Company research

[amberpi]

I'm considering going to work for a large firm with a big presence in my area that I've worked with as a client and think pretty highly of generally. That said, I want to do as much due diligence as possible, and I'm SO annoyed with the employee reviews online. The company has a lot of well regarded employee awards, especially as it pertains to women and women in finance, but some of the reviews are troubling. That said, for every "the work life balance is great but pay is low" there is a "the pay is great but the hours are murder" review. How much credit do you give to online reviews? What sites/data points do you use to guide you in career moves? I'm just trying to make a well considered decision and I think the more research I do, the more frustrated and confused I get. Do you just go with your gut?

The position is right in my wheelhouse, the pay is in line with the industry, and the position is mostly at the level I've been at; but I've made the mistake before of looking at those items and ignoring just how very important corporate culture is.

 

[rwdavis2]

Have you had the interview(s)? Did you ask about the hours/culture? If they've given you an offer now is the time to ask if you haven't already. IMHO, any info put out by the company will only make them look good.

Also, have you tried engaging anyone who's written a bad review? Create a new online identity and ask.

 

[amberpi]

Have you had the interview(s)? Did you ask about the hours/culture? If they've given you an offer now is the time to ask if you haven't already. IMHO, any info put out by the company will only make them look good.

Also, have you tried engaging anyone who's written a bad review? Create a new online identity and ask.

I've had interviews and have 1 more. We've already discussed salary and bonus structure. Culture is so hard to really understand during interviews...or it is for me. Hours though...I mean it's regular business hours, but who really works those, and how different firms treat travel time is also always murky. Of course they'll tell you that when traveling you'll get some relief, but I've never found that to actually be the case. The PTO situation at this level is killer, but then again, what if you're so busy you can't use it all? They have awards from Forbes and Bloomberg for instance, and that should probably mean more than idiots on the internet, right?

That's a great idea! I really think I've just gone down an online rabbit hole and am now second guessing.

 

[wvjules]

I think in some industries you can expect a wide variety of work/life balance reviews. For instance, in my industry they really push work life balance. They work you hard, but you get A LOT of time off. And of course, some industries have a "busy" season where there is no work life balance but it only for a short period of time. And then there is the type of client you can be on, some are busier and have more demands than others. That explains the differences in reviews when it comes to that. It's all dependent upon the client requirements.

 

[sam_gordon]

I'm considering going to work for a large firm with a big presence in my area that I've worked with as a client and think pretty highly of generally. That said, I want to do as much due diligence as possible, and I'm SO annoyed with the employee reviews online. The company has a lot of well regarded employee awards, especially as it pertains to women and women in finance, but some of the reviews are troubling. That said, for every "the work life balance is great but pay is low" there is a "the pay is great but the hours are murder" review. How much credit do you give to online reviews? What sites/data points do you use to guide you in career moves? I'm just trying to make a well considered decision and I think the more research I do, the more frustrated and confused I get. Do you just go with your gut?

The position is right in my wheelhouse, the pay is in line with the industry, and the position is mostly at the level I've been at; but I've made the mistake before of looking at those items and ignoring just how very important corporate culture is.

I think it's the same as doing web research on anything, vacation, hotels, cars, computers, etc. You have to take EVERYTHING (good and bad) you read with a grain of salt. If there's 50 respondents and 10 are bad reviews and 40 outstanding, I'll put more weight on the outstanding. If it's 25/25, then I'd be a lot more cautious.

 

[GreatLakes]

Don't trust employee reviews online. If you've worked with the firm as a client you hopefully have a contact there you can talk to. I had an offer at a company in town that was pretty good but I had heard negative things about so I talked to someone that used to work there in a similar job as what I would be doing. Once I learned about the actual work day and what the executive I'd be reporting to was like I passed.

 

[amberpi]

I think it's the same as doing web research on anything, vacation, hotels, cars, computers, etc. You have to take EVERYTHING (good and bad) you read with a grain of salt. If there's 50 respondents and 10 are bad reviews and 40 outstanding, I'll put more weight on the outstanding. If it's 25/25, then I'd be a lot more cautious.

The concern some of these have given me is that a number of the bad reviews are for people at my level or a small step above and below and it's heavily weighted to lots of hours, more travel than anticipated, etc. In the past that wouldn't have bothered me AT ALL, but with this new family thing happening, my values have shifted. I don't want to work 80 hour weeks again.

 

[amberpi]

Don't trust employee reviews online. If you've worked with the firm as a client you hopefully have a contact there you can talk to. I had an offer at a company in town that was pretty good but I had heard negative things about so I talked to someone that used to work there in a similar job as what I would be doing. Once I learned about the actual work day and what the executive I'd be reporting to was like I passed.

My contact moved on and was in a much different capacity, but had good things overall to say they just had issues with - you guessed it, work life balance. I think I've just gotten concerned over nothing. This firm was on my top 2 to work for, so I don't know why I'm getting scared off now.

 

[_19disnA]

If there are many online reviews with a similar tone, I would give that more weight then just one review by a single disgruntled employe. As others as mentioned, the official company site will only list positive things about working there. Honestly, unless you are able to speak with several current employes, you really won't know what the actual work environment is like until you start working there. Companies can often say one thing about how they operate that may not be reality.

I would place less weight on who your direct supervisor would be since you likely wouldn't work only for them and you never know when that person quits/retires/changes positions/gets promoted.....etc.

 

[amberpi]

If there are many online reviews with a similar tone, I would give that more weight then just one review by a single disgruntled employe. As others as mentioned, the official company site will only list positive things about working there. Honestly, unless you are able to speak with several current employes, you really won't know what the actual work environment is like until you start working there. Companies can often say one thing about how they operate that may not be reality.

I would place less weight on who your direct supervisor would be since you likely wouldn't work only for them and you never know when that person quits/retires/changes positions/gets promoted.....etc.

That's what I'm trying to consider - what's the pitch and what's the actuality.

 

[Floridaman999]

It seems people with something negative to say will search out ways to say it. Most people with positive experience generally don't do the same. If there is a small amount of negative compared to a larger amount of positive, I'd say it's a pretty good place to work.

 

[bcla]

That's what I'm trying to consider - what's the pitch and what's the actuality.

Most huge companies are really just hundreds of little organizations, but you probably already knew that. Sometimes it might be possible to trace a specific review to a specific group.

That being said, I've had interviews at large companies that had well-known annual reviews with a mandated "culling". At least one manager tried to assure me that this group did it's best to keep people who provided value to the company rather than submit to an arbitrary termination.

 

[amberpi]

Most huge companies are really just hundreds of little organizations, but you probably already knew that. Sometimes it might be possible to trace a specific review to a specific group.

That being said, I've had interviews at large companies that had well-known annual reviews with a mandated "culling". At least one manager tried to assure me that this group did it's best to keep people who provided value to the company rather than submit to an arbitrary termination.

Fiefdoms certainly exist, right?

I’ve been on the firing side of mandatory cullings, I’m not so scared about that. I’m scared about the real number of hours to do the job. I like their practices though and I like their inclusion policies. I think I just let the internet get in my head a bit. A vp of m&a is going to far different complaints than someone in compliance.

 

[Elleshoodat]

I've been with my employer for 10 years now, and I've felt the same as both those reviews. At first I could've said the hours were "brutal," but that was before I had kids and I put the pressure on myself to work longer hours. Once I had kids, I cut back quite a bit and now have a work-life balance that works for me and my family.

Here, at least, it's about setting the right expectations at the right time, and maybe that's the case at the company you're looking at, too.

 

[gillep]

I don't put much, if any, stock in those types of reviews. Everyone has such different needs and expectations, and one person can have such a different perception of something from another due to a variety of factors and influences. If it is someone I know well, then I am better able to judge a review from that person, but a stranger on the internet? No way. It sounds like you have done your due diligence and there are so many factors that you cannot pin down until you are actually in the situation and culture. Good luck!!!!

 

[NotUrsula]

Go read the 10K report (if you are not familiar, it's a required annual SEC filing for public companies.) If you have a university with a business school nearby, go to campus and contact one of the business librarians to ask for assistance in researching the company; they will help you find a ton of info from reputable sources.

You can learn quite a bit about a company's culture from the decisions that are made and how the money is spent at the top. Pay attention to the turnover, too: look for old job ads.

 

[wvjules]

Go read the 10K report (if you are not familiar, it's a required annual SEC filing for public companies.) If you have a university with a business school nearby, go to campus and contact one of the business librarians to ask for assistance in researching the company; they will help you find a ton of info from reputable sources.

You can learn quite a bit about a company's culture from the decisions that are made and how the money is spent at the top. Pay attention to the turnover, too: look for old job ads.

NOne of that is going to tell the OP about culture or work life balance.

 

[_19disnA]

^^ I agree, those documents won't contain any information that talks about what the company is like at a working level. The information the OP is looking for will only be found by reading online job reviews or talking with current/former employes. What they are doing at the top of the company or what divisions they are buying/selling has little to do with that.

 

[morgan98]

Go read the 10K report (if you are not familiar, it's a required annual SEC filing for public companies.) If you have a university with a business school nearby, go to campus and contact one of the business librarians to ask for assistance in researching the company; they will help you find a ton of info from reputable sources.

You can learn quite a bit about a company's culture from the decisions that are made and how the money is spent at the top. Pay attention to the turnover, too: look for old job ads.

Not to mention if she is going to work for a firm, it is likely not publicly traded and there is not a 10K for the company anyway.

OP, if this is a large consulting/accounting firm, the previous posters are right. It is going to be work hard/play hard. The firm makes money by deploying employees, so the issue with travel or strenuous hours really depends on your assignment. If you are committed to not traveling as much because of your new family situation, be very clear that if there is an out of town assignment, they will assign you. How would you feel about that? I think that is really your question.

Work/life balance, inclusion/diversity, flexible work situations, giving back to the community are all key cultural components of this industry. I am not trying to say the place your are interviewing with is not committed to this, I am saying most firms in the space will mention these as key components of culture.

Again, I think you need to ask yourself if you are okay with the potential of travel or crazy hours. Is there a way to negotiate a 90% workload? Another key component in this industry is retention of top performers and sometimes a reduced schedule is acceptable.

 

[nkereina]

I've read Glassdoor reviews before and take them with a grain of salt. Everyone always wants more or something different out of their employer. IMO, its rare to find an employee that doesn't have at least one minor gripe about their employer.

The only thing I'd trust is if you are consistently seeing something over and over again - i.e. long hours, poor PTO, poor medical, etc. That should tell you something is really off about that. But if its varied, I would say its subjective. It might not work for *some* people, while its just fine for others. I also think something like work/life balance and work hours can vary drastically by manager and position, so the reviews you're reading on that might not be relevant.