Advent Software Reviews

Pros

Advent is a very employee friendly place to work. HR has done a good job creating a compelling benefits package and employee friendly policies.

Cons

Many of the people have been with Advent for 5, 10 and even 15 years. Many of the senior manager, especially very senior folks, have worked together for a really long time. Some have worked together at other jobs. If you're wondering if you'll ever become part of the pack, well...I guess I'll find out.

Advice to Senior Management

People are nice. Sometimes, a bit too nice. The company could do with less process and more result oriented focus. It would be great to look at some hard facts and be more critical of each others performance. Would be less nice, but maybe more efficient and certainly more honest w/ the hard facts.

Pros

Great culture and people. Balanced work-life environment where you will make a lot of great friends for a lifetime. A great place to start a career.

Cons

Salaries are not the greatest. Various levels of middle management.

Advice to Senior Management

Encourage and sponsor innovation.

Pros

There is a group of very intelligent people and it has a nice company culture where people try to help you suceed.

Cons

The industry is in a difficult position at the moment and you have to deal with demanding clients at times.

Pros

Great people, world class software

Cons

No senior managers or developers outside of San Francisco

Pros

Advent is a place where you can grow. If you perform well you can move up the ladder quite quickly.

Cons

Advent doesn't listen to its sales staff regarding product improvements and functionality - we are on the front lines but development seems to do more or less what they want.

Advice to Senior Management

In order to keep employees, they need to be given compensation increases which reward their longevity and value.

Pros

Advent Software's culture is great and the people you work with are industry experts. The company feels like a start-up even though it's been around for over 25 years.

Cons

The demands of management are cut throat. In the department I work in, you either sink or swim, which makes it difficult and hostile.

Advice to Senior Management

I think HR needs to identify the common threads for all the turnover within a department. Perhaps it's not the employees, but it could be management.

Pros

Advent truly cares about its employees. The 2008 recession is a great example of this. Other companies had layoffs and salary cuts, Advent made minimal benefit cuts (fewer types of free milk in the kitchens, but the important stuff like salary, vacation, 401k matching, etc was intact). Merit increases were suspended for a year (and subsequently paid).

Poor managers are not tolerated. When a poor manager is detected, senior managers actively coach the poor manager. If coaching fails, the manager is let go.

The company continuously strives for improvement.

Cons

Their is a fairly clueless middle management layer that is entrusted with too much decision making power. Duplication of product lines is hampering growth and flexibility in the product suite.

Advice to Senior Management

The company needs stronger direction. We are currently on track to be the old company that gets unseated by an upstart or a competitor with a smarter solution. We can't buyout our competitors forever.

Pros

The company strives to provide work and life balance. Company culture is one of the reasons why employees stay at Advent. Top management is great, especially the CEO (founder) and President.

Cons

There's no clear merit increase process nor is there a bonus structure. An employee may constantly yield very positive performance reviews year after year, be considered a top performer in the department but will not be rewarded with an optimal increase since it is on the discretion of the direct manager, who ultimately drives (recommends) the merit increase amount.

Advice to Senior Management

Have a clear and definitive structure on how an employee gets a merit increase and bonus structure company wide. With nothing in place as it is now, you are at the mercy of your manager.

Pros

Employees care, want to put out good products, comfortable and somewhat casual environment with decent job security. Good and wide ranging benefits programs.

Cons

Tenure is seen as a reason to keep people on, not every employee who has been there for 10+ years should still be kept on, but they are. Hiring seems to be done mostly for fit with the team, not necessarily for ability or intelligence.

Advice to Senior Management

Really think about some of the pemployees that have been around for a long time and if they still belong in the organization. Advent has a lot of potential and recruits some great people, but the employees who are sticking it out not because they really want to be there but because it's a comfortable and safe place to work make it even more challenging for newer people who might want to make changes but get shot down or demoralized by the stalwarts.

Pros

The people are amazing and they take really good care of their employees. The products are unbelievable and their clients love them.

Cons

Firm is run entirely by sales force. sales drives the whole business and not product developement, doesnt seem to be an issue.

Advice to Senior Management

Firm is run entirely by sales force. sales drives the whole business and not product developement, doesnt seem to be an issue.