Excell Data Reviews

Pros

Open work environment
Motivating Leadership
Approachable leadership
Good Benefits
Good Incentives

Cons

Team politics
Limited potential for career growth

Advice to Senior Management

Open more positions for career advancement
Minimise team politics by encouraging fair practices

Pros

For the most part, the Resource Managers (at least in my experiences) generally leave you alone and don't interfere with your work during the contract.

Cons

After your contract is up, good luck in getting anyone at Excell Data to take any interest in your search for a new contract. This may be due to the sluggish economy right now, but it's hard to know. I want to stay at Microsoft in some capacity, as I've worked there on and off as both a Full-Time Employee (blue badge) and a contractor for more than ten years.

Right now, I am WAY beyond my 100-day break, and I'm desperately looking for a new contract. On several recent occasions, I've had unanswered responses to multiple email inquiries regarding my resume being sent to MS managers. I'm at the point where I'm thinking of using a different company to obtain contract employment at Microsoft.

Advice to Senior Management

Please tell the recruiters to be more proactive in trying to match prospective employees with suitable employment. Excell takes a sizable percentage of one's hourly rate before they get their wages, so I would expect Excell to work a little harder for their money than they're presently doing.

Pros

Probably the most comprehensive source of MS contract positions. Presumably competitive salary and benefits, although I wasn't employed long enough to take advantage of the latter.

Cons

Atrocious manager feedback, containing absolutely no actionable information. My Excell manager would simply regurgitate things she had been told by my lead, but with no understanding of the original context (or of what her notes even meant), she was completely at a loss to tell me how I could improve things. As a result, our monthly "check-ins" were a waste of time for both of us.

By far the worst aspect of my time with Excell, though, was the fact that they ended my contract per the original schedule AFTER promising me (in emails which I still possess) that it would be extended a month from the original ending date. I came in on Monday to discover that my cardkey no longer worked, my email address no longer existed, and, indeed, I had been completely purged from Active Directory and all other internal Microsoft systems. I called my Excell manager, who professed surprise, said she would look into it, and finally called back at the end of the day to inform me that "there had been a mistake" and my contract had expired per the original schedule. There was absolutely no attempt at any apology or explanation, or indeed any acknowledgment of responsibility whatsoever. I am furious about that, but it is still a relatively minor inconvenience for me - a few weeks of job hunting with no salary in the meantime. For my Indian officemate (who received the same false promise of a month's extension), it is much more serious - unless he finds a job immediately, his legal resident status is in jeopardy. Excell deserves to be sued for this level of malfeasance. I would urge anyone to avoid Excell as long as this kind of incompetent (or dishonest - I'm still not sure which) behavior continues.

Advice to Senior Management

Please hire managers who have a modicum of understanding of the MS product development process and who do not make false promises and then refuse to take responsibility for the results of their incompetence.

Pros

They seem to have good connections with Microsoft and a a few other companies so they can be helpful in getting a contract.

Cons

Most of the downsides are due to the natures of most contracts. There are problems that just come with the type of job. For example constantly changing jobs and forced time off. For some people this ok but not everyone likes this kind of work.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep in touch with employees.

Pros

Open clear communication during review process, monthly checkups to see how contract is going/needs/wants. Good support from this contracting agency

Cons

Very limiting not complete clause with hiring contract - 6 month limitation. This can be negotiated out just be aware.

Advice to Senior Management

Management of contractors seems to be fine

Pros

Low barrier to entry. Extrordinarily low expectations.

Cons

Everything else. Low motivation, no respect, no advancement support. Wage slavery.

Advice to Senior Management

Treat employees like people, not products. Provide career advancement support. Act as advocates for your employees (contractors) first instead of for your clients (Microsoft) first.

Pros

they give you the best pay rates compared to other recruiters and they are among those with the most positions

Cons

their recruiters are not very proactive, they hardly go after you after you completed an assignment (100 day break) at MS

Advice to Senior Management

tell your recruiters to work harder
the non compete agreement is ridiculous
if you want your contractors to agree to a non compete, you should make them feel like they're part of your company. HCL would give their contractors 1 month sitting on bench if they cannot find a project to work on.

Pros

Quick to find a placement during in times of good economy.

Cons

Zero to no communication/feedback from the resource manager. No performance review which is a hindrance in future job hunts. Excell changes the rates and contract at their will but we are not allowed to make any modifications to the contract. Has a 180 days non-compete clause which puts you out for jobs for 6 months if Excell cannot find a placement for you. Very low pay rate compared to other contract agencies - they take a huge chunk of your pay. No empathy for employees and made me feel like I am entirely disposable. There is absolutely no communication after you sign on the dotted line. If you have any questions about your benefits or work-related issues, you get a cursory email that does not even answer your questions. I strongly advise people against working for this company.

Advice to Senior Management

Treat your agency temps fairly and with empathy. We are the ones doing the job while you get a chunk of our pay.

Pros

Decent benefits for the IT contractor industry. Benefits include 80/20 health plan, but requiring premiums. Small training and/or book budget. Dental plans and prepaid legal plans. Weekly gatherings and team building among employees.

Cons

Only seem to have one large unnamed redmond software giant as a client. Misled me about the duration and some details of the contract.

Advice to Senior Management

The sensitivity training was a complete waste of time. The video was out of date and absolutely ridiculous. Also, pre-sales should not mislead potential candidates about duration of work and or possiblity of converting full time. My experience is shared with others that Excel has a tendency to say that the contract is one year when it is not stated in the details of the contract and you later find out it was only six months.

Pros

I felt like a valued asset while I was employed there, and the benefits were fantastic. Many agencies offer skimpy or no benefits.

Cons

Once your contract is complete, you have no assurance of receiving further work, and thus no means of getting promoted. Feedback on your job performance flows to you from the client via your resource manager. If the client does not provide feedback as requested by the resource manager, you have no recourse. This is the only job I have ever had that did not provide me with a performance review. I find that frustrating, because I want to improve but nobody is giving me a clue about where to start.

Advice to Senior Management

This question does not really apply to me--As a contractor, I was not exposed to managers other than my own resource manager. I do not know who the leading players are or what the company's plans or strategies were.