The term “startup” can broadly define any company from it’s very beginning days until it becomes publicly traded on the stock exchange. These companies are young and hungry — developing new products and services and growing rapidly to reach as broad a market as possible — but they can also be very well-resourced.
When most people hear the word “startup” they think of a few folks coding software in their garage. While many companies start this way, Shift works with companies that are already many steps down their path to success. Our typical partners have demonstrated traction and raised tens — sometimes hundreds — of millions in funding from their investors and come to us because their teams are growing rapidly and they admire military talent.
Even the techiest of tech companies requires a broad range of roles and skill sets to succeed. Startups need scrappy problem solvers who want to have broad responsibilities and a “do whatever it takes” attitude. In addition to engineers and data scientists, startups also need recruiters, human resources leaders, salespeople, customer success managers, project and operations managers, and more.
SkillBridge internships offer a great opportunity to “try before you buy” — for both employer and employee. For your final 3-6 months of service, try out the startup environment and drive value for your host company. While 85% of Shift’s SkillBridge interns convert to full-time hires, occasionally some find that their host company wasn’t the right fit — in which case, we help them explore other opportunities.
The Department of Defense SkillBridge program is an opportunity for separating or retiring service members to gain valuable civilian work experience and facilitate a smooth transition into the civilian workforce. Shift is an approved DoD SkillBridge provider that can help you make a match with one of our participating host companies for a full-time internship in a role that leverages your strengths and experience and supports your post-military career goals.
You can apply for a SkillBridge internship at any time in your transition process, but the following conditions must be met:
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Download our 12-month transition guideBuild your profile, including your military background, target internship start date, and location preferences.
New batches of candidate profiles “go live” on Shift’s customer-facing Talent Tool every two weeks.
Candidates are featured “in the spotlight” for four weeks during their ideal interviewing window.
Shift partners reach out to candidates directly to schedule interviews. Make sure to monitor your email for their outreach!