There are many myths about career-related issues that tend to manifest as misplaced concerns when folks are on the job market. On the Newark-to-Houston leg of a recent flight to Brazil, I was sitting next to someone who was flying to Texas to interview for a marketing job with a small firm. He was hoping to land the role but was worried about working for a small company.

We chatted. His underlying concern was how this small company will "look" on his résumé. This concern is a common one based on a myth that is fully perpetuated by those who are applying old rules to a new employment reality. The root of my Newark-to-Houston armrest-mate’s concern is that one’s past employers’ big names are clear indicators of professional worth.

I shared my enthusiasm for small business employers and how much the employment reality is changing. He was receptive to what I said -- receptive as people are when they want to be convinced that they are about to make a good decision.

He never asked me what I did professionally. I never mentioned that I wrote a book on the topic. (I just made my publisher wince.)

Regardless, the two erroneous assumptions that underlie the myth are worth sharing:

1. The first erroneous assumption is that working for a large firm will reflect positively on your value as a professional. The scale and scope of your professional accomplishments provide indicators of your verifiable skill set. Sorting mail at a Fortune 50 firm does not make you a logistics professional any more than stocking margarita mix at your friend’s local beach bar will make you a supply chain professional. Remodeling the beach bar, however, to an award-winning oasis will give you a demonstrable skill in the form of an enhanced design portfolio. A future employer is most interested in your skills, talents, and abilities relative to the needs of the firm.
2. The second erroneous assumption is that small firms cannot provide significant professional development. While it is true that small firms do not often have the budgets to invest in building the skills of their employees, they do have other developmental benefits. Small businesses can often provide rich opportunities to gain broader skills and develop across functional areas. Small firms tend to have less bureaucracy. If you can make a strong business case, you may be able to encourage the owners to invest in targeted developmental opportunities for you without the need for a large corporate university.

Small firms (not surprisingly) are leveraging the fact that talented individuals, who have been trained and developed, only to be laid-off by large firms, are now available on the job market. They come equipped with valuable professional skills and may be willing to take more variable pay for a greater stake in the firm or some other form of shared risk/reward compensation.

Frankly, it is good to see small companies seize this tremendous talent opportunity. Seasoned professionals who have worked for large firms often bring a skill set to small firms to help bring them to the next level.

For some people, being a part of a growing organization is exciting and fulfilling. I hope if the opportunity was right and the compensation was fair my Newark-to-Houston armrest mate decided to accept the position. He may be lending his talents the next future large firm.

Best wishes,

Paula