User experience design firm with good starting salary but high workload and travel
Pros
o Above average starting salary o Good variety of content domains (e.g., finance, e-commerce) o Very nice annual party (weekend at nice hotel, group meal with open bar at fancy restaurant, spouse/partner/guest travel paid) o Apple equipment (iPhone, Macbook, iPad)
Cons
o Too much travel (can be every week) o Poor control of project scope (requires extra work and time from consultant -- sometimes without billing) o High workload o Very fast pace o Below average benefits (medical is expensive, 401(k) not matched every year) o Below average raises (went several years without a raise) o Below average bonuses (bonuses cited as compensation for no raises, but bonuses lower than industry; bonuses did not reflect the exceptional effort required on projects) o Almost no training or development (brief training at beginning to get you billing, then anything else is on your own time and dime) o Onerous project management tasks (senior consultants must use hours of personal time to set up each of their new projects; every week senior consultants have to perform very time-consuming project management tasks with poor tools) o Poor company communications (weekly nighttime status call but no mention of employees leaving or changes in company tactics; little credit for success in challenging projects; working from home can be very isolating) o Very heavy emphasis on projects in New York City (most projects and staff are there; some out-of-state consultants have to fly in every week for months at a time)
