Intel Corporation Reviews

Pros

high tech environment...get an opportunity to work with some of the brightest folks in the indudtry..truly world class

Cons

High Pressure environment...tough deadlines and lack of empathy...managing professional life and personal life is a challenge and one has to constantly deliver

Advice to Senior Management

keep an eye out for talent that may burn out prematurely due to excessive and demanding environment...also pay can be better

Pros

Employees are quite well compensated. The company has strong emphasis on ethics. Interactions within the company are very professional in general. The company has deep knowledge on technology, in knowledge archives and within its many talented employees. Intel is a very solid company that can weather the storm.

Cons

Decision making is very slow in general, with many levels in the management hierarchy. Quite often, without enough content expertise, the senior management at different levels requires significant amount of education and time to get up to speed to make a decision, which contributes to late "time to market" and unsuccessful penetration in new market segment. Besides the slow decision making process, Intel's hidden culture in its organizations to build a bigger empire and expand ownership and charter continues to hinder collaboration and efficient movement of resources to address opportunities and issues of the company. Quite often, an employee sees that he/she can do more, but it is limited by the system.

Advice to Senior Management

Though we see some improvement recently, Intel top management has to select leaders for business/function groups with content expertise as wells as exceptional leadership/management skills (to really help decision making and time to market). To deliver a product, many organizations are involved and their priorities have to negotiated and adjusted; much time is lost in communication and to get everyone on the same page. Intel should look at changing some of its organization structures to optimize for faster execution (in the area where TTM is really key). Intel top management should think about modifying its reward system to recognize collaborations, and efficient/quick execution with smaller team, rather than continue to praise big organizational effort. Besides the continued advances in silicon process techology, Intel appears to be slow in other areas of innovations. Intel should encourage its employees to spend 10-20% of their time to spend on projects outside their regular job functions.

Pros

Benefits and work life balance
free soda

Cons

I seen some people who do nothing get promoted. My direct manager does not have any idea what I do and questions work he doesn't understand. Don't expect to leave the fab once you are in there. Managers promise everything and deliver nothing. Some process engineers in my area don't have a clue on what they are doing. They usually give us the wrong information, we find the right way and do it, and the engineer gets credit for our work. When I asked how I can I get promoted was told by manager once you find that out let me know so I can do it. CYA is my main job function. I was told several times just be happy you have a job. Working on the fab floor is just that a job not a career. A career you have pathway a job is something you just do.

Advice to Senior Management

Get a clue, your employees are unhappy.

Pros

Great Benefits, Challenging work, Aggressive, Open culture, Senior Management open to change and learning from mistakes, risk taking attitude, fast paced.

Cons

Very aggressive co-workers, your performance is reviewed against co-workers, middle management is hit or miss (some are horrible and some are great), aggressive schedules, hard for engineers to move in other job functions without going back to school. Manangers try to hold onto people and are more worried about getting their tasks done than about careers of people reporting to them.

Advice to Senior Management

Make it easier for people to move between job functions. Create customer delight. Open up a completly new market where its easy to vertically integrate without offending current cutomers (smart phones would have been ideal opportunity a few years back)

Pros

innovative, efficient, lots of responsibility, tecnically intrguing, how a monopoly works...

Cons

Tough performance reviews, and penaltiies for non-performance

Advice to Senior Management

Everyine needs a one on one with manager. No exceptions.

Pros

If you are a chip or hardware designer - I would recommend no where else.
Safe environment
Employees treated well
Good hotels when travelling

Cons

All other functions like IT etc, you will reach a plateau eventually
Individual contributers not considered highly
You need to be a people maanger to go higher

Advice to Senior Management

Keep up the balanced approach. Do more for non core jobs

Pros

Flexible work schedule.
Good travel.
Descent pay.

Cons

Focal - employee reviews. This is a breakdown of teamwork. Co-workers are ranked and rated against each other creating backstabbing environment.

Advice to Senior Management

Treat all employees with respect.

Pros

Lot's of resources and strong balance sheet to pursue multiple opportunities. Possible to keep busy with different jobs, although at the expense of no career growth (double edge sword). In general top technical people are easily approachable.

Cons

Sr. execs very slow in hearing employees. Lots of talk to develop employees with no follow through. Demands top notch work with average compensation and no career growth opportunities. Slow to respond to market/consumer expectations. Too many re-orgs in hope of developing new products/initiatives.

Advice to Senior Management

Overhaul middle management rank (many extremely demotivate employees), remove politics from promotions. Internal movement should be lot more easier and at par with hiring externally, ie. no manager notification, asking reviews etc.

Pros

Good place for non exampt workers.

Cons

Process engineer often take lots of abuse from yield engineers. Process engineers are often called tool owner at Intel. Work-life balance is poor especially at Hillsboro site.

Advice to Senior Management

Strive to be the great place to work.

Pros

Working at Intel is what you make of it. You have the opportunity to advance in your career and grow. I have held 4 different positions at Intel ranging from entry level technician to Network Engineer in the last 12 years. I have worked in AV, Lan support, VOIP, network Security, Wireless and other technologies. It has been great!

Cons

As I said before, Intel is what you make of it. Some people work tons of hours and kill themselves. This is not necessary at Intel, but you have to learn to push back and manage your workload.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep up the good work focusing on our customers and taking care of employees.