Graduates and small businesses have one key thing in common. They are both increasing in numbers each year, creating competitive markets for both.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are defined as businesses that employ fewer than 250 staff. Over the years, the nature of small businesses has changed and there are now more innovative enterprises. Increasingly, graduates set up their own firms and the work that these undertake demands staff with degrees. Also, businesses that may not have employed graduates in the past may now need graduate level knowledge to carry out functions such as marketing or IT.

Working for an SME, as compared to a blue-chip company, has both advantages and disadvantages. SMEs could be considered to be less stable; by their nature they are often new or developing businesses. An extreme illustration of this is the fall of many dot com enterprises in the late 1990s. It is also true that small companies often don't pay as much as the large graduate recruiters. However, while small businesses can't compete with the high salaries offered by big companies, they can offer equally competitive progression and prospects.

Commonly, those starting out in small companies find themselves with a variety of tasks, being given early responsibility and gaining hands-on experience. As there may be a less hierarchical structure in a small firm, graduates may gain a greater understanding of the roles of other people and the organisation as a whole; as well as being able to see more clearly how your input contributes to the growth of the business.

For information on small businesses you will need to look locally. The resources most commonly used by small businesses to recruit staff are local employment agencies and local newspapers, and especially job websites due to the limit of their budget.

Small businesses also rate links with university careers services and academic departments very highly.

Back to Top