THE BEECHMONT CREST CAREER GUIDE:
SURVIVING AND THRIVING IN THE CORPORATE JUNGLE
Chapter 1: What do Employers Want?
Does big company = greater stability?
“Seek shelter in the shade of a big tree.”
-Japanese proverb
At one time, employment in a small company was considered to be more precarious than employment at a large corporation. Times have changed. The paternalistic bent of the Fortune 500 has gone, and many of them regularly rely on payroll cuts as a cost-cutting measure.
This is not to suggest that small companies necessarily harbor sentimental attachments toward their employees. A small company, like a big company, is ultimately a business with a bottom line.
This harsh reality was amply demonstrated during the recent dotcom boom and bust. In the late 1990s, the image of the dotcom that the media purveyed was that of a cozy, laid-back organization where employees enjoyed a strong sense of teamwork and numerous perks. Suits and ties were out; golf shirts and jeans predominated. Some dotcom employees, we were told, were even allowed to bring their pets to the office.
However, many of the dotcoms proved to be especially callous toward employees when the IPO money dried up. During the 2001~2002 dotcom “bust”, there was a slew of news reports about dotcom managers delivering mass termination notices via the company email.
Copyright 2006 Beechmont Crest Publishing