Pros
Colleagues: - Colleagues are smart, with impressive backgrounds - Easy to become friends with colleagues, which is especially useful if you're new to the city and don't know many people Skill development: - Good way to get an understanding of a large variety of industries around the world - Increases your confidence in speaking with senior people on the phone - Many opportunities to become directly involved with client communications, which few other companies provide within the first couple of years
Cons
While some people love this job, it definitely isn't for everyone, so seriously consider what you are looking for. High pressure: - You have to be the type of person who enjoys/gets energized by a very high pressure working environment. - The nature of the job, and where AlphaSights fits into the clients' work process, means every project is on an 'ASAP' timeline and you will work on many projects simultaneously. Type of work: - You have to really enjoy talking to people as this is what you'll do almost all day. - You add value by connecting your clients and the industry experts whom you reach out to. This means that on a daily basis you deal with people's personalities and schedules on all sides. This can be demotivating as you realize your bonus depends on a lot of things about other people that you cannot control. - The research you do on the job is quite shallow in scope and there is no element of actual analysis. Work culture: - Most colleagues are young, with an average age of about 23-24. This is also most people's first job out of university. This means it often feels like a continuation of the university party lifestyle and drinking is a big part of the culture. (To avoid confusion - there is no drinking during work hours) - The open office environment means it's never quiet and a bit hard to get privacy.