Small company vs Large Company

I currently work at a very large company (26,000 employees) and the job has gotten boring. Employee engagement is low, bureaucracy is terrible, and recognition is hard to come by.

I started looking at jobs a few weeks ago and have received an offer from a very small company ( 20-30 employees), founded in 2000. They are extremely interested in hiring me and are offering a bit more money, not too much more.. (10%) more than my current job, though they are offering me 'equity' in the company.

If you were in my position, what would you do?

 

I'd say take the new job. Shake things up a bit. If the company is hiring, it seems unlikely that they are going under anytime soon, and if your current job is becoming unenjoyable, I say go for it. All of the things you listed not liking at your current job should be a lot better at a small company.

Now of course this recommendation is coming from someone who has no idea what you do, where you work, where you want to work, etc.

 

Well, the company will give me experience in where I really want to go with my career. I am just wondering if anyone has experience working in really small companies and how those experiences were..

I am concerned that the politics will be even worse/growth opportunities will be limited vs the time I put in.

 

I work for a very small law firm. I have not worked for a large company before but in the world of paralegals rumor has it small firms are much better. You can do your job, do it well and get the recognition you deserve. In larger companies it can sometimes be cut-throat in terms of advancing. Chances of getting raises and advancements are probably better in a small company because your work is actually being seen and there is no question as to who is responsible. On the downside... when you make a mistake.. it's going to be more obvious! =) I say go for it!

 

In this economy there is a lot to be said for stability. I'd SERIOUSLY investigate the small companies financials before I put any value on that part.

Siegel

 

Thanks, I plan to talk to the COO and the CFO before jumping ship. My current company is doing well in this economy..so you can probably guess i am a bit weary

 

What does the company do and what would yourt roll there be?

 

Its a software consulting firm.. Its done work for some major clients.. and i would be a consultant there.

 

I went into a small company job <6 people as a software consultant. The boss micromanaged me so much. I attempted to correct him on how he misinterpreted some of my results of a bench test and he fired me that night with no reason or warning. While an extreme instance i guess, i enjoy my new job ~40 employees because my supervisors and peers give me freedom to work and produce effective results. So definatly look into the stability.

 

Thats EXACTLY what i am afraid of.. the owner of this company is the COO, the CEO is hired. I really need to ask some big questions..

 

bump

 

I would not want to start a new job in this economy unless I absolutely have to. I am in the same boat as you with the job recently. I am getting bored, and want to do something different. However, I am not even willing to attempt to promote within the company until the economy starts getting better.

I have a friend that just got a promotion a few months ago and started a new job within the company. Just last week, his job is getting cut because he was the last to join, ie lowest in seniority, so first to go. He thought at the time that if they were hiring, they must have had a stable department, but that wasn't the case.

I would recommend toughing it out, at least until the economy shows more signs of recovery, and jobs start to become available.

The grass is not always greener on the other side.

 

Very good points, 420.

 

I've worked for both small(20+) and currently work for very large (UPS 400,000+) and there are benifits to both. Admittedly, I am not a risk taker and tend to play conservative... With the economy in the shitter and not getting better anytime soon, I say stay where you are. Even UPS is clamping down and finally laying off. I don't know how much honesty your going to get from your potential new employer. How many people are going to sign on with you if you admit your not doing well? While it is a lot harder to get noticed in a large company, I find there is a lot more room for movement (even if its lateral). In a small company, I feel you'd hit the ceiling quickly and top out..

 

The bnew company is offering me a consulting position, something that I want to get in to. I guess want i want to do is at-least get my foot in the consulting door.

 

i prefer a small company over a large one. from my experiences, the personal rewards you get fulfilling and hopefully exceeding expectations is untouchable. you can sink just as fast as you can swim, so it's a riskier move. i'm a person that can't sit idle and not progress in what i do. not all people are built the same. if you're able to go out and do what you think needs to be done, the smaller company profile will probably fit you're needs. if you're a follower, again not that it's a bad or good thing just different, then you can hide better in a larger company. just expect it to be run more like a high school then a professional environment.
most importantly, you need to respect who you answer to. if the guy running the show isn't that person, you need to think long and hard before you make your decision. 2 years taking orders from someone you don't like is a really long time....

 

Thanks for the great opinion!