Working in a big vs small company, AIBU to ask which is better?

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I’m currently working in my first proper job since graduating. It’s in a marketing agency and there are 250 employees, in my department there are around 70 of us, and there are probably 30ish with the same job role as me.

Ive got an interview lined up for a much smaller company and I can’t decide if it will be better or worse. The company is owned by a larger company so you get the benefits of a larger agency in terms of benefits and training, but there are only 20 employees. I’m quite quiet and shy, and think being in a smaller team might be good for me?

what do you think is better in terms of working in a bigger vs smaller company?

To be honest 250 people is still very small compared to a big corporate many thousands of employees. It's also small enough to be able to get to know most people, whilst offering more opportunities than an even smaller company.

there are pros and cons of each. it really depends on how good/bad the company is. you get mixed in each size. work out what you want and try and think of questions for the interview.

also, i've found my manager and the team i work in make a massive difference. and that is hard to gauge at the interview.

I think it really depends I've always worked for a lot of smaller companies with the exception of one big retail company. My experience is with smaller companies there's more scope to do a bit of everything and expand your skills but with the bigger company it was a case that's your job you do that and nothing else.

I'd choose a bigger company every time. My last role was in a small family run firm and there was no hierarchy, there was supposed to be but it all revolved around the owner. No HR depth, no clear rules, if your face fits kind of vibe.

Tbh though doesn't sound like this applies to either company you are considering as even the small one is overruled by a big company

Smaller companies pay better but rely on you
too much. Taking leave was always a pain and I was called on out of hours too many times.

I much prefer working in a larger company.

The benefits and structure and stability of a big company with the smaller agency feel and culture sounds a little like it has the potential to be the best of both worlds really. I would ask in the interview about the bigger company and how the smaller agency interacts across the wider business, and indeed what they Greek are the benefits of being owned by the bigger company.

I work in a large organisation and we work very hard to try and preserve individual agency identity whilst sharing the benefits of the wider company.

It depends on your manager and the management team.

Which area of marketing are you in? If Acct Handling you’ll rise the ranks quicker somewhere bigger, if you’re a creative somewhere small will be amazing for your portfolio.

I’ve worked in a few smaller marketing agencies, along with a huge name with thousands of employees. One of the small ones was hellish because the management was so intertwined and crap that 25% of the team quit on one day.

The agency you interviewed with could be good because whilst small, they are owned by a larger group - meaning they probably have lots of accountability and can’t get away with some of the crap that smaller agencies do.
Are there opportunities to move within the larger company in time? Worth checking out employees of the the group who own the company (on LinkedIn) and seeing if they have been able to move.

At your career stage I would give it a go. Marketing agencies are desperate for talented people, so if it goes wrong at the smaller place you’ll always find somewhere to snap you up (at least in the current candidate short market).

Your replies are so helpful, thank you!

I'm a copywriter for context, I find my company a bit overwhelming as there are lots of other copywriters and so there is a big emphasis on networking, socials, and making yourself stand out.

I think a smaller company might be good as I do better in smaller groups/teams, I'd rather work closely with a small, consistent group of people.

I’ve worked in organisations of different sizes.

Large (12,000 employees government body) - IT/HR/payroll problems tend to be a very long process that takes a while to resolve because you’re part of a massive system. Less chance to get your teeth stuck into an individual task as a development exercise. Usually a ridiculous amount of acronyms for different teams/different databases. Lots of chance to make sideways moves if you are in a generalist role.

Large (7,000 employees, private sector) - HR issues resolved slightly quicker but IT issues not as it was outsourced to another company. Lots of chance to move sideways and gain experience if in a generalist role. Were keen to promote internally and had development and leadership training. Big expectation of doing my hours and then some. Actually pretty rubbish in terms of work life balance and taking leave was a big inconvenience. Your work individually isn’t really recognised and it’s the team, which may include some people not pulling their weight in workload. Seems to go through a restructure process every 2 years (I’m still in touch with ex-colleagues there).

Medium sized company (250 employees, private sector) - more opportunity to get involved with new and exciting projects. Work can often include more than the role description (which can be a good thing and a bad thing). Did sometimes feel like as an organisation we were fighting fires as we didn’t always have the budget upfront to fill positions. HR I had a designated officer to deal with but IT was still out into a central place. They encouraged onwards progression in the company but opportunities didn’t come up that often.

Small (10-15, charity) - great that you know everyone in the organisation and what they do but they were all in a different life stage to me (I was early twenties trying to save for my first house and they were late forties-fifties with teenage kids) so it was sometimes difficult to relate to them and I didn’t feel like I fitted. Flexible and good work life balance. Opportunity to get involved in a lot things because there isn’t the staff to cover everything. I developed a lot of transferable skills in this role which has stood me in good stead for the rest of my career. No progression. IT was basically whoever was least incompetent and HR was someone you knew and spoke to everyday at lunch.

Small within a large - benefits of having a proper HR and IT. Smaller and chance to get to know everyone better. More chance to get involved with other projects but again less chance for progression unless you go into the big company.

All places have their pros and cons and actually different places might suit you better at different points in your life.