MAY Lee had a good feeling about Select Group the moment she found out that the man conducting the job interview was the company's managing director himself. At the other companies where she had applied for a job, it was managers who were conducting the interviews.

'It gave me the impression that this company isn't too hierarchical. There's a chance that I would get to learn a lot, and even from the boss himself,' said the communication studies and new media graduate from the National University of Singapore (NUS).

As it turned out, she was spot on about the company's culture. Three months into her management trainee position, Ms Lee is overseeing the marketing of Texas Chicken, an American fast-food joint that her company brought in to Singapore less than two years ago. She works directly with the managing director, Vincent Tan, and liaises with Texas Chicken's regional marketing manager.

At first, she was surprised that a fresh graduate like her was given such an important role. But even then, she emphasised, she was undaunted. 'I like taking on challenges, and since my boss believes that I can do it, there's no reason why I can't,' she said.

Mr Tan said that the company tries to provide a good learning ground to stay attractive to the young hires. 'We give them space to make mistakes, and learn from these mistakes,' he said.

Most fresh graduates prefer to join multinational corporations or government agencies, mainly because these organisations offer higher pay, better benefits and prospects. Hence, SMEs often have to go to some length to woo these people. Select Group, for example, works with Spring to offer scholarships to undergraduates.

But Ms Lee did not need any dangling carrot to see the benefits of working at an SME.

'The bigger organisations have more red tape and the job scope is often fixed in a mould,' she said. 'I prefer flexibility in my job and I like to work independently because that's how I can learn more.'

It did not matter if this entails carrying out duties that were not exactly what she signed up for. Twice, Ms Lee had to design posters for the fast-food joint because the company's in-house designer was too busy. She not only did not mind the extra work but actually thought that it helped her become versatile.

For the rest of the story, get the latest copy of The SME Magazine, which will look into the considerations of young talents when they choose to go down the path less travelled by working in an SME. Also, find out how angel investor Leslie Loh makes his assessment on the companies to invest in. We also take a look at Japan - which has seen low growth in its domestic market and rising business costs. Is it still worth the while to venture into the land of the rising sun?

The SME Magazine is available at all petrol kiosks (except Caltex) and major bookstores. It is produced by BT and supported by Spring Singapore and IE Singapore.