Guest Blog - My First Year Working for a Small Business

This blog has only been up and running for 4 days but I am pleased to announce that we have our first guest blog! Yes, the community is already starting to grow and with this growth comes articles from different sectors, different experiences and different lives.

Our guest blog today comes from Dan Williams, a recent graduate who has ventured into the world of the small business. Dan mentioned to me that his first year in industry couldn’t have been more different from mine so he wanted to give the community a compelling view into small business life.  And if any aspiring techies are reading this, well this will be double the fun for you. If you would like to get in touch with Dan, his twitter page is open for comments: @danMwilliams.

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I work as a database developer for a small business intelligence company focused on the pharmaceutical industry. I graduated from university in the summer of 2011 with a 2:1 Computing degree.

Right with all the formalities out of the way, I wanted to provide an overview of working in a small business and hopefully share some useful insights.

Throughout my final year of university I juggled the horrendous workload with filling in rigorous application forms. I am sure I am not alone when I say that there is a special place in hell set aside for the person in each organisation who draws up the recruitment procedures. I was successful with some and not with others.

After graduating I was full of enthusiasm to implement some of the theory that I had obsessed about over the four years. I was approached by the company I currently work for and I was thoroughly impressed with them when I visited for an interview. They explained that they had a completely flexible working policy where I could attempt to implement some Agile software practices I had used at university. They explained further that the majority of training provided was completely bespoke to each individual. I saw this as an excellent place to begin my career.

Each graduate was required to take part in specific training followed by my old nemesis, an exam, to accomplish the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certification. This certification provided a firm base to enable taking on other training and future employment in a wide range of areas. Interestingly, training seems to be the main advantage that people use to sell working for large organisations. The company I work for may be unique but I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the case as other small businesses look to fill skills gaps with existing employees rather than bring in the hired mercenaries that are external contractors.

Salary is normally a showstopper for some when considering small businesses, as typically it is less than the amount offered by larger organisations. Through speaking to colleagues, this does seem to be the case but my graduate scheme is only a year, meaning I will receive a pay rise sooner putting me on a par. So hang on for a year and you will catch up!

The main advantage I want to put across is the responsibility that I have been given in the short nine months that I have been working. I am currently the lead developer on two clients which are large international organisations. As resource is sparse I am the project manager, business analyst and developer. This type of experience is invaluable when building a career as it prevents any potential pigeonholing. They have very much thrown me in at the deep end but this has helped with a number of skills which I needed to improve, from technical abilities to overall self-confidence.

I believe that small businesses should not be looked down upon when graduates are looking for their first employment, especially in the current economy. If you are looking for real world experience from the very beginning and your chance to make your mark on the company, rather than just being reduced to a payroll number, then I strongly recommend checking out recruitment agencies for vacancies within small businesses.