Marist students and alumni give insight into different work environments During the job hunt you are probably looking at specific positions, but you will also want to consider the work culture and environment that your future employer offers. There are numerous types of organizations that you can work for, but in our Company Size Matters series we will focus on four areas: startups, corporations, nonprofits, and the federal government. Throughout this series we will explore the potential benefits and drawbacks of working with each of these types of organizations, which generally vary in size and duties. We will use stories from Marist students and alumni who have worked in these environments in our analysis so that you can get a feel for which area you think best fits your career goals at this time. We will begin by describing what it is like to work at a startup. A startup is an early stage venture in search of a profitable business model. Startups are often business that are built to answer the following question: It’s 2019, why is there not a better way to do this yet? Startups typically have a staff of anywhere between 6 and 80 employees. This intimate size gives colleagues opportunities to get to know each other and their managers on a more personal level. Startups are often business that are built to answer the following question: It’s 2019, why is there not a better way to do this yet? In a startup individual employees might have more influence because the chain of command can be less structured than in other larger companies. There might also be more chances to voice opinions and ideas about the direction of projects. The higher level executives are probably more accessible. Having that face time with the managers and higher ups in your workplace can be very valuable. Chris Glogan ’19 interned at ATO Records, an independent record label based in New York City that was originally founded by Dave Matthews, during his final semester in college. He said all of the employees took an interest in his professional pursuits. “I had good professional relationships with them and talked to them about their career beginnings and what I was doing at school,” Chris said. “I also had a good relationship with my manager.” Startups often have fast paced work environments that will require employees to constantly grow and change to meet expectations. While this workload can be difficult to handle at times, employees who are able to rise to the challenge will learn how to work with a wide variety of clients. While at ATO Records, Chris said the scope of his work involved multiple constituents. “I was talking weekly to 300 record stores on the phone,” he said. “It was my job to tell the people that we were selling the material and what the artist is.” There are risks that come with working at a startup however. Statistically speaking, 90 percent of startups fail so you might have to prepare yourself to quickly go back on the job hunt. On the other hand, the skills acquired during a startup experience can make you more marketable for a role in a larger work environment. Chris earned an internship at Sony in the digital sales department following his graduation from Marist College. “Now that I’m with Sony I work with over 100 people and over seven record labels,” Chris said. “(Work at a startup) prepares you for moving up. You will get the skills you need such as networking and communication. It all lays the groundwork.” Thank you for sharing your story, Chris. In our next post in the Company Size Matters series, we will discuss what it's like to work in a larger corporation and feature Kenny Marples '19. Marples is a recent Marist graduate who works at Fox News. UPDATE: Since we initially interviewed Chris for this blog post he has started a new full-time role at Zero Gravity Marketing.
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