Jump to a section:
- Roles and Work Environment
- Skills and Training
- Industry Timeline
- Find Opportunities
- Applying and Interviewing
- Additional Industry Resources
Roles and Work Environment
Entrepreneurship can come in many forms. While it is most commonly associated with the activity of starting a business or product line, it can also be applied to working at a new company or even bringing a new idea or opportunity to an existing venture. Visit UVA Entrepreneurship for additional resources.
Examples of Entrepreneurial Roles:
- Business Development/Sales
- PR/Marketing
- Account Management
- Product Management
- Founder
Social Entrepreneurship
Social Entrepreneurs are committed to solving the major challenges facing the planet today. They take innovative and creative approaches to develop sustainable solutions to a range of problems from poverty, malnutrition, and homelessness and to lack of access to education, health care and dignified work. Those solutions may take the form of innovative financially-sustainable nonprofits, world changing for-profits, or a range of hybrid models in between, including innovative financing like venture philanthropy, social impact bonds, public-private partnerships and impact investing.
Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Virginia creates opportunities for students to learn about social entrepreneurship through experiential classes, workshops, speakers, hackathons, concept competitions, Global Field Experiences and internships.
Skills and Training
- Strong networking skills
- Strong oral and written communication skills
- Financial management
- Creative thinking skills
- Fundraising skills
- Strong networking ability
Learn more about how you can build more skills applicable to entrepreneurship.
Training/Education:
- No specific education is required for this field, however a bachelor’s degree is encouraged.
Industry Timeline
There is no set timeline for entrepreneurial positions, though expect to see these types of positions open in the winter/spring.
Find Opportunities
UVA and the Charlottesville community offer an excellent environment for students interested in pursuing entrepreneurship. Check out the wide variety of opportunities!
On-Grounds
- Darden i.Lab Incubator
- Enactus
- The Galant Center for Entrepreneurship at the McIntire School of Commerce
- Hoos Invent
- Profit with Purpose
- SEED (Student Entrepreneurs for Economic Development)
- Virginia Venture Fund
Off-Grounds
- The Buffalo Bureau: A Tom Tom Organization
- CBIC (Charlottesville Business Innovation Council)
- Start Up Virginia
- Hack.Cville
- The Pioneer
- Vault Guides (accessible via Handshake)
- Handshake
- Start Up Jobs from AngelList
- Start Up Hire
- Start Up Zone
- Venture Loop
- Venture For America
- Cleverism
Applying and Interviewing
Resumes and Cover Letters
First impressions are critical in the job search. Developing and executing the best documents possible will help to ensure that you put your best foot forward and increase the likelihood of progressing to an interview. Make sure to check out the Resumes and Cover Letters sections of the website for helpful advice and sample resumes and cover letters.
Interviewing
If you have never interviewed before, make sure to check out the Interviewing section of our website. Log on to Handshake to schedule a mock behavioral interview with a career counselor for practice. Follow-up after every interview with a thank you email or letter.
Additional Industry Resources
Blogs and Industry Research
- Entrepreneur.com
- Start Up Salary Tool
- TechCrunch
- Uncubed Edge
- What Students Really Need to Learn to Get a Startup Job
- 4 Steps to Landing an Interview at a Startup
- 10 Things Your Resume Needs When Applying to Startups
- How to Land a Startup Job (Before Anyone Else Knows it's Available)
- 10 Things Entrepreneurs Need to Know about Intrapreneurship
- Insider Tips on Getting Hired at a Startup
- "How to Hack the Startup Job Search" Video
- "Is working at a startup a good idea? | Fortune Live" Video
- The 24 Best Podcasts for Entrepreneurs In 2017
Social Entrepreneurship Resources
- B Corp Job Board
- Echoing Green
- Just Means
- National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship
- Net Impact
- Omidyar Network Jobs/Internships
- Social Entrepreneurship Corps
- Social Entrepreneurship - Forbes
- Social Enterprise Alliance
- Social Good Guides
- StartingBloc Institute for Social Innovation
- Taking IT Global!