By Goretti Kimani
Most job-seekers are driven by the urge to succeed in their careers of choice. In some instances, however, some of the actions tend to work against the intention they are meant to achieve.
One of these is the big company syndrome. This syndrome refers to the scenario where people seek jobs in perceived big companies only, while disregarding offers from companies perceived as small.
Strange as it may sound, there are some individuals who have CVs for the “Big Companies” only.
They only submit these CVs to selected companies, which they believe meet their criteria of a big company.
And if they get an incitation for an interview from a company outside their big company bracket, they will usually decline or simply ignore the invitation – regardless if the individual has a job or not.
These individuals define their company of choice by size, branch network, perceived reputation, industry and so on.
I know a woman who has a list of 20 companies where she has been applying for jobs for the last three years. Though she has been jobless all this time, she will not touch a job offer from a company outside this list. And of course the list includes all the major blue chip companies whose names are familiar.
When I told her she is suffering the big company syndrome, she simply told me I do not understand how important her career is to her, and she had better be jobless than taint her CV with some small job.
Another gentleman successfully went through all the interview paces for a senior position in an upcoming SME, only to decline a very decent offer at the last minute. Reason? The company did not meet his size benchmarks. Having been part of this panel all along, I felt sorry for this extremely sharp gentleman as I understood the company and the position at hand much better.
The big company syndrome has roots in upbringing, as most children ultimately work hard to fulfill the desires implanted in them by their parents, teachers and other influential people as they grew up. Peer pressure and modern media also plays a part in shaping individual perception of many companies.
Irrespective of the origin, job seekers need to know that this syndrome is a major weakness that can delay the very career advancement and growth.
We cannot deny that it feels good to work for a big multinational. However, we must remember that these big companies were once small, and it is through the selfless sacrifices of forward-minded individuals that they are now big. In addition, every opportunity has its own pros and cons
The onus is on the individual career builder to make the right decisions based on rational choice, rather than blind discrimination based on prejudice and misguided perception.
