Question: What one skill do you think young people looking for startup jobs should possess?
Trainability
"Employers are always seeking people who are easy to train, especially in a fast-growing company or a company with a changing business model. A person unwilling to be trained makes it easier for the employer to let them go when conducting an evaluation. Employers will always pick the employee who's easy to train over someone who is difficult to train. "
@derekcapo
Proactivity
"Startups are usually very small teams trying to accomplish a very large amount of work, which means everybody is very busy. The best team members in a startup are those who are proactive and not sitting around waiting to be told what to do. They're persistent when following up on communications and always being proactive about moving the company forward."
@timjahn
Writing
"In a startup environment, you'll need to be able to wear multiple hats. And the biggest part of that juggling act will be your ability to properly communicate, both internally and externally. From drafting an email to writing a presentation, writing is one of the most crucial elements that will determine how far your startup will go. "
@iamalexfrias
Problem Solving
"Startups are all about solving problems. Young people who want to get jobs in startups should develop the skill of quickly taking in a lot of information and developing a framework for analyzing it to articulate a viable set of possible solutions. Anyone who can contribute rigorous solution-generating skills will be an asset to a startup, as well as any organization they join thereafter."
@DoreenBloch
Perseverance
"Starting and running a startup is a huge emotional rollercoaster with high highs and low lows. If you give up after the first low, you might never get to the next high. Instead, you need to constantly be tinkering, improving and moving forward in small steps."
@imcharliegraham
Thirst for Learning
"At a startup, there is always more to do. In many ways, your job will change every day. You have to enjoy the process of learning and challenging yourself. If an employee enjoys learning and taking on new challenges, I'm confident he will be able to work independently and proactively to get things done. People who get things done make my life as CEO easier!"
@mitchgordongo
Consistency
"The ability to keep calm under pressure is important. One thing all startups have in common is they are going to have their ups and downs. The trick is to not get lazy when you're on top or give up when you're on bottom. Staying consistent and not giving in to the ups and downs is key. "
@PhilLaboon
