Joining a startup with no big names on resume (other than school)
Slightly concerned that the last well known name on my resume was my school. It's been 3 years since. I have been working at respectable unicorns since then. I'm now considering joining a small startup but not sure how that would be vs a FB, Lyft etc on the resume, and my fear is that my resume might get diluted more if the startup doesn't do too well. What's the price I pay in career (not finances) if I choose to not have a good company name on my resume?
that small startup you work for could get acquired by big names😂
Obviously first up, do what makes you happy. But if a big name is likely to make you almost equally happy then it will open more doors than a no name startup. Obviously if the startup scales you will grow with it and that could be valuable. 2-3 years at a startup thats stagnant is definitely worse in terms of opening doors than an equally unproductive 2-3 years at a big name.
My bigger fear is not being considered for interviews at fb, Google etc. Given an opportunity I should be able to switch in future when the time comes. The question then is, would the startup put me at a place where I get ignored and not even considered?
If you know people at FB/G who can vouch for your skills, getting an interview wouldn’t be a problem. Although, one of the issues is that if the startup doesn’t go anywhere, those 2-3 years aren’t valued much and you typically get down leveled at these companies compared to peers with similar yoe.
Faang
I went to startup first then big company. I’m still regretting my decision now. It’s a lot harder to go from startup to a big tech company than the reverse. If startup doesn’t succeed, which often happens, you only get base pay which is usually a lot less than big tech, and your stock options become worthless. Even if startup succeeds, unless it’s the next google or Facebook, as fresh grad you probably won’t have enough stock option to matter anyways and often rsu from big tech will still be higher. Now, if you go to big tech first, it will be a lot easier to join startup after that, often you get up leveled a lot in the startup due to your big tech experience as well. Your stock option in the startup would also be a lot more significant because the startup has to offer you enough to pull you away from your current comp.
Exactly
Right. Everytime a startup team is presented in online media, they usually talk about how this member is an ex-Big N'er.
I did startups first, and in hindsight I agree the reverse is better. Get your feet wet learning what a mature, structured environment looks like, and then go to the startup world and bring your experience and Rolodex with you. Especially the Rolodex.
Work on being great at what you do. At the end of the day a company isn’t going to pass up on a gem simply because you don’t have a big name on your resume. Just know you probably have to work harder than your peers who do.
Just do what makes you happy. When the time comes you will be able to move to somewhere else. If you believe in it don’t let anyone convince you having Google is better. That’s their own direction.