The Small and Mighty - Knockout Newsletter 🥊 (8/16)
AJ Eckstein 🧩
Founder @ Creator Match | Matching Brands with LinkedIn Creators | Journalist for Fast Company | LinkedIn Learning Instructor (100,000+ students) | TEDx & Keynote Speaker | Ex-Accenture, Disney
The Small and Mighty - Knockout Newsletter 🥊 (8/16)
Welcome back to the Knockout Newsletter, brought to you by The Final Round. The workplace is changing by the minute, and you need to be ready. Our objective is simple: every other Tuesday, we send you insight to help you knock out the competition, advance past the final round interview, and grow in your career.
Thank you for joining us in the ring. Let’s go…
What’s New?
Spotlight (Bonus) Episode
Episode 29 - Dr. Eli Joseph, Best-Selling Author of The Perfect Rejection Resume.
Eli personally overcame 1,500+ educational and professional rejections and used them to attain landmark achievements, from earning a doctorate at the age of 24 to becoming a business partner at Quest Diagnostics, a Fortune 500 company, at the age of 25.
This led him to write the book "The Perfect Rejection Resume: A Reader’s Guide to Building a Career Through Failure" and to teach at Columbia University.
Check out the episode here.
Small Firm, Big Impact
As a job-seeker, it’s important not to get caught up in the big names. Yes, many big firms (such as Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, and Google) are some of the most prestigious firms in the world — but going “big” isn’t the only way to go. In fact, some smaller firms (known as boutique firms) are considered some of the best firms globally, right up there with some of the notable big firms… and here’s why:
Business Buzz - Best of Boutique
Below we’ve provided some of the most notable boutique firms across a variety of industries. While name recognition might not be the same as a company like Google, the value they bring certainly is. Consider some of these firms as you begin your career search — who knows, boutique may be the best fit for you!
Click the title of the firm if you’d like to learn more about it!
Industry: Investment Banking (Focus in Media & Entertainment).
Company culture: Allen and Co. are known for their diversity. From former pro baseball players to former ex-governor of Nebraska, the firm believes different approaches to thinking are essential to success.
Industry: Management Consulting (Focus on pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, diagnostics)
Company culture: ClearView places an emphasis on work-life balance, putting their people first. Even as a small firm, they have invested heavily in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs including MOSAIC (a space to discuss ethnic and racial diversity) and the Family Sustainable Forum (an open forum to discuss personal and professional challenges).
Industry: Tech, specifically helping eliminate food waste
Company culture: Afresh has been named “the best small firm to work for'' by Fortune, demonstrating the satisfaction and happiness of their employees. All of their ~90 employees said they considered Afresh a great place to work, compared to 57% of employees in the U.S.
Recommended by LinkedIn
Industry: Management Consulting
Company culture: ghSMART prides itself on three cultural roots (Putting people first, transparency, and freedom) which have won them various awards for employee satisfaction. Emphasis on these roots has helped ghSMART power through the complications brought about by the pandemic, and the firm hopes to serve as an example for others seeking to keep their employees motivated, satisfied, and happy.
Industry: Protective Intelligence
Company Culture: Once a month, Ontic offers its employees a ME day, which is 24 hours to unwind from everything Ontic related and focus on themselves and their mental health. Many firms can benefit from this action, as it improves employee morale, satisfaction, and relations with the company.
Industry: Global M&A Advisory
Company culture: As one of the oldest boutique investment banks, Lazard operates in more than 40 cities across over 25 countries. With employees from over 90 countries, diversity is key to the company culture within the firm. This diversity has definitely helped it remain one of the most prominent banks in the world, even as a boutique.
For comprehensive lists of some of the best boutique firms, feel free to explore the links below!
Highlight Quote - Elizbeth Morgan
In Episode 22 of The Final Round Podcast, Elizabeth Morgan (a former Recruiter and Rejection Manager @ Google), discusses the importance of taking the time to ensure you’re well-prepared for your interviews. She emphasizes how interviews are a two-way street, and how putting in the extra effort to prepare will really go a long way.
Whether the company is a boutique or a big firm, do your research. Make yourself seem almost too good to be true. If you go the extra mile to prepare, companies will go the extra mile to hire you.
Find the full episode here
Knockout Stories
At The Final Round, we don’t just hope our content is helpful, we know our content is helpful. But don’t just take it from us: hear from our audience.
Find the full list of Knockout Stories here.
The Final Question 🤔
Have you ever considered boutique firms in your job search? Let us know by commenting below!
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----- (Written by Bryan Hanley; Edited by AJ Eckstein)