National Oilwell Varco Reviews

Pros

It is not your everyday 8-5 job. Well worth it if you wanna learn alot.

Cons

Tough work, travels aLOT, therefore trade your time with $$.

Advice to Senior Management

so far so good!

Pros

The environment, employees, management - all were great. The learning opportunities were ample. Team cooperation is common. The staff were friendly and helpful.

Cons

I didn't enjoy the fact that my department wasn't challenging enough; I could've been assigned more tasks and projects that would've fulfilled my desire to work on more difficult projects.

Pros

flexiable schedule, company truck, expenses, great boss

Cons

pay
communication between collegees
inventory problems
advancment to greater position

Pros

Lots of opportunities for growth and networking. Large informal organization, allows for extensive opportunities. Overall a good place to work.

Cons

Due to the large size of the organization it is possible to get lost. Depending on the division you work for, it can be very hard to work your way up.

Advice to Senior Management

Management has a difficult task of continuing the fast paced growth of the company. Being aware of what customers needs are is key to success.

Pros

Great, comfortable work environment. Bosses don't push very hard for productivity which lets emplyees run the show. This made it enjoyable in some aspects, but as you move up, frustrating when a simple task takes 4 hours. Co-workers were a great bunch, but work ethic was sometimes lacking. Management made sure we all had branded clothes which was a nice bonus. You are continuously told there is tons of room for advancement, but you just have to be patient and wait for positions to open up; after 5-10 years you may move up. Like others have mentioned, low salaries but plenty of personal time and job security.

Cons

Could not get a raise sooner than one year, and even after that year it took too long. Management never "trimmed the fat" and cut employees who weren't pulling their weight. Never had performance reviews. Management promoted from within even though candidate was very underqualified and immature. In a few years, after some growing, he may be a good fit, but he was just a little too young for such responsibility. Extra pay for those on salary when they put in overtime would have been nice.

Advice to Senior Management

Sit down with each employee and tell them where they are failing and what they need to improve as well as encourage them in areas they excel. Company lunches were always a great time to get together with the whole facility and relax. I think implementing lunch at least once a month would be good for the facility.

Pros

NOV has a lot of very independent departments. The department I work is really good at recognizing, developing, and rewarding engineering talent. We produce some of the best equipment in the world and everyone in the industry recognizes the name and usually says 'oh, that's a really good company' when I tell them where I work.

Work life balance is OK

The work is very interesting.

In 2009 when everybody was in a downturn NOV had the money to develop new products so when in 2010 the market picked back up we were in a great position.

There is always money to develop very cool expensive products.

Benefits are great.

For salaried employees bonus plan is great, although overtime pay would be better.

Cons

NOV has a lot of very independent departments. I can be hard to know what is going on in the rest of the company if you don't try to meet others.

There are some politics that have to be played but it is not nearly as bad as some large companies.

Advice to Senior Management

I would focus on integrating the company better. Allow for more movement within the company.

Also hire engineers that want to be engineers. Engineers that want to be in sales are great but we also need more engineers that want to stay in engineering.

Pros

Good benefits, plenty of time off (only if you're an office worker), you don't have to worry much about job security.

Cons

Pay is lousy compared to other companies, management is lax, you aren't recognized or rewarded for your efforts so it's hard to stay motivated, and communication from superiors is horrible. The "next generation" managers in training are so underprepared and unknowledgeable that's it's not even funny, and they come in late/leave early/take extended vacations every chance they get, while leaving the old tired employees to do more work than ever. The plant workers rarely get any time off, even around the holidays, and the people who really deserve vacation never get it.

Advice to Senior Management

We need more structure and better leadership. All employees, not just office employees, should have the same freedom to be able to take some time off and be with their families. Yes, our products are in high demand, but it's not like you can't afford to hire more people to create shorter shifts--12 hour shifts working 6/7 days per week is ridiculous. It feels like upper management couldn't care less about this as long as their pockets are full.

Pros

Very laid back atmosphere. Management is willing to work with you regarding personal issues...but that's the best I can say about my experience. My manager had recently been promoted to his position; he lacked competency and gave absolutely no direction for me on my assignments (btw I was an intern)

Cons

Older guys within the organization have been there FOR-E-VER. They are also more likely to hire from outside than promote from within. This will make it very hard for anyone looking for career advancement opportunities.

Advice to Senior Management

Value your employees!

Pros

good management; flexible hours; job security; employee friendly; training or skills upgrade; informal & good work atmosphere; profitable with good growth prospects

Cons

Some of the things that will make it even better include competitive salaries, better organizational structure (below executive level) rather than a flat one

Advice to Senior Management

Some of the things that will make it even better include competitive salaries, better organizational structure (below executive level) rather than a flat one

Pros

The people. You are treated like a person and not just a cog to get work done. They want you to have a life outside of teh office.

Cons

Compensation... we are not one of the best paying companies out there however, if quality of life is important to you then NOV is the place to be.