The Graduate's Guide to Big Company Departments - and which one is right for you
“I’m looking at job ads for big companies, but honestly I have no idea where to start. There are so many kinds of assistant roles, it’s hard to know what’s right for me.”
When you’re in a big company, it’s easy to see how it works. From the outside… not so much.
So, here’s my guide to what every department actually does in a business - and why you might love it (or hate it).
Photo by Dariusz Sankowski on Unsplash
Finance
Let’s start with the money. This department looks after the financial health of the business: how much money is coming in, and how much money is going out. It also looks at investment: where money is being wasted, and where the company could do with spending more.
What’s important?
Accuracy - the numbers have to be double- and triple-checked, otherwise the wrong decision might be made.
Systems thinking - every cost is linked, so knowing how one affects another will make sure you’re looking at the right numbers.
Analysis - creating models for what might happen in the future helps the company plan for what’s ahead.
You’ll love the work if… you’re great at detail, you like to understand how things work, you don’t mind staring at a spreadsheet for hours.
You won’t love the work if… you’re an extrovert who loves to chat, you find it hard to focus, you like a lot of variety.
Roles to search for… Graduate Finance Assistant, Finance Apprentice, Junior Commercial Finance Analyst, Financial Planning Analyst
Product / Operations
This is the department that builds and delivers what the company sells. That might be a physical product (eg. clothing, toys, food), or a digital product (eg. app, software, content), or a service (eg. recruitment, agency, coaching).
Sometimes the build part (Product) is separate from the delivery part (Operations). Together, these departments are responsible for discovering what customers want (user research), making sure the product or service delivers (quality assurance), and developing new things to sell (product development).
What’s important?
Curiosity - understanding what customers want and need is at the core of this work.
Patience - you might have to try a lot of things that don’t work to get to what does.
Focus - there are a lot of constraints to consider when building a product or service, from quality to cost, materials to time.
You’ll love the work if… you love tinkering with things to make improvements, you’re curious about why people do what they do, you’re able to be creative within constraints.
You won’t love the work if… you have a set view of what’s right, you enjoy full creative freedom, you’re not good with process.
Product roles to search for: Junior Product Manager, Product Associate, Assistant Product Owner
Operations roles to search for: Operations Assistant, Operations Associate, Supply Chain Coordinator
Marketing & Sales
This is the team (or teams) that showcases the company’s products or services to the public. Sometimes that’s done digitally (eg. social media, online ads, influencer collaborations), sometimes in real life (eg. events, billboards, product giveaways).
Sales is often a separate department. This is the team that actively sources customers and makes contact directly to sell the product or service.
What’s important?
Psychology - understanding what captures customers’ interest and why is key to cutting through the noise.
Creativity - you often have to try new approaches and push boundaries to make a difference.
Commercial acumen - to make those tests worthwhile, you have to collect data and understand what bets are paying off.
You’ll love the work if… you know what makes people tick, you find it easy to come up with ideas, you’re fascinated by what stories data tells.
You won’t love the work if… you like a predictable process, you get very attached to your ideas, you don’t like numbers.
Roles to search for… Marketing Coordinator, Junior Brand Manager, Digital Marketing Associate, Content Marketing Executive, Junior Paid Social Buyer, Sales Development Representative (SDR), Junior Account Executive
HR / People
One of the most important departments in a company, these are the folks who look after the employees. They’re responsible for recruitment and training, as well as more operational areas like employment policies and salaries.
What’s important?
Friendliness - liking people, with all their flaws, is pretty essential to the job!
Empathy - as the first port of call when something goes wrong in a team, the ability to listen and understand all sides is critical.
Process - when emotions are high, a clear process helps smooth the way forwards.
You’ll love the work if… you enjoy helping others reach their potential, you’re not afraid of conflict, you’re process-orientated.
You won’t love the work if… you’re not a fan of rules, you like solitude, you have a very black & white view of the world.
Roles to search for… Human Resources Coordinator, Junior HR Business Partner (HRBP), People Operations Administrator, Recruiting Coordinator, HR Associate
Technology / IT
This one is for the big non-tech companies - retailers, banks, healthcare, logistics. If you're looking at a tech firm, this team is usually part of Product. The technology department covers areas like infrastructure, cybersecurity, internal software and digital transformation - all serving the internal team, not the end customer.
What's important?
Problem solving - when a system goes down or something breaks, you need to diagnose and fix it fast.
Attention to detail - a small error in code or configuration can have a big knock-on effect across the whole business.
Communication - translating technical language into plain English for non-technical colleagues is a daily activity!
You'll love the work if… you enjoy figuring out how things work under the hood, you like fixing things that are broken, you want to be the person others rely on when things go wrong.
You won't love the work if… you need a lot of creative freedom, you find repetitive processes frustrating, you don't enjoy explaining the same thing to different people.
Roles to search for… IT Support Analyst, Junior Systems Administrator, Technology Graduate Scheme, Junior Business Analyst, IT Service Desk Analyst
Now you know the lay of the land, it’s time to take an honest look at your strengths.
Every role includes tasks we’d rather not do, but if you’re considering working in a department and you’re not excited by what’s important, you might want to think again.
We all do best when the core tasks of a job give us energy, rather than take it.
If you’re not sure what that means for you, book a free 30-minute Coffee Chat with me - I’ll help you get one step closer.
