Random House Reviews

Pros

The perks are good, excellent health care, life insurance, a month of sabbatical if you're there for 10 years, and tons of vacation time. Plus some of the best books published today. And the clout of working at the world's largest trade publisher.

Cons

At least in my department, the upper management seems too concerned with themselves to really worry about the careers of the people below them. Higher-ups get into their positions and don't leave, leaving little potential for anyone below them. Some divisions have major ego and find it taxing to do things that are asked of them.

Advice to Senior Management

It would be great if they would recognize the hard work of the "little people."

Pros

Random House has a lot of great things going for it: Terrific, brilliant colleagues. Amazing vacation and summer hours. A smart, fun work atmosphere. Terrific benefits and free books!

Cons

It can be difficult to get raises and promotions and company loyalty is not rewarded often. It seems the best way to get an advancement or pay increase is to leave the company and return, rather than stay and hope for a reward. This can be very frustrating.

Pros

Time Off is amazing. Start with 4 weeks vacations + week between Christmas and New Year's off. Benefits package is really stellar.

Cons

No room to grow. Management is fairly older in certain corporate areas.

Advice to Senior Management

Must have better career development opportunities.

Pros

Generous vacation time and sabbatical program are unmatched in the industry. Stellar list of authors. Nice people, overall friendly atmosphere.

Cons

There can be a lot of turnover in entry-level positions, but that is probably true everywhere these days. Hard to advance in first few years as roles are consolidated.

Pros

One of the best publishers, perfectly poised to take advantage of digital transition while still growing traditional print business. Great list of authors!

Cons

The print business as a whole across all publishers is changing very fast and how that shapes publishing companies in terms of work force is still to be determined.

Pros

Interning at Random House gave me the opportunity to network and (hopefully) get my foot in the door. I mostly read and evaluated manuscripts.

Cons

Unpaid. I often felt like my work wasn't very highly valued, and not a lot of thought was given to helping me learn about the industry and company.

Advice to Senior Management

Start a legitimate internship program that actually trains (and pays) your next generation of employees. The current system is exploitative and privileges the privileged.

Pros

-great benefits package
-morale building events and seminars
-free books at appointed times during the year
-unbelievable office amenities and offers

Cons

-very cliquey
-minimal advisement or direction from management
-difficult to advance within company unless there has been a recent vacancy

Advice to Senior Management

-keep the lines of communication clear and open with your employees. if you don't verbalize how you think their performance and work ethics are you can't expect your expectations to be met.

Pros

Excellent people, great products, and challenging, interesting business problems to be addressed. Company is changing a lot but will likey continue to be successful in the future.

Cons

The book business is a tough place to be today. Customers - physical bookstores in particular - are struggling to manage through the digital transition. The company has good leadership who will figure out how to get through the transition.

Pros

* Very good about life/work
* Terrific benefits package - 401(k), paid vacation, medical, dental, etc.
* People enthusiastic about books

Cons

Such nice perks, no one departs on their own, so growth is stagnant. . . and sometimes new technology and new ideas are super slow to catch on. Not sure if that's caused by no new blood(?).

Advice to Senior Management

Embrace the future and you will remain relevant and profitable.

Pros

Random House has excellent benefits, competitive salaries, and employees who care. It's all around a great and intellectually stimulating place to work.

Cons

Corporate should be a little more clear and specific about company goals and performance. This transparency would better insure that everyone is on the same page.

Advice to Senior Management

Corporate should be a little more clear and specific about company goals and performance. This transparency would better insure that everyone is on the same page.