Source: lifehacker.com
Dear Lifehacker,
I’m job hunting right now and I can’t decide between pursuing a job at a smaller company with a lot of growth potential, or a larger, more established organization. What are some of the things I should consider when choosing between the two?
Sincerely,
Stuck in the Middle
Dear Stuck,
Deciding whether to go with a large or small company may actually be one of the most important decisions you make while job hunting, especially if it’s early in your career. That being said, there’s no right or wrong answer and it will largely depend on what you hope to accomplish and how you work best in an organization.
Keep in mind there are also almost no universal truths in this area, either. For example, larger companies may offer better benefits packages, but you may come across the exception. If you find a company with less than a hundred employees that still offers a compelling package, talk to your interviewer or recruiter and learn more.
That being said, here is a non-comprehensive list of things to think about.
The Advantages of a Big Company
Large corporations are large for a reason. Success collates with itself and over time, a small company becomes a large one, gaining unique perks and advantages in the market. Here are a few that can help you:
You Have More Obvious Structure
When you enter a large company, you’re taking part in a machine that’s been around for a long time. As such, there is typically an established way of doing things. As soon as you walk in, you will know what your job is, how you fit into your department and over time you’ll even learn the obvious pathways for promotions. This isn’t the right route for everyone, but if you want to go into a job with a sense of stability and a well-defined path for advancement, larger companies typically have great templates already in place.
The Benefits Packages Are Better
Larger companies, in general, are better about providing benefits like health insurance or retirement plans. The smaller a corporation’s revenue is, the less likely it can afford to pay for benefits. According toa recent study, only 47% of companies in the U.S. with 2-99 employees offered any benefits at all.
Of course, this only matters if you take advantage of available benefits. A study by ADP showed that just over half of eligible part-time employees of large companies actually enroll in company benefits plans. Similarly, only 77% of eligible full-time employees elect to sign up. Regardless of what size company you work for, it’s always good to find out what benefits are available to you.
You Can Switch Job Without Leaving
Large companies need a lot of people working a wide variety of jobs to operate. While your specific role may be specialized, it’s possible to change positions and explore a new area without leaving the company. Developers can become project managers, designers can become marketers, or the senior VP of a web browser can become head of a mobile operating system. It may still require some hunting, but if you already work for the company where you’re applying for a new job at, that’s one less thing the recruiter has to worry about.
The Problems at a Big Company
Working for a large companies isn’t all rainbows and unicorns, however. If you’re angling to get in at a Fortune 500 company, here are some downsides to consider:
Changes Happen Slowly
Shaking things up at a big company can take a lot of time. Even if your company is open to new ideas (which isn’t always a given), getting your department to move to a new model or create a product can take a lot of time. For example, in May of 2010, legendary design guru Matias Duarte left Palm for Google to be the new User Experience Director for Android. Nearly 18 months later, Android had a new look, but according to Duarte, it took a long time to get there:
“”Coming in and being put in charge of the design and UX for this enormously successful platform that now has years of legacy behind it. It’s completely unlike getting behind the steering wheel of a zippy, agile little car. It’s more like driving an aircraft carrier.” He gestures as if he’s pushing a button, “Okay guys, turning left! Are we turning left yet?””
While not everyone takes on projects as ambitious as redesigning a mobile operating system, many of us will want to leave our mark on the company we work for. This may be easier in a smaller company than a large one.
You Won’t Know Some Coworkers
No matter how social or friendly you are, if you work in a company with hundreds or even thousands of employees, it will be impossible to know everyone. Inevitably, some aspect of your job will be affected by someone you’ve never met. It may be the CEO, the head of payroll, or the legal department, but someone will make a decision that determines how you work and it may be difficult or even impossible to speak to that person directly. A good company will provide a method for employees to voice serious concerns to upper management, but this isn’t always guaranteed or effective.
Your Fulfillment Can Be Determined by Your Surroundings
A related problem is that your success and happiness can be determined by where you are placed within the company. Working with a dysfunctional group can bring down the quality of your work, despite your best efforts. It may even affect your ability to move up in the company. As one Google engineerputs it:
“Your quality of life will vary greatly depending on the team you get assigned to. Being part of a good team will make your life wonderful, a bad team will make your life miserable. Whom you work with has a major influence on your career (don’t expect promotions in a dying product).”
Of course, working with unpleasant people is a universal threat, but the damaging effects can be more pronounced if there’s a web of superiors and management departments between you and the part of the company you’d rather be working for.
