Features: Big business vs. SMEs

You might have your sights set on securing a placement with a large corporation, but small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can offer equally impressive opportunities. Prospects weighs up the pros and cons of each.

When Swansea University geography graduate Craig Buchanan-Perkins discovered he had failed to land a work placement with the Environment Agency he was deeply disappointed.

‘I was gutted when I found out I was going to be working somewhere really small, but it was definitely not what I thought,’ he explains.

Craig had assumed the best work experience would be found with a big corporate firm. But, with almost five million small businesses around the UK, small and medium-sized enterprises (employing fewer than 250 people) in fact make up the vast majority of British firms, and can offer valuable experience.

‘In smaller organisations, you may end up doing a more diverse range of activities and get more involved in the day-to-day running of the organisation,’ says Jess Highton, director of work experience website fledglings.net

Bigger companies have their plus points, too. ‘Larger schemes take on quite a large number of students so they may have more social and extra curricular activities,’ she says. There may also be a more planned system of mentoring, feedback and review.

The SME

Business and Marketing graduate Lisa McLeman completed a placement with Audiences North East (ANE).

I found the role through the placement office at my university. As soon as I saw the word ‘Audiences’ I knew this was the placement for me, as I wanted to work within an arts venue of some kind.

My role as a marketing assistant at ANE was varied. I worked on their B2B and B2C websites, creating features and updating information daily. I was also hands on with the market research conducted by ANE.

Working for a small organisation means you can ask questions and build personal relationships with your colleagues. The decisions are made right in front of you and it can be invaluable to your future career.

I was lucky enough to go straight into a job with the Theatre Royal after university, and I feel that undertaking my placement directly affected my ability to do my job.

Lee Mullins, TUI UK & Ireland

The big corporate

Lee Mullins undertook a one-year placement with TUI UK & Ireland.

I was attracted to TUI UK as I loved the idea of working for a holiday company.

I considered placements with big and small companies, but decided a larger organisation would give me the opportunity to learn about the different roles in business. With a larger company, you can also expect a more structured approach to training and development.

I worked as an accommodation only trading assistant in the commercial department, this was a graduate level job and I was given a lot of responsibility in my area. It was an analytical role, which involved competitor analysis, monitoring sales and changing prices, reporting, and meeting sales, revenue and profit targets.

The placement put me head and shoulders above other graduates who just have a degree. In fact, all 11 students in my placement year have now found jobs just a couple of months after graduating. I now work for TUI UK in a permanent position. I love it here, and feel really fortunate that I was able to not only learn a lot from my placement, but then turn it into a career after graduating.