Pros and Cons of Working in Small Companies
Your job search may pick up if you consider small companies as well as big names. The numbers show there are more jobs there. As you expand your job search to include small companies, you’ll want to consider the pros and cons. Having worked in both a small company and a larger well established organization, it is hard for me to generalize that one is better than the other. Based on my personal experience and from what I have learned from others, here are some pros and cons of working in small companies.
Pros:
- Opportunity to gain exposure to and learn about all parts of the operation
- Exciting challenges
- Creative environment
- More direct impact on company’s bottom line
- More responsibility
- Greater visibility and potentially greater recognition
- Skill-building opportunities
- Big risks, big rewards
- Opportunity to learn directly from the CEO
- Ability to work independently
- Chance to be entrepreneurial
- Opportunity to be in on the “ground floor” of a company
Cons:
- Less availability of Resources
- Less structured career progression
- Increased likelihood of menial tasks
- Potentially high risk and low job security
- Interaction with fewer people
- Lack of name recognition on future resume
- Fewer formal training programs
- Less established procedures, which can add to the workload and slow things down
These pros and cons could vary for different individuals. A con for one person may be a pro for another. For instance, a risk-averse individual would view the risky nature of working at a small company as a con. However, a person who likes to take risks would view this as an exciting challenge. Most important, your willingness to work at a small company can really open up your job search. Up next, I’ll look at how to modify your job search to target smaller companies.