Making the transition from the small business world to the corporate world can be intimidating, but the opportunities for personal and professional growth are vast. There are many resources available to help make your move to a larger company a smooth one. Here’s are some tried-and-true tips to make the most of your transition:
Nail your interview
If you are coming from a smaller company where you are used to knowing more people and having more individualised attention, the transition to a larger workplace can seem intimidating, starting with the interview. But this initial first impression is your chance to show your individuality, and how you can be an asset to the company.
While preparing for an interview, a good place to start is the company’s website. This is where you will see them as they wish to be seen. Check out the company’s stated goals or mission, and see if they have a blog where they post up to date news. Think about how the position you are hoping to get relates to the company’s larger, broader goals, and consider incorporating this into how you answer interview questions.
Learn about workplace culture
In recent years, there has been a very visible increase in the importance and emphasis of company culture in the workplace. While company culture is currently a hot topic, it can seem a bit vaporous and hard to define — especially since it is unique to each workplace. Lots of big companies will have “company culture” pages listed on their websites, explaining exactly what the term means to them, and how they go about creating their own unique culture. For example, check out this page from Airbnb.
Do your research
If it’s a big company, chances are you know someone (or know someone who knows someone) who has worked there and could answer some questions about the company from the inside. If this isn’t the case, you can certainly do some research online. Sites like Glassdoor can not only help you search for jobs, but also link you to reviews and comments by current and former employees. If there is anyone who can help you adjust to a new company, it’s someone who has been there.
Expand your knowledge base
There are many accessible business courses out there to help make your transition a smoother one by learning about developments in your industry. Look for public seminars that will offer insightful information that would be useful once you are working in a larger company. This keeps you a step ahead of the competition, too.
Push the limits
While innovation can certainly happen in small companies as well, in organisations that are especially on the pulse and in the know about innovations happening around the world, there is the experience necessary to make the right investments in people and resources to bring innovative ideas to full bloom. While a larger team can be intimidating, learn to trust your coworkers’ experience so that you can learn from all the company has already done.
Collaborate
Once you feel you have developed a good rapport with your teammates, you can take leaps of faith together to bring about better outcomes. Strong communication is especially important here. Without it, you won’t be able to work together as a unit. Try to challenge each other and learn from each others’ ideas and opinions.
