Do big corporate companies prefer recruits from other big companies?

[isthishowtheydoit]

My Parrtner has lots of experience in what he does but no matter which of the big corporate jobs he's sees and applies for, he's never successful. He is really driven and is known to be fantastic in his area of specialty. He's currently in a 'C' level
Job for a small but well known company but really wants the chance to break into more Secure corporate world. If you work in a big tech firm what would your advice be?

Sorry that should read that he currently works for a small not well known company

In my experience it definitely helps..I'm in financial services. I was headhunted for my current role and they specifically asked for someone who had worked for X Y or Z company.

I don't think it's impossible to move though but he might not be able to move for another C level role necessarily. Would he mind that?

Not he wouldn't mind at all he would be so prepared to work hard and climb the ranks he is so dedicated to working hard and doing well but just cannot get the opportunity which is frustrating

Is his LinkedIn up to date and has he toggled the behind the scenes "I'm open to work" thing? His current employer won't be able to see it but headhunters / recruiters will.

At that level jobs sometimes aren't advertised so sometimes it's who you know. Are there any networking opportunities available? Does he attend industry events?

At C level there is a lot of competition and these roles don't come up very often. It's also the type of seniority where it goes via a specialist agency. C level roles don't tend to come up on linkedin. Has he contacted agencies who specialise in his level?

He is always networking and getting involved. He knows quite a few people
That he has been rekindling friendships again to see if where that leads him. It's so frustrating that he seees all these perfect jobs in senior/ not senior roles etc but he gets declined straight away. I genuinely can't stress enough how conscientious and industrious he is and would do a great job of any opportunity given to him. My work has lots of wanker mangers that are crap which makes it annoying

C-level for a small organisation is very different compared to a large one so he should not be applying for jobs anywhere near that level, if that is what he's doing. Also, the IT systems larger organisations use tend to be be very different compared to smaller ones and that is very relevant if he works in Tech. Doesn't mean he is flogging a dead horse but he may need to be more realistic in the roles he applies for and also see what he can do to upskill.

@WalkingThroughTreacle I completely understand that and he knows himself that he wouldn't get a C level job somewhere massive. He would even like a senior manager role that kinda thing and work his way up but nobody wants him lol

I know many people who did. It depends on the tech company he's applying for. I have worked for a big name tech company, offered a job with a big bank but turned down, failed first round interview with Google. I haven't applied to any other big companies. I much prefer small and medium sized companies. Has he thought about start ups? They are much less bureaucratic.

Also should add that when he's applied for lower scales jobs he's been told he's too experienced which is annoying. He seems stuck in the middle

I don't know what is C level though, so maybe we are talking very different areas. My first guess of C level is 'Chief'.

The reason I mention start up is that one way of getting into a big tech is working for a start up that get bought up. That's how I ended up at one, and DH is now going through the same now.

It can be harder for people without large corporate experience to adjust as the culture (and politics) can be quite different. The politics especially can be very challenging (read: brutal) and merely being good at your job is nowhere near enough.

Companies frequently want you to have experience of either their organisation, or a competitor already as it usually means you 'hit the ground running' (awful phrase) much faster, particularly in large more complex organisations.

For mid-senior roles, having a network is vital. For example, I work in Tech and a former colleague recommended me to one of her network who is hiring (the role has just been approved but not yet advertised). That got me in the door with an initial chat with the hiring manager. During our chat, we discovered he knows some of my wider network of Tech clients that I've recently done work for (and who will give great feedback on me), which is all very relevant to the role he's hiring for. So we have a follow-up discussion booked next week and he's already taking about me meeting one of his key stakeholders. And all before the role is advertised. OP hopefully this gives you an indication of what your partner is competing against. Someone like me is considered a 'safe pair of hands' as I have a demonstrable track record in my field and in that particularly organisation and industry, and come recommended by people the hiring manager has worked with previously and trusts.

Your partner really needs to work his network. A personal recommendation makes a huge difference.

I would try not to be so pessimistic. There are many possible reasons why he's not found an opportunity yet but that doesn't mean nobody wants him. For starters, Big Tech is feeling the brunt of the recession right now and many firms are cutting headcount. If he is focussing on Tech firms he could widen his scope and apply for jobs with non-Tech companies as well - they all have IT functions. Next he should look at where he is hitting resistance. If he's not even getting interviews then his resume/CV is the first thing to focus on and also his LinkedIn profile as another PP mentioned. If he is getting interviews but not converting them to job offers then he needs to try and objectively consider if it's his interview technique or if there were obvious factors that were turning the hiring manager off.

I have always worked for multinationals, financial services in my case. I have been involved in a lot of recruitment over thirty years, and yes similar big corporate experience is definitely a big advantage. If I had lots of candidates with that background versus somebody with small company background, I think there is a strong possibility I would look at them first.

Having said that, I wouldn’t say it never happens. As mentioned already, I don’t think it would be realistic for your DH to apply for any C level roles or even anything close to it, but senior manager seems reasonable. He could also try to identify a smaller business division or department within the corporate, this type of function might share some similarities with his past experience.

I would finally question the comment you made about more secure corporate world. If you mean that the organisation itself has more capital and reserved, then yes probably. But as an employee, the work is never totally secure, they restructure, they have cost cutting initiatives, as somebody rises in seniority they can encounter face not fitting scenarios etc.

I'm not sure about this advice -imo it's only really junior/manager level ppl who use this "open to work" feature, I wouldn't think it would look good for C level, you'd assume they'd have their own network.

I think putting this on your profile could look desperate?

I'm a hiring manager in tech and no way would I give someone a senior manager role with no experience of working in a large company. Being a senior manager involves a lot of politics up and down, which I think someone from a small company would not have much experience in.

We recently acquired a small-ish company into ours recently and a lot of them struggled during the performance reviews at year end because they didn't understand that it's not just 'work' that counts, but also your network and your wider contribution beyond your day job.

That's really insightful thanks so nuch. Would you have any info or advice that I could pass on?

@play017 thanks so much for your comment. Would you have any advice I could pass on?

Just for reference incase it's important he is currently earning £97k so while he can take a cut we coukdnt afford him to take a job on £45- 80k so this makes it tricky too

To be very frank, I wouldn't hire someone on £80k+ who didn't have large corporate experience unless they had a very specific (and uncommon/niche) skillset that we were absolutely desperate for (and couldn't find a candidate with a more appropriate background).

He should do an intermediate role first - so management role at a bigger, more well known tech company.

Also imo you have to choose tech vendor company (so the sellers of the IT) OR the end user corporate that but the IT eg financial service company, bank, pharmaceutical company, law form etc. People kind of specialise in either/or I think.

So if he's currently C level in a small not well know IT vendor, possibly a start up, he should look to go senior manager at a bigger more well known one, possibly about to or recently IPO/acquired. Salary will be comparable anyway at a more well known company.

It's very hard to become C level in FS without having been there since graduate level imo. Also I reckon tech companies are better places to work.

IME they do. But I've managed to break through by networking with people inside the big companies, then if they need a freelance consultant/extra people for a big project/maternity cover etc you get to hear about it and there's some endorsement from within the company.

Can he become a specialist in a niche version of his field that he knows is in demand?

I think this will be the biggest sticking point tbh.

@AdInfinitum12 it's a pain in the backside tbh. All he can do is plod on and keep applying