Building relationships with people in the right types of organisations is important.

So we’ll help you understand the different types of organisations that are out there, and suggest two ways you might start to build relationships with people in them.

Earlier stage vs established corporates

It’s a good idea to compare the experience of working in a smaller company that is earlier on in the journey, such as a start-up or a scale-up, to that of a large corporate.

This will help you have a better sense of what to expect before accepting a role. There are two types of earlier stage organisations, known as start-ups or scale-ups.

A start-up is a newer organisation that is still determining product-market fit, usually they are younger than three years old.

A scale-up is an organisation that is slightly further along, has proven their product-market fit and is in the process of expanding.

A large corporate is an organisation that is already well established within their market and has a large number of employees.

What follows is a list of common traits you can compare between the earlier stage organisations and large corporates.

These are general experiences and don’t always apply to every company.

Create a LinkedIn profile

Use LinkedIn to create a profile that clearly indicates your desire to find a role in technology. Your profile is a simple way for someone to get to know you, it’s pretty much the modern day CV.

Put effort into writing a tag line and description that expresses where your interest lies. Add any relevant courses and job experience you have. Even if you do some volunteer work, that’s worth adding, and it says a lot about you.

Once your profile is updated, make connections with people in the organisations you are interested in by adding them to your LinkedIn network.

Don’t be afraid to message people on LinkedIn and ask them to meet for a coffee or have a short video catch-up. Many people are more than happy to listen and also give you their advice.

Slack groups

Slack is a popular tool that technical folks use to collaborate with each other, both inside their organisation and with external groups.

Below are a number of popular Slack groups where people share information with each other. Such as job openings, advice, events and new tools.

Install Slack, and join any group that aligns with your interest. It’s totally free!

Here are some slack groups you can join:

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