According to the consulting firm, Robert Walters, in the last 12 months, there has been a 20% increase in the number of employees switching to a startup. In addition, this figure is expected to continue to rise, due to the fact that half of the professionals say that their next professional move could be towards one of these emerging companies.
As the war for talent rages on, with roughly three times as many job openings posted as talent available, Alberto MunozDirector in the Technology Division at Robert Walters, shares why startups are slowly but surely winning the war for talent.
Accelerated professional development
With a relatively horizontal structure and hands-on founders and CEOs, new hires at start-ups have a real chance to be part of the leadership team from day one.
“By taking on several different responsibilities and working closely with the most senior members of the team, startups allow the professional to prove their worth from the beginning and to know if their work has had a direct impact on the business”comments Alberto Muñoz.
Unlike the hierarchical structures typical of more consolidated companies, the horizontal structure typical of startups allows participation from the initial stages of a project until its completion, and as a result, the rate of career growth within these organizations is much higher.
Therefore, it is not surprising to see that in a global survey conducted by Robert Walters, more than half of professionals (52%) say that would be willing to accept a new job at a startup, at the expense of attractive salary compensation, as long as they had the opportunity to progress much faster in their career than in a big solid company.
growth mindset
Startups are designed to have high growth potential, so it is not surprising to see that, on average, decisions are processed four times faster than in an organization of more than 250 employees.
The fast-paced, changing nature of a startup keeps employees on their toes, encouraging them to continue to develop new skills as they go about their assignments, and to push themselves further. than reflected in the original job description.
Albert adds: “By working for a startup, professionals can understand how the entire company works and develop their business profile. Some startup leaders argue that these on-the-job business lessons are, in fact, better than an MBA.”
The aforementioned Robert Walters survey found that 33% of professionals are leaving their corporate jobs to “try something new,” and another 15% are looking to develop new skills.
Change Agent Culture
Being a member of a startup team entails big responsibilities. No matter what the degree, the work will have an impact on the growth and success of the company and, in turn, this will make you feel that the projects that are being developed have a real purpose and is a great motivation.
In fact, a third of professionals (34%) say the reason they would switch to these businesses is because of the challenging and interesting work, and many say the skills they develop at the self-management and prioritization of tasks, they are in line with your personal life.
For Alberto Munoz: “Working for a fast-scaling startup can be an intense growth experience, so inevitably, a professional will become more proactive and ambitious outside of work. People who work in a startup environment are constantly thinking about how to improve things, are more aware of problems and how to solve them, and are more open to new cultures and ways of thinking.”
Team spirit
Almost half of professionals (42%) say that one of the most important values when looking for their next professional challenges is “the colleagues and a culture that inspires them to give the best of themselves”, That is why the culture of startups is something to value.
These companies tend to foster a close-knit collaborative environment, which encourages people to help out on tasks outside of their original purview. Alberto Muñoz indicates in this regard: “Within the startup environment there is a great motivation to learn from others and contribute their own knowledge and experience”.
These organizations often prefer a flat structure to a rigid hierarchy, which allows for open discussion and cooperation among all team members. 30% of professionals say that the most attractive thing about a startup is its open and efficient management structure.
Diversity in every sense of the word
Startups have a core focus on finding the best talent that can help them achieve their ambitious goals, and as a result, they remove any kind of socio-economic or geographic barrier to finding their stars.
As a result, within a startup it is common to find very diverse coworkers, of all kinds of nationalities, backgrounds and ideologies. Due to the nature of these teams, there will naturally be a wide exchange of different work styles and skills. Albert adds: “This strong multicultural environment can open the mind beyond work and tasks. It also leads employees to have a global vision”.
and diversity not only resides in people, hardly any two days are the same within a startup. Typically, most team members have to “juggle” and take on roles outside of their specific role to contribute to the success of the overall business.
The diversity of tasks helps to develop new skills very quickly, in addition to the fact that the professional can often learn directly from the founder of the company and/or from the most senior employees.
Innovation
The nature of startups is different from that of traditional companies, mainly because are based on disruptive innovation, they encourage immediate thinking and being creative with tight budgets and fewer resources.
Autonomy is not considered a benefit within a new company, but a fact. This is why 28% of professionals leave a job with an established organization to join a newly established business.
