Why Every Professional Should Consider Joining A Startup

Learnings from my move from corporate culture to a startup scene

Often dubbed Silicon Valley North, Canada’s startup scene is scorching. From Shopify to Slack to Hootsuite, our country boasts a number of highly successful startups that have raised the bar for innovation and employment. This is particularly true in Toronto, a city that recently beat San Francisco as the fastest-growing tech jobs market in North America. This comes as welcome news for new job seekers and experienced workers considering a non-traditional move away from the corporate world.
 

The latter is where I found myself when I decided to leave the familiarity of the corporate world for a gig running the Canadian office of an Australian startup. Throughout my career, I’ve led teams at multinational corporations, as the Managing Director of Apple Canada, and General Manager at HP, before making the move over to Xref. Now that I’ve worked in both environments, I can confidently say that the unique benefits of joining a small, nimble organization are invaluable. It’s a move I would encourage every professional to consider in their lifetime, and here are three reasons why:
 

A jump from corporate to the startup world might seem daunting like you are entering a whole new world, but that’s really not the case. Although there may be some glaring differences between big corporations and startups, if you dig a little deeper, there are also many similarities. When I was at Apple, Tim Cook once grilled me about the number of Bluetooth keyboards we sold over the course of a week. You might think that’s such a small detail in the grand scheme of things, but no detail of the business is ever too small to be worth your time. Attention to detail and organizational processes are just one of the many transferable skills you’ll be able to bring to a new organization.
 

When you’re a part of a smaller team, you are required to be resourceful and produce quality results on tight timelines. You’ll find yourself wearing a variety of different hats, and every contribution will have a direct impact on the success of the business in some way. It’s not that large companies don’t foster professional growth as well, but there’s simply no chance of falling into a stale routine at a startup. Each day requires you to be sharper and more efficient than the last. And because you’ll probably be working on multiple projects, the skills you acquire in a startup environment are more diversified than if you focused on a single task.  
 

Culture gets talked about a lot with startups — and for good reason! Startups tend to have more informal, flexible, and fun work arrangements than traditional companies. That’s not to say work isn’t getting done, just that how it gets done isn’t the focus. From my experiences, startups are more concerned about results and client satisfaction than managing staff schedules and dictating dress codes. So if you’re the kind of person who is self-motivated, but prefers a more laid-back office environment, you’ll feel right at home. The dynamics at many startups are still being established, so you won’t just thrive in the culture, you’ll help build it.
 

Derek Smith is General Manager at Xref North America. His knowledge of the North American HR market, specifically in relation to candidate screening, coupled with his extensive background in sales, marketing and leadership roles in high profile, technology companies including Apple and HP, make him the perfect addition to the team in a market that poses significant growth potential for the platform. Connect Derek Smith Visit www.xref.com Follow @xref