APS - work in a small agency or a big one ?

I’m very extroverted and thrive in small business where I know and trust my team. Or know who not to trust or how far to trust them…

I am also driven by results so I need to see the outcomes of my work.

I would find a big government office really stifling. I did some contract work in one once and our team made some few good working relationships but generally felt that since we were invisible there was little social currency in whether we worked hard or dogged it, since the hundreds of clients only saw us rarely and had no knowledge of the budget (equipment) constraints that caused the most difficulty.

In a small team we might fight but as long as we see each other turning out good work, I’m happier.

So there are different jobs for different people and you should choose one that suits you.

I am thinking this job must have appealed enough to you to have you apply and go through the process of selection in the first place….so just do it. You have an opportunity, so take it and enjoy. And if you don’t like it in the end, move back to a big agency.

I’m with a small agency and the main advantages are the pay, the ability to form good networks and know the whole organisation, and a fast pace when it comes to changing priorities. The disadvantages, in my opinion, are that morale can chug along at a very low level when you’re constantly being told to keep doing the same amount of work, and thinking of new ideas, with less resources (perhaps that’s everywhere?) – and the social side of work is non-existant.

I’ve found living on the dangerous side has been ok in the oil and gas business having jumped ship from big US oil companies to smaller ones to get to a higher position in management. It does come with risks throwing yourself into the unknown but its the only way to make it big really. You have to have confidence in your self and just do it.

STRONGLY recommend that you start off with a temporary transfer into the other agency, if you love the team you’re with. I’ve done that twice – came scuttling back to my then home agency after 9 months re the first transfer, and turned the second transfer permanent after I’d established for sure which agency I preferred. And also strongly recommend that you keep the level & pay as a secondary consideration – if your team like you, you’ll be promoted. (That actually begs the question: the team you are currently with at the lower level – if they love you and they are a large agency, shouldn’t they have been able to promote you by now?)

Agencies are like vehicles. Larger agencies are buses or trains. You have room to spread your elbows and lots of people to talk to, but you tend not to be able to see through the windscreen. There may even be a dining car.

Smaller agencies are bikes. You have a lot more control over the vehicle’s movements, but the accessories list is a lot smaller and it’s much less comfortable in winter.

Megstar, your small agency wasn’t in the Health portfolio, was it?

If you haven’t already, have a good read of their annual reports and look at things like staff turnover figures. Also doesn’t hurt to have a read of any recent Senate Estimates appearances, ANAO reports or media to see if there’s any information there. The State of the Service report breaks down many of its stats by agency size, so that might be another good read for you.

I think it depends on the individual place rather than “large” or “small”. One of my first real jobs was in a small agency a couple of years ago and it was great. Everyone was friendly, I got pretty good training, things happened fast as IT or whoever could just pop right over, you could walk around to see people and get to know them fast. It had a good culture. My team was super hard working, always more than 9 to 5 then they had to get rid of their flex, I was the most junior member so they were really relaxed and flexible about what I did and when. But because it was so small I had real work to do even as a junior. Good place. Haven’t worked in enough places to be able to give a lot of comparisons but I was very impressed with that one place. I see other people here have different experiences so I think it really is individual agency specific rather than size-related. I have heard awful stories from friends at some of the bigger ones but a lot of them are so big the problem is often just their specific team.

I’d go the small agency for sure.

You will be able to think of ideas, then do them, without having to get 5 levels of approvals for the most minor thing. But it is lovely to know every single person at your work, and to feel like you are actually achieving things, not just a cog is a very slow moving machine.

The downsides are that HR and IT may consist of a single person, and if they are slow, dim or take a dislike to you then your issues may never get sorted out. Also you may find funding is super tight and they are operating on ancient computers and rationing the printer paper, travel and training are non-existent etc. And promotions can be hard to come by, if people like working there they may never leave. You may find you have to work harder than you are used to, and that taking a sick day is difficult, if you are soley responsible for an essential function.

But I’d do it for sure – surely you can always go back to your mega-dept if you try it and don’t like it so much.

If you’ve actually been successful in applying as an external applicant to a department in the current environment of VRs and a 4% efficiency dividend, than quite frankly I’m jealous.