Writing a CV can be a daunting task, whether it’s your first one or you’ve just decided to move forward on your career journey. We’ve read thousands of CVs in our time and we’ll be honest - there have been tears. Sometimes, these were joyful but often these tears were cries of desperation. So we decided to note down most common mistakes we find.

We know you. A busy, unstoppable founder, juggling a million things at once – who has time for interview planning while they’re busy conquering your industry?

We know you. A busy, unstoppable founder, juggling a million things at once – who has time for interview planning while they’re busy conquering your industry?

As a visionary startup founder, you want it to be innovative, fast-paced, and highly productive. However, amidst the whirlwind of creative chaos that a startup can often be, there’s one thing you cannot afford to ignore: the psychological safety of your crew.

Picture this: your new employee arrives all fired up and ready to start. They’re bursting with energy, they radiate optimism and it’s a little like a ray of sunshine coming into office every day. You’re thinking “whoa! I hired a superstar!”

And then the Valley of Death comes along…

In today's fast-paced and competitive business landscape, startups face numerous challenges when it comes to building their brand, establishing a market presence, and driving sustainable growth. While many entrepreneurs recognize the importance of marketing, they often lack the resources or expertise to navigate this complex domain. This is where Fractional Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) come into play.

For startups, the role of a Chief Product Officer (CPO) is critical in defining and executing product strategy. However, not every startup has the resources or need for a full-time CPO. This is where fractional CPOs come into play. Fractional CPOs provide startups with the expertise and guidance of an experienced CPO on a part-time or project basis. 

Launching and scaling a startup requires a diverse range of skills and expertise at different times. While having a full-time executive team is often seen as the norm, an emerging trend in the startup world is the utilisation of fractional C Suites. This innovative approach allows startups to tap into specialised expertise on a part-time or project-specific basis, providing cost-effective solutions and strategic guidance without the loss of expertise.

Let’s face it. When you’re hiring a new employee, your work doesn't end when they accept the offer and sign on the dotted line. You'll need to put the effort in to ensure that they have a wholly positive experience from their first day and having an effective onboarding process can be one of the best ways of doing just that.

In a world brimming with diverse individuals, understanding ourselves and others is essential for personal and professional growth. With hybrid and remote working environments limiting face-to-Face Interactions, it is even more challenging to gauge and understand others accurately.

When you’re interviewing candidates for your startup, time is of the essence. You only have a limited number of minutes to gather as much relevant information as possible. The questions you ask make all the difference here. Are you using the right ones?

Over the years, our lives have become increasingly solitary and disconnected. As our social fabric has frayed, our mental health has suffered a similar decline. As humans, even those hard-core introverts, we crave connection. A community can help.

Are you turning people off your startup before they join? Or perhaps losing people too soon? Startups are dealing with the challenges of not only finding but retaining top talent. Making sure potential candidates know exactly who they are joining is one of the most important things you can do to prevent any issues down the line.

It’s not enough to simply assume that they turn up, you give them a quick rundown of their role and they’ll just get on with it. If you don’t put the effort in and create an effective onboarding plan and a positive experience for your new employee, you could end up recruiting for their replacement a lot sooner than you expect.

If you want to make sure your new hire is a successful addition to your startup team, then you’ll need to focus on their onboarding. After all, an effective onboarding process will mean that your new employee fully understands the company mission, values, culture, and policies.

With hybrid work seemingly here to stay, more and more startups are recognising that whilst this flexible working model can offer many advantages, it brings plenty of challenges too - particularly when it comes to keeping teams connected and engaged.

Let’s face it - most startup founders spend those early days building the business, developing the product or service, acquiring those all-important customers, and perhaps chasing investment. However as a startup grows, so too does its community - the clients, the product or service users, the investors, the fellow founders…

If your startup is going to succeed, then hiring the right people for your startup is, of course, an absolute must. But what happens when those people, that fab talented team that you’ve built start to head for the exit

Working in a startup can sometimes be quite a challenge. You have to be adaptable, resilient, at times very creative, and generally ready for anything that comes your way. We all need a little bit of a boost every now and then - so if you’re looking for some personal development or some inspiration - these podcasts will have you covered…

Getting up-to-date news, learning about new trends, and discovering new startups are just a few of the many reasons we listen to podcasts. The only issue is choosing which ones to listen to, with so many great ones out there. So here are 8 of our favourite podcasts to help…

Whilst you'll never really know for sure what an interviewer is going to ask you until the interview itself, there are some questions that are pretty much a given. No matter what the role, no matter what industry sector the startup is in, there are certain questions which you definitely ought to prep for - no matter how experienced a candidate you may be.

When you’re recruiting for your startup and you get to the interview stage, it’s not simply a matter of showing up, asking a few questions and expecting the candidates to do all the work by impressing you with their responses.

When you’re interviewing for a first hire or even a team expansion you want to get it right. There’s a real talent shortage at the moment and startups like yours are competing for the best possible candidates…do you want to miss out on a fantastic hire because you didn’t handle the interview correctly? No, of course not.

It’s Global Entrepreneurship Week - a week when people all over the world unite through a whole series of events, programs, and initiatives in a bid to inspire others to consider the entrepreneurship pathway. We thought we would mark the occasion by once again shining a light on some of the inspiring female entrepreneurs who have sought to inspire others via both their business endeavours and the books they have written.

There can be no denying that the current cost of living crisis is difficult to ignore. We're all being impacted in some way - whether it's mortgage interest rates, energy prices, or the cost of our weekly shop. Now, more than ever, it’s important that you support your team.

For a very long time, menopause was a taboo topic, something that tended to be swept under the carpet. This is, thankfully, changing now with more and more celebrities talking about their experiences and employers recognising the need to do their bit and support their employees. A welcome change, long overdue…

When you’re recruiting for your startup, you need a well-crafted sales pitch for candidates which everyone in the interview process is aligned with. It’s easy to assume that all the prep and research in advance of the interview has to only be undertaken by the candidates.

Life in a startup can be pretty unpredictable, particularly in the early days. It’s a dynamic environment where things can change quickly and everyone in the entire startup team - from the founder through to the newest hire needs to be able to adapt accordingly.

If you want to attract and retain the best talent in your startup, one of the areas that you'll need to focus on is the perks and benefits package that you offer your employees. And whilst benefits such as annual leave policy, flexible working and health and wellbeing support are of course hugely important, one of the most rewarding elements that you can add to that package is Employee Volunteering.

Whilst a new hire has the potential to change many aspects of a startup, when they're in a leadership role, the impact they can have is even greater - from the effect and influence they have on the rest of the team, to the overall culture and of course the future success of the business. Getting the right person in place as a leader is therefore key.

Although there has been a rich pool of talented overseas students at UK universities and colleges for many years it hasn’t always been that easy for UK employers to recruit them once they graduate, primarily from an immigration perspective. UK’s new Graduate Route opened in July 2021 which changed things - and we’re here to help you…

When you begin the process of hiring for your startup, it’ll usually be because of one of two reasons - you’ve identified a clear skills gap you need to fill, OR there are simply tasks that are becoming too time consuming.It's becoming increasingly evident that hiring a Founders Associate can be one of the best ways to really develop your business further and ultimately make your startup vision a reality.

Flexible, hybrid working is quickly becoming the norm for most startups. So if you’re one of them and you plan on continuing the culture of choice (of the place of work), you’ll need to make sure all your policies and procedures - such as your travel policy - are up to date and ready. As always, we have tips…

Hiring that first important employee to a startup is a big deal - for the founder, it’s a moment of pride but it’s also a big change - in a way, they’re having to let go of their ‘baby’. For the employee, this is an exciting moment, full of anticipation and opportunity. It’s quite a learning curve for both, and mistakes happen…but we have a few ideas to help.

There are lots of momentous steps when you’re building your startup - from your website going live to getting validation for your MVP. And hiring your first employee is another one of those - it’s a pretty big deal. We’re here to help with a few tips…

Whilst there are some clear advantages to working from home - from not having to deal with the daily commute to being able to wear your PJs to work, it's still not quite the same as working in an office. And whilst some of your startup team maybe still working remotely or have gone down the hybrid route, those days when they're back in the office will feel pretty special.

One of the most important areas where you can support your employees is their financial wellbeing. And even though each employee's personal circumstances may vary, the core elements of what financial wellbeing is will pretty much be the same for all - it's about having control over day-to-day finances, being ready to handle any unexpected challenges and feeling equipped and ready for the future.

All that experience and the skills you have developed can make you a huge asset to a startup team. However, as is the case with all candidates, if you're going to get that dream role, you’ll still need to perform well at the interview.

When you’re recruiting for your startup, it’s vital to hire people who don’t just have the skills and experience that you need but to hire those who have particular personality traits too - like proactivity, for example.

Building your startup team has many challenges - and people with the right mindset are vital to its success. You’ll need to find people who take on challenges with a positive, can-do attitude…

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it's that the ability to adapt quickly to new and ever-changing circumstances is a trait that we all could do with having. For some people it comes naturally - and these people could be of huge benefit to your startup…

Whilst skills can be taught and experience gained, personality traits are inherently natural abilities - and one of the most valuable and powerful traits that you should look for in prospective employees is curiosity.

The world of work changed forever last year and flexible working took on an entirely new meaning for us all. The daily commute to the office disappeared and remote working became the norm. However, as the vaccine rollout continues, things are changing once again and a new working environment is beginning to emerge - hybrid working.

When you’re recruiting for your startup, it would be great if you could easily get a balanced gender mix of candidates applying for your roles. That's unfortunately not always the case.

Whether you are actively recruiting right now or not, your website should feature a permanent, dedicated Careers page. We’re here to help you create one that will showcase your business as a great place to work - and there’s more to it than a simple job description.

World Earth Day is here again! It’s always fantastic to see people and organisations alike marking April 22nd as a day when they can proactively show their support for environmental issues and protection. However, this is certainly not something that should be reserved to this one day - we all need to be doing our bit on this - at all times.

Unfortunately, many businesses don't put a lot of time into their recruitment and hiring processes, it can be something of an afterthought. That in turn can have a hugely negative impact; a disjointed process can not only lead to unnecessary stress but the potential of losing out on fab candidates too. We can help - here are some of our top tips which will guide you to get your processes in order…

As most of you will know, Monday, March 8th is International Women's Day - a global day when we celebrate women and all their social, economic, cultural and political achievements. One of the things that we thought we’d do to mark the event is celebrating some of the fantastic female entrepreneurs who openly share their stories and inspire and empower so many others.

With everything that’s going on, it’s more important than ever to show your thanks and express your gratitude to your startup employees. In fact, in our previous posts, we’ve highlighted lots of different ways that you can do just that, including some fab gift ideas to say thanks to your employees. However whilst it’s vital to recognise the individual members of your team, it’s equally important to consider the entire team.

In our last post, we focused on the various different ways that you can say thanks to your employees, if you want to share your love and appreciation for them. This time though, we thought we’d highlight some of the best options for saying thank you with a gift. So, if you want to keep them happy, acknowledge their efforts and say thank you to one (or all) of the employees in your startup, here are 15 gift ideas to help you do just that...

February is upon us once more - the month of love, appreciation and Valentine’s Day celebrations. That love and appreciation shouldn’t just be reserved for your nearest and dearest though - showing your employees that you truly value and appreciate them is important too!

In this work-from-home time, it can be easy to forget to show you appreciate their work so we’re sharing a few tips and pointers to help you simply say thank you to your employees.

Finding a job can be tough during a recession. If you’re on furlough, or job hunting, read our key tips on updating your LinkedIn profile to make it easier for companies to find and hire you.

So, in the midst of these still-challenging times, how can you help your startup team to stay happy? In addition to ensuring that you maintain a positive team culture, and keep your team together especially if most of the team are still working remotely, you should also be proactively encouraging your team to take time for some self-care.

In a bid to help, we’ve put together a host of apps and tools that can help you to encourage happiness in your startup team and also their current costs...

The way in which you describe your company and what you do can have a huge impact on the type of candidates that apply for the role. Here, we explore some of the top tips to help you write a compelling About Us section in your job description.

Whilst a CV will of course give you a good idea of what a candidate is like, an interview will of course reveal a whole lot more. However, sometimes the standard interview format, the questions and answers are just not enough. If you want to get a much greater insight into potential candidates, one of the best ways to do this is to be a little more creative and set them an interview task. Here, we outline some tips on how you can do just that.

Whether you’re just starting out on your Marketing career journey or you’re about to embark on a complete career change, there are lots of things that you ought to consider. We’ve put together some basic tips that should help if getting a job in Marketing is on your agenda.

Claire Jenkins, TableCrowd Talent Co-founder, has been recruiting for London’s leading tech startups for the last few years. Here, she outlines both the importance of a CV profile and just as importantly, how to write a CV profile that truly stands out and ticks the boxes. Over to Claire!

Fancy leaving the corporate sector to join a startup? Keen to get promoted? Or are you just getting into startups Whichever of these may apply, you’ll need to start building your knowledge of the startup world. Here are just a few of the reasons why you’d need to build that awareness and our pick of the top 7 places where you can do just that...

Tis’ the season for grads - and now with COVID19 and a global recession on the horizon, it's going to be a marketplace where there are a lot of graduates - all seeking employment and new opportunities.

Nobody wants to be faced with redundancy - the employee nor the employer.

The entire process has to be one of the most stressful things that can happen in the world of work, and this is only made worse by COVID. With the many articles on the correct processes to follow, we decided to offer some tips on the more human, emotional elements that often come to the forefront...

Post-lockdown ‘new normal’ will inevitably result in mixed location working, with some employees working in the office and some working from home. But how do you manage this combined team culture and how can you make sure that you manage to keep all parties happy - including yourself? Here are some key points that you might want to consider…

In some ways, saying ‘yes’ to this adventure was the bravest and hardest part of the tale and one which had taken me 10 years to finally accept as a challenge. In work and life, opportunities will often come your way. Looking back now, it’s easy to see some clear ways that saying yes to adventure and life opportunities, can also help you in getting ahead and getting what you want in your business career…

Graduate? Keen to work in the startup sector? In the next few months, with a shrinking economy and COVID-19 still part of our new normal, it could be the extra professional skills and abilities you’ve built up that could make you stand out to a prospective employer - ultimately making you more hireable!

In the new normal working world, returning to work full-time at your city centre office or at that ‘trendy tech startup’ co-working space is likely to still be at least only a part-time reality.

So, with remote working and working from home likely to continue to be the standard for many of us, here’s our guide for anyone who is starting a new job and needs some tips on effective remote working when still part of a team.

The current pandemic and financial crisis will create a new pool of available and skilled corporate talent. But, how do you find the right corporate talent for your tech startup and can it sometimes be a hiring tactic that goes wrong? We explore how you can ensure both parties can benefit.

Escaping the corporate world and the boundaries of the ol’ 9-5 to work for a tech startup is no new concept. OVID-19 may well have accelerated many of us into thinking that there’s more to life… but is a career in the tech startup sector for you? There are a few things to consider before making the leap…

For some businesses and tech startups, the remote onboarding of a new employee might be an aspect of the new-normal to get used to. Here, we offer up a handy guide to help take you through the process of how to onboard an employee remotely AND as successfully as possible.

Startups and scaleups are famed for their people-focused culture. If you’re a founder, you’ll know just how much pride is involved in creating a great work environment. But how do you keep morale high when everyone is working from home? Here, we’ve listed several of our favourite (virtual) activities excellent for boosting team spirits!

Whether you’re looking to brush up on an existing job skill, increase your chances of getting hired due to COVID and economic uncertainty or become more employable for a career in the startup industry, there are plenty of online learning platforms that can help. Suitable for graduates, professionals, through to C-level executives, here’s our 2020 list of key platforms for online learning!

Post lockdown, don’t expect the standard recruitment process to simply return to normal. Video calls and remote interviews will be here to stay. To help your business, tech startup or otherwise, to get used to this new normal, here are some top tips to help you conduct remote interviews effectively.

Post-COVID, expect the standard job interview process to include remote interviewing as a pretty typical norm. To help candidates get used to this new normal, here are some quickfire tips and pointers to prepare for a remote interview.

Finding a job, especially one focused upon your career expectations, can be tough during a recession. Here, we offer up key tips to stay resilient when job hunting during a recession.

With a long-term global recession on the cards, it is important that job seekers do all they can to stand out. To help, here are some key top tips for a standout CV during a recession.

Looking for a new startup job? Furloughed, and worried about your future? Or, simply thinking of a career change post COVID-19? Here’s some key things you can do during COVID-19 to increase your chances of getting hired.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 has left some graduates and experienced career professionals between jobs. However, here’s why taking a short-term job during COVID-19 can be a good thing.

Think what you do in your free time has no connection to your career potential? Think again.

Startup vs corporate world? These are some of the key differences.