Applied Materials Reviews in Santa Clara, CA

Pros

some of the best reasons to work at Applied Materials is about: Good pay, good team, good location, good weather.

Cons

Some of the downsides of working at Applied Materials: not really helpful to build up your career, the customers are poor.

Pros

- Advanced Technology
- Discipline Engineers
- Professional Work Style
- Challenging Environment but Inspiring

Cons

- Hard to move up if you select the wrong group to work for
- Sometimes not easy to balance family and work
- Too many VPs

Advice to Senior Management

Finance101: Stock price reflects CxO's capability and the relative performance to the competitors in the same industry. Try to learn and get inspired from Steve Jobs, while we still have chance to bring back the glorious old days.

Pros

Number one in semi tool industry. R&D oriented. Cutting-edge technologies. Good pay and OK benifits. Encourage employee grow.

Cons

Rich soil for politics. In many cases HR is only working for management to threaten employees, through "written warning" etc., who have different oppions. Some massive lay-offs for no clear reason. Too many directors/Sr directors.

Advice to Senior Management

Top management should encourage 1st, 2nd line managers to treat worker more humane.

Pros

Highly technical, at cutting edge of tech, brilliant and passionate people, hard working, global travel,

Cons

Cyclical industry, boom and bust, constant stress, too global so 24 hr cycle

Advice to Senior Management

Focus on growing margin $ not margin %

Pros

Lots of opportunity and support to move within the company - learn different types of job functions - gain great experience, management allows you to do your job without micromanaging, lots of creativity, great people - very intelligent and nice to work with. Good benefits package. Fairly well managed company. Fluctuations in semiconductor industry due to anticipated economic conditions can provide much needed rest during downturns company enforced shutdowns.

Cons

Periodic reorganizations can place you under less desirable management chains. Company practices can be unreasonable to supply base, for which it relies on heavily - can put suppliers out business during downturns. Nature of industry (not company's fault) leads to wide fluctuations in anticipation of changes to general worldwide economic conditions - i.e., although creating opportunity during growth cycles, layoffs occur during downturns - this may be uncomfortable for many.

Advice to Senior Management

Consider more shutdown time during downturns to minimize layoff numbers if possible. Employees need the break and they will be more productive in the long run.

Pros

Very high pace of work and technical demands - challenging - you work on the cutting edge and AMAT is actively looking for new business areas to pursue. Some mix of the good qualities of a big company (institutions and internal functions work OK, overall consistency of workforce is OK - few idiots hired, year to year performance is solid) with some of the good qualities of a small company (people are actively looking for new business and feel connected to the bottom line). The AMAT name goes a long way when talking to suppliers and vendors and that makes you more effective.

Cons

Hire and fire culture still exists in 2011-2012, ten years after the bust. Forced shutdowns means vacation time is eaten up. You have job security if you move around in the company and look for opportunities inside. If you stick in the same spot you will eventually get RIF'ed no matter what your competency. Huge turnover rate means you get people coming and going and coming back all the time. Causes AMAT to have a bad rep sometimes when the person who is about to leave just drops the supplier/vendor relationship like a lead balloon.

Advice to Senior Management

I wonder if they do read these reviews - basically this is not a young person's company like Google or Facebook and will never be. AMAT hires a lot of PhDs and this means 80% male engineer workplace. That's not a bad thing, but it means that some of the silicon valley hot shots won't come to work here as a first job like they used to do in the 90's.

Pros

You have very good benefits.

Cons

Too many layers of management

Advice to Senior Management

Do more research and take time before executing to accuisitions. Cut the excess layers of management.

Pros

Resourceful place, if you know how to find and get what you need. Opportunity to experience large projects and complex office politics.

Cons

Specific to the SunFab group, but can also apply to many other groups: . No fair award system. No award for real hard work. No fair performance review system. Too many layers of management. Engineers have responsibility without authority. Management are not liable for their mistakes (no feedback system). Very in-efficient purchasing department. . . .

Pros

global company, good pay, great technology

Cons

There is a very real bias against employees advancing into the senior management roles. It does not matter what you do unless you come from outside the company forget it. I see no career path for myself after over a decade here.

Advice to Senior Management

Preference internal promotion over external hires.

Pros

learned alot about solar and engineering and how a big company works

Cons

old school engineering corporate slow and political

Advice to Senior Management

needs to be more of a meritocracy