I realise I expressed frustration in my opening post about my first year on my graduate scheme. Reflecting on this, I feel the reason for this frustration is partly me not knowing what to expect and it not living up to how I imagined it in my head. I also feel this frustration can be partly blamed on the people running the scheme and not the company itself. To clarify, I am on the first year this scheme has been run so I shouldn't really expect much from being a guinea pig.
I really admire the company I work for and I can see in my departments how much people enjoy their jobs and it gives me hope that I can be like this. So this got me thinking about the crux of this blog post, what do I feel are the main reasons why I like working for this company and can still see myself there in several years time? After much soul searching, and from my discussions with colleagues who have much more experience than me, I have 5 reasons why I feel working for a large multinational is the best thing that can happen to a graduate during their early post-university years:
1. A New Role Every Year - Say Goodbye to Interviews
For me, this is one of the most compelling reasons for working for a large organisation. Most people I have talked to in my company have had a new job role every year for the past decade with each role giving them exposure to new parts of the business, letting them learn new skills and giving them ever increasing amounts of responsibility. To top this off, the only interviews they had was to get in and out of a graduate scheme. I don't know about the rest of you, but I can live without interviews!
2. It's Who you Know, Not What you Know
I'm finding this saying to be increasingly true with every day that passes. To give you a fun example of this in practice, I have a friend whose brother is a professional football player. Due to this connection, I get cheap tickets to his matches and have seen the likes of Tottenham Hotspur for next to nothing. In business, this analogy is just as true. Ask anyone in my company how they got their current role and they will tell you it was through a connection they have in another department.
3. A Cultural Cocktail
Never underestimate the power of learning how different cultures operate. If you work for a company with colleagues or clients in a different country, it is imperative to learn how they work and what is 'normal' for them in their country. Without this knowledge, it is very difficult to maintain a good working relationship and to also not take something they may do as an offence, when it is perfectly normal in their culture. Working for a multinational enables you to learn this from Day 1 - so far I've interacted with the US, India, Germany, France, Australia...the list goes on.
4. CV 2.0
What I have found to be a big green tick in a prospective employer's mind is a noteworthy company placed on the CV. Doing my placement year during university at Oracle Corporation enabled me to get the job I have today. I know this to be particular true for many other friends and colleagues also. One tip though: make sure you do a good job at the noteworthy company otherwise this reference would not mean a thing!
5. Live & Breath the Organisational Organism
Experiencing how a large organisation operates is critical to understanding why it works like it does. This in turn can lead to you seeing the problems and coming up with innovative solutions to solve these. Even if no one listens, it reinforces your learning and will come in handy during future endeavours at your current and future company. Learn why the organisation is structured the way it is, learn where critical decisions are made and learn what the different business units are striving towards.
I would love to hear your feedback on the points I have presented. Let me know if you agree or disagree with them, why you feel like this or examples of your experiences of these.
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