The document outlines strategies for obtaining a job at a startup, including starting your own startup, joining an existing one, or identifying your skills' overlap with startup opportunities. It emphasizes the importance of industry knowledge, networking through informal outreach, and maintaining a consistent personal project. Additionally, it highlights key traits that CEOs look for in software developers: humility, empathy, T-shaped intelligence, and strong written communication.

1. How To Get Your First Job at a Startup
By DavidSmooke,
CEO/Founder @
HackerNoon
By

2. Option 1: Start a Startup

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Free Internet Plugin, and
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20k+ contributors
from just about every
tech company

4. OPTION 2: Join
a Startup

6. OPTION 3: Get other work,
be patient, and figure out
where your skills and
possible startup
opportunities overlap.

7. 3 Simple Ways Developers
Can Grow “From the Sidelines”
1, Grow Industry Knowledge
2, Reach out 1:1 to Ppl and Businesses
that interest you
3, Build Your Own Shit Everyday

8. 1, Grow Industry
Knowledge

10. College → Newspaper → SF Startup
Parent’s Basement
San Francisco Burn Rate

11. 2, Reach out 1:1 to
Ppl and Businesses
that interest you

12. Short Messages & Meetings About How to
Help the Business
Are Greater Than
Formal Cover Letters / Apply Process.

13. 3, Build Your Own
Shit Everyday

15. FUN FACT:
Everyone at HackerNoon started
part-time, including me.

16. Back to
OPTION 2: Join
a Startup

17. The Technical / Non-technical
Conversation From a Semi-
Technical Perspective, i.e.
What CEOs Look for When
Hiring Software Developers

18. 1, Humility
2, Empathy
3, T-Shaped Intelligence
4, Quality Written
Communication

19. 1, Humility
Are you likely to
overdeliver or
underdeliver?
Will your teammates
enjoy working with
you?

20. 2, Empathy
Do you care deeply
about the users your
work will impact?
To me, that means
that already show
signs of engaging in
community before
hiring

21. 3, T-Shaped Intelligence
Curiosity and knowledge around a little bit of
this and a little bit of that means you’ll probably
end up improving a little bit of this and little bit
of that all around the business.

22. 4, Quality Written
Communication
The written word is the
bridge to and from the
technical world and
the business world.

23. PUBLISH YOUR STORY WITH HACKERNOON
PUBLISH.HACKERNOON.COM

24. Join a Startup.. Like one of the 40k we listed
here

25. OPEN ROLES @ HACKERNOON
Careers.HackerNoon.com

26. Top 6k Site
Ranking Worldwide
3 Million + Monthly
Readers Worldwide
12 FTE, 22 PTE:
Software, Editorial,
and Sales.
20k+ contributors
from just every tech
company
By DavidSmooke,
CEO/Founder @
HackerNoon