US Department of Defense Reviews

Pros

Good benifits package. More leave time than most private businesses give. Very high job security.

Cons

Very high job security, thus you may have to deal with more than the normal number of inept coworkers, which we be more apparent in the management layers. Lots of bureaucracy to deal with.

Advice to Senior Management

Significantly reduce middle management layers.

Pros

Great view of technology
enormous budget to play with
benefits outstanding
job security is great, as long as everyone keeps paying taxes....
very flexible with vacation
great people to work with

Cons

hard to move ahead
management awful
not very comparative in salary vs commercial market
decision makers are awful
not good people to work for...
politics of the workplace are awful
hard to get pay increase/promotions
a lot, a ton, an crazy abundance of paperwork, more paperwork than you could ever imagine...

Advice to Senior Management

fire yourselves and hire better managers and decision makers....

Pros

Continuation of career from military service
good benefits
good job security
lots of growth opportunity--both upward and lateral

Cons

Three words...Two year pay freeze. The hardest thing about working for DoD is that, while everyone in the civilian sector is making more money, we in Federal Civil Service are making less. There is a two year pay freeze in effect, while our health insurance and retirement benefits keep going up. I think it is the goal of congres to make Civil Service go from being a great place to work to being one of the worst places to work. Now there is talk of extending the pay freeze to three or even five years. This would be the only possible cause of me seeking work else where.

Advice to Senior Management

If congress wants to save money, that's great. But if they want civil service to be an organization of talented, professional employees, they should consider the consequences of lowering compensation for said employees.

Pros

Serve your country. Be part of something larger then yourself.

Cons

Benefits. Challenge. brotherhood. Pride. Life experience

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to your troops more often

Pros

You have to keep yourself learning.
Steady Work
People change every couple of years

Cons

Not a lot of growth.

Advice to Senior Management

Reward for service in position

Pros

Advancement is good for motivated staff.

Cons

Indecisive Congress makes people as on edge as they are in the private sector

Advice to Senior Management

Invest more in junior personnel

Pros

Great sense of pride in your work supporting your country. The benefits and work atmosphere are desirable. It provides a good base experience for your career.

Cons

Career potential somewhat levels out pretty quickly compared to other opportunities in the private industry. Pay compared to private industry.

Pros

Become involved with cutting edge issues

Cons

Limited advancement potential and dealing with subordinates of limited competence that lack a sense of urgency

Pros

DoD is a great place to gain very diverse experience with steady increases in responsibilities. Opportunity to work with great technology and great people are two of the biggest plusses.

Cons

Long deployments and some danger are a fact of life for most in DoD. Also, bureaucracy can be cumbersome at times. Requirement to relocate frequently is a minus for many.

Advice to Senior Management

Continue to focus on your greatest asset - people.

Pros

Good benefits, respectful field to work in, direct impact to national security, travel the world, job security and unlimited potential!

Cons

You can be called on to deploy with very little notice, often work can be dangerous and work is very political for promotion.