You’ve thrown your cap up in the air and stepped out of your university campus with a degree under your belt like 36,000 fellow graduates will have done from the West Midlands this summer. So you must be wondering what’s my next big step? Travelling, further studies or getting a job?
For those wanting to start their steady climb up the corporate ladder, it may seem like a daunting task to start the job hunting process and finding the right company to work for where you can easily slot in!
Obviously there’s more to it than just ‘fitting in’ – making sure the company meets your expectations in terms of career progression, starting salaries, job prospects and perks of the job are all bound to be on your agenda. Immediately, you may think that in order to tick all these boxes it’s best to head for the big international corporations – wrong!
At Grad Central we’re not ruling out the possibility of working for big companies, however, have you considered the advantages of working for smaller businesses?
Small and medium-sized enterprises, or SMEs as they are also known, stand out as a great option for this year’s graduates. Back in October 2007, there was an estimated 4.3 million businesses in Great Britain – a staggering 99.9% of these were SMEs! These are classed as companies with fewer than 250 employers, which doesn’t seem that small at all, however, it does have its benefits.
So for starters, if you work for a SME you’re more likely to get thrown into the deep end, in a good way! Learning the ropes quickly will help you to prioritise work loads and motivate you to complete deadlines – that way you can propel yourself into your new role and define your key strengths very early on.
You are also more likely as an employee of a smaller company to get your voice heard. This may include more opportunities to speak and work with senior members of staff.
This has a number of benefits, not only will you be able to learn from those around you with years of experience, but they can deal directly with your questions, or you may even be able put any of your ideas into practice a lot quicker if they are profitable and credible to the business.
Smaller organisations will also be looking at individuals who have the skills to strengthen and add value to its existing workforce. This doesn’t necessarily mean industry-related qualifications; it could also mean the right personality traits and life experience that graduates tend to have.
Finally, SMEs often give you the opportunity to work in a more relaxed atmosphere in comparison to some of the more corporate-led work environments. As a member of a smaller company, you will often socialise outside of work and be able to get to know your colleagues a lot quicker this way, making you feel part of the ‘work family’ instantly.