Avanade Reviews

Pros

Access to latest Microsoft Software Development Technology, Encouragement to try hands on new technology,Some of the brightest minds in the Microsoft universe, Good to spend not more that 2-3 years if you are a fresh graduate, Easy access to Certifications, Fellow workers share the same passion for technology ( Geek Grade, in a good way), Lots of complex projects to deal with, Annual Company meetings are fun.

Cons

Pay is usually about 20-30% below market standards, Company is young so it's plagued with favoritism at various levels in the hierarchy, Growth potential is limited, Its not a career oriented company so you should be careful as staying here for long may dramatically decrease your market value and damage future career options, Long working hours without due rewards, Poor business acumen.

Pros

Avanade maintains a highly competent workforce driven to achieve great results for our customers and career advancement for our people. One of the few places I’ve worked where you can comfortably reach out to anyone for support.

Cons

The competition overall in the SI industry is brutal and it takes a lot of effort to stay out front. Work- life balance is always a struggle.

Advice to Senior Management

Stay relevant technically, focus on deep understanding of customer's business, foster and support creative and even risky new approaches to solutions

Pros

-Great benefits
-If you like to travel you might like it

Cons

-No work/life balance
-Zero opportunity to grow
-Management got no respect for people on the field

Advice to Senior Management

Go back to 2002/2003 when it was fun to work for Avanade

Pros

Highly intelligent people, very dedicated, and many many type A personalities (which was great for me). Open door policy, and if you're ballsy enough, you can reach up as high as you like into the hierarchy for information, learning and lessons. Great benefits, overall very satisfied.

Cons

The travel can be harrowing at times, but that is something you sign on for at the get-go. But, the benefits of traveling are awesome.

Pros

Benefits of an Accenture class company. Good Health, ok 401K, etc....

Avanade is a great place to hide if you are an incompentent former Accenture employee to apply to.

Opportunities for College hires.

Cons

Top Heavy with management -- last promotion list (December 2011) was 40% for leadership, NON-REVENUE generating positions.... Too many 30 somehing and 40 nothing year old Directors and Sr. Directors that know very little on how to manage people.

Clients/Customers: Mostly 2nd class (and many bottom feeder) clients.Avanade all too often ends up as the slave labor for Accenture gigs. Worse is the tendency by Accenture; they bring on Avanade technical people when the project is already in serious distress. Over 50% of my career at Avanade was spent on projects that were well underway and in serious trouble the first day I arrived. In the last 2 years, way too many of the Avanade clients are companies are either in serious financial condition and/or they are IT shops that have not been upgraded or properly maintained for at least 7 years or more. Nothing more depressing than consulting on trainwrecks, especailly when they are lead by people that have never had a success in the last 5 years.

Selfish management structure.... If you are not one of their chosen few, your career is going to be totally static...December 2011 promotions list included way too many poor technical performers who were in bed with senior managers. Also, Avanade has been acquiring the "hand me down" worthless leaders from Accenture for the past few years. Just go to Linked in and look at the Avanade profile and look at the senior leadership....It looks like the dumping ground for the Accenture rejects.

Employee review process in 2011 was totally dishonest. Too many final employee ratings got changed downward by one full level by corporate after the ratings calls and efforts leveled everyone.

Compensation/Raises for Decemeber 2011 were terrible..... Anyone looking at Avandae should look at the number of senior level people that quit in the month of December 2011. A company that saw a 46% growth in revenue and had a great year year is handing out 2-5% raises for the technical people and equally pathetic STI bonuses. All this means is that the senior leadership is lining their pockets at the expense of the revenue generators. Of the people I know that left, all were getting 15-20% raise just by going to their new companies.

Communications: Worthless and unprofessional.....
1) STI (Bonuses) that were payable 12/7/2011, no one got there letters confirming their STI prior to 12/10/11.....
2) Resignations and people leaving are never communicated to the remaining staff.

Wasteful Fluff and garbage gets sent to you as pretend compensation.
Remember the scene from "Blazing Saddles" where the Governor (Mel Brooks) and Attorney General (Harvey Korman) hand out bunch of Paddle Ball toys in lieu of real pay? Avanade is almost that bad!.... I have a closet half full of garbage that I will never use that has been logo'd with "Avanade" all over it... If they had not spent the money on this garbage and the postage to send it out and just send me a check, I might have stayed. For those of you Avanade fanatics, check eBay in January 2012, I will be posting this crap up for sale (Cups, coolee's, magnets, mouse pads, towels, frisbee, flashlights, pens, mice, travel mug, and a bunch of other stuff ranging from dust collectors to utterly useless.).

Advice to Senior Management

Wake Up! Wait a second..Nevermind... Just stay asleep and let your competition finally wipe you off the face of the earth, by recruiting away all of your talent, and taking away your customers.

Pros

Travel around the world, work on cutting edge technologies, make a name for yourself in the industry.

Cons

Size of company makes it difficult to create a sense of community
Pay is not the best compared to positions elsewhere

Advice to Senior Management

None

Pros

For the duration of employment you get:
- MSDN subscription
- Backpack
- Memory stick
- Head Set
- Laptop

Cons

- Expect to be assigned to an irrelevant project (aka solution developer -> tech support)
- Most projects are staff augmentation for Accenture.
- There are many incompetent managers who are unfamiliar with project logistics.
- They fire employees who fail too many interviews and/or stay on the bench for too long.

Pros

Nice pay that about all the good I have to say

Cons

Bad leadership. No project mentoring at all. I was thrown into a project that was not in my skill set at all. Basically was told to sink or swim.

Advice to Senior Management

Line up talent with projects that suit them.

Pros

- The possibility of getting more experience with Microsoft Technology
- Great job of brainwashing young, naive college graduates

Cons

I really don't even know where to begin. This is hands down the worst company I've ever worked for especially in terms of how employees are treated. The so called "leaders" in the Chicago office have a level of arrogance that is sickening. Also, be prepared to get stuck on a project for 1 year writing vbscript, tests or doing crap work and not getting promoted because you were on a project writing vbscript, tests and doing crap work.

Advice to Senior Management

Come down to earth. You're not the best thing since sliced bread. You're not even the second to the last best thing since slice bread. Learn how to treat people and never underestimate anyone.

Pros

High producing culture with many smart people.
Market muscle of Accenture ans Microsoft.
Constant learning environment for most roles.

Cons

Often more tactical than strategic. Too much busy work.
Leadership pronouncements and investments are not fully aligned.
Lacks significant, inspiring purpose.