I haven’t written for this blog for a while. I was busy with other things in my life, such as green card application, house hunting, reading tones of books, and job hunting. Yes, I have been looking a new position inactively for the last two months. Even though my job is stable at this moment, I learn early on that the best time to look a job is when you still have a job. For me, I always believe that you should never stop looking for next step in your career, or things to do to improve yourself.
Both opportunities came in the same week, and interviews were scheduled fairly quickly. I just finished all the interviews with both companies, and now in the waiting mode. While I was telling those two opportunities to my friend yesterday over coffee, I realized it is the classic dilemma many people will face in their careers: Big corporate vs. Small company. Therefore, I decide to share my own experiences and thoughts with you.
Company A: it is the leader in the industry, a major competitor of my current company.
Company B: a small company in a nicer geographic location.
While they both offer a similar position, they have different pros & cons:
Big corporate:
Pros:
· Golden name: it will look better in the resume. It is always easier to move from a big company to a small one, but verse vise could be difficult. This is even important when you want to move back to China eventually, a big name is certainly very marketable.
· More resources and budget: It means less stress work and more work-life balance.
· Better benefit
Cons:
· Hard to get promotion or pay increase: big corporate is not very flexible in terms of pay due to the detail compensation policy. It is hard to get promotion or pay raise, usually it will takes years.
· Not many challenges: there are not many other things you can do outside of your job scope and tasks. Based on my personal experience, big corporate job can be boring.
· Lack of recognitions: it is hard to navigate through a big company with tens thousands of employers. A lot of times you don’t know many people outside of your team. Therefore, hardly anyone knows what you do and how good you are.
Small Company:
Pros:
· Recognitions and engagements: in a small company, it is not uncommon that a lot people within the organization know you. You get more respects and recognitions for your accomplishments.
· Easier Promotion and Pay Raise: small company often is flexible in the salary. If you are a top performer and bring value to your company, it is easier to negotiate a pay raise or promotion than in big corporate.
· Challenges: employees in a small company are expected to work very hard, and play multiple roles. Therefore, you often end up with a lot of work in different areas. It will keep you busy and challenge you. You will certainly learn a lot in a short period of time.
Cons:
· No name: less recognizable name adds much less value in your resume
· Less resources and more stress
· Less job security (of course, nowadays there is no more stable or job security. Both small and big companies’ employees are facing mass layoff possibility.)
I think what you choose it really a personal choice, and can be vary in different career or life stages. Ultimately, it is all about what do you really want from your career. Just remember, life is not perfect and you cannot get all: money, work-life balance, respect, or sense of accomplishment. You have to follow your mind and heart, and make hard choices.
Dear readers, what will you choose?
