With SMEs taking up 99.9% of the UK’s business population, there’s every chance that your next job will be with an SME employer. Working for a small business has the potential to grant you more benefits than larger corporations are able to offer. Let’s learn a bit more about the hidden benefits of working for one of the UK’s SMEs.
More Opportunity To Grow
Ambitious small businesses that plan to grow will need their employees to grow with them. Therefore, it makes sense that there’s often more opportunities for training and promotion when you work in an SME.
If you want to build a career path and climb the career ladder, you’ll probably find the most success within an SME. This is because smaller companies are able to recognise their employee’s individual merits and talents, and nurture them towards success. On the other hand, if you work for a larger corporation, your performance may not be as easy for them to notice, meaning you could miss out on promotions or training opportunities.
A Sense Of Togetherness
When you work for a smaller company, you may be more likely to work together in closer physical proximity. Not only is this great socially, it also provides a breeding ground for ideas to grow. This means that smaller businesses can have more chances to innovate and bring new ideas to the table.
Many businesses require employees who provide a range of different skills to operate. Being able to work more closely with different departments means you could find yourself learning new skills. This ups your experience and looks great on your CV, and also keeps the work you do interesting. You could even find your specialism evolving from one discipline to another as you learn more about new aspects of your job.
Forge Your Own Career Path
SMEs will have very varied career paths compared to larger, more corporate companies. In some cases, you may have to forge your own pathway. Small businesses with a handful of employees don’t always have distinct hierarchies. When this is the case, it could be seen as an opportunity for you to stand out, impress and take on more responsibility. In a small, close-knit environment, you have more opportunity to be a direct line of support to the company bosses, and this should not go unnoticed.
If you notice that the SME you work for is lacking in a certain department, you could bring forth a proposal to take the lead on developing that. Larger companies usually have all the departments they need, and even if there is room for more they may not feel that they need to branch out into new territory. An exciting benefit of working for an SME is that they are more likely to value innovation and allow you to develop your ambitious ideas.