Is it better to work for Corporate or one of Corporate's properties? (apply, companies)

[the_grimace]

Curious subject came up yesterday between some coworkers and myself. We were discussing whether it would be better to work for a corporate headquarters, or to work at one of corporate's properties or divisions. (For example, I work for a company that has 30 large properties that are each their own operation with managers, directors, VPs, etc and then we have one large corporate headquarters where they also have managers, directors, VPs, and in addition C-level executives)

What do people think? Pros and cons of either?

[Hemlock140]

Working at Corporate here provides much more visibility to the top, and if you are looking for it, usually more promotional opportunities than a smaller location with a more limited variety of jobs. That may not apply to all companies. In some cases proving yourself at the other property could benefit your opportunities to come to corporate at a higher level. Part of it though, is the commute, and where to live. Here are properties are not more than about 20 miles apart, but depending on where you live and commute times, the work site can mean an additional hour commute.

[Rowan123]

Generally, corporate headquarters for the reasons outlined above, more visibility and more opportunities for promotions.

[CrowGirl]

I think that is hard to answer in a vacuum or as a generality. As others have noted corporate is often considered more prestigious and visible. However, there may be a great division leader for whom you would love to work. The office might be in a better location (I once made a move from corporate in Houston to a regional office in the San Francisco Bay area, for example, which was a better location for me anyway).It may actually be easier to work your way up in a division where you can be a bigger fish in a smaller pond. Actually, rereading previous posts I guess I am agreeing with Hemlock.


I also had an unusual situation where the corporate holding company had one massive property and a few very small ones. The more interesting and high value positions were actually at the large subsidiary.