Pros
You get to do research in a variety of industries
Cons
Following the ratings options: Career Opportunities - nearly nonexistent. You really have 2 options here: 1) you can attempt to move laterally to another, most likely struggling/failing team; or 2) you can wait until someone more senior on your team burns out and leaves. Above both of these points, if management doesn't want you to move, they'll do anything to keep you where you are. I have been lied to by management about open positions, in order to keep me where I am. Compensation and Benefits - laughable. Far below industry standard across numerous departments. Promotions are given very rarely, and raises not at all (besides "market increases" that don't even match inflation). Performance reviews happened less and less frequently until they completely stopped. Either way, hard work won't get you anywhere: I've been told by upper management that the only incentive for exceeding performance expectations is pride. Work/Life Balance - variable. If you're on a client-facing team, expect late hours, sometimes weekends, and always high pressure. It seems like there is always something wrong with a project, and because different departments operate essentially in silos, there is very little understanding of how one department's tasks can affect those of other departments or teams. This results in missed targets, overlooked data, and--most embarrassingly-- angry clients. Senior Management - essentially bullies. Expect your emails to be ignored. Expect to be blamed for issues in projects you didn't have a hand in. When it comes to management, politics get you far, not hard work or skill. They want to seem like they're the good guys, so anything bad (lack of career or growth opportunities, bad work/life balance, poor in-office culture) is blamed on our parent company. Culture and Values - arguably the worst aspect. We recently went through a "rebranding" - really just a way to divorce the company from our founder. Nothing has really changed but our stationery and some of the faces in upper management. It is clear the rebranding is more about securing new business than changing how we operate. People with no experience come in and are not taught how to do the work; they get blamed for issues; they quickly burn out and search for greener pastures; and they are just as soon replaced by another eager fresh-out-of-college employee, where the cycle repeats.
