4 Ways To Stand Out At A Large Company

4 Ways To Stand Out At A Large Company In the age of the gig economy and when approximately half of your college friends have gone on to found startups, working for a large company can feel limiting. But itcan also be a career-building gift if you play your cards right.Here are just a handful of ways to become a big fish in a big pond. Done right, these techniques can help you excel in your current company and beyond.1. Make the rules work for youThis doesnt mean breaking the rules necessarily it means making established policies and norms work to your advantage.For example, dont feel bound by a quarterly or annual review cycle seek out feedback from peers and managers in between the established windows.It can feel intimidating to solicit feedback, so remember no one dislikes hearing the words I want to get better at what I do and serve the team well. Asking for mini performance reviews like thisisa simple way to stand out as someone who is alwaysimproving and who is using their ten ure at the company to grow.Speak truth to power in the face of dated norms. If you notice inefficiencies in the way things are typically done, raise your hand and offer some solutions. Be positive and open-minded when you do (you dont want to offend whoever started the policy in the first place) and people will remember you for it.2. Remember that the right move isnt necessarily upwardsLarge companies represent a unique opportunity to try out a lot of roles, teams, and functions without having a 5-companies-in-2-years problem with your resume.Ask yourself questions like these What do I like about my current role? Whats missing? Can I build new skills by moving laterally? For my next role (here or elsewhere), what skills would serve me well?Building a diverse skill set can in itself be rewarding, but done strategically, it can set you up better for your next job - at your current company or elsewhere. Many companies prioritize internal hires over outsiders, since they know the compan y better - leverage that expertise well and you might just be in for a promotion.3. Find a sponsor or mentorAny leader worth their salt is inundated with requests to mentor people. So get savvy. Dont approach a senior exec and simply say Will you be my mentor?Aim to form a genuine connection. Research their background and tell them (without sounding creepy) what specifically impresses you about it. Think about what you bring to the table as a mentee - the best mentor-mentee relationships evolve into partnerships over time, so lay the groundwork now.A mentor who feels invested in your career and speaks up on your behalf is atruesponsor, and can be afast track to getting you noticed by other senior players. If thats what you want from the relationship, think abouthow you might get there - from carefully evaluating whom to ask to how you make your approach.4. Carve out your dream jobThe policies and bureaucracy of large companies can feel limiting, but sometimes the very thing that see mslike a weakness can be a huge strength. In other words, a large companys size can help you be more scrappy and opportunisticthan you might be elsewhere.What do I mean by that? Well, in the larger companies Ive worked with be they tech, lifestyle, or other - strong managers are often open to helping their hires break the company mold. Some even let you rewrite or alter your job description. Provided you time your request well and explain why it will benefit the company, it never hurts to ask.Short of that, you might be able to eke out what Googlers call a 20% project a pet project that isnt in your official remit,but that grows your skill set while advancing company goals all the while. Sure, not all large companies are Google, but all of them are large, typically well-funded, and potentially open to exploring new projects so they can better compete with the competition.Remember, at companies large or small, your job is what you make it. At large ones in particular, opportunities to stand out are usually present -if youre willing to seek them out. And if theyre not, it might be time to evaluate your other options.--Ellie Hearne is an experienced leadership coach and founder of