附近上门

So, your startup failed, and now you鈥檙e looking for your next gig. Where do you begin?

Even if you鈥檙e not immediately looking to start another venture, your experience as a founder can serve you well in other roles鈥攅ven if it takes some time to figure out what those roles are.聽

• See also: How To Unwind An Unsuccessful Startup The Right Way

You鈥檙e also not the only one who鈥檚 found themselves going from running a company to looking for a job. Startup failure is common: Around 1 in 3 seed-funded startups based in the U.S. between 2011 and 2018 raised post-seed funding, per 附近上门 data. That means a significant number also failed or fizzled out.

Reflect, and approach the job search with confidence

One of the biggest challenges former startup founders face when starting a job search is confidence, according to Adrian Klaphaak, a career coach and the founder of .

Shutting down your company can be disappointing and an emotional process. The feeling of failure can often shake people鈥檚 confidence, so it鈥檚 worthwhile for an ex-founder to remind themselves of past successes and moments where they鈥檝e been their best, according to Klaphaak.聽

Subscribe to the 附近上门 Daily

鈥淚f I look back on my life and work, when have I been at my best?鈥� Klaphaak said. 鈥淎nd doing that can lead to somebody remembering certain experiences, times, accomplishments that they feel proud of and from that they feel like, 鈥極K, even if my company failed, these are some things I succeeded at, times I did well, times I did my best.鈥欌��

Former founders should also take some time to reflect on their strengths, the qualities that helped them succeed in the past, their passions and values, according to Klaphaak. Those core questions can help guide them to their next role, 鈥淪o that whatever next thing they choose to do is born out of connection to who they are and what matters to them,鈥� Klaphaak said.

Founders often perform lots of roles across everything from product to sales and marketing. Their skill set is vast, so if they鈥檙e looking to join a new company, they may need to take some time to figure out what role they want to fill.聽

But they also have a unique advantage wherever they land, because they can empathize with their new colleagues across teams鈥攚hether they鈥檙e working in product, growth or some other role鈥攂ecause former founders have worked in all sorts of job functions, according to Nick Selman, who shut down his startup Javaya.

Start with your investors

As with most job searches, leaning into your network is likely to be more fruitful than applying cold to job listings online. Selman advises that founders emphasize their story to their network, and shouldn鈥檛 be afraid to explain what happened at their failed startup as they continue to meet people.聽

When putting out feelers for a next opportunity, Selman recommends starting with investors, board members, and 鈥渁nyone who believes in you.鈥澛�

Investors may know of open roles in other portfolio companies鈥攁nd their recommendation carries some weight with those other portfolio companies.

(Related: make sure you shut down your company properly so you stay on good terms with your investors).

鈥淲hoever they鈥檙e sending you to, they probably have high conviction that you鈥檒l help make (that company) successful,鈥� Selman said.

One of the hardest things about job hunting as a former founder is that you don鈥檛 necessarily fit into anyone鈥檚 box, Selman said. The traditional job application process can be harder for founders, which is why leaning into their network is so important.

Form your narrative

When networking or interviewing for jobs, founders should focus on the wins they achieved to form their narrative, according to Klaphaak. Even if your company had to shut down, that doesn鈥檛 mean there weren鈥檛 genuine wins along the way.

One of the coolest things about founders is that they tend to have varied skill sets and lots of experience to draw from, so they can tell their story in many ways to highlight their expertise in a certain area, Klaphaak said.

鈥淵ou want whatever story you’re telling and the examples you鈥檙e giving to position you as capable to do the thing you want to do next,鈥� he said.

Founders who shut down their company can be afraid to brag, Selman said, and there tends to be a general feeling that they鈥檙e undeserving during the job search. But the reality is that startups don鈥檛 succeed often and that has little to do with how talented the founder is.

鈥淔ounders often struggle to brag. They struggle to distill all of the amazing things they鈥檝e done into an HR-friendly, interview-friendly format,鈥� Selman said. 鈥淩ecruiting is a little bit of a game: You do need to understand: What are these companies鈥� goals when recruiting for this role? What鈥檚 going to put me in the best light? 鈥� but do your research and try to figure out what鈥檚 going to most inspire this person to want to extend a job offer.鈥�

Then build a narrative and have data to back it up, drawing from your own startup experience, Selman said.

Don鈥檛 waste your time聽

Selman advises ex-founders to steer clear of companies that don鈥檛 understand the value of having a former founder as a member of the team. If you find yourself feeling like you have to explain yourself too much, or that your experience as a founder isn鈥檛 viewed positively, don鈥檛 waste your time.

鈥淔ounders need to understand, especially in this hiring market, there are many many many companies out there who would be lucky to have you,鈥� Selman said. 鈥淵ou should not waste your energy on the ones who don鈥檛 recognize that immediately.鈥澛�

Some companies actively recruit former startup founders, such as San Francisco-based HR tech startup , whose business strategy, , reportedly counts around 32 former founders as employees.聽

Singapore-based startup is also openly enthusiastic about hiring former founders, with ex-founders via Supabase鈥檚 career portal. is another company known to be former-founder-friendly, according to Selman.

鈥淵our failure story should be a badge of honor, not a black mark on your professional narrative,鈥� Selman said.

Early stage isn鈥檛 everything

Joining an early-stage startup after shutting down your company tends to be easier than joining a larger company, partially because there鈥檚 less on the admin side when it comes to joining a smaller company.聽

But being an employee of an early-stage startup can continue to be exhausting after running an early-stage company, Selman said.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 something else to consider: Protect yourself, protect your health, protect your mental state,鈥� Selman said. 鈥淭here’s nothing wrong with taking a job that pays well and is cozy.鈥�

Illustration: Dom Guzman