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ION Trading

Acquired by ION Group

Is this your company?

Not for everyone.... - Anonymous employee ION Trading Employee Review

1.0
27 Aug 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You get to work with some very nice and intelligent people. The sense of team between the employees is great outside of management. Seems that the graduate program is what management is favoring, so people fresh out of college should try to apply for the graduate program. If you align yourself with the right people, there are opportunities to move laterally, but you will have to fight hard for it.

Cons

You should ask lots of questions prior to joining as this job is not for everyone. If you read the majority of the posts here, it will give you a sense of the culture and expectations. I can only give my opinion, but Ion will over promise and under deliver in terms of compensation, growth, and the actual job that you are applying to. The managers in my department do not fight for you to grow. Promotion/raises were given when they thought I was going to leave. This applied to other people within my team as well. During one of my reviews, I was told the reason they didn't think to promote me was because not everyone wants to be promoted, so if I didn't ask, they didn't want to force it on me. Considering I put advancement/promotion as a yearly goal in my self assessment, I guess management doesn't bother to read or consider our self assessments. The moral of the company is quite low. People are generally unhappy and complain to each other about their future in the company. New people who join are shocked initially, but understand shortly. This is especially true come bonus/raise time. You should save emails and conversations as management will try to throw you under the bus if the opportunity arises.

Explore other reviews about ION Trading

5.0
3 Aug 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Management really cares about the LDP and provide opportunities for the analysts to achieve their goals/improve their skill sets. We have many opportunities to travel to our international offices and ask for projects that are interesting and a good learning experience. I've had a good experience with other team members who are not part of the program as well. The office is more collaborative now and I think ION is trying to improve on past criticism/feedback.

Cons

Work load can be daunting at times and you may get different directions from several managers. However, if you ask questions and aren't afraid to take on challenges this can be a great way to constantly strive for more.

6
1.0
15 June 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The New York office is very nice, on the 50th floor and overlooks Central Park. There are some nice people working in the office there and everyone has a collective feeling of sympathy for their fellow colleagues.

Cons

You need to understand that if you join ION that you are sacrificing any chances of career advancement whatsoever. While no expense is spared when it comes to fancy offices, every expense possible is when it comes to employees. While starting salaries are reasonable, there have been no pay increases for years, and bonuses when given are tiny. The CEO insists on a hands-on approach to every single part of the company (including approving an order for more coffee!) and the result is that very little ever gets done. Benefits are awful for a company of this size (no 401k employer contribution, minimum contribution toward heath, etc). There is very little flexibility when it comes to hours or working remotely. Think very carefully before joining ION and signing that onerous non-compete which could basically put an end to your career in this industry unless you change your industry/profession entirely or are happy to stagnate in misery at ION. I would strongly recommend against joining. I would also point out what many on here have mentioned - there are a number of reviews below which are very clearly fake. If you read a review which jokingly refers to ION as a "Market Leader" or similar, you need to be aware that these have been written specifically to try and boost the dismal rating the company rightfully has on Glassdoor.

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