Anyone work for a small start-up?
Discussion
Hi guys,
I've just finished my MSc at Bristol and looking for a Job! I've got all the qualifications and some work experience. I have jobs offers from large corporates but would rather work for a small startup as I think I will enjoy it more. Not looking for a large salary as long as the works interesting.
Let us know if you know of anything in the SW or london.
Cheers
Tony
I've just finished my MSc at Bristol and looking for a Job! I've got all the qualifications and some work experience. I have jobs offers from large corporates but would rather work for a small startup as I think I will enjoy it more. Not looking for a large salary as long as the works interesting.
Let us know if you know of anything in the SW or london.
Cheers
Tony
hmm...
I would say, from my POV, the only reason to work for a small startup for LESS money, is either a stress free life (but you're fresh out of uni.. so cant be burnt out already!) or the promise of a % of profits / ownership in return for hard work and small salary.
Big Corps = Big Salary & Big Benefits & Big Safety.
You SURE you want to go small AND cheap?
I would say, from my POV, the only reason to work for a small startup for LESS money, is either a stress free life (but you're fresh out of uni.. so cant be burnt out already!) or the promise of a % of profits / ownership in return for hard work and small salary.
Big Corps = Big Salary & Big Benefits & Big Safety.
You SURE you want to go small AND cheap?
Valid point of view. Basicly I worked for the Home Office for a year in there Economics and Resource department and it was enough to put me off thats why I went back to uni. As for reasons to work for a small start up, i'm sure it will involve a lot more work and stress (for less money) but in the long run the experience is what I am looking for and over the years I'm sure it will pay off financially :-)
Working for a startup will only pay off if the Startup Pays you 
alot of startups dont go anywhere.. of those that do, getting your salary on a regular basis is a fight, and then, once they finally DO go somewhere, unless you're in on a % basis, you will rarely see a 'real' reward.
Dont confuse Govt Depts with Big business.
Public Sector is notorious for overlooking people, overpaying and underworking the wrong people, and underpaying and overworking the rest! Big Banks / Corps are 'better'
alot of startups dont go anywhere.. of those that do, getting your salary on a regular basis is a fight, and then, once they finally DO go somewhere, unless you're in on a % basis, you will rarely see a 'real' reward.
Dont confuse Govt Depts with Big business.
Public Sector is notorious for overlooking people, overpaying and underworking the wrong people, and underpaying and overworking the rest! Big Banks / Corps are 'better'
Starting out with a large firm can give you a good foundation + pay OK to get over student debts etc. 3-5 years with a big name under your belt can really boost your chances of getting a gig with a smaller operation.
I work for a large accountancy/consultancy & many ex colleagues got valuable experience working on lots of different clients, identified the type of company they wanted to work for & then used their experience & good CV to get in there at a reasonably high level. Will be doing the same myself some time in the next couple of years too. A fair bit of pain to start but the exposure to dozens of businesses is great.
I work for a large accountancy/consultancy & many ex colleagues got valuable experience working on lots of different clients, identified the type of company they wanted to work for & then used their experience & good CV to get in there at a reasonably high level. Will be doing the same myself some time in the next couple of years too. A fair bit of pain to start but the exposure to dozens of businesses is great.
Hmm some strange experiences of small/start-ups you lot have!
For me it's meant more stress and much more work experience in a shorter length of time.
You can get involved in so many more areas of the business if you show you have the capability to multi-task, so while you may have a straightforward job title, you could get involved in the other aspects, from finance through to marketing.
Best bit is, if after 10 years you fancy a career change, you will have had some relevant experience.
However, as stated above, the salary and job security is smallest.
For me it's meant more stress and much more work experience in a shorter length of time.
You can get involved in so many more areas of the business if you show you have the capability to multi-task, so while you may have a straightforward job title, you could get involved in the other aspects, from finance through to marketing.
Best bit is, if after 10 years you fancy a career change, you will have had some relevant experience.
However, as stated above, the salary and job security is smallest.
shadowninja said:
Hmm some strange experiences of small/start-ups you lot have!
For me it's meant more stress and much more work experience in a shorter length of time.
You can get involved in so many more areas of the business if you show you have the capability to multi-task, so while you may have a straightforward job title, you could get involved in the other aspects, from finance through to marketing.
Best bit is, if after 10 years you fancy a career change, you will have had some relevant experience.
However, as stated above, the salary and job security is smallest.
Horses for courses - wide range of experience in 1 organisation or wide range of experience in many other successful firms.
In most cases going from large to small is easier career path than small to large - all imo. Neither is right or wrong. You would find it difficult going from a startup/small business (unless very successful) into a senior finance position in a PLC for example.
The answer will depend on your own attitude to risk as well as the precise company involved, small or large. I usually make decisions like this on the basis of best case/ worst case scenarios and choose/plan accordingly.
Having said all that, I'd go with small companies every time. As others have said, you learn more and you're more visible. You don't realise this when you're in the thick of the action, but it's brought home to you when you meet up with your peers in large corporations. They can seem incredibly one-dimensional. You also feel more in control of your own destiny and it should feel like everyone there is on the same side. There's something about an organisation of >100 people that it starts getting political. This is not sector specific, and, personally, I have no time for this sort of crap. My rule of thumb is that as soon as the company hires its first HR person, I'm out of there.
What it should mean, more than anything else, is being able to work with people you like & respect. If this isn't so, walk away; the lost opportunity cost is too high. You do need to be able to identify a winning prospect though, so until you think you can do this, you may find it best to learn the ropes in a larger organisation before joining a startup. Most start ups fail.
One other thing- you need to discriminate between corporate risk and personal risk; big crporations are more likely to be there tomorrow true, but that doesn't mean you will be.
Kevin
Having said all that, I'd go with small companies every time. As others have said, you learn more and you're more visible. You don't realise this when you're in the thick of the action, but it's brought home to you when you meet up with your peers in large corporations. They can seem incredibly one-dimensional. You also feel more in control of your own destiny and it should feel like everyone there is on the same side. There's something about an organisation of >100 people that it starts getting political. This is not sector specific, and, personally, I have no time for this sort of crap. My rule of thumb is that as soon as the company hires its first HR person, I'm out of there.
What it should mean, more than anything else, is being able to work with people you like & respect. If this isn't so, walk away; the lost opportunity cost is too high. You do need to be able to identify a winning prospect though, so until you think you can do this, you may find it best to learn the ropes in a larger organisation before joining a startup. Most start ups fail.
One other thing- you need to discriminate between corporate risk and personal risk; big crporations are more likely to be there tomorrow true, but that doesn't mean you will be.
Kevin
I joined a small company with 3 people in my office (2 of them being directors). I watched the company grow over 5 years and when i left there were 20 in my office and 20 more in another office.
Learnt alot about running a business. (still learning
) Would have hated to work for a corporate.
Learnt alot about running a business. (still learning
) Would have hated to work for a corporate. bga said:
Hmm some strange experiences of small/start-ups you lot have!
For me it's meant more stress and much more work experience in a shorter length of time.
You can get involved in so many more areas of the business if you show you have the capability to multi-task, so while you may have a straightforward job title, you could get involved in the other aspects, from finance through to marketing.
Best bit is, if after 10 years you fancy a career change, you will have had some relevant experience.
However, as stated above, the salary and job security is smallest.
Horses for courses - wide range of experience in 1 organisation or wide range of experience in many other successful firms.
In most cases going from large to small is easier career path than small to large - all imo. Neither is right or wrong. You would find it difficult going from a startup/small business (unless very successful) into a senior finance position in a PLC for example.
It does depend on the job in question. Fine if you're working with clients. (Although even then you may be doing the same damn thing day in, day out for different clients...) If you're working on an "internal" role, not dealing with clients, then your experience will be limited whether you like it or not.
shadowninja said:
It does depend on the job in question. Fine if you're working with clients. (Although even then you may be doing the same damn thing day in, day out for different clients...) If you're working on an "internal" role, not dealing with clients, then your experience will be limited whether you like it or not.
I can't disagree with that.
I suppose it depends on what you mean by "small start up". If it's a couple of mates who, down the pub, decide to start a dot.com with minimal research, then give it a miss. If it's a small group of people with some pedigree and they'd consider offering some equity / profit sharing in exchange for a lower basic, then that's a different story.
Personally, I make a living out of buying small companies, improving them, then selling them to large companies so I have much experience with both. Given the choice as a potential employee, I'd rather be a large cog in a small machine than a small cog in a larger machine - it's much more rewarding (in the main). However, I tend to be something of a "risk taker" and some people would prefer the security of a large company. So I guess it comes down to your own personality.
Personally, I make a living out of buying small companies, improving them, then selling them to large companies so I have much experience with both. Given the choice as a potential employee, I'd rather be a large cog in a small machine than a small cog in a larger machine - it's much more rewarding (in the main). However, I tend to be something of a "risk taker" and some people would prefer the security of a large company. So I guess it comes down to your own personality.
I did some work recently on gradute careers for a client: = more and more graduates are looking for jobs with small companies because they feel less of a face in the crowd and feel they can make a real difference to the wider organisation. We found that the best (high potential) staff will always seek out challenge and a sense of contribution and work for less money as long as they feel they are being developed. Some big comapies will give that, the chance to make a real difference and the benefits, but fewer and fewer these days.
Hi,
Well, I work in IT. My first three jobs were with small companies - one of which was a start up. From the point of view of this industry I would personally go down this route for sure. I gained vast amounts of experience using a diverse range of technology working for small companies; less people = more work for you!
Now that I've gained the experience required I'm working as a contractor (sold out
). I'm at a large financial institution whose profits are measured in billions etc. at the moment. I'm perhaps using 25% of the knowledge I've built up, doing 10% of the work load I was used to but I am getting paid 60% more!
Not sure if this is relevant to your chosen profession, but that's my 2p worth.
Cheers,
Mike.
Well, I work in IT. My first three jobs were with small companies - one of which was a start up. From the point of view of this industry I would personally go down this route for sure. I gained vast amounts of experience using a diverse range of technology working for small companies; less people = more work for you!
Now that I've gained the experience required I'm working as a contractor (sold out
). I'm at a large financial institution whose profits are measured in billions etc. at the moment. I'm perhaps using 25% of the knowledge I've built up, doing 10% of the work load I was used to but I am getting paid 60% more! Not sure if this is relevant to your chosen profession, but that's my 2p worth.
Cheers,
Mike.
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