FREELANCERS UNION BLOG

  • Advice

How to find hot startup jobs

You’re used to showing, not telling. You learn quickly. You care about your business. You wear a lot of hats. You love your work.

This is why startups love to hire freelancers and entrepreneurs.

If you’re tired of working for the sleepy, risk-averse corporate world, try to transfer your skills to a gig at a startup company. These new businesses -- mostly in tech -- are often running lean and looking for short-term contract work to complete necessary projects.

Just because startups think lean doesn’t mean they don’t pay well. Just make sure before you jump onto a project that the company is well-funded (you can find this information online) and if possible, in the growth stage after a recently successful round of funding (which is the time most startups do their hiring).

These freelance gigs aren’t just for developers and designers. Other common startup freelance gigs include:

  • Project managers
  • Virtual assistants (VA)
  • Consulting
  • Ad sales / marketing
  • Digital copywriting

Find a startup gig in your area (or remote):

Online job boards

StartUpHire.com

While most of these jobs are full-time, there are at least a couple freelance gigs posted here every day.

AngelList

With over 10,000 startup jobs across the country, almost a thousand of which are currently contract, you’re sure to find an interesting freelance gig here. They have all funding information available, so they’ve done your “will these people leave me high and dry?” research for you. Also, if you’re interested in investing in startups, they have a public fundraising section.

Startuply

It’s free to post a job on Startuply, so just be a little more careful about the gigs you find here.

VentureLoop

There are about a hundred contract and part-time gigs posted here every week. They work with over 40 venture capital firms and their companies, so while you should still do your research, these are probably well-funded.

Mediabistro

While Mediabistro is not just for startup jobs, many great new companies do use it -- especially if you’re looking for something in writing, social media, or photography. About 50 freelance gigs are posted a week.

Made in NY

As New Yorkers, we had to include this one. Find many startup and midsized, innovative companies on this list!

Reach out directly

Don’t forget: if you find a company that you would like to work for, reach out to them directly! In my experience, CEOs love to get fanmail about their business. Their startup is their baby. If you think a startup company has a great idea, don’t hesitate to get in touch with them and pitch your services. More than most, these CEOs know what it’s like to pitch their services and will probably appreciate that you saved them from having to look for someone.

Even if you use one of the online job boards above, take the time to follow up with a personal email.

Freelancers, have you worked for startups in the past?