The advantages and disadvantages of working in small or big company

Searching for a job is not necessarily easy. Therefore it is good to prepare yourself a little bit and make up your mind about what kind of company you want to join. There are two basic types: You can either apply for a job in a big company or in a small company. Both have advantages and drawbacks.
The smaller companies are usually ignored by potential employees, who focus their efforts more on large firms that have name recognition. However, during tough economic times, small firms are actually better positioned to hire in the period of recession. Small businesses may have a business plan more progressive than big companies, so they are able to succeed despite poor economic situation. What is more the small firm may not have the large overhead or the extra employees that big companies might have added during the last period of economic growth. Another advantage of working in small firms is that the work roles are often less specialized allowing employees to interact with staff in more functional areas and to get a better view of operations. Since employees and their work results are more visible, it is often easier to advance in a smaller organization. Employees often gain experience in a variety of areas, giving them multiple skills and areas of expertise to add to their resume. These small employers may also have more flexibility to consider alternative work arrangements like flextime or job sharing. On the downside, smaller employers may have fewer formal training programs, benefit packages can be more restricted, and opportunities to relocate to other branches may be more limited or non-existent. There might be less opportunity for growth and promotion, and the failure rate for small firms is also much higher than for larger ones. In addition the small company’s resources are almost always very limited. Furthermore little companies suffer from mistakes more than the big ones. Although there could be less job stability than at a bigger company, if the comfort level fits and you enjoy the job, working for a smaller company could be a good choice to get your career started. On the other side we have the big firms that also have advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage that most of us pay attention to most is the salary, which is usually higher than in the small companies. In addition the big companies are probably well known you can proud to work for an international company.

Furthermore in a large business you can become more specialized in your work. However this is in my opinion not necessarily an advantage, but it is considered to be a plus. Also you may get abroad easier than if you work for a small company. Moreover if you have troubles with your colleagues you can just change the department. And then there are the benefits, which a big organization can offer. Small companies cannot match the big ones in this case. Nevertheless there are some disadvantages as well. Firstly the big firms are not very flexible and therefore cannot react to market changes quickly. Secondly the relationships with your colleagues are usually only formal and you don’t get to know all the people like in small businesses. In addition there is a big competition between the employees, so you have to work very hard. Consequently your colleagues can become mean and cabal may result. Moreover you don’t enjoy much independence in big companies. What's more you cannot really deal with problems face to face. It is certainly very individual for everyone to choose, where to work. It depends on the people’s personality. You have to make yourself clear what you want. I would probably like to start my career in a smaller or midsized company with potential to grow strongly and enjoy all the advantages of both alternatives.