When it comes to company size, small is big…

Not that we’ve anything against working for big companies. They employ a lot of people. 18,800 graduates in 2015 went to the “Top 100” – the biggest recruiters being Teach First (1870), PwC (1540), Deloitte (1100). So, a lot.  Then again, over 280,000 UK-based first degree, full-time students graduates left university in 2015. So that’s a lot more.

In the UK as a whole, 60% of people work for small or medium sized businesses (SMEs for short) – businesses who employ 250 people or less. Most small to medium sized businesses aren’t medium, they are small (0-50) or even micro (0-10!). In fact, 76% of all businesses are actually just one person, but are increasingly registering as companies, and looking to grow.

Here are some potential pros and cons to consider:

Pros:

Flexibility: SMEs recruit all year round rather than just at the big graduate fairs.
Variety: working in an SME means you’re likely to be asked to gain experience and training in different areas.
Work shadowing:  if the business is very small, you’ll be likely to work alongside directors or senior managers.
Opportunities: as and when the business grows you could see your role and salary grow with it.
Location: if you’re staying local, the South has the largest proportion of SME businesses relative to the population.

And some cons:
Security: Not all businesses succeed (but if you move on after a few months, you’ll have gained some valuable experience).
Salary: it might not be as high as a big corporate can afford (but there could be promotion opportunities if you make an impact).
Here’s another thought: if you’ve dreamed of setting up your own business, you could  prepare by working alongside someone who’s gone through the experience themselves whilst you develop your own idea.

So if you’ve not committed yourself yet, check out some of the opportunities on the University of Brighton vacancy service and on our graduate internships page.

Whether you’ve graduated or still studying you can access free careers advice and support from the University of Brighton Careers Service all year round. We don’t close for the summer (although I am now going out to sit in the sun for a bit…).