Cerner Reviews

Pros

Pay is decent out of college, a little low.
Easy to get a job. Really easy interview questions like "tell me about a time you had trouble making a decision"

Cons

It is pretty much Office Space: The Reality TV Show. Most people work at least 50 hours a week. Even more if you expect to move up in management. We're talking 70, 80 hour weeks for months on end. Weekends become required. Lives become non-existent. Most of the employees hate their jobs and hate the company. It makes for an extremely depressing atmosphere. You're very replaceable. Turnover is really high. Most of the employees view Cerner as a "temporary" job until they can find something better.

They're desperate for good employees right now. The bad reviews have made hiring good people very difficult. As far as I can tell nothing is being done to address this. At this point I'm pretty sure they're complacent with getting mediocre talent because it's cheaper that way.

However, if you're just looking for a job, they have extremely easy interviews. If you have a 3.0 or higher, a bachelor's degree in anything and can answer hard hitting questions like "Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a coworker", then you're almost guaranteed a job.

Take it as a last resort.

Advice to Senior Management

No advice, they know exactly what they're doing. Squeeze every last drop out of easily replaceable mediocre employees and drop them for new grads when it's all done.

Pros

Cerner's campus is absolutely gorgeous and when your early in your career like myself you feel like you finally got a "big boy" job. First off I don't have a degree but I am close to finishing and have roughly 3 years of experience which they do not pay for. I started out about 8k less then my previous job but took it thinking it would be a professional company with a lot of room to grow. When I got out of orientation which is amazing you feel great about your job but once I got in my department reality sunk in, the managers are crap I mean absolutely terrible people they all were probably assistant managers at mcdonalds or something because not only are they bad at their job but they are rude as hell. Because they refused hire more people on my team everyone was working 55 hours a week and when your only making 30K a year salary your pulling in just over minimum wage. If you have no experience and no other options then work here get the title on your resume and get out like I did this place is awful and I was so happy to leave.

Cons

Poorly trained managers, super long work weeks, if your not in IT you are basically trash.

Advice to Senior Management

Pay people for experience and hire managers that actually know how to manage and motivate people not just slobs that have been at the company a few years.

Pros

Good pay and internal opportunities.

Cons

Don't understand that people have a life outside of Cerner. Only care about bottom line and not retaining their people. They treat everyone like robots and make them work harder and harder for no rewards. Every time I tell people I work for Cerner they all go, 'Oh wow, real slave drivers right?' I am grateful to have a job, but this job definitely wears me out emotionally. They require you to work at least 48 hours a week without extra pay.

Advice to Senior Management

Stop overworking your people. Understand we have friends and families (as do you).

Pros

Noble effort to help people through health care applications
Many colleagues who are cordial and skilled

Cons

Health care plan is terrible
Middle management doesn't seem to be well-trained in managing people
Upper management doesn't appear to care about high turnover
Mysterious unwritten rule to work nearly 50 hours or more each week

Advice to Senior Management

Train middle management and begin to care about high turnover, which is hurting the company

Pros

Onboarding for new employees is very comprehensive and informative

Cons

Work a lot of hours

Pros

stable employment
young, energetic workforce
depending on job role, ability to work remote

Cons

they will work you until you burn out
lower compensation compared to other companies
you are easily replaceable

Advice to Senior Management

For what it is, Cerner is a pro at what they do. They know that there are tons of collecge graduates looking for work and Cerner will work you until you fall over and then they will replace you without any second thoughts.

Pros

Gain Skills, Have a job, Meet lots of young people, Foot into IT industry, Extensive Training Program

Cons

Expected and necessary to work 50 -70 hour weeks, underappreciated, incompetence of management, Benefits are terrible and way too expensive (the gym and clinic are bull and don't mean crap for someone who actually was born with medical conditions), Job facts were grossly misrepresented and when questioned anything got smacked down hard by HR (Pay and Travel considerations), Good people work here but because everyone is getting screwed so badly most of them are not happy, If you are married or have a family then run from this place as fast as possible because they will all forget who you are after you start your tenure at Cerner ****My advice is to only work here if you have no other options. If you did start then put in your year in to learn about how to work in a corporate setting and get a year of experience in IT Consulting (lots of opportunities elsewhere). Now you can finally leave this nightmare. Go get a job that will pay and appreciate your commitment.****

Advice to Senior Management

Stop taking advantage of new college graduates, pay people for what the job requires because 70 hour work weeks for 42k is crazy, respect people and the fact that they may want to have a life out of the Cerner cult world, be plain and straightforward to employees rather than secretive and misleading about pay and what each position will require.

Pros

Health Care Benefits, Clinic, Free Gym

Cons

HR does not care about how management treats employees. Management can basically speak to you any type of way with no reprocussions. If you ask a question about something that you don't know often times you will here "go find out". There is no real training. Managers are allowed to provide feedback for employees, but employees are not allowed to give annual review feed back on management.

Advice to Senior Management

Really listen to complaints, don't just throw it under the rug. Allow employees to review managers during semi annual and annual review.

Pros

Benefits are very good. Right out of college they pay very well. Good place to learn to work in a team environment.

Cons

Playing the political game is the only way to get anywhere in the company. Managers play favorites. Raises are very low even though the company revenue keeps going up and up.

Advice to Senior Management

If you are a manager learn what it is that you manage so that you can better evaluate the people on your team.

Pros

Amazing Health Benefits
Average Pay
Amazing atmosphere

Cons

Not a big name company

Advice to Senior Management

Continue the Great work