work there, prospective employees also often wonder if a startup is really the right fit?
Y Combinator is sponsoring an event tomorrow night that seeks to address these issues. “Work at a Startup” is a job fair, of sorts, where over 30 startup founders will make their pitch to 100 job applicants.
The event also seeks to answer some of the questions potential employees might have about working at a startup: How can you tell whether a startup would be good to work for? How much salary should you expect? How much equity? What are the danger signs you should watch for?
Programmers submitted their resumes in order secure an invitation, and the companies at the fair are all YC-funded. And while the event is invitation-only, it will be live-streamed by Justin.tv: http://justin.tv/ycombinator.
Even if you aren’t attending, the presenters are likely to answer questions that both entrepreneurs and job-seekers have about working for a startup.
