Podcast 17 How to decide which company size is right for you Viewpoint careers advice blog

Podcast 17 How to decide which company size is right for you Whether you’re actively job hunting or thinking of switching career, you should always strive to find a company that is the right fit for you. This will help to not only improve your long-term job satisfaction but will also boost your performance, which is a win-win situation for both you and your new employer. So, to help you understand which company size might suit you best, we spoke with Andrew Nip, Head of Training, Learning and Development and Head of Internal Recruitment at Hays Asia. 1. I thought it would be helpful to start our podcast today by looking at the different sizes of companies that are out there. Could you give our listeners a quick overview of these? Yeah, sure. So companies or workplaces now come really in different shapes and forms and sizes. The definition of a work company is quite different today compared to what it was I would say ten/twenty years ago, but generally speaking, if you look at workplaces today, they are usually divided into three types. So there are your startups and within the startup world, there are even a lot of different varieties of startups. Startup usually refers to companies that are relatively new to the market. They can range from having one or two people to having up to hundreds of people, but we sort of refer to startups as companies that have been established for one to three years. The second type of businesses that are most common is SMEs so small to medium sized enterprises, so those companies usually range from twenty people to hundreds or two hundred people. We also categorise a lot of family-owned businesses into this category, so those organisations usually operate in one city or one country only. They are relatively smaller than your typical corporates, but they can also be great companies to work for, and then there are your classic corporations or corporates. So those are organisations typically that have an international presence. They span across the globe, ranging from thousands of employees up to hundreds of thousands with many offices in the world. 2. So how would you think that these compare to working with an SME? For me the difference is more on a spectrum. So I think if we look at SMEs they are typically less structured than a corporate in terms of processes, in terms of organisational structure, reporting line for example, because its less people. Whereas in a corporation, I would say you typically would go in and its already very established in terms of what team youre in and where that team fits in the larger business. In a startup, that structure is even less apparent and some people find that to be a really attractive point that it is a very flat structure, but again it depends on what youre looking for. If youre looking for a job having a structured reporting line, an organisational structure isnt necessarily a bad thing because it does mean that you get more clarity around your role. You have more clarity around your performance and your outputs, and you have more clarity around career progression opportunities. The difference between a startup and an SME, I think its probably smaller than the difference between SME and a large corporate, but some of the notable things I would say would be, a) opportunities to explore different roles. So in an SME because its less structured and because there are less employees, you probably will have more opportunities to move around. Whereas in a startup, many functions probably dont exist yet because they are not necessary at that stage of that business and so you probably wouldnt be moving around functions. The second difference would be your ability to learn new skills. So in an SME, you will still have people usually who have experience in that particular area or who have worked for that SME for a number of years, so you will still have the opportunity to learn and to really develop your expertise in that specialised area. And I think the final difference would be the career progression, you know SMEs because they are little bit more established you probably have more opportunities to progress up the career ladder, but in a startup, it really depends on how quickly that company grows. There are many startups who remain a certain size for a number of years and that makes it very difficult for people in that startup to move up the career ladder or to get those big titles or to have different job responsibilities. So I think SMEs are certainly a very attractive option if youre considering between SMEs and startups. 3. Thanks for sharing these differences and if one of our listeners were, for example, looking to work for a startup or an SME, what do you think they could expect? What should they be aware of? It depends on obviously who you are, where you are in your career and what youre looking for. Lets start with startups. I think just judging from the people that I know who have startup businesses and my connections who are working for startups, one of the most common things I hear from them is how broad your role can be and how flexible and agile you need to be in order to survive in that sort of environment. You need to expect to really be out of your comfort zone fairly constantly on a daily basis because with startups you really do have to do everything and there is no such thing as, this is not my job, so Im not going to do it and there is no such thing as, Ive not done this before so Im not going to do it because like I said before, almost everything you do in a startup is new and almost everything that you do you probably will need to figure it out yourself as opposed to having a clear structure or precedent that you can follow. In an SME I think the expectation is that you do need to still be quite agile, but you also need to respect the existing structure and culture of business. SMEs I think are great because you get the best of both worlds. You get to become a specialist in your area, most likely depending on the size of the SME, but you also will get to work closely with other departments and other functions and get opportunities to do things that you may not be able to do if you were working for a larger corporate just because sometimes by distance youre not sitting in the same office as them. Whereas in an SME you most likely youre surrounded by people who are doing different things and in a large corporate, as my personal experience has taught me, you really get to develop skills as a specialist and that to me has always been whats attracted me to corporations or working for a big corporate, because I want to be very good at my craft. I want to be a specialist and an expert in what I do and be able to really develop the skills in a specialised area. The stability that corporates offer is also a clear plus in terms of your ability to go up the career ladder, clarity around where you can go and what you need to do to get there and the fact that youre not worrying about whether this business is going to be around for the next few years or not. Thats always a nice thing to have. With all that being said I should caveat by saying that ultimately it comes down to the person, it comes down to the business that youre in. Every business is different regardless of your size and regardless of whether youre a startup or a big corporate. In fact, what were seeing a lot is what we call an entrepreneur in residence. So a lot of businesses now are starting to think about opening up roles within their business to allow their employees to create their own projects or do their own startups. So its a mix of entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship and I would venture a guess that that would be a key trend that well be seeing in the next ten/twenty years in businesses. 4. Is there an easy way to assess which company size is best for you before applying for a job? My advice would be to consider three key things. First of all, before you think about startup or corporate or SME or what sort of company you want to work for, I think its really important to establish your goals. So what is it that you ultimately want in your career? You know my advice has always been, when I talk to graduates or young professionals, has always been dont label businesses or companies and dont label yourself or dont think inside the box always try to think outside the box. So if your goal is to start a business then working for a startup and a corporate have equal benefits to you, depends on where you are in your career. I think if youre starting off I would always recommend graduates to try to work for a larger corporate and the reason for that is because a) you will get to learn how to do things properly and youll get that formal training and the opportunity to really see how an established business is run. If you are further in your career and you are looking to think outside the box or live outside of the box a little bit, you believe that youve got the skills necessary in your area of expertise, then startups will be great because you really get to test your limits and you get to put everything that you know to test. But you also get to start to do a range of different things, so it really depends on where you ultimately want to end up being. I think that thats the first point. The second point is what resources do you need? Again, it depends on where you are in your career and what your motivations are. So are you looking to learn from people who are very good at what they do or are you looking for just the opportunity and a chance to make a big hit for example? What sort of resources do you have and are you someone whos looking for stability because youve started a family, for example, and you require a certain level of financial security, so youve got to think about that. Are you ready for a startup environment? Are you ready for a corporate environment? And the third thing, and arguably the most important thing I think is really who you are, your personality and your preferences. Do you want to have a lot of influence in what you do? Because if you do then you might want to have a think about working for a smaller organisation. Not to say that working for a big corporate you wont have a lot of influence, but in a small environment, you probably will have a lot more say because theres less people and you probably will be able to see the fruits of your labour a lot more obviously and a lot clearer. Are you someone who dont like ambiguity and a lot of change? Do you find that stressful? Do you find that overwhelming sometimes? And if you are, maybe a corporate is better suited for you because youre less likely to come across that constant and consistent change that you will face in a startup environment? So really be honest to yourself and look at what your preferences are and where you think you thrive the most because ultimately you can be successful in all sorts of environments if there is a good match and good fit. 5. Were lucky enough to interview recruitment experts on a monthly basis, which is why we always like to ask this last question of our guests. If you could share one piece of careers advice with our listeners, what would that be? Probably what I would consider to be the best advice Ive gotten in my career and certainly something that I try to live by every single day and advice that I think is very simple, but have certainly helped me to progress in my own career and that is to always take accountability for everything that you do that has to do with your career. Taking accountability sounds simple enough, but it is quite challenging particularly in the world that we live in today where there are so many external factors that impact on how successful you are and how much money you earn and how quickly you progress up the career ladder. This is an advice I was given by a mentor of mine to always look at yourself first before you start to look at whether its your boss or whether its the company that you work for, whether its the market that you work in. If youre not happy, if youre not successful if youre not getting that promotion quickly enough or getting the salary that you want. Then always look at yourself and go, Well, what is it that Ive done? What is it that Ive not done, and what is it that I can do to change things? Because ultimately the only person who is responsible for your career is yourself and thats something thats helped me a lot. Ive gone from being someone who used to be quite afraid of asking for a promotion or asking for a salary increase to someone whos finally become very comfortable in taking control of my career and asking for the things that I believe that I deserve in and really working on the things that I think I lack in and having these honest conversations with myself around what are my strengths and what are my areas for development and confronting them openly and positively. That would be an advice that I love to share with everyone. Did you find this advice useful?   You may enjoy some of the related content below: Am I in the wrong company culture? Podcast 6: How can you create a more mentally healthy workplace? Size in an SMEs best staff engagement advantage What size company is the right fit for you?

The Unusual Secret of Writing Prtivate Equity Resume

<h1> The Unusual Secret of Writing Prtivate Equity Resume </h1> <h2> What You Need to Do About Writing Prtivate Equity Resume Beginning in the Next Nine Minutes</h2> <p>On event the errand required is really required and there's nobody for the most part there to do it, every now and then it's a test from the board to see whether you effortlessly fit into the organization over the long haul. While in a resume you can include what sort of work you've done or you are seeking after, there isn't a certain shot way to deal with affirm them in a meeting situation. Improving productivity of everyday tasks, for instance, can, eventually, be an awesome factor of the all out progress (which is estimated in dollars). So make certain your resume is customized made in agreement to the prerequisite of the position. </p> <h2> The History of Writing Prtivate Equity Resume Refuted</h2> <p>Every detail will be dismantled. In the event that you get a steady work history with no key holes and plentiful skill in the region for which you're applying, an ordered resume will be OK. There are an unending number of patterns of resumes to choose from. </p> <p>Therefore, you can have a few recommendations that will upgrade your resume, by planning your related involvements in the territory. At the point when you've been in the business for more than 4-5 decades, you'll likely need to fuse an alternate assortment of Transactions, which is probably going to make your whole resume 2 pages as opposed to 1. There are two significant sorts of resumes. Gives absolutely free layout model and thoughts for how to form a resume. </p> <h2> The Do's and Don'ts of Writing Prtivate Equity Resume </h2> <p>In the occasion the business can't be in a spot to grasp the resume, at that point you can be sure you won't land the position. In order to gain an extraordinary activity that you should impart to the organization t hat you will be readied, willing, and prepared to secure the position wrapped up. Each competitor who's looking for a vocation need to make an expert resume for their meeting. Set one up continue for every sort of employment. </p> <p>Gaps in your Resume liberated from clarification could influence your chances of getting a meeting demand. Extraordinary, significant, compact and easy to comprehend rundowns are the best presentations into a resume. While you compose your rundown for your resume, endeavor to consider what you need them to talk about with you, and what precisely you want a chance to examine. The best method is to choose the help of Resume manufacturer for posting a resume and that generally implies you can't free the errand prospect. </p> <p>Demonstrating that a business' administration is tied in fiscally is a phenomenal spot to begin. In the event that you might want to break into private value, you should be all around rehearsed in the special ized qualities of the meeting. All that you should think about venture banking aptitudes required for your application to top banks and the best approach to get them rapidly. Like, continue you should keep on keeping your portfolio refreshed and pertinent with time. </p> <p>It is critical to show to a business that you're an awesome match since you're ready to get the important experience and capacities, which may for all intents and purposes help the business develop. Private value (PE) has increased a huge amount of impact in the current budgetary commercial center, however not many people really comprehend the inward functions of the business. There's a huge arrangement of threat associated with putting yourself on the work market and sending your resume out into the interminable universe of likely future chances. So it is very imperative that you be certain that your work continue is deliberately made in agreement to the interest of the organization as your resume is tied in with offering your support of the association and you need to guarantee that selecting representative gets persuaded concerning why they should enroll you. </p>

10 Classic Interview Blunders You Must Avoid

10 Classic Interview Blunders You Must Avoid Meetings can be nerve wracking and its significant that you establish a decent connection to place yourself in great stead for being chosen as the correct individual for the activity. Notwithstanding, factors, for example, nerves or only a sloppiness can risk this and there are sure basic prospective employee meeting botches that you need to put forth a valiant effort to keep away from. Making any of these can hurt your odds of landing the position or have the business employ another up-and-comer who didnt commit these regular prospective employee meeting errors. 1. Looking messy Wrinkled or recolored dress will be seen a mile away. Regardless of how decent the remainder of your outfit is, on the off chance that you have a stain on one section, it will destroy your whole look. Besides, its an obvious hint for your lack of tender loving care. On the off chance that youve ever hear the idiom, how you do anything is the manner by which you do everything, it could hold more truth in this circumstance. 2. Not being readied Before you go into your meeting, you ought to consistently go over certain inquiries you figure you could be posed. While you dont need your responses to sound practiced, you certainly need to sound arranged. On the off chance that you are posed an inquiry and dont offer a savvy response to it, the business will no doubt proceed onward to the following up-and-comer. This incorporates your resume also. On the off chance that the questioner gets some information about a past activity you have recorded on your resume and you cannot recollect in light of the fact that it was such a long time ago, you will just make yourself look awful and ill-equipped. Catch up on everything that you have recorded on your resume its reasonable game for your meeting. 3. Discussing compensation too early Dont bounce the firearm in regards to compensation. Hold up until the questioner becomes acquainted with you a piece and additionally gets some information about it before you begin discussing it. In the event that you just need the activity due to the cash, it will show and hurt your odds of landing the position. Frequently there are a few competitors who are vieing for a similar position you are. The organization isnt going to give the activity to the individual who is just in it for the cash. While it is totally sensible to arrange your pay, ensure you do it at the perfect time. 4. Being late Continuously be on schedule for your meeting. Ensure you have the correct bearings and permit a lot of movement time, thinking about traffic to arrive. In the event that you are late for a meeting, your manager may see that you will most likely be late appearing for work. Obviously, there are some outstanding circumstances where you may be late and on the off chance that one of those emerges, ensure you call and let the questioner know. 5. Lying Continuously come clean about your past activity history and anything that is asked of you at your prospective employee meet-up. On the off chance that you lie, it will involve time before the business discovers. 6. Tattling about a previous chief Nothing will exacerbate you look than speaking seriously about a previous chief or work environment. On the off chance that you talk severely about your past business, odds are you will speak gravely about this organization in the event that you get employed. No one prefers a tattle. Also no one can really tell who knows who, so its best to keep your private issue individual. 7. Having an awful scent Bringing a solid scent into a meeting can be very diverting. Dont wear any scent or smoke a cigarette directly before your meeting. No one can tell what sort of sensitivities the questioner may have and this is anything but an extraordinary method to discover. Do whatever it takes not to possess an aroma like anything, so your questioner can focus on you rather the smell. 8. Fidgeting In the event that you are uneasy and restless, the questioner will detect your absence of certainty. Before you go into your meeting, take a couple of moments to gather your contemplations and take a couple of full breaths. Try to look at the questioner to make a decent non-verbal association. 9. Not listening cautiously On the off chance that you dont tune in to what addresses the questioner is asking you, you are fundamentally insinuating that what you believe is progressively significant that the inquiry they are posing. Make a point to tune in to precisely what they are asking and answer the correct inquiry. In the event that you dont listen cautiously during the meeting, you will most likely not be incredible at following bearing at work. 10. Seeming edgy Questioners can get on this immediately. Its alright to be eager about needing the activity, yet there are limits. Keep your feelings out of the meeting and spotlight on the abilities and experience you can bring to the table.

Featured Job Posting Engineering Construction Manager @ Kelloggs - Copeland Coaching

Featured Job Posting Engineering Construction Manager @ Kelloggs Kelloggs is searching for a Regional Project / Construction Manager of Engineering. Theyre looking for someone with a bachelors degree and consumer packaged goods experience.   Heres more from the job description: Planning, managing, and executing capital projects against cost, schedule,       performance, food safety, and people safety targets at our manufacturing facilities Deliver lowest cost capital installation by:   selecting best value contracting strategies, utilizing industry knowledge and experience to challenge contractor estimates, influencing design constructability, pulling appropriate level of engineering, effective managing day-to-day site activities Serving as primary liaison between plant activities and all engineering / construction activities Active and contributing support member to the Operations team with focus on delivering to plant strategy and critical business needs Working with and coordinating efforts of multiple Service Providers and contractors to execute multiple projects Providing leadership in the identification of ideas, the development of the business cases, and the determination of project feasibilities To learn more, or to apply online, visit the Kelloggs career site here.