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Here’s the first stab at the forward for the VC careers eBook. I’m going to build the content around this, so please let me know if there are topics that you think I missed or that you want to make sure are included in the chapters I’ve outlined here. Comments are very welcomed and appreciated.
Forward
It’s no surprise that it’s not easy to get a venture capital job when you consider some of the factors at play:
- There are very few VC jobs to begin with
- People tend to stay in a VC job for a long time
- Venture capital is not a growth industry; The number of people employed in the field does not typically increase annually (in fact, it may start decreasing going forward)
- VCs only hire through trusted referrals
- VCs are generally well compensated
- VCs work with entrepreneurs who are trying to change the world, or at least the industries in which they operate (which is no small feat, either!)
- Bottom line: VC is a great industry and the jobs are great, too
The combination of scarcity and quality of the jobs makes for a big labor supply/demand imbalance that works mightily against the venture capital job seeker.
The goal of this eBook is to share what I learned during my venture capital job search process with the hopes that you can leverage some of the strategies and tactics that worked for me during your job search process.
Chapters and topics include:
- Acknowledgements and thank you’s (A shoutout to everyone that I can remember who helped me or met with me during my search)
- What’s the job of a junior VC? (A discussion of the day-to-day work of an analyst or associate)
- Onramps to venture capital (Discussion of the feeder jobs and industries to the venture capital industry)
- Do you need an MBA?
- What makes a good VC? (Discussion of skils that can help you be successful in this industry)
- Where are the jobs? (Finding/creating venture capital job opportunities)
- Where are the internships? (Finding/creating internship opportunities as an undergrad or grad student)
- Introductions and followups (The lifeblood of a VC job hunt)
- The Informational Interview (Once you get it, how to get the most out of it)
- Offer negotiations (If you’re fortunate enough to have offers to join multiple firms)
- Exit options (If you’re not a VC lifer, some thoughts on careers that might make sense post-VC)
- Final advice
- Online information sources (Sites and blogs that I found useful during my job hunt)
If you are interested in careers in venture capital, think about subscribing to my mailing list. I promise not to spam you and will only send information related to venture capital jobs and careers. Please input your email address in the field (and click ‘Submit’) below if you would like to subscribe.
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- Venture Capital Careers Panel at Columbia Business School (johngannonblog.com)
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1 comment
These points came from Marquis via email, good thoughts and I’ll be incorporating them into the eBook:
– What would be considered “traditional” vs. “non-traditional” paths into VC?
– What are some suggestions for making the transition from a non-traditional background? What would these candidates need to know or do that might be different?
– Is it possible to move into VC at the non-junior level and, if so, what are the prime backgrounds for this kind of transition? And, how would one position himself for this sort of move?