So you just graduated and you didn’t land that job at Facebook or Google. It’s ok. Don’t believe the hype there are many benefits you can gain from working at a medium size firm post-college. I’m not talking about a small mom & pop shop. I’m talking a medium-size firm. And note I’m speaking to those who are just starting their careers. These are the golden years of one’s career. The time where you need to like a sponge and absorb all the information you can to ensure you go in the right career path. Does the company size matter? Here are benefits of working at a medium-size company:
1. You are more than just a number
The larger the firm the more you are treated like just a number. There often is no longer that direct access to senior management, which means it makes it a little harder for your voice to be heard. On the other hand with a smaller company, you often have direct access to leadership. They work more closely with you which provides you with much more visibility. Having that close access to leadership is a great thing because it gives in insight into the big picture, you’re able to learn from their experience and lastly possibly have them as mentors.
2. Gain a broader range of experience
This can be a good or bad thing to some. The smaller the company the broader your work is. When you are at a larger company, each role becomes more specialized. There is a specific person that does a specific task. Smaller companies have fewer people so you can expect that one person is often wearing different hats. For example in a marketing department at a larger company, you can expect a specific role for email marketing, one for SEO, and one for social media. At a smaller company, you’ll often find that one person is doing all of these things. With the help of online certifications, this broad range of responsibilities can be attainable.
Having a broad range of experience early on in your career this is a good thing. You have the ability to try different things and really find out what you like. It makes your day more entertaining because there’s diversity in your work. And lastly, it looks great on your resume that you were able to manage all these roles.
3. Quicker opportunity for growth
With fewer people at a company, you can, of course, expect a quicker opportunity for growth. There is less competition within a mid-sized company and your work ethic and achievements are more visible. Larger companies often have people in the same role for numerous years while smaller companies seem to have employees change roles often. As the company grows it gives employees the ability to grow within the company as well.
Don’t get me wrong I’m sure there are great benefits to working at larger firms as well. From my experience of working at a medium size firm, I was able to accomplish more than some of my peers working at the more popular firms. I was able to get several promotions while most of my peers stayed in the same role. With my broad range of experience, my resume looks amazing which made it much easier when applying for new career opportunities.
