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What is the best way to find an engineering position at a startup? Typical job listing sites don't often have postings for these opportunities. While I realize networking is key, how does one get the right connections to work at the next Silicon Valley startup, whether it be at an early stage or series funded startup?

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4 Answers

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Here is a fantastic list on websites which publish job listings:

http://www.maxmasnick.com/articles/jobs/

There are some (like AngelList) mentioned which are specific for startup positions.

But actually I have not heard of many who got their startup job that way. Many of my friends got their jobs because they already knew somebody in the company. Thus I would recommend to hang around on startup events.

Another you can try is to check the job pages of your favorite startups to get a job. It is not early stage, but many of the companies I know really look for employees and I guess your chances are good if you are already a user of their product.

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This is really helpful, Christian. I have seen job listings on websites of companies whose product I already use. Seeing a list of startups I may not be aware of, like on AngelList, is what I was looking for to help get into the startup world. Thanks again. – wwwuser Oct 6 '12 at 19:28
Great to hear that. Good luck with your search! – Christian Oct 6 '12 at 19:34
up vote 1 down vote

There is a website meetup.com that helps like-minded individuals get together face-to-face on a regular basis. Many of those meet ups are targeted to the software and other technologies used by startup companies. I would look to meetup.com for a list of meetings close to you and then start attending.

The coordinators for each of these meetups are always looking for presenters, too. Get creative, write a tool, put together a comparison, write a talk from the new user's perspective. That not only shows creativity and initiative, but it will grease the skids for follow-on networking.

Good luck.

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The best way is to follow these Startups online, find the ones that matches your passion and skills, and look out for job openings. In the meanwhile, connect with the existing employees so that your application will be backed up by relevant comments and recommendations when the time comes.

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Probably the best way is to be a top expert in your field. In this way they will come to you and offer you a slice of the cake, instead of just peanuts.

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