RIGHT ANSWER DEPENDS ON YOUR PERSONALITY AND GOALS, SAYS EXPERT
“Should I work for a big company or a start-up?” is a common question. Graduates often see a spot on a prestigious graduate scheme as the ultimate prize — but experts say it’s a mistake to assume that big, famous organisations are always the ‘best’ workplace for everyone. In fact, joining one could even turn out to be a mistake for some graduates.
“The big schemes can be great, getting offered a place can be an achievement in itself, but not every graduate loves them,” says Cary Curtis, founder of graduate recruitment agency Give A Grad A Go. “If they choose to leave, people often find they’re far happier at a smaller organisation, where they have more space to discover what they’re good at and more influence in how their career develops.”
Cary believes there is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of what is the ‘best’ place for a graduate to kick off their career. “Multiple factors play a part in determining where you’ll be happiest, including your personality, priorities, goals and preferred work style and culture,” he says.
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For example, do you crave security — or flexibility? Do you know what career you want — or are you keeping your options open? “Your answers are unique to you,” says Cary. “And you’ll have a much better idea of what’s right for you than anyone else, so don’t just follow the crowd.” So, what size of organisation will suit you best? Let’s assess your options…
BIG COMPANY (250+ employees)
THE GOOD: “Large organisations tend to offer graduates a good starting basic salary, and you’ll probably be given a structured training programme and a relatively clear career path. It’s also great to have a strong brand on your CV right from the start of your career. International firms may also have opportunities to travel and work in their global offices,” says Cary. “There’s likely to be a lot of people your age all starting together which can make your first few weeks far less daunting.”
THE BAD: “Some graduates find the work itself isn’t quite what they expected, you’re likely to be rotated around without any say in where you’re going and some find they feel lost in what feels like a big machine. Depending on the nature of the organisation, you may feel quite far away from the action, and senior people are likely to be less accessible than they would be in a smaller firm.”
BEST FOR: Graduates who like structure, security and clarity, understand exactly what the day-to-day work will be like, and who thrive in a ‘work hard, play hard’ culture.
MEDIUM-SIZED COMPANY (50 to 250 employees)
THE GOOD: “You’ll enjoy the security of a large company, but with a little more flexibility and less anonymity,” says Cary. “Medium sized companies aren’t just medium because they aren’t yet big. Some organisations function better as a smaller entity. Or they’re a company that doesn’t want to be huge. They’re likely to have the budget for training but rather than it being quite broad, it will be targeted to your job role.”
THE BAD: “As with large companies, you’re unlikely to have as much access to senior staff members as you would like. There will be structure in place but not as well established as with larger firms.”
BEST FOR: Graduates looking for security and stability, but who suspect they may feel lost in a huge firm.
SMALL COMPANY (less than 50 employees)
THE GOOD: “Smaller organisations tend to have a more varied day to day existence and employees are likely to work much more closely with senior staff and feel closer to the action and more involved in the direction of the company,” says Cary. “It’s likely there will be more opportunities to make your role your own. For example, if a senior colleague leaves, you may be able to take on some of their responsibilities, effectively scoring yourself a promotion without even trying.”
THE BAD: “You’re unlikely to be paid as much as a big firm would initially offer and, by their nature, smaller organisations are more vulnerable to economic downturn or changes in the market in which they operate,” explains Cary. “But that doesn’t mean they’re ‘risky’ as such — well-run small businesses can be very robust. Another potential down-side is that there might be a smaller pool of people your age, and if you find you have a personality clash with a colleague there may not be a dedicated HR department to handle the situation.”
BEST FOR: Graduates seeking a friendlier environment to start their career, and who are flexible and open to ideas about where their career might take them.
START-UP (new company, typically less than 10 employees)
THE GOOD: “Working for a new organisation can be very exciting, as you’re all pulling together to create, launch or grow something completely new,” says Cary. “If you buy into the ‘mission’, it’s rewarding to see how your work contributes to the vision of the firm as a whole. Again, as with small companies, you’ll have more freedom to take on work that might not ordinarily come under your job description, as it’s often a case of ‘all hands on deck’!”
THE BAD: “Again, your initial salary won’t match that of a bigger employer, and start-ups are probably the riskiest type of employer to work for, as success is never guaranteed when venturing into a new market or launching a new product,” says Cary. “However, you can reduce your own exposure to risk by asking smart questions in the interview to suss out how the organisation is run and their plans for taking the business forward. Ask where the firm’s investment comes from, and what their growth strategy and timetable looks like. Just don’t start grilling them. They’ll want to see that you’re excited about what they’re doing, not sceptical.”
BEST FOR: Graduates who are comfortable with a level of risk, and are seeking challenge and excitement.
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Hi all
Comments appearing on another post are more relevant here, so I have pasted them below!
Tanya
>>>>>
Submitted on 2016/03/22 at 9:39 pm | In reply to Graduate.
@All
Okay, forgive me for asking the blindingly obvious, but I’m really interested in why the big graduate schemes are so popular as a default choice with so many readers. As you say, they are enormously over-subscribed, and often you’re required to go through a huge number of tests, interviews and assessments. When I hear of grads going for dozens of these without success, I wonder whether you’d be better off stopping and considering working for smaller companies instead. What is the big appeal with these schemes? Some grads really want to do that particular work, but for many I sense it’s more about seeking a security you crave now you’ve left uni, and feeling ‘sorted’. The thinking goes that once you’re on a grad scheme, you’re set for life, right?
From Kevin
Submitted on 2016/03/22 at 10:50 pm
Tanya regarding your questions on why a grad scheme my input would be the following:
A) We are aware of them. They are on campuses two or three times a year fighting to get at interested graduates. We aren’t always aware of smaller companies working in an area of interest because they don’t market themselves. I have worked for smaller companies in the past and they’ve always felt above a need to advertise, the attitude was always they’d come to us while ironically constantly complaining about a lack of talent. Maybe a budget issue for them or fewer available positions. On this website you advertise big names but few smaller names. It is a two way street, they need to advertise and we need to look it can’t be all one or the other.
B) It’s not about being sorted for life, as I said I’ve known people switch schemes and get fired from them. However larger companies get that you are a graduate and maybe don’t have much experience. Smaller companies tend to demand more experience for lower wages so younger people in their early/mid 20’s get stuck in that cycle of can’t get a job because of a lack of experience can’t get experience without a job.
C)Larger firms that advertise to us are more likely to invest in us than smaller firms. All grad schemes offer on the job training or the option to work towards additional qualifications. I was invited to interview about a year ago with the Treasury grad scheme who were thrilled I was willing to undertake a secondment because someone might have a better way of doing things that I could bring back and that I was willing to undertaking further qualifications. Smaller companies I interviewed with seemed openly hostile to the idea. There attitude was more why interview for this job if you want to spend 3 months working somewhere else? Why should we help you or fund you furthering your qualifications for you to leave and take those skills we paid for somewhere else? In addition to this larger companies offer a greater ability to network and get to know a wider range of people in different areas of work. The last small company I worked with I met a guy working in the oil industry and when I mentioned this to my boss and how interesting this person was the next day I had to have a meeting in his office. I was asked why I was trying to solicit meetings with oil executives looking for a different job. I was so completely taken back by this. I said I wasn’t I was simply mentioning a person I’d met. Again this is just my experience but that level of paranoia that you might leave makes for an uncomfortable working environment.
D) It is just as hard to get into a smaller company as it is a large one, in some cases harder. I say this because smaller companies wont always advertise. At least with a big firm that is advertising on campus you know how to apply to them. I’ve known nepotism to be rife in some smaller firms employing family members and relatives of employees that are looking to swap work placements with a parent over a game of tennis.
Most of the people commenting here got here probably the same way I did, googling people that committed suicide because they were going through the same issues. The more you get rejected and the longer you are unemployed despite having put the effort into getting all the qualifications and experience that you have just leads to depression. In my case severe depression. In the end you just get to a point where you want to give up because no one wants you. I’ve been unemployed for 6 months and under employed since leaving uni 20 months ago. What do you do at this point but want to give up?
From Kevin again
Submitted on 2016/03/22 at 11:01 pm
I’d also add for me and a number of people in my boat there is a palpable sense of anger that is often mistaken by older generations as entitlement. It is drummed into us by teachers, parents, career advisors, the media, the government etc that if you want a decent chance in this world you’ve got to get an education. You listen because as a kid you listen to the grown ups. You work hard, you study, you stay out of trouble, you go to uni and find it was all a lie. When those same older generations that told us to go to uni term around and say you arent too good to work in a supermarket stop being so entitled they refuse to accept that some of us are turned away from stacking shelves because we are considered over qualified. 99% myself included are asking for a chance. We aren’t expecting a bucket of gold and a pony for playing xbox all day we want a fair go. We did traditional degrees, we did stem subjects, the list of people here ranges from myself in politics and economics to the guy that did physics they aren’t “mickey mouse” degrees. Heck there was a story on the news last week about a 22 year old homeless unemployed chemical engineer. We did as we were best advised and then the people that gave us the advise criticise us for following the advise. What exactly are we suppose to do?
And one more from Kevin!
Submitted on 2016/03/22 at 11:04 pm
Sorry that should be “uni turn around” and advice no advise, auto correct got me
@Kevin
Thanks for writing such a detailed reply – it’s really interesting to hear how things look from where you are. Addressing each of your points in turn…
I do understand this, but I think you are on the right lines when you suggest it is a budget issue. Few graduates are aware (because why would you be?) but big companies have paid a LOT of money to make themselves to visible to you. Stands at recruitment fairs cost thousands of pounds, as does advertising and job ad space. Smaller companies simply don’t have this budget – and if they did, it wouldn’t be good use of their resources. One of the main reasons for this is that they will be recruiting for fewer roles. Spending that kind of money to find 50 graduates may make sense. Spending it to find 1 or 2 (which is what smaller companies will be looking for) simply doesn’t make financial sense.
Smaller companies rely on graduates doing a bit more sleuthing to find them – because they don’t have any choice. This is actually quite a big problem – so you’re right to highlight it. But I think it is a mistake to characterise this as ‘arrogance’ on their part. It is simply the cases that small companies cannot afford to spend the same money that big companies do, on making you aware that they exist – and are hiring! Also, I’m not sure they’re ‘complaining’ of a lack of talent – more likely they’re frustrated as they know there are loads of great graduates out there, but there is a disconnect which means they don’t receive enough applications from them / you.
Another interesting point. I’m glad you know that schemes don’t always work out, however ‘safe’ they seem! You are right to highlight the salary – smaller companies usually can’t compete on pay. And it’s interesting to hear that you think smaller companies expect new graduates to have more experience, whereas bigger companies are happy to take you on pretty much straight from uni. That may be a fair point. But then again, we’ve said above that smaller companies get fewer quality applicants – so shouldn’t that mean they are more open to more inexperienced grads, if their attitude is right? Perhaps it is a fair criticism that bosses of smaller companies should be prepared to compromise on experience, if they can’t compete with big employers on salary, training and marketing themselves to applicants in the first place.
MORE TO FOLLOW on C) and D)…