With economies of change and harsh financial climates, companies tend to tread softly these days. Not wanting to make false business moves, the global economic recession has seen companies not grow or deplete but rather diffuse into a state of survival mode. It’s a scary thought, that a phase of survival mode has become the way forward and the reluctance to grow or move forward has become the norm. Gone are the days where the business world was seen as the raw untamed type of wild west, where cash and debt where quite simply a bank telephone call away. Questions are being asked and their answers need to be found, spinning the global business and working sector into a spiral of uncertainty.

By breaking down the current environment and asking proper questions along with finding solutions, FirstStep.me has created a company guide that opens up the business world into something a bit more robust in terms of an individual’s employment opportunity.

Let’s begin with the basics…

Companies and businesses: there are various types of companies and businesses that exist in the global economic sphere. From multi-national, national and small/medium enterprises, industries are so diversified that the area of business in which an entity engages itself is even segmented. This means businesses range from Media, FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods), Engineering, Legal, Accounting…the list goes on! The bottom-line is that businesses can be summarised as the relationship between a suppliers of services/goods to a consumer…yes it’s that simple. Big or small all companies can be levelled into one playing field or in this case on sentence.

There is also another thriving entity referred to as being the “Middle-man” some business make money by bridging or brokering deals between the supplier and the consumer..

Setting up a company: all businesses are needed to be seen as entities of their own, even if it is a ‘one-man show’, it is best to understand that a company is a brand and a brand is separate to the people that run or operate it. A company is thus made up of the people that help manage/operate it along with the services and goods it supplies.

Being employed: also known as earning a living. It’s not a complicated concept. However earning a living, legally we might add, is rewarding in many ways as you receive a form of remuneration for your work. There are various types of employment one can enter: from full time, part time or being self-employed…the latter means you are the boss - cool beans!

Types of employment: in big companies such as a multi-national or national based companies, can range from public, private or even government controlled. These companies generally are made up of a board of directors which is headed by a chief executive officer (CEO) or chairperson of sorts which is then followed by the management division which is headed by the managing director (MD). Below the managers are generally the line mangers and workers of the company.

There is a salient difference between a corporate set up of a company and the deliverable section of the company. The corporate division function is to help manage and implement the best practices for the company whilst the deliverable division is there to execute those goals put forward by corporate. A good example would be a corporate head office of a clothing chain-store would implement or structure concepts that the actual retail store of that clothing label would need to put into practice. It’s the understanding that these concepts will endeavour to make the business more money, because that is businesses exist…to make money!

Getting employed:

It’s in the interest of a company to make money and that in itself constitute business. It is all about creating that business that presents the opportunity to hire or having the right sort of employees/staff to generate the sort of business activity which makes a profit. Confusing, but  well let’s put it this way: a company needs to survive to keep its business and going, whilst an employee needs to make sure that a company stays afloat so he/she can keep a job! It’s blunt but a harsh reality!

Types of employment:

Internships, practicals or learnerships:

It is the practical employment vehicle in terms of the job sphere for individuals to gain experience at a junior level. These positions are often offered to high school graduates or students who are currently studying. It doesn’t pay much and you will be doing some mind numbing tasks but the practical experience you pick up will be invaluable.

Graduate recruitment:

Grad programs are the sort of cornerstone for companies’ young/fresh talent out of university of college. The idea is to help mould and streamline employees into specific roles in a company while at the same giving them an overall feel for what the company represents. These programs are built to help individuals cope with the challenges of a corporate career.  In a way it is almost like a professional bridging program.

Experienced job hires:

Hiring people with experience is central to a company’s relevant growth process. Bring in experience from other sectors of business to grow a business is one of the first steps of diversification growth of a company. Ideas and concepts that were not applied in a certain business can now be used from individuals bring in fresh thought. Furthermore some companies will have training and specific courses for individuals to undergo to make them more valuable or more suited for the job at hand.

No experience:

This is tricky, companies want people with experience or certain skills but at the same time you need experience to work. It really depends on the type of job: could be from basic manual labour to even working in a company’s admin department. Some companies may go the extra mile and provide or pay for the individual to gain training in that specified area of work. It’s considered an investment which the company will look to gain as much returns as they can from the individual.

Keywords and phrases:

1. CEO- Chief Executive Officer

2. Diversification- opening up opportunities within a company for all.

3. MD- Managing Director

4. HR- Human Resources

5. Employer of choice- making a company a front runner as an employer as opposed to just its services or products it offers.