American Institutes for Research Reviews

Former Employee – worked at American Institutes for Research full-time for more than a year

Pros – Salary is always a plus.

Cons – Didn't feel like an important part of any kind of team.

Advice to Senior Management – Communicate more.

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

Current Employee – been working at American Institutes for Research full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – flexible working time,
working from home,
intelligent colleagues

Cons – lack of objective criteria for performance review. way to get promoted is unclear.

Former Employee – worked at American Institutes for Research as a contractor

Pros – Lots of different projects going on in the company. It's in a great location in Washington, DC - right in Georgetown.

Cons – Since everyone is busy, you have to really find things to do. You're job is not parsed for you and you will look like a tool if you aren't doing any work. Sometimes, the work is not engaging.

Current Employee – been working at American Institutes for Research full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Flex hours -- but totally off-set during proposal season
Casual dress -- but what does it matter, most folk look like re-treads
Location -- but you won't get out much

Cons – No career path
Weak managerial talent
Re-hashed credentials
No investment in talent, in capital equipment, in technology
Mostly serve as a pass-thru for outside specialists
Lackluster assignments
No opportunity to stretch

Advice to Senior Management – Stop being so short-sighted
Invest in your company's future
Look around -- be realistic in assessing your competition
Stop going after every RFP that comes down the pike -- be strategic and you won't be so hungry
See you employees as capital getting in the elevator at the end of the day
Treat employees with respect -- don't tolerated indiscriminate managerial treatment and favoritism

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

Former Employee – worked at American Institutes for Research

Pros – good benefits, social place to work, free bagels on Wednesday, great coffee, great events

Cons – Terrible management, overworked and underpaid

Advice to Senior Management – don't suck so much

Former Employee – worked at American Institutes for Research as an intern for less than a year

Pros – Management made an effort to welcome the interns. The location on K Street makes commuting easier since it's close to a few Metro stops. I was given a lot of autonomy on my assignment working with a client.

Cons – There seemed to be a culture of gossip among the workers, upper management is not well-respected among junior-level workers.

Former Employee – worked at American Institutes for Research full-time for more than a year

Pros – Flexible work hours, casual dress

Cons – Terrible communication, constantly changing priorities, lack of mentoring and follow up

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at American Institutes for Research full-time

Pros – * Challenging work
* Intelligent colleagues
* Great benefits
* Good pay

Cons – * Tolerant of poor behavior of senior management
* Favoritism - It's all about "who you know"
* Slow decision making that changes on a dime
* Don't use people to their best potential

Advice to Senior Management – AIR is a Human Capital organization. Pat people on the back from time to time rather than only pointing out flaws.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at American Institutes for Research full-time

Pros – its a very very very nice environment

Cons – small salaries for research assosiates leads to a big turnaround

Advice to Senior Management – Pay more to researchers!!!

Current Employee – been working at American Institutes for Research full-time for more than a year

Pros – I really love working here. Coworkers are pretty friendly towards each other. They are the type of people you also want to hang out with outside the workplace.

Projects are also very interesting. The projects allow for personal growth and development. The staff manager that you usually are paired up with is one who pretty much lines up with what you'd like to tailor your career path.

Depending on who your project director is, it is also nice to be able to purchase books for your own personal development (as long as the book is relevant to your project).

The company has pretty good benefits (health, dental, and vision). The premium you pay is pretty low compared to other companies. They have an annual gala where everyone dress up. They also give out tickets for a Nationals game each year.

Cons – Research assistants and research associates are not paid very well compared to others in the industry (even when compared to other non-profits). Promotions are not just based on merit- it also depends on how long you've put in your time and it also depends on your credentials.

It's also very hard to climb the ladder because there are only a few levels to climb. A few people have been stuck as a research associate or researcher without being promoted for a long time.

Advice to Senior Management – Pay your research assistants and research associates better so that they won't be tempted to leave.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend