As per new research from startup job site Work in Startups, the UK tech scene has witnessed a 68% increase in jobs since the pandemic hit. In February 2021 – 3,298 vacancies were advertised, which was much higher than 1,964 in April 2020.
In fact, many startups got launched during the pandemic and did their hiring too, ufurnish being one of them. Deirdre Mc Gettrick, CEO & Co-Founder of the UK’s search and comparison website for home furniture and furnishings, tells UKTN, “We got launched in the midst of the pandemic and as a result recruiting great people to join the team has all been done remotely. Our priority is to find amazing people with drive, potential and energy to join our journey – and having a location free approach to where people work has served us well and for this, we used a lot of technology.”
So who else is hiring right now? If you are looking forward to growing your career, and looking to work in a great tech startup in the UK, here are some names.
Checkout.com
Founder/s: Guillaume Pousaz
Founded year: 2012
Total funding: £647.8M
London-based leading global payment solution provider Checkout.com is one of the most valuable fintech companies in the world, Europe’s largest unicorn and is hiring for multiple positions right now.
In June this year, Checkout.com bagged $150M (nearly £112M) Series B funding, which tripled its valuation taking it to $5.5B (nearly £4.12B). The funding round was led by Coatue along with participation from existing investors such as Insight Partners, Blossom Capital, DST Global, Singapore’s Sovereign Wealth Fund, GIC and Endeavor Catalyst.
Cleo
Founder/s: Barnaby Hussey-Yeo
Founded year: 2016
Total funding: £44.7M
Based out of London, Cleo is a fintech app designed for Gen-Z to assist in terms of finance. Last year, the company raised $44 million (approx £33.2 million) in Series B funding led by EQT Ventures with participation from existing investors Balderton Capital, LocalGlobe, and SBI. Cleo also plans to expand in the US further, as it continues to make leadership hires in the Bay Area. You can check out available positions over here.
Palo Alto Networks
Founder/s: Nir Zuk, Rajiv Batra, Yuming Mao, Dave Stevens
Founded year: 2005
Total funding: £50.7M
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is an American multinational cybersecurity company with headquarters in Santa Clara, California. Its core products are a platform that includes advanced firewalls and cloud-based offerings that extend those firewalls to cover other aspects of security. They’re hiring for multiple positions in London.
Trustpilot
Founder/s: Peter H. Mühlmann
Founded year: 2007
Total Funding: £139M
Trustpilot is a leading independent review platform that is free and open to all consumers and companies. It is one of the most visited websites across the world. Since its debut, it has followed a freemium SaaS business model and the Copenhagen company has outed several job roles for London. Further, they’re also doing remote hiring.
Finastra
Founder/s: Kevin Lomax, Roger Morgan
Founded year: 2017
Total funding: NA
Formed in 2017 by the combination of Misys and D+H, Finastra builds and deploys innovative, next-generation technology on our open Fusion software architecture and cloud ecosystem. With a global footprint and the broadest set of financial software solutions available on the market, Finastra has $1.9 billion in revenues, 9,000+ employees and ~8,600 customers, including 90 of the top 100 banks globally. There are hiring for multiple positions in their London office over here.
ufurnish
Founder/s: Deirdre Mc Gettrick, Raymond Wright
Founded year: 2020
Total funding: NA
ufurnish is an online search and comparison website for furniture that allows people to search, discover, compare and shop products across the entire market on a single website. It showcases over a million furniture products from more than 100 furniture retailers. Furthermore, it also provides inspiration for home interior design ideas and practical advice on furniture shopping such as top tips, style guides and design inspiration and lists the latest retailer sales and special offers. Currently, ufurnish is hiring and they’re looking for a social media and influencer manager, more details here.
Airbnb
Founder/s: Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, Nathan Blecharczyk
Founded year: 2008
Total funding: £3B
Airbnb is one of the dream companies to work for sure. The company connects travelers seeking authentic experiences with hosts offering unique, inspiring spaces. They’re also remote hiring now and you can check out open positions in London from here.
Cazoo
Founder/s: Alex Chesterman
Founded year: 2018
Funding: £1.1B
Cazoo is an online used car marketplace designed to transform the way people buy, finance, or rent used cars. It has transformed the process of buying a used car online as simple as booking a movie ticket. Besides delivering the car of your choice at your doorsteps, Kazoo also provides a free 90-day warranty and roadside assistance. If you are looking for jobs in London, you can try open positions at Cazoo.
Some tips for remote interviews
Talking about how job seekers can ace a remote interview, especially during current times, Gettrick notes, “Be really clear where your experience and passion can make a difference. Founders are obsessed by their businesses, and the people that join them to help realise their dreams are very important. It really is personal ! So know the business, research the founders and make sure you really understand what it’s like to join a startup.”
For interviewees, she shares a few tips from her experience, especially for remote interview processes.
1. Check that the technology the company uses is working before you join the meeting – and especially your camera.
2. Try to relax and be yourself as much as you can, you are trying to create a connection and a lot of your body language isn’t visible.
Smiling a lot, and ensuring eye contact are my two ‘go to’ tips when I am being interviewed – and I strongly recommend them both.
3. Show that you have researched the company and the person who is interviewing you. It can help make a fast connection as you get to know each other.
4. Follow up with a short email afterwards, thanking the interviewer. It makes you stand out, shows your commitment to the role and also keeps you front of mind.