How to Not Land a Job at a Startup
RunGo recently had a table at the Vancouver Startup Week recruitment fair. I was impressed with the number of people there who were really good at not getting a job. I can only imagine they were there for all the cool swag companies give out at these event, or just to hang out with all the cool startup people. If it sounds like a great idea to get cool swag and hangout with cool startup people at a recruitment event without risking actually getting a job, here are some simple steps:
- Don’t do any research on companies at the event, even if the event had a list and links to the company websites. To stay under the radar, you don’t want to show any initiative at all. Definitely don’t Google the company to see if there has been any recent news, that would show you have some level of interest in them and they may think you actually want a job.
- Don’t try their product, if they make something you can try or download for free, like the RunGo App, don’t try it. That would show a dangerous level of interest in their product. Startups love it when potential employees are well-versed in their product. If you did this your chances of accidentally getting hired increase.
- Don’t check on what roles they are actually hiring for. Instead, the best way not to get a job is to tell them you are looking for a job that they have zero need for. Ie, if approaching a company that sells software for zoos, talk about your plumbing skills.
- Show how your values don’t align with the company. If you are talking to a fitness company like RunGo, tell us how you would never do anything active, and see your job-free independence stay protected!
- Don’t follow up with the company, even though the founder gave you a card and spent 20 minutes talking to you and took your resume. Don’t bother sending an email thanking them and maybe attaching a digital copy of your resume. That would make you stand out and make it way too easy for the company to follow up.
If you actually want a job with a startup then do the following:
- Research the company.
- Try their product. It could be fun!
- Check what roles they need.
- Show your values align with the company.
- Follow up with a (one not many) thank you message.
And guess what, RunGo is hiring: RunGoApp.com/jobs