than 500000 small businesses are started every ... - MonsterWorking

By David Bakke for Money Crashers Personal Finance

More than 500,000 small businesses are started every year in the United States, bringing abundant employment employment opportunities. But getting hired at a small business often requires a different set of skills and talents than finding employment with an established or larger business, and it can present a different set of challenges:

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Getting Hired:

1. Be Creative
When attempting to land employment at a startup, creativity can pay off. Consider less-traditional methods to sell yourself and make an impression, such as contacting the owner through postal mail, submitting an online video of why you want to work for them, or even creating an eBay-like listing, displaying your talents and skill set.

2. Be Specific
Research the target market of the company to which you are applying and emphasize specific skills and talents that show you can add value. Listing generic skills, such as the ability to multitask and being a ?team player,? just won?t fly when applying for a job at a startup. When writing your resume, provide specific examples from your work history that are relevant to the startup?s mission and goals.

3. Research
Conduct extensive research regarding the business, namely its goals, its history, information about the owner, and so forth. Small-business owners tend to be very picky about who they hire, so having a deep knowledge of the company?s background can certainly show impressive initiative.

4. Be Bold
Entrepreneurs are a daring sort, and they expect the same from their employees. However, there is a fine line between being bold and coming off as arrogant ? simply display to your potential bosses that you are as visionary and confident as they are.

5. Be Honest
During the interview and hiring process, be upfront and honest with the interviewer. You do yourself no good by embellishing talents or exaggerating work history. This may sometimes work in the corporate world, but if you choose to do this to get hired at a small business, the realities of your work experience and skill set will quickly be exposed.

Getting Ahead:

1. Be Available
Startups and small businesses are generally fluid entities, especially in the earliest stages. The owner will at times need to contact you for emergency work. Just make sure you are ?available? to them, whether it is via email, text message, or phone. The last thing you want is for your boss to be in need of your input or talent on a time-sensitive project and not be able to contact you.

2. Be Flexible
To excel at a startup, you must have the ability to perform any task under any time constraint, even if it falls outside your area of expertise. This can be difficult if your job at a startup provides only secondary income, but proving to your boss that you?re a ?go-to? person can lead to expanded opportunities within the company.

3. Be Willing to Work Hard
Small-business owners, especially in the beginning, typically work with skeleton crews. Therefore, they rely heavily on their limited staff. Working long hours may be the norm, but proving to the owner that you are willing to give extra effort can lead to promising future opportunities.

4. Be Willing to Contribute Ideas
Most small-business owners in the beginning do not need basic hourly employees ? they desire people who share their sincere desire for the long-term success of the venture, and who have the ability to contribute innovative ideas for the business to succeed. For example, if you?re hired on as an accountant at a startup, don?t resign yourself to the fact that you?re simply a record keeper and nothing more. Rather, as you review the company?s financial statements, for example, suggest ways to save money such as by taking advantage of small-business tax deductions. Prove to your boss that you can not only complete the tasks associated with your job, but also provide insights on how to improve the business overall.

Final Thoughts:
There is an entrepreneur inside all of us, and small-business owners desire people who are cut from the same cloth as they are. They want visionaries and diligent workers, and they crave creativity.

A job with a startup or small business is significantly different from one in corporate America, and provides opportunities to advance that not many other employers can offer. Ultimately, finding employment with a small business just may lead you to a lucrative career, or even down the path of small business ownership yourself.

Guest blogger David Bakke leads an online reselling business, and frequently writes about small business, careers, and money management on Money Crashers Personal Finance.

Have you ever worked for a startup or small business? What was the experience like? Share your thoughts in the Comments section. And for more tips, read ?How to Evaluate a Job at a Startup.?

Image: scottchan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Source: http://www.monsterworking.com/2012/02/27/how-to-get-hired-and-get-ahead-at-a-startup-company/

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