October 4, 2022 | #Careertips | MNI
There are many reasons why interning at a well-known organization is a great start to your career. It looks amazing on your CV and you benefit from intangibles such as a structured work environment, industry focused training programs, a cohort of interns to work with, and usually a salary that’s not far off the national graduate average.
Sounds great, right? But have you considered applying for internships at different types of companies, such as a start-up, for example? Applying for an internship in a start-up might not have been your first thought, which is why this guide has been put together: to give you insight into another option that is available to you and to explain why a start-up internship might be a better choice. Here are 6 reasons to intern for a Startup.
1. Higher chance of securing the internship
Not many students consider placements at start-ups when looking for internships; because of this reason alone, applicants will face less competition when applying for an internship. At the same time, corporations tend to have fixed internship periods, an application window, and a rigid interview process, which often eliminates many students from the process.
On the other hand, you will find that start-ups tend to be more flexible and most regularly hire throughout the year. At the same time, the interview process is often less rigorous, both in the number of rounds and the type of candidates they are looking to hire. As a result, start-ups are more flexible with their candidate selection, and if you make the right impression with what you have to offer, your chances are higher of receiving an offer.
It is important to note that the lack of competition is not due to a inferior experiences gained at a start-up but mainly because many students are unaware of start-ups.
2. More responsibility
An internship in a large well-known organization has lots of perks. That said, in a start-up environment, all time and resources are precious, which means you’ll be working on high value add projects that will impact the business from day one. At the same time, given the lean nature of start-ups, interns will be required to wear multiple hats, solve problems ranging from numerous disciples and gain a broad range of experiences and skillsets.
An added and often overlooked benefit of working for a start-up is that the constant challenge of solving new and uncommon problems will give you the confidence to take on new projects and just run with them. This experience will be invaluable and give you the extra edge you need when applying for your first job. Many people with internships in big companies will not have this type of experience.
3. Learn how organizations work
Working as an intern for a big company often limits your exposure to the entire business as you are assigned tasks and projects related to supporting your immediate business unit. Although this is a great learning opportunity, and you’ll still end your internship with a breadth of knowledge, it leaves interns lacking functional knowledge about the rest of the organization.
At start-ups, this is not the case. Start-ups have smaller, leaner teams – increasing the chances that intern projects will touch all business functions, giving them a holistic view of how the business operates.
Another great thing about start-ups is that they like to keep (and can keep) all employees in the loop to foster innovation and encourage active idea sharing and feedback, so interns are involved in discussions that should positively impact the company.
This is perfect if you are unsure about what you want to do in the future, as you’ll get plenty of experience trying out different tasks.
4. Get more feedback
With various responsibilities and different job functions, interns will get valuable feedback on the work they've done. Getting feedback from peers at a start-up will also be more accessible than in larger companies, primarily because interns will work more closely with senior colleagues and build better relationships with them. The long-term benefits of feedback can not be understated, as interns will get an accurate idea of what they are naturally good at, helping guide them when applying for their first full-time roles.
5. Experience a different type of work culture
Rather than working in an office with hundreds of cubicles while wearing full business attire, start-ups tend to be more open. Oftentimes start-ups will opt for business casual and will favour an open office space environment, such as big round tables where everyone can work together. This is often not the case for a corporate office. Neither type of work culture is wrong, but it will come down to your preferences. Choose an environment in which you will be able to succeed.
6. Interact with other employees and not just your intern cohort
Corporations usually plan out internship programs with social events centered around the interns, meaning interns will mostly work and interact with other interns. Though this is not necessarily bad, and many fellow interns will become part of your future network, it does limit interacting and networking with full-time employees.
There are usually fewer interns in a start-up environment, which means your daily interactions will be with full-time employees. The benefit is that you will get more insight and advice from those who are currently working in your field, and you will also be creating a valuable network that you may one day be able to call upon. In addition, you may find their experience and your work relationship with them to be a valuable tool in the future.
Conclusion
The most significant differences between working for a start-up or a corporation are the working environment and the tasks you will complete. Ultimately, deciding which one to work for comes down to which setting better fits your personality and career goals. Getting an internship in a big corporation is a great way to start your career. However, if your career goals are to help a business grow from the bottom up or start your own business, working as an intern in a start-up will give you all the experience you need. Below is a list of five up and coming Alberta based start ups.
Orennia provides trusted commercial analytics to help inform investment and capital allocation decisions for renewable and zero-carbon energy. Orennia's insights, curated by highly experienced industry experts, help investors in the renewable power sector accelerate their time-to-value and make confident investment decisions.
Validere enables industry participants to optimize operational and trading decisions through a real-time view of their product quality data. The company delivers advanced quality intelligence for O&G companies to know true product quality in real-time and optimize logistics and trading. Active deployments across leading producers and midstream organizations are yielding significant cost savings and revenue enhancements.
Validere was founded by Harvard graduate and award-winning scientist Dr. Ian Burgess and entrepreneur Nouman Ahmad, who both recognized the enormous opportunity to bring data transparency to oil and gas.
Neo Financial is a FinTech company that provides spending, savings, and rewards programs.
Through partnerships with leading financial institutions, Neo provides members with a safe and secure way to spend and save. Neo’s credit card is issued by ATB Financial and backed by the Mastercard network, and the Neo Savings account is provided by Concentra Bank, a CDIC member institution, and is eligible for CDIC deposit protection. Neo is headquartered in Calgary, AB, and is backed by top investors across North America.
Founded in 2018 by co-founders of SkipTheDishes, it uses technology to simplify finances and create rewarding experiences for all Canadians.
Benevity is a Calgary-based company that provides charitable donation-management and grant-management platforms. It offers a workplace giving platform that includes custom cause portfolios and disaster response, company and user-generated volunteering, dynamic news and blog content, charitable rewards and matching incentives, centralized donation management and payroll deductions, and comprehensive reporting capabilities; consumer engagement solutions that include e-commerce and online, integrated donation management, loyalty rewards, charitable gift cards, mobile giving, and customized solutions; cloud-based employee engagement solutions; community impact solutions; and professional services, including interface design and development, charity vetting and due diligence, donation processing, international program development, custom collateral and launch planning, and customized services.
Benevity's platform and products enable companies to build social responsibility, achieve business impacts from their cause marketing, community investment, workplace giving, and volunteering programs. It attracts, retains, and engages customers, employees, and partners. Bryan Lottinville, Jason Becker, and Ryan Courtnage founded it in 2008, with its headquarters in Calgary in Canada.
Nuvessl
NuVessl is a nanotechnology company that specializes in pharmaceutical, product development, and research development. NuVessl is a world leader in nano-encapsulation delivery systems enabling the delivery of ingredients faster, stronger and more effectively to the body. NuVessl's delivery systems are all- natural, patent protected and in expensive.
The company was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Alberta, Canada.
Harvest connects founders and startups across Canada with world-class services to co-build startups into globally competitive companies. Think of us as an extension of your team–we look for opportunities to support a business beyond the traditional constructs of an agency. And the best way to break down barriers and accelerate growth is to provide access to the right resources and talent, at the right time. Co-building with Harvest means our partners have access to our extended team and network to help propel their business forward.
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