Part of your personal branding is the type of company you choose to work for. Exciting small start-ups seem promising and progressive but on the other hand a legacy company offers proven systems, procedures and security. To compare and decide what is right for you, consider the differences:
The Small Start-Up Firm
This type of company is likely to have:
• A sense that no one is really in charge
• A sense of chaotic growth (say, from a staff of 14 to a staff of 400 within 12 months)
• Lots of wasted money (usually the investors’ money)
• No time to train you
• Little stability
• Limited support resources
• Fourteen-hour days, seven days a week
• Zero vacation or free time
• No clear payroll or human resource policies
• No clear practices
• No one to complain to
• No experienced managers as mentors
• More openness between management and rank file
• Increased speed of project execution
• Shorter time for advancement
• Increased risk of failure
The Blue-Chip Legacy Company
This type of company is likely to have:
• Opportunity at almost every level
• Resources
• Profitability (more likely, but not guaranteed)
• A proven reputation
• Security
• Stability
• A large peer group of colleagues
• Experienced managers as mentors
• Assistants
• Vacations
• Longer wait for advancement
• Greater chance of ultimate success
Both types of organizations have a time and a place in a career. The trick is to pick the right time and place for yours.
