Dear Careernomers: Big company vs. Small company

We have four experts on career management, HR and office issues who will address your questions weekly. We refer to them as Careernomers - experts in career matters who will help you in your career journey. So if you have any burning question to ask, send it to dearcareernomers@leaderonomics.com and we will get the panel to answer your questions.

This week, Elisa Dass Avin, senior talent assessment consultant at Leaderonomics, and Johan Merican, CEO of TalentCorp, answer Daniel’s question.

Dear Careernomers,

Daniel

Dear Daniel,

I must first congratulate you on asking the right question, in that you clearly appreciate the importance of exposure and development in getting your career off to a good start. One should view at least the first three to five years as an extension of learning. Hence, select a first employer who can best help you achieve your longer-term career aspirations.

To answer your question on whether to join a big corporation or smaller company, well it depends on you – your style of learning and your ambitions.

It is true that a bigger company tends to have a more structured development programme for its fresh graduate employees. I personally wanted such structure, so I started my career with a Big Four accounting firm. However, others may not like structure and thrive without a structured development programme. In which case, a smaller organisation which is more flexible and enables one to dabble in different aspects of the business may be better. What is your personal inclination?

I should qualify that size is a generalisation. Large organisations, including Google, are known for their flexibility and at the same time, there are owner-led SMEs which have strict demarcation of duties.

Your longer-term ambitions also have a bearing on your employer choice. For example, if you have entrepreneurial ambitions, it is important to ensure you get a rounded exposure to as many facets of a business. However, if you intend to climb the corporate ladder, the structure of a large organisation may serve you better. By and large, it is often easier to move from a large organisation to a smaller one than from a relatively unknown organisation to a larger company. Beyond size, there are clearly organisations which by reputation enhance your CV going forward, by virtue of being known to attract and nurture top talent.

Hence, one way to hedge your bets is to apply for a reputable organisation with a management trainee programme (there are a few organisations which have such programmes where there is a rotation every six months or a year, say over a three-year cycle). In this way, you can benefit from both structure and diversity of exposure.

Finally, whether large or small employer, I would advise you to look for an organisation which will provide you international exposure. In an increasingly globalised world, one should be exposed early on to international benchmarks towards framing your professional standards and to know what it takes to succeed.

I wish you all the best in your career.

Best regards

Johan Merican

Hi Daniel,

This is a common post-graduation question. While you are correct to point out the benefits of both type of organisations, the decision goes beyond just looking at the size of the company.

Firstly, you should have some understanding of the role that you will be taking on. If being successful in this role in the coming years requires you to have a good general knowledge before you specialise, like IT, then the opportunity to be exposed to the entire IT works in your first job will best benefit you. To best understand what you need to know in your job, talk to people who are in the industry. Following that, in your interviews, be specific in asking what kind of exposure you will be provided in the company.

Secondly, what are your career goals? Would you like to be a specialist or generalist in the area? Once again, this is also dependent on the role you take on. If you’re interested in global exposure, then look for a company that provides you with that.

Thirdly, what kind of corporate culture would you like? Some of us thrive in a structured environment, while others prefer a more casual work place. That said, I believe that there are great benefits to have a good foundation in a structured and professional environment (which can exist in large or medium-sized companies) as your first job. Learning the ropes on how to communicate and work professionally with internal and external stakeholders will set you apart from your peers in the coming years.

To summarise, I would say that a good first job experience should provide you the opportunity for the following:

>> An in-depth learning of the area of your job scope.

>> The best practice of your work – the process, the approach, the network.

>> Professional ways to conduct meetings, presentations, communicate and liaise with others.

>> Opportunities to think outside the box and challenge yourself.

>> A good mentor/boss who is willing to guide you in your work

And since this is your first job, don’t be afraid to put in the extra hours/days, go beyond your job scope, make mistakes (that’s your best way to learn), be reprimanded for mistakes, and more importantly try new things!

If you land yourself in such job, it may not feel like a bed of roses, but it is definitely a good platform to fast track your learning as you enter this new corporate journey.

My final advice, don’t take on a job that sounds easy. If you’re too comfortable in your job, then learning has stopped.

All the best!

Elisa Dass Avin

The opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of myStarjob.com