Brands are part of our every day life. They're everywhere. They're a mark of quality and they're why Apple can charge twice as much compared with other music players. But could they be holding back your job search?

Look through the Fortune 500 and you'll see names you'll interact with often. There's a familiarity associated with big names but jobs for life are increasingly a thing of the past.

What about the Fortune five million? There's millions of small businesses out there and while in these difficult times the big names might be cutting jobs to stay afloat it seems smaller businesses are flourishing and even hiring. In a difficult market, they could be the missing piece in your job search.

If you've only ever worked in larger organizations it can be a big change. Here's a few pros and cons of working at a smaller company.

Speed

Interview with a major firm and you're likely to spend weeks waiting for any decision and rounds of successive interviews. With smaller companies the hiring process will be a lot quicker with interviews often being with senior decision makers in the organization. It's not uncommon to interview one day and get a job offer the next.

And this speed can carry on while you're working there. With a flatter, leaner structure you're not going to be left waiting months for approval on a project or sign off on expenditure.

Opportunity

With fewer people around there's a chance to take on additional responsibilities and a greater chance of gaining recognition. Look for roles which are going to get you experience in a direction you want to move in. This experience of interfacing with many different business functions will serve you well in future interviews against candidates who have remained within in one or two departments in large organizations.

Benefits

Smaller companies need to be competitive in terms of salary but with tighter budgets so there's not always room for a full benefits package. It's a balance between what you're looking for in a role. If you're young with not family responsibilities then stock options at a startup may make up for that but if you've got a family think about how much it's going to cost if health cover isn't up to scratch.

Stability

Smaller businesses are known for their higher failure rate and it's something to take into account when evaluating any offer. But you should be doing the same background research and evaluation on any company you're thinking about working for especially with the current market and the job losses seen at larger companies.

And it's not necessarily as scary as you think. There's evidence to show that companies which were born in the dotcom craze weathered the resulting crash at least as well as their blue chip counterparts.

So if you're sold on the idea that small is beautiful then how do you go about finding your ideal role?

Local press is often a good source of information. Look out for stories on companies which are winning business, funding or hiring. Local newspapers will often highlight smaller local businesses which are succeeding

Network like crazy. Smaller business owners are willing to take a recommendation from a friend or existing employee. Think about friends and colleagues who have changed employment lately. What new opportunities could they introduce you to?

What are you stories of working at small businesses?