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Small vs. big (company)
I've worked for small companies ever since I graduated from college (one 7 employees, current job has 9). I have an opportunity to work for a very large corporation and I'm not sure if I'd like it or not.
It's appealing because I might be able to make more friends and meet more people (we're new to the area). The benefits are WAY better than what I've got now. They have health insurance, 401k with match, 16 days pto to start, paid education, a pension, etc. My current benefits suck.
I have a lot of flexibility in terms of my days now and I know I would lose that with a big corporation. I'd also be on the phone a lot managing about 600 relationships. I think I'd be good with it, but it's just so different from the private financial world I work in now. I also like the idea that there would be opportunity for advancement at the big corp.
Any thoughts on working for a big company vs a small one? What do you like/dislike about them?
Re: Small vs. big (company)
I have been working for a large corporation (80K employees globally) for nearly 3 years now. Previously I worked in the government sector. I REALLY like working for corporate. I love that my salary doubled, plus I get bonuses on top of that. I like the opportunities for career development. I have a lot of job flexibility. I get to work with incredibly smart people. It can be stressful, but the stress drives me to excel. Those that don't perform are out. Either they quit because they can't handle the stress or workload..or whatever. Or they get let go in a headcount reduction. I would give it a shot, especially if it is fairly early on in your career. Give it a year or two and if it isn't a good fit, then move on.
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I wish I could insert a table because I would list out the pros and cons nice and neatly. I worked for a <100 person company for my first 3 years out of college, but since then, I've been with large (>10,000 person) companies. Here are my pros and cons:
Small Company Pros: More responsibility earlier on; knew everyone in the company, top to bottom; personally influenced corporate direction; became really good at our one niche.
Small Company Cons: Lived (and died) on a single govt contract. That's a risky way to maintain a business. Also, the "good ol' boy network" among owners and partners was harder to get into.
Big Company Pros: Better salary and benefits; standardized procedures for things like annual assessments, corporate communications, promotions and dispute resolution; greater flexibility with moving around the company and changing projects; broader experience in general.
Big Company Cons: Networking is critical to your professional success; more sideways movement than upward movement; sometimes the process drives the outcome-in other words, big companies can sometimes be hindered by their overly-bureaucratic processes to the point where it's easier to quit than try to get someone to listen to your personal situation.
HTH!
ETA: I would probably not go back to a small company unless it had diversified it's business portfolio. I interviewed with some small companies before going fed and their contract load was always my first question.
Thank you so much for the pros and cons, and thank you everybody for your thoughts!