I'm doing some thinking on my career progression, and I want to hear OzB's thoughts* on working for a small Vs big company.
What are some non-obvious perks, frustrations, opportunities and limitations of big/small companies?
*I understand that it is hard to generalise, and everyone's experiences depend on the nature of the company, the people in it, and your individual work ethic
So do some smaller companies.
Not as much crap from smaller companies.
goto whoever pays you more
Big fish in small pond v little fish in big pond
Bigpond is bleh, try ABB
I understand the analogy, and that the choice between the two largely comes down to individual preferences and the specifics of options available to you. But, what is your outlook? Which way have you leant?
Talking from the perspective of white collar work…
Little companies don't look good on a resume unless you do something huge there. If you're early in your career, go big, it looks better. Also usually limited career progression within small companies unless they go through a lot of growth.
Little companies you're more open to the whims of someone internal. Not true everywhere, but a little company the CEO is going to give a shit about what you do while at a big company they won't ever know who you are. Flip side is you get to know everyone and it make collaboration outside of your silo a lot easier.
Things like bonuses, packaging, etc don't exist at little companies (usually). Whereas if you're high enough up at a small company getting a decent chunk of shares can be a possibility and getting perks because there's no listed shareholders to report to.
Little companies have far, far, far less red tape. Trying to buy something at a big company to improve your work can be a nightmare, depending on how it's structured. I work for a small company contracted to a big company, often I work on things simply because it's easier for me to do so as the contractor than for internal people who need layers of approval for changes.
Culture is usually better at small companies, they just get rid of people who don't fit. It also means you could be quickly out on your butt if you don't fit. Whereas the culture at a big company tends to go down the crapper easily but is hard to improve.
I agree with everything except the culture part. Getting rid of people that simply don't fit promotes poor culture.
Big companies are best in the beginning of career. There's a lot more opportunities to meet more people and see big things are done. Small companies are good for later in the career where you can use the knowledge you've gained to innovate for some niche or untapped market. Also, it's a lot easier to move from a big company to a small one than vice versa. When people see you have experience with brand name X they will be biased to assume you can naturally fit into company Y. If your experience is in a no name company then you have to sell in detail how the things you've done are relevant to Y.
This is exactly my concern in my current position, but I'm not certain if this is how people actually think/recruit.
Not sure what industry you're in, but for finance this is definitely the case and why you hear about the "big 4". Once you have experience in one of them, people are naturally biased to assume you will fit easily into the other 3.
Thanks for this. I am early in my career and currently work in a small team. Good culture (despite mostly WFH) and I work closely with more senior team members. I'm well compensated and bonuses/packaging do exist. Nonetheless, I am concerned about how successful I will be when I eventually grow out of this team and want to move on to bigger and better things. I figure I might need a big brand name on my CV!
Having worked in both large and SME, I rate large as way better. And the SME colleagues who moved to large can't believe how much better things are. Way more opportunities and likely to have better governance. SME's are at risk of being overrun by sociopaths.
I tend to agree. SME's can be lead by big thinking, but inexperienced people. And the things they focus on can be mind boggling. And no HR.
I fortunately haven't had that experience in my current small team, but I understand that argument. Still, I think HR and OTT governance can introduce a whole bunch of red tape that could be pretty unenjoyable.
I'd rather work for a big company. Much more likely to have published protocols and standards and stuff. If I worked for a small business I'd at least want to be able to produce work to the same standard as a big company, but can't really see how. Big companies have departments that help you, or have the resources to contract people who can do what you need.
Small company you may be working directly with the owner/s, which can be good or a nightmare depending on the persons.
I think it easier to hide if you are an underachiever at a big company, or if you want to coast. Certainly, I meant plenty of both at big places I've worked.
Small companies are better for decision making and can be more nimble. Big companies are better if you like larger, long term stuff.
Sometimes you can get a middle ground in a small office of a big company.
My opinion with no idea of your profession.
Big companies are great, just be a number not “a family.”
Small companies usually don’t have the resources that big ones do and you may have to do things outside your normal scope of work occasionally.
Big companies are bloated, some over staffed, usually pay more and you don’t need to stand out unless you want to (in terms of working for promotions etc)
Maybe not true for every industry, but it is for mine.
Well this varies greatly depending on the profession / industry. But anyways thoughts:
Big Company - Better pay opportunities, Better perks / leave entitlements, More resources available.
Small Company - Improved all round experience, Closer working relationship with peers, Potential growth as the company grows.
I've always been in small companies but thats partially a result of my industry requiring all round experience for registration and some negative associations with larger firms.
I truly agree this is totally dependent on which industry. I'm in IT and have worked in both small and large companies, my take:
Big companies - Lots of learning, opportunities to network with people, and looks good on your CV. It's definitely a good start for graduates, or young professionals who are still progressing their careers. Once you're in management, big companies require you to have a lot of drive, courage and self-organisation. You're constantly dealing with larger groups of people and disagreements become a daily routine. You really need to have the confidence to be challenged, the patience to listen, and the discipline to get back up again and again. All of this require you to have years and years of experience under your belt.
Small companies - Still a great place to learn if you're working with good people. I've lucked out that every small companies I worked in, I've always been surrounded by talented people. You get much more autonomy and opportunies to try and innovate. Fail fast and learn fast can really take off here and many of those things you learn can follow you into larger workplaces. Politics can get out of hand but you're not immune if you go to a large company. In fact, when there are politics in a large organisation, it is way more uncontrollable than small companies.
At the end of the day, both have benefits. Maybe somewhere in the middle, working for a scale-up is the best option? 🤣
Big companies go through more toilet paper.