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I am a computer science undergraduate with no formal work experience. But currently I am working for two startups which are currently in their initial phases. I am a stakeholder in both and working as full stack developer. I dont have any contracts or commitments with any. Actually they are both not-so-technical startups, so I just want to give them a working mobile app and backend and get on with my life. Amazon is visiting my campus tomorrow and I would like to work with them as an intern.

Will listing these startups be harmful in my application to Amazon or any other company? Actually I have worked quite a lot for both on apache cordova and don't really have anything else to write on my resume.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

Update: I eventually put it on my resume and got into Amazon. :)

Akshay Arora
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    Why do you think it would be bad to put it on your CV? – Ed Heal Aug 08 '15 at 05:48
  • They might think I am not serious about their company and want to do something on my own... Maybe? – Akshay Arora Aug 08 '15 at 05:54
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    Or more likely that you are enterprising and have been trying to gain work experience. – Ed Heal Aug 08 '15 at 05:56
  • So will it be more on positive side? :) – Akshay Arora Aug 08 '15 at 06:40
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    I would have thought so. Besides people do not hire people on the basis of a CV. It is just and introduction to yourself and a basis for the interview. All it needs to be factually correct. That means putting information on it that is relevant to the role and something about your personality. This is an example that reflects in a positive light because it says that you have a bit of drive. – Ed Heal Aug 08 '15 at 06:44
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    Could you clarify whether this work is done in-house or if you're simply providing a back end as a contractor working remotely? You want to be careful how you list these on your resume as you don't want to make it seem like you have experience with an office culture if that's not the case. – Lilienthal Aug 08 '15 at 12:06
  • I think that while startups can overlap with side projects, there is enough potential difference that they may deserve different answers. Voting to leave open. – StackExchange What The Heck Aug 09 '15 at 10:14

3 Answers3

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If I had two people in front of me with exactly the same CV, except that one had this experience with two startup companies, and the other didn't have any of that experience, who would I prefer? Obviously the one with the added experience.

Every experience is experience and every experience in your CV makes you more likely to get an interview. Worst case would be that someone values experience in a startup slightly lower than the same experience in a bigger company, but it will still be regarded a lot higher than not having that experience at all.

So you should definitely add this experience to your CV.

gnasher729
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What else are you going to put in your resume? It would be blank otherwise. You say you have no formal work experience, but apparently you do. You've worked for a couple of startups. So of course you put the startups on your resume. It's what will separate you from everyone else in your situation, and when looking for a job, that is the goal.

Mohair
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Should I list startups on my resume when applying to top-notch companies

The top-notch companies I know hire people who are smart and hardworking.

Since you have no formal work experience other than your work with these startups, I would certainly list them as evidence of how smart and hardworking you are.

Good companies (and all the top-notch companies I know of) understand that good potential employees tend to be busy people, doing a lot of things at the same time.

Be ready to talk about this work, what you mean by "being a stakeholder" and what you expect to continue to do for them (if anything). Many employers aren't phased by good people having "side gigs" although a few are.

Joe Strazzere
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