To Start Up Or Not To Start Up

Three questions Marketing Analytics Candidates should be asking themselves when applying to Tech Start-ups.

With a skillset in marketing analytics, candidates in the US have a plethora of companies to choose from. One big space where there is a growing need for analytics talent is in the tech start-up space, even with the decline in investment and lack of start-ups going public last quarter.

New York is a wonderful hotbed for emerging and established Adtech and FinTech businesses (and I'm lucky enough to work with some of them). It is not an understatement to say that most traditional media and advertising agencies are losing out to the tech start-up space. On a daily basis, candidates tell me that they would love to work for a start-up and it seems to be an increasingly popular demand.

Now I'm not saying every start-up culture or environment is the same, of course every company is different. However, these are the three key thinking points candidates should be thinking about when applying to a tech start-up.

1) How hands-on am I willing to be?

Unlike bigger companies with established analytics structures and frameworks, there aren't huge teams beneath you doing the 'hands-on' work. Teams tend to be a lot leaner so there is no choice, you have to be hands-on. i.e. Modeling, coding, data analysis, presentation. In the interview process, you will be asked about your hands-on capability and how recent this has been. You need to be able to demonstrate that you want to roll your sleeves up and 'get down with the data'.

2) Am I looking for a title?

Again, teams are generally lean with flat structures or have a partial structure in place so you may be applying for a role that does not have the same title as your current job. You need to focus more on responsibilities and opportunities for growth. Start-ups are looking for collaborators and team players. You need to show you are not fazed by titles but more excited about the task and the opportunities at hand.

3) What experience do I have with new technologies?

This isn't a pre-requisite at all, quite the opposite. However, it is worth remembering that a lot of new emerging businesses won't be SAS shops, they are more likely to be using technologies like R or Python. It's also worth remembering, that they will want to hear what you could bring to them as they might not have an analytics roadmap fully executed yet. Having examples of technologies and tools you have implemented will certainly help!

I know I haven't covered everything, but here are some pointers to get you started. Has anyone recently interviewed at a start-up and felt it wasn't for them? Have any start-ups felt like they aren't seeing the right candidates? I'm always keen to hear what my network think.

	Vicky Booth