Vitamin T Reviews

Current Employee – been working at Vitamin T full-time

Pros – You may be able to make some friends. There are interesting and cool people that work there.

Cons – -poor management. They will make a manager out of someone with zero leadership skills. Other managers are remote so they have no clue what's even happening at their own locations.
-They hold you to hitting FTE goals that are impossible to maintain. If you don't hit them, they give you another impossible goal to hit as a warning. If you don't hit it, you'll be fired. This happens nationwide and all the employees know it.
-They lure you in with promises of work life balance, unlimited vacation time, a house in hawaii, promotion from within. It's a sham. It's a flat organization by design, and it will stay that way. They say you can work 9-5, but in order to get everything done you have to stay late, take work home, or work on weekends, not to mention all the events you'll have to attend. There is no such thing as unlimited vacation time, with any employer in the world-that claim doesn't even make sense. Think about it. Forget about the house in Hawaii...just.forget.it.
-This is not a job for rational people.
-This is not a job for entrepreneurs. That would mean that you have some say over what you do on a daily basis, and trust me, you do not.

Advice to Senior Management – Be honest with prospective new hires. Give them the specifics about what it takes to hit 5-10 FTE's and how they have to maintain the FTE's.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Vitamin T full-time for less than a year

Pros – The company has a great reputation. Vitamin T is backed by Aquent and both talent and clients know the name and respect it. They have a pretty cool presence on Twitter and other social media outlets. The pay is pretty decent too.

Cons – You'll have a manager, but there is very little leadership or actual management. There is no training, just expectations. You will be totally on your own to figure out everything. Then your manager will tell you that you're doing everything wrong and have no solutions to help.

The FTE system is nearly impossible. To get 1 FTE you need to have 2 people working full time hours and that's extremely difficult when all you have to offer your talent is short term freelance projects. Then when you don't have enough FTEs, you'll be "warned" and fired.

They'll say that work/life balance is important but it's not. You'll find yourself stressed out, overwhelmed, working late, taking your work home with you at night and working on the weekends trying to get the jobs filled. And that still won't be enough. Of course you have the option to work 9-5, but you'll learn quickly that's not in your best interest if you want to keep your job.

In the interview process you'll be told over and over again that the Agent roll is not sales, then you'll find that you have to cold call clients for new orders. Feels very bait and switch.

They say it's unlimited time off. Please do not believe that. First of all it won't be long before you're afraid to ask for time off. Then when you do ask for it (and if it's approved) you'll still be expected to follow up with emails, leads etc while you're supposed to be off.

Please don't believe that this is a job for people who are good at connecting and matchmaking. You will fail miserably at this job if you try to make connecting/matchmaking your focus.

Advice to Senior Management – Please actually manage and lead.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Vitamin T

Pros – The negative review that was posted a few weeks ago, could not have said it better. The only plus I can think of is that you will get to leave at 5 every day. As you'll leave, there's a good chance you'll be miserable.

Cons – As has been stated on here before, you're on your own. And with the wrong manager (and that term is used as loosely as possible since there's no actual managing being done) you will be miserable on a day to day basis.

Advice to Senior Management – Review what your "regional managers" are actually doing and how much contact they have really have with the people the "supervise". So of the decisions they are making, for example promoting people with little to no experience, are downright idiotic.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Vitamin T

Pros – I wish I had more positive things to say, since I went in with high hopes after their sales pitch-like interview process. One thing to mention is that no matter how they spin it, Vitamin T is a Division within Aquent. Vitamin T is NOT a standalone company or even a spin. All Aquent corporate policies, rules, guidelines and paperwork are a part of Vitamin T. There are no Vitamin T offices...you work in an Aquent office. This is a positive thing, since Aquent seems more stable and filled with better people. Generally GOOD people. The same can't be said for Vitamin T.

One plus to note is that your base salary will be higher than a lot of staffing firms out there. This is because despite what you are told in the interview process, your bonuses will be next to nothing. You may never have to work late at Vitamin T, but on the times that you do, it literally has no affect on your commission. Commission-wise you'll make more with one direct hire fill at another staffing firm then you will here in 6 months and that is NOT an exaggeration.

Cons – This review is more of a TAKE CAUTION notice. If you are put on a certain "team" (based on location) within Vitamin T, your experience will be a nightmare. Easily the worst managment I've ever seen. You will receive almost zero supervision, support, coaching and even direct contact with this manager. You will be forced to learn on your own and then two months later will be told that everything you've learned on your own, is wrong. The worst part then is that you won't be told or supported in how to fix this, you'll just continue to be told that it's wrong. The turnover rate on this team alone is 50% and climbing. Take great caution...I wouldn't wish my experiences as part of this "team" on anyone.

Vitamin T has gone to great lengths to brand themselves with an "agency" feel and look. But that is exactly what it is...a look. No matter what they say, Vitamin T is a division within a very large corporation (Aquent). And with that come all the normal policies and procedures that go along with working for a large corporation.

The unlimited vacation policy looks great on paper, but is worthless if you're afraid to use it. Overall, hands down the most unprofessional experience I've ever encountered in far too many ways to list here.

Advice to Senior Management – The FTE system doesn't not work. It's great for Aquent employees that have been with the company for ten years and have long standing relationships with clients who always require freelance talent. But for the Vitamin T side it's a joke. In this economic climate, creatives DO NOT want constant freelance work. They want the stability that comes with a full time job. To not offer direct hire is a complete and utter disservice to your creative talent, clients, and employees as a commission bonus. Without direct hire, Vitamin T will continue to be run over by staffing firms that do offer it. Ask yourself as a job seeker, are you using a firm that requires you to go temp to perm or one that has a "direct hire" option?

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend