People may not realise the size of company you work for greatly impacts your career
For new jobseekers, the priority may be to secure any job, regardless of the company’s size.
Other persons may have preferences based on their career goals and aspirations.
Regardless of preference, there are several pros and cons you can expect when working in a large or small company.
What to expect when working for a large organisation?
If you choose to start or continue your career at a large company, you can expect:
Operations on a national or global scale
Large corporations and multinational companies operate across multiple territories. When working for these companies, you can expect globally recognised brands, sophisticated capital outlay and a massive market presence around the region or globe.
Large & diverse workforce
Working for a multinational company exposes you large teams. You may encounter many non-Caribbean team members working overseas from different backgrounds. It is not uncommon to find yourself being part of cross-geographic teams, having meetings with colleagues in different time zones and utilising video conferencing to communicate.
Structured & Specialised layout
Large companies are usually very specialised in their operations. Work is specialised into units within departments or branches. Large companies tend to separate Production, Finance, Marketing, Human Resources, Research & Development and Legal Departments into distinct functions with no overlap
Each function would be headed by its respective Department Manager or Director, who will be accountable to a General Manager or Chief Operating Officer.
High level of bureaucracy
Being part of a large organisation means decision-making is a regulated. There is usually more paperwork, policies, regulations, meetings and approvals to acquire, compared to a start-up company when making decisions. The larger the organisation, the more bureaucracy can be expected, which often hampers the speed and efficiency of tasks getting done.
High technological influence
Larger companies have a large workforce, customer base and market share. The technological infrastructure to accommodate and manage this level of communication, production and information will also be extensive.
When working in large companies, you will be exposed to sophisticated technology managing fully or semi-automated operations, as well as digitally monitoring and protecting data through specialised software.
Career advancement opportunities
While not a distinguishing factor, larger corporations do provide substantial opportunities for onboarding, training and development, internships, networking and promotions, compared to a start-up company.
Exclusive benefits
Working for large corporations provides extensive benefits such as retirement plans, exclusive memberships, health insurance, travel discounts, company equity on top of your usual salary, commission and vacation days.
Adapting to an established culture
Unlike a start-up firm, the company culture you experience when working in a large company has already been firmly established. This means you will have to adapt to their policies and processes upon getting hired. You may not have opportunities to contribute or evoke change as in a small start-up.
What to expect when working for a start-up?
Conversely, working at a small enterprise may offer an alternate experience which may be suitable for other jobseekers. These include:
Contributing to culture
Start-up team members decide collectively what approaches to adopt when problem-solving. These approaches and decisions help cultivate a workplace culture that suits the team’s work procedures and success. As the business is newly established, start-up employees often contribute and shape the company’s culture through their ideas and experience.
Blurred lines of responsibility
Start-ups can specialise as large companies do. However, there is less regulations and the workforce is smaller. Therefore, the founder of a start-up often wears many hats and performs a variety of roles. If you choose to work for a start-up company, there may be blurred lines between your job description and the tasks you actually to do during the workday.
More resourcefulness
Flexibility is essential for start-ups because not all the rules have been established. Very often start-ups compete in highly competitive industries and do not possess the market share as larger firms do. As such, security and survival are priorities. Start-up companies do require team members to be flexible with time, ideas and work. Working for a start-up means you must possess keen adaptability skills and resourcefulness to thrive in competitive or unpredictable market.
Less perks
Start-ups can and do offer attractive salaries. However, the benefits and perks associated with working for a multinational for example, may not be feasible or possible for a start-up to provide.
Job security is less likely
Larger firms provide a greater sense of job security as their brand presence and customer base are firmly established. Working for a start-up may occasionally feel like a fight for survival given the threat of competition, fewer resources and failure.
Heavy family influence
A lot of start-up companies begin as family firms. Apart from the founder, family members may hold important positions within the business. Decision-making power often remains within the family group. This makes promotion and career advancement challenging for non-family team members.
What type of company is best for your career?
When deciding whether to work for a large or start-up company, you should consider:
- Is it more important to work for a company you can help build or one you can learn from?
- What type of environment do you see yourself thriving?
- Would you prefer specialised systems and structure or a more flexible workplace?
- Do you prefer to work independently or as part of a team?
- What is the level of risk you’re willing to undertake? Are you the type of person who values a secure salary or are you willing to risk it and invest your time into building a new brand?
- What are your financial requirements? Would you prioritise a higher salary and benefits over the opportunity to grow and contribute to a start-up culture?
- Are you entrepreneurial or intrapreneurial? Do you see yourself venturing on your own one day and establishing your own start-up. Or, would you prefer to use your skills to move up the corporate ladder and achieve seniority in an established, market leading firm?
