7 ms·

New website dutchstartupjobs.com helps startups find talent

57 points by wkneepkens 13y ago

Sieuwert 13y ago
Very good initiative not just to help find people, but also to improve the visibility of startups in the wider economy. Do similar job boards exist in other countries?
- BSousa 13y ago
  There is one for Berlin: http://berlinstartupjobs.com http://berlinstartupjobs.com
  - wkneepkens 13y ago
    Cool, seems to work pretty well there. Hope the Dutch version will be as successful!
- okal 13y ago
  Kenya www.ihub.co.ke/jobsboard/
brandonhsiao 13y ago
I always wonder why prominent startup boards don't just clone their site and make one for every country in the world.
playing_colours 13y ago
My personal opinion it can be improved to be easier to skim through for job descriptions. There is too much information on the page, the number of jobs per page is small and it looks like there is no focus on jobs itself. I find this website http://www.workinstartups.com/ http://www.workinstartups.com/ for the startup jobs in the UK way easier to use for job search.
blackdogie 13y ago
While I welcome the idea, I do find it strange that they just focus on Dutch startups, when if you have the right to work in the EU you can work anywhere. Another one that I came across this week, out of Scotland, is http://www.upstartjobs.com/ http://www.upstartjobs.com/
- kintamanimatt 13y ago
  It's often really smart to niche. It's easy to position yourself as the job board for Dutch startups.
- reinhardt 13y ago
  Seconding the idea for an EU startups site or aggregator. Throw in remote opportunities too and I'm sold.
Avalaxy 13y ago
Ugh. When I read this on my smartphone that social media share thing on the left was placed all over the content. Couldn't read a thing. So freaking annoying.
dutchbrit 13y ago
Amazed that Booking.com isn't on that site yet, the amount of recruiters that approach me on LinkedIn asking if I'm interested working there is shocking. I've had about 4 requests the past month I think for them alone..
- onemorepassword 13y ago
  Booking.com is the reason why the rest of us have such a hard time finding people... OTOH, they're very generous in their relocation support and most expats get tired of the job before they get tired of Amsterdam, so they do help to fill the pool for the rest of us.
  - BSousa 13y ago
    Mind telling if the salary is ok with them? Having lived in NL before, I would fancy coming back, but salaries/taxes make it prohibiting to move back at my current lifestyle. Is booking offering above market pay?
    - onemorepassword 13y ago
      I have no idea, but given they effort they put into bringing people in from outside NL I doubt they skimp on salary. The don't have a rep for being cheapskates in general.
  - zerr 13y ago
    Well, if you compete with booking.com in finding Perl devs, then yes ;)
- roel_v 13y ago
  I've gotten a bit cautious around booking.com job ads. Do they have such a high turnover, or is it just that they're hiring so many people?
  - avar 13y ago
    We're just still growing a lot (north of 30% a year) and hiring lots of people. Look at the Priceline quarterly/yearly reports (most of which is Booking.com). Also this graph: http://goo.gl/TW6TX http://goo.gl/TW6TX I work there as a Senior Developer, I'd be happy to answer any questions from interested parties in the contact E-Mail listed in my profile.
onemorepassword 13y ago
There's a reason why the vast majority of "jobs" on this site are either for interns or co-founders (with the "co" part being actually making stuff). There's no money in Dutch startups, very little investment. So with some very rare exceptions, most startups pay way less than traditional IT, and you can shout all you want about only wanting young an hungry talent willing to work for equity (also quite relative, very few Dutch startups flip or go IPO), this is seriously hampering their potential for attracting talent. Especially in a country that may be less risk-averse than most European countries, but still way more than the US.
- davedx 13y ago
  Indeed. It seems like the smaller the company here, the lower the pay, as simple as that. That's what I've experienced so far. I'd love to work for an innovative Dutch startup but so far I end up working for larger and larger companies, because I just can't afford to take the kind of rates or salary smaller companies offer.
  - onemorepassword 13y ago
    And it's stupid too, because they pretty much get what they pay for. Peanuts, monkeys and such. So small companies that could afford decent salaries have 3 underpaid devs and some interns doing the work one good developer can do for half the money. And do a better job too.
- rullopat 13y ago
  Indeed. That's why I'm trying to start during my spare time, but one developer (me) it's not enough to launch anytime soon: http://www.dutchstartupjobs.com/mydigido-web-developer-with-ruby-on-rails-exp/ http://www.dutchstartupjobs.com/mydigido-web-developer-with-...
- zerr 13y ago
  Alternatively, they can hire REMOTE senior engineers. It is really frustrating how companies underestimate the value of remote employment, even in these days.
groundCode 13y ago
the site is giving me a mysql error :(
gyaresu 13y ago
Another (Wordpress) website failing horribly under load after receiving the attention they so desperately desired. And the failure just dumps the MySQL error on the front page. Not terribly inspiring.
pepijndevos 13y ago
Bookmarked for when the error is resolved. Some IT jobs posted in other places just omit the location, assuming everyone lives in SF. Really looking forward to find out what's going on in my homeland. Cached version: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.dutchstartupjobs.com%2F&aq=f&oq=cache%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.dutchstartupjobs.com%2F&aqs=chrome.0.57j58.2732j0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3Ahttp%...
- Luyt 13y ago
  It's rather focused on the Randstad.
  - roel_v 13y ago
    Presumable because that's where the jobs are... (it's a barren wasteland on the startup front here in the south)
    - skrebbel 13y ago
      It's telling how little tech startup activity there is around Eindhoven, despite the massive amount of PR going out that this is going to be the country/continent's next silicon valley.
      - keesj 13y ago
        AFAIK there's quite some startup activity going on, but only a handful of 'traditional' internet startups. (including my http://betali.st/ http://betali.st/)
        skrebbel 13y ago
        Hmm yeah, true - there's heavy machinery startups like SoLayTec, is that the kind of stuff you mean? Btw, I hadn't heard of betalist, and that's now officially the only 'traditional' internet startup in this area that I know of. Any more?
zlatanmenkovic 13y ago
One of the big mistakes startups here in the Netherlands (and the rest of europe)make is that the try to copy the Silicon Valley eco system, which will not work here. For a hole lot of reasons like history, culturel difference, political system etc. For instance, one mistake a lot of startups make is offering Dutch people shares while their productivity wont be higher. Giving them a higher salary or more freedom on where and when they work motivates them much more and is often enough reason to leave a big boring corp. It's true that there is less money here then in SV but it doesn't mean there are no jobs. But most of these job postings won't be on a site like the above. I even think the problem here is more on the supply side and not demand. I can name a few startups that are looking for talent right now, including us, willing to pay a great salary but simple can't find the right talent. Take a look at the type of open positions, cto, technical co founder, developer intern etc. I think that's the biggest problem we have to solve here first...
jp1989 13y ago
We post about startup jobs in Stockholm regularly here (http://swedishstartuspace.com http://swedishstartuspace.com)
- unwind 13y ago
  Broken link, typo I guess. It should be http://www.swedishstartupspace.com/ http://www.swedishstartupspace.com/. I'm so sick of the usage of the word "space" in the startup space, it's not even funny when I try.
calrieldur 13y ago
well it's 2 weeks old and an MVP so time is needed.

57 points by wkneepkens 13y ago

Very good initiative not just to help find people, but also to improve the visibility of startups in the wider economy. Do similar job boards exist in other countries?

BSousa 13y ago
There is one for Berlin: http://berlinstartupjobs.com http://berlinstartupjobs.com
- wkneepkens 13y ago
  Cool, seems to work pretty well there. Hope the Dutch version will be as successful!
okal 13y ago
Kenya www.ihub.co.ke/jobsboard/

brandonhsiao 13y ago

I always wonder why prominent startup boards don't just clone their site and make one for every country in the world.

playing_colours 13y ago

My personal opinion it can be improved to be easier to skim through for job descriptions. There is too much information on the page, the number of jobs per page is small and it looks like there is no focus on jobs itself. I find this website http://www.workinstartups.com/ http://www.workinstartups.com/ for the startup jobs in the UK way easier to use for job search.

blackdogie 13y ago

While I welcome the idea, I do find it strange that they just focus on Dutch startups, when if you have the right to work in the EU you can work anywhere. Another one that I came across this week, out of Scotland, is http://www.upstartjobs.com/ http://www.upstartjobs.com/

kintamanimatt 13y ago
It's often really smart to niche. It's easy to position yourself as the job board for Dutch startups.
reinhardt 13y ago
Seconding the idea for an EU startups site or aggregator. Throw in remote opportunities too and I'm sold.

Avalaxy 13y ago

Ugh. When I read this on my smartphone that social media share thing on the left was placed all over the content. Couldn't read a thing. So freaking annoying.

dutchbrit 13y ago

Amazed that Booking.com isn't on that site yet, the amount of recruiters that approach me on LinkedIn asking if I'm interested working there is shocking. I've had about 4 requests the past month I think for them alone..

onemorepassword 13y ago
Booking.com is the reason why the rest of us have such a hard time finding people... OTOH, they're very generous in their relocation support and most expats get tired of the job before they get tired of Amsterdam, so they do help to fill the pool for the rest of us.
- BSousa 13y ago
  Mind telling if the salary is ok with them? Having lived in NL before, I would fancy coming back, but salaries/taxes make it prohibiting to move back at my current lifestyle. Is booking offering above market pay?
  - onemorepassword 13y ago
    I have no idea, but given they effort they put into bringing people in from outside NL I doubt they skimp on salary. The don't have a rep for being cheapskates in general.
- zerr 13y ago
  Well, if you compete with booking.com in finding Perl devs, then yes ;)
roel_v 13y ago
I've gotten a bit cautious around booking.com job ads. Do they have such a high turnover, or is it just that they're hiring so many people?
- avar 13y ago
  We're just still growing a lot (north of 30% a year) and hiring lots of people. Look at the Priceline quarterly/yearly reports (most of which is Booking.com). Also this graph: http://goo.gl/TW6TX http://goo.gl/TW6TX I work there as a Senior Developer, I'd be happy to answer any questions from interested parties in the contact E-Mail listed in my profile.

onemorepassword 13y ago

There's a reason why the vast majority of "jobs" on this site are either for interns or co-founders (with the "co" part being actually making stuff). There's no money in Dutch startups, very little investment. So with some very rare exceptions, most startups pay way less than traditional IT, and you can shout all you want about only wanting young an hungry talent willing to work for equity (also quite relative, very few Dutch startups flip or go IPO), this is seriously hampering their potential for attracting talent. Especially in a country that may be less risk-averse than most European countries, but still way more than the US.

davedx 13y ago
Indeed. It seems like the smaller the company here, the lower the pay, as simple as that. That's what I've experienced so far. I'd love to work for an innovative Dutch startup but so far I end up working for larger and larger companies, because I just can't afford to take the kind of rates or salary smaller companies offer.
- onemorepassword 13y ago
  And it's stupid too, because they pretty much get what they pay for. Peanuts, monkeys and such. So small companies that could afford decent salaries have 3 underpaid devs and some interns doing the work one good developer can do for half the money. And do a better job too.
rullopat 13y ago
Indeed. That's why I'm trying to start during my spare time, but one developer (me) it's not enough to launch anytime soon: http://www.dutchstartupjobs.com/mydigido-web-developer-with-ruby-on-rails-exp/ http://www.dutchstartupjobs.com/mydigido-web-developer-with-...
zerr 13y ago
Alternatively, they can hire REMOTE senior engineers. It is really frustrating how companies underestimate the value of remote employment, even in these days.

groundCode 13y ago

the site is giving me a mysql error :(

gyaresu 13y ago

Another (Wordpress) website failing horribly under load after receiving the attention they so desperately desired. And the failure just dumps the MySQL error on the front page. Not terribly inspiring.

pepijndevos 13y ago

Bookmarked for when the error is resolved. Some IT jobs posted in other places just omit the location, assuming everyone lives in SF. Really looking forward to find out what's going on in my homeland. Cached version: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.dutchstartupjobs.com%2F&aq=f&oq=cache%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.dutchstartupjobs.com%2F&aqs=chrome.0.57j58.2732j0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3Ahttp%...

Luyt 13y ago
It's rather focused on the Randstad.
- roel_v 13y ago
  Presumable because that's where the jobs are... (it's a barren wasteland on the startup front here in the south)
  - skrebbel 13y ago
    It's telling how little tech startup activity there is around Eindhoven, despite the massive amount of PR going out that this is going to be the country/continent's next silicon valley.
    - keesj 13y ago
      AFAIK there's quite some startup activity going on, but only a handful of 'traditional' internet startups. (including my http://betali.st/ http://betali.st/)
      - skrebbel 13y ago
        Hmm yeah, true - there's heavy machinery startups like SoLayTec, is that the kind of stuff you mean? Btw, I hadn't heard of betalist, and that's now officially the only 'traditional' internet startup in this area that I know of. Any more?

zlatanmenkovic 13y ago

One of the big mistakes startups here in the Netherlands (and the rest of europe)make is that the try to copy the Silicon Valley eco system, which will not work here. For a hole lot of reasons like history, culturel difference, political system etc. For instance, one mistake a lot of startups make is offering Dutch people shares while their productivity wont be higher. Giving them a higher salary or more freedom on where and when they work motivates them much more and is often enough reason to leave a big boring corp. It's true that there is less money here then in SV but it doesn't mean there are no jobs. But most of these job postings won't be on a site like the above. I even think the problem here is more on the supply side and not demand. I can name a few startups that are looking for talent right now, including us, willing to pay a great salary but simple can't find the right talent. Take a look at the type of open positions, cto, technical co founder, developer intern etc. I think that's the biggest problem we have to solve here first...

jp1989 13y ago

We post about startup jobs in Stockholm regularly here (http://swedishstartuspace.com http://swedishstartuspace.com)

unwind 13y ago
Broken link, typo I guess. It should be http://www.swedishstartupspace.com/ http://www.swedishstartupspace.com/. I'm so sick of the usage of the word "space" in the startup space, it's not even funny when I try.

calrieldur 13y ago

well it's 2 weeks old and an MVP so time is needed.