Downsizing, rightsizing, whatever they call it, has occurred in large corporations as well as in small companies. The number of people coming out of large corporations is much greater than out of small companies. This has been going on for awhile and what we're seeing is that hiring in both large and small organizations is limited.
No new news so far, I know. What I want to help job seekers understand is that there are differences in what employers look for, that larger is not always better and it is important to know how your experience will be valued in small or large, because you need to play to both audiences. You need to keep your options open. There are many more small companies than large companies.
I am going to make generalizations and I know that is dangerous. Let me preface this all by saying I've worked for a company with 4 employees and I've worked for a company with 2,000 employees. My personal preference has been working with the smaller guys!
There are certain job titles that exist in large companies and not in small companies. However, the functions performed typically exist in both sizes.
When I worked for a small company I was called the Office Manager. I reported to a Senior Vice President. Besides performing office management functions, I had to unload shipments, sell our services and water the plants. There was a huge variety to my day and I had opportunities to try out new skills and develop existing skills. I worked hard, no doubt but looking back it was a great experience and gave me the opportunity to do new things.
It used to be that at certain parts of our careers we could expect certain things. Those expectations may not be so real any longer. The world has changed. Corporations have changed. We find ourselves no longer able to pursue the goal of the gold watch for 30 years of service.
I found these posts to shed some additional light on the differences between large and small.
Leadership Development for “The Little Guys”
Top 3 Myths About Leadership in Large Companies
Most likely, you've had your own experiences with a large vs. small company shift. What have you found? Please, tell me in a comment!
Hi Hannah...like you, I have worked in both large and small companies. I don't know if I have a preference for company size. I don't think that matters to me personally. Leadership is what matters to me. I've worked in small companies where I had a great leader. I've worked in big companies where I have had a great leader. And the opposite on both counts.
One thing I do notice about others in the large versus small discussion is the type of work required in a small company. Specifically for people coming from large companies. If you are making this transition you have to acknowledge the fact that you no longer have a giant support infrastructure behind you. YOU are now that infrastructure.
I've seen a lot of people struggle with this - especially here in the Greater Rochester area. There are a lot of people who have spent a lot of time inside large companies (you what companies I mean) and they are struggling with Rochester's changing landscape. There are lots of small companies out there. They need flexible people.
Posted by: mikelally | March 29, 2010 at 09:20 AM