Stop Discounting Your Startup Experience: How to Talk About “Scrappy” Work in Corporate Interviews

Stop Discounting Your Startup Experience

How to Talk About “Scrappy” Work in Corporate Interviews

Recently, a client said:

“I’m worried they won’t see my startup work as relevant.”

Sound familiar?

If you’ve ever tried to explain your “scrappy,” all-hands-on-deck experience to a big company and seen eyes glaze over—this is for you.

Let’s shift how you’re telling the story.

The Perception Problem

When you say “I’ve been working at a startup,” here’s what some hiring managers might (mistakenly) hear:

• “Lack of structure”
  
  
• “Unscalable solutions”
  
  
• “Too niche or chaotic”
  
  

But you and I both know that’s not the full picture.

What you bring from a startup environment is actually what many CPG companies are craving:
✅ Agility
✅ Problem-solving
✅ Bias for action
✅ Resilience in ambiguity

You just need to translate it.

Why “Wearing Many Hats” Can Be a Win

Startup roles rarely have neat job descriptions.
You wore five hats, built things from scratch, and moved fast with limited support.

That’s not a weakness—it’s operational leadership.
That’s not “jack of all trades”—it’s versatility and value creation.

Start framing your startup experience as:

• “I built the foundation for X”
  
  
• “I owned the full lifecycle of Y”
  
  
• “I translated ambiguity into action”
  
  

Those are phrases a corporate recruiter will lean into.

How to Translate Startup Success to Corporate Language

Here’s a quick before-and-after cheat sheet:

Real Talk: What Corporate Hiring Managers Want

They don’t need someone who’s always followed a playbook.
They want someone who can write the next one.

What matters is your ability to:

• Identify problems quickly
  
  
• Work cross-functionally
  
  
• Execute without needing handholding
  
  
• Build trust across levels
  
  

If you’ve done that in a startup?
You can absolutely do it in a larger org.

Action Step: Reframe Your Resume and Interview Stories

✅ Remove phrases like “I know I don’t have traditional experience”
✅ Add phrases like “Here’s how I created impact in an evolving environment”
✅ Lead with business results—regardless of company size

You’re not asking them to “see past” your experience.
You’re making it easy for them to see the value in it.

Ready to Translate Your Story?

If you’re feeling stuck between worlds—startup scrappiness and corporate credibility—I can help you reframe your narrative and land the right role.

Let’s do it together in 1:1 coaching or check out the Resume Strategy Toolkit.

Reflect & Apply

Where are you downplaying your impact because the context felt “too small”?

Choose one bullet on your resume and rewrite it using the table above.
Own your scrappy experience—and speak to its strategic value.

Want more insights on translating your story for the right audience?
Connect with me on LinkedIn and mention this blog in your invitation to get your free CPG Job Search Resources guide.

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