Stockport Recruitment Consultants Essential Personnel are often asked by their candidates “should I work for a small or a large company?”
While many candidates aspire to work for a large company, attracted by what they consider to be the best way to climb the career ladder, it is worse considering that in the UK, the Federation of Small Businesses estimates that 99.9% of privately owned businesses are classified as SMEs employing up to 249 staff; and that they employ over 53% of the UK workforce. So it is worth looking at working for a smaller company too.
In her experience Cathy Bates, Managing Director of Essential Personnel, suggests that there are benefits to working for both:
Career Progression
In a large company there may be opportunities to move upwards or sideways in a structured way; while there may be opportunities to grow with the company and take on more responsibility.
Experience:
A large company may allow for an employee to become an expert in one field while in a smaller organisation there may be more varied roles and tasks.
Management:
Single bad management is less likely to put the whole of a larger company at risk while being closer to management in a smaller company can enable for closer working with managers.
Culture:
Formal structures of a larger organisation may mean you are only close to your departmental or site colleagues whereas within a close knit structure everyone can be working towards the same goal.
“The choice is personal” says Cathy LEFT. “Some people prefer working for a smaller company as it gives them opportunities to get involved in a variety of projects and gain a real sense of satisfaction from growing with a company. Others prefer the formal structure of a large company. But it is not always so clear cut.
“In my career, I have found some larger companies similar in culture to smaller companies as they are still owned by the founder, are family owned; or that they have a close knit departmental team; whilst another smaller company I worked for had a formal structure from the outset.
“Confused? Don’t be; use the interview to work out whether the company culture, career progression and management style are for you. If you have always worked for larger companies, you might find that the smaller company interviewing you is perfect for you!”