“There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind”
-C.S. Lewis
Larger companies offer more structure and stability, whereas smaller companies provide more flexibility and fragility. This difference may be something you have heard during your job search when considering small-medium-sized companies compared to larger enterprises. It’s something I frequently heard as I browsed through job openings on my lunch breaks that always felt too short, that never gave my mind enough time to relax and recoup after constant rejection in what felt like every aspect of my entire world.
Professionally and personally, I felt like I was stopped at a red light that was never turning green for the next chapter of my life to begin.
Hubris is a funny thing. Here I was, an intern at a Fortune 500 company before I could even smell graduation, thinking I had the next 10 years of my life set as the rest of my classmates worried about midterms. I never considered the possibility of working in sales; it wasn’t my major and I had a job in marketing lined up the day I held my degree in my hand and walked across the stage. One month before graduation, our CEO announced that we were going to have another merger, meaning all non-revenue jobs were put on hold for at least six months. Just like that, I was brought back to the same level of uncertainty as the rest of my graduating class and faced two options: take a job in sales until a marketing position opened up or search outside the company.
“It’ll only be for six months,” I told myself until six months and one day had passed. Then I knew I had to make the most of a bad situation; get meetings and help close deals, assist marketing when needed, and talk to every marketer in the department until a job opens up. A year went by, then a year and six months later, I knew it wasn’t getting any better. “But I’m working at a big company! People would do anything to be here, none of my friends are working at a company like this,” I told myself until I knew that I was truly unhappy and needed a change.
Sometimes when you’re stuck at a red light, the best thing you can do is turn right, onto a new road with endless possibilities.
As I applied to marketing positions, I thought that any company reviewing my resume would be taking a risk with me, as I didn’t have any full-time marketing experience and my most recent position was in sales. But one company saw potential in me and decided to explore what I’m capable of achieving. I was nervous my first week, but those nerves immediately left the moment I met the incredible people on my team and across the company. To say that what I have felt since joining ReluTech is the complete opposite of how I felt at my last job doesn’t even begin to grasp the full picture of how grateful I am to have joined this incredible company.
One year later, I still feel as grateful to be here as I did on my first day. At the core, it’s the people here that make this company great and each day filled with laughs and a positive environment. I’m still grateful for those who I once worked with at my last company for the experience and lessons I learned that have helped shape me into the person I am today.
To those of you reading this who are feeling the same as I once did, I have a couple of words that could change that: We’re hiring!
