Glassdoor, a jobs and career community, turns to the recent company reviews shared by Wal-Mart employees to dig into the pros, cons and everything in between. Overall, the Arkansas-headquartered  company garners a 2.9 (OK) company rating, based on more than 1,600 employee reviews and CEO Michael Duke receives a 46% approval rating (54% disapproval rating).

When diving deeper into Wal-Mart company reviews, it’s interesting to note that employees are most satisfied with workplace factors including career opportunities, compensation & benefits and work-life balance- all receiving a 3.0 (OK) rating.

Here’s what Wal-Mart employees have to say about what’s working well, as well as what needs to be improved:

Pros:

“Wal-Mart is a good company to work for they like to promote from within, they also listen to associates ideas.” – Wal-Mart Employee (DuBois, PA)

“Can advance in career quickly if a person has a degree. Benefits are OK, considering the discount for the associates.” – Wal-Mart Employee (Murray, KY)

“When you get off work, if there is anything you need, more than likely you can get it at the store after you clock out.” – Wal-Mart Employee (Marietta, OH)

”The associates really are your Wal-Mart family, I have so many Wal-Mart sisters and brothers, and children over the years that I still stay in touch with.” – Wal-Mart Employee (location n/a)

Cons:

“You must be physically busy doing something every minute you’re on the clock. Socializing with coworkers is not allowed unless you’re on lunch or break. Costly but crappy medical benefits.“ – Wal-Mart Guest Service Team Member – Cashier (location n/a)

“Long hours and never catching up. High volume leads to fast turnover of goods causing extra work that would otherwise not be needed.” – Wal-Mart Assistant Manager (location n/a)

“Will have to work weekends and nights starting off with fairly low pay and no store discount for 90 days.”- Wal-Mart Sales Associate (Huntsville, TX)

“Respect for one another is not a common practice, retaliation is happening, favoritism is alive and well…doesn’t seem like you can trust management in the store.”- Wal-Mart Manager (Fort Worth, TX)

Do you work at Wal-Mart or another store in the retail industry? Share a company review.

Want to learn more about Wal-Mart?

• Wal-Mart Jobs
• Wal-Mart Company Reviews
• Wal-Mart Salaries
• Wal-Mart Interviews Questions & Reviews

Wal-Mart Behind The Scenes: An Employee Perspective is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

Related posts:

1. Black Friday may be extra hard on Wal-Mart employees…
2. Goldman Sachs: An Insider Perspective
3. A Bite Out Of The Big Apple: Employee Dishes On Life Within The Tech Giant

Here we offer a look inside the world of Enterprise Rent-A-Car and share one employee’s perspective of what it’s like on the other side of the steering wheel. This Enterprise Rent-A-Car employee review is featured as Glassdoor’s review of the month as it presents a balanced look at what’s working well and what may need improvement.

The review comes from an Assistant Manager based in San Diego, CA who kicks off their review with a few words of advice: “Only the most competitive survive here.”

Here’s a deeper look into the Pros and Cons of working at Enterprise:

Pros:

• They hire social, outgoing, competitive individuals making it a fun place to work
• Good training for the corporate world if you are new to the arena
• Some people move up quickly though the system and are successful in a short period of time

Cons:

• Mandatory long hours – minimum 55+ hours/week
• Taking days off impacts entire areas due to stark, understaffed branches
• Although the company claims to be built on honesty and integrity, competition is intense, driving some employees to do unethical things to get an advantage/get promoted. Upper management don’t approve, but choose to look the other way because it makes them more money.

So when this reviewer was asked what advice would you give to senior management to make the work environment better, they said:

“Try harder to keep current employees happier. If employees complain, don’t just pretend to listen, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. And if you don’t do something about it, don’t act surprised when they quit.”

Interested in reading more? Click here to find more Enterprise Rent-A-Car company reviews or other reviews from the car and truck rental industry. And if you happen to work or are interviewing within this industry share your experience.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car: What It’s Like To Work For The Green Car Rental Machine is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

Related posts:

1. HR Pros Sound Off On Job Satisfaction, Work-Life Balance Edges Up
2. Is Target A Good Place To Work?
3. Is University Of Phoenix A Good Place To Work?

In our featured Review of the Month, one Target employee dishes on what’s working and what’s not, giving the company a 2.0 rating (dissatisfied), which is notably lower than the total average of all employees who have rated the company on Glassdoor.

Here are some highlights from the Review of the Month you may find interesting:

Pros

• Usually good people working with you, possibly as a result of the personality tests people are subjected to pre-employment
• Full Medical/Vision/Dental available at a relatively inexpensive cost to the employee
• Opportunities to transfer to stores nationwide

Cons

• Low pay, although I suppose that’s the standard for the retail industry… It certainly won’t even pay your most basic bills during the “down time” seasons and you’ll need a second job at a minimum
• Very few promotional opportunities currently, as they eliminate leadership positions when they are vacated, or hire from outside often
• Leadership at the Albuquerque store (although not at my San Diego store… much better there) was somewhat condescending and the work there was much more menial… typically just “zoning” which is making the shelves and sales floor area look neat, for hours on end

The reviewer closes out the review by noting: “I am a college-educated, hard working, high achieving employee, and you guys lost me due to a lack of promotional opportunity and a failure to help me meet my most basic needs through lack of hours and extremely rare raises.”

Do you work at Target or another retailer? Let us know about your experience and how you would rate the employer.

Is Target A Good Place To Work? is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

Related posts:

1. Hourly Jobs: Top Companies to Work For
2. Enterprise Rent-A-Car: What It’s Like To Work For The Green Car Rental Machine
3. Goldman Sachs: An Insider Perspective

As our review of the month, this Apple employee is based out of the headquarter offices in Cupertino, Calif. and provides a comprehensive review with an honest perspective of the work culture at the company today.

The good things about working for Apple emphasized in this review include:

• Outstanding opportunity to work with really smart people in your field.
• Really interesting work in most areas (very little dull routine).
• Financial health of company is excellent. Very good handle on cost management. Benefits are very good.
• Really cool leading-edge products and services you can be proud to help develop.

The downside of working at Apple though comes as a reaction to the overall culture – and it appears that Apple’s reputation of being a ‘Fortress of Secrecy’ is still alive and well. The employee points out:

• You will not know if you really “fit” the culture until about a year on the job.
• Work-life balance can quickly become terrible for those who really understand systems and processes and how to manage them. The better you are, the less balance you can expect.
• Management planning process – continual over-committing continues.
• Secrecy bordering on paranoia can be a pain in the neck especially when it delays notice on necessary (and unplanned) changes in other areas.

Wrapping up the review, the employee offers some advice to senior management, pleading for more downtime between work projects. “Less recovery time between waves of project work is stressing people and systems to the extreme. Very few people will tell you how they really feel about the growing workload.”

Interested in reading more of what this reviewer had to say? Click here to be a fly on the wall at Apple.

A Bite Out Of The Big Apple: Employee Dishes On Life Within The Tech Giant is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

Related posts:

1. Apple, a Fortress of Secrecy?
2. Top 10 Reasons Steve Jobs Will Be Missed By Apple Employees
3. Apple / Microsoft War is Back On: New Products and New Marketing Campaigns

First, it’s important to note that Northwestern Mutual’s hunt for ‘brand talent’ is a good sign considering that the U.S. insurance industry lost 3,400 jobs in October, which is the 12th consecutive month of losses, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  On the plus side, BLS also revealed that in terms of average weekly earnings for non-supervisory positions,  life insurance employees saw the largest rise in earnings—5.7% to $989.23 (See here for more: Life Insurance Salaries).

For the lucky job fair candidate, his/her Northwestern Mutual’s interview process experience was very positive, from first point of contact through to the interview:

• Recruiter followed up with job seeker two days after job fair to coordinate an interview

• The interviewee reports an overall positive experience during the process and that the interview was ‘very easy’. Note that 62% of Northwestern Mutual job candidates report a positive experience as well and only 6% report a negative experience.

“The interview was open and real…feel like they know exactly what they are looking for and when they find it they essentially are there to confirm their feelings and see how you react as they begin to sell the company, structure and culture.”

“It’s an easy interview if you are as open as they are and are a good fit for what they are looking for…some companies seem to still put you through some hoops even when they know they want you.

In addition to the one-on-one interview the job seeker garnered by attending a job fair, they were also asked to take a personality test. At the end of the day this one interviewee did not garner a job offer, but it is important to keep in mind that the candidate was able to network with other industry contacts, and it gave them the opportunity to work on improving his or her interview skills.

If you are up for an interview with Northwestern Mutual or another life insurance company, here are just a few questions from the Glassdoor community that you should be prepared to answer:

• What kind of sales experience have you had? – Northwestern Mutual Financial Advisor Position
• Why are you leaving your current position? – AIG Attorney Position
• The interviewer asked what kind of skills I have that would contribute to the job and company. – New York Life Sales Agent Position
• When you disagreed with your manager’s decision, for ethical, personal, or business reasons, what did you do? – Prudential Financial Services Associate Position

To read up on more Life Insurance interview reviews and questions for specific positions at specific companies click here.

On the Hunt – A Job Fair Experience with Northwestern Mutual is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

Related posts:

1. Why You Should Sweat The Small Stuff In A Job Hunt
2. Nine Reasons Not To Delay Your Job Hunt
3. 10 Oddball Interview Questions For Interns (Fall Edition)

We dug into the company reviews to see how employees are faring, and how they perceive the company. We thought that if anyone was to be offended by the large sums of money given to top executives at the company it would be the employees. We assumed wrong.

In a breakdown of Goldman Sachs’ company rating*, employees report highly of compensation and benefits at the company giving it a 3.9 (satisfied) rating, and also report high marks for the senior leadership. In fact, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd C. Blankfein has one of the highest approval ratings among CEOs listed on Glassdoor with an 86% approval rating and 3% disapproval, while the company achieves a 3.8 (satisfied) overall rating. 

Blankfein’s approval rating remains steady as you look at employee ratings in branches of the company in different countries. However, employee sentiment varies within different cities in the US, and Blankfein’s approval rating shifts significantly:

• New York, NY (Headquarters): 87% approval, 1% disapproval
• Jersey City, NJ: 96% approval, 0% disapproval
• Salt Lake City, UT : 67% approval, 17% disapproval

With all the hoopla surrounding the company, we felt it appropriate to feature a Goldman Sachs’ employee as September’s review of the month. The winning review comes from a finance analyst within Goldman Sachs, and we’ve included some highlights with the employee’s thoughts on what’s working within the company today and what needs improvement.  Consistent with the overall sentiment at the company, this employee who gives high marks to senior leadership (5.0 – very satisfied) and compensation & benefits and communication, and gives a low rating regarding fairness & respect (1.5 – dissatisfied).

Pros: Emphasis on business principles, work ethics, diversity, etc.

Cons: Long hours. For certain people, salary may not compensate you enough for time lost with friends, family. [And] Lost many talented people during the year due to the lack of compensation (which is understandable), understaffing (much more work for those who remained).

Despite the challenges the company has faced publically, this employee notes that the company has a great management team. For anyone considering a career at Goldman Sachs, take the reviewer’s advice into consideration, “Good place to work, depending on your lifestyle needs.”

* Company ratings takes into account eight distinct workplace factors that include: career opportunities, communication, compensation & benefits, employee morale, recognition & feedback, senior leadership, work/life balance, fairness & respect.

Goldman Sachs: An Insider Perspective is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

Related posts:

1. Financial Services Industry Report Card; Susquehanna International Group and Goldman Sachs Among Highest Rated
2. 25 Best Tech Companies To Work For (Silicon Alley Business Insider with the help of Glassdoor)
3. Wal-Mart Behind The Scenes: An Employee Perspective

CEO Alan Mulally, who has a 69% approval rating, has been credited with steering the automaker’s turnaround and has won an endorsement for an indefinite tenure from Ford’s chairman and the founding family’s senior representative at the company. But, as Mulally gets hailed for his achievements and Ford marketing is going full bore to reinvent itself in the eyes of consumers, are employees feeling the spark to live up to the ‘Ford challenge’?

A Ford Motor financial analyst from Dearborn, Michigan, winner of the August review of the month, shows that the Ford challenge is actually what may keep employees coming back to work day after day. The employee writes of his division: “Ford Finance is a highly regarded organization with a lot of strong processes and opportunities to learn. They like to rotate employees through different jobs every couple of years which is great for not getting stale and allowing for career development. Keeps things interesting.”

But job seekers beware, if you are a recent grad, the Ford challenge may not be right for you. In advice to senior management, the winning review points out that the company is losing a lot of top young talent who are choosing to go back to school full-time to pursue an MBA. To keep talent within the employee roster, the reviewer suggests bringing back a program that provides tuition assistance.

How do you feel Ford is doing? Have you driven a Ford lately?

Ford Motor: Test Drive from an Employee’s Perspective is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

Related posts:

1. Wal-Mart Behind The Scenes: An Employee Perspective
2. US Auto Manufacturer Company And CEO Report Card
3. Goldman Sachs: An Insider Perspective

One recent  Deloitte review from a staff auditor in Tampa, FL offers some compelling feedback that we selected as the July review of the month (author will get $500)

Starting with the employee’s advice to senior management:

“You may pull out all the stops as an audit team, meet all the budgets and deadlines, and cut your fees, but what good is it if you are always losing staff, seniors, and managers to better-paying, less stress, and overall better job satisfaction roles?”

“Focus on the individuals that make the company great through their own personal sacrifices and I truly believe that will work its way up through the company and the business will grow itself.”

However that said, it looks like a career at Deloitte may arm employees with the ‘right’ tools to take on any job or business discussion. The reviewer comments, “If nothing else from this career, you will (or at least should) learn to speak clearly, concisely, and confidently to anyone of the business world.”

This comment strikes a chord given that the recent Deloitte press release  notes, “There are top performers and critical workforce segments that have the skills to succeed anywhere, and will likely be poached once the economy improves.”

Perhaps a little bit of extra gratitude will keep these employees committed to the company given that the Glassdoor reviewer points out, “At the end of the engagement or deadline, I believe some form of benefit or anything beyond a passing ‘thanks’ should be given to the team.”

But be prepared to do what it takes to get to that all-mighty role in the business world. The review notes, “D&T emphasizes work-life balance and also commitment to the client. However, at the end of the day, the client commitment will always win. Whatever deadline is set will always be met by the audit team, and the team is always forced to do whatever is necessary (which is fair, it is a job).”

Any other Deloitte employees have perspective? What’s working at Deloitte and what needs improvement? You can complete your own review here.

Will Deloitte Employees Jump Ship When the Economy Rebounds? July Review of the Month is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

Related posts:

1. January’s Review of the Month
2. February’s Review of the Month
3. March Review of the Month

According to this job candidate, the interview difficulty was about average, but the experience was positive overall. Here are some useful tips to consider if interviewing at WalMart, as well as some of the questions you may get asked if interviewing for a retailer management position:

Insights about interview process:

• Interviewed by 3 people; only one person asked questions, but all three took notes.
• Each job candidate evaluated using a number score system. The job candidate adds, “don’t know what scoring scale represented and wasn’t able to see clearly what they were writing as I was seated opposite of table”
• In total about 5 pages of questions were asked (guestimate is about 10-15 questions)…took about 1 1/2 hours.

How was the interview acquired: Applied online.

Interview duration: WalMart responded to the online application approximately 1 ½ weeks after submission; interview took about 2 days to complete.

Interview questions:

All questions that were asked typically had 3-part answers. For example, they asked:

• Name a time when you found it hard to be courteous. How did you handle it? Why did you handle it that way? If you had to do it again would you handle it differently?
• Explain a time that you had to meet a deadline. What was the reason for the deadline? What was the quality of work?
• When did you have to follow a plan to reach a goal and failed to do so? What would/did you do different the next time?

The reviewer adds: “You’ll want to be tentative in listening to the full question and answering it in full… My guess is if you did not answer the question in full the first time you ‘lost points or rec’d lower points’ than if you’d answer the question in full first time. They’ll keep asking the same questions until you provide a Full (3 part answer). I gave all customer service or team lead/management oriented answers and examples to all the questions. I omitted personal experience examples and kept all examples job task related.”

Other important notes about interviewing at WalMart:

“I asked after interview was complete if this was standard process for a Cashier position. Was told yes, they just implemented a new interviewing process to attract quality talent. Basically told me that their process is now geared toward finding folks who want to grow in the company and not earn a paycheck for 3-6 months and leave.”

Keep the interview reviews coming – you never who you might help!

What’s it Like to Interview at WalMart? is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

Related posts:

1. April Review of the Month: What it’s like to Interview at Amazon
2. Interview Questions and Answers: Think you can do better?
3. Tips For Closing The Interview – Advice For Job Candidates

Here’s why this interview reviews gets top marks from Glassdoor.com:

• The Amazon job interview review gives a clear picture of what it’s like to walk the halls of Amazon, how long the entire interview process took (7+ weeks) and offers up details on the interview experience.

  “Overall atmosphere was very young, casual and diverse. Very university-like. People walking around in backpacks. One girl came in the morning walking and working on her laptop at the same time.”

  The reviewer provides specifics as to how the interview was acquired and the level of difficulty of the interview, “Initially contacted by HR to consider a position. Went through 3 phone interviews from the same group. All very technical programming / algorithm questions.”

• The interview review also points out one of the unexpected or more challenging questions this person was asked: “You are to write a spell checker. Discuss the API, Data Structures and Algorithms.” (Check out what comments or answers are listed in response to this question.)
• And, the interviewee provides feedback about the interview experience and process: “I went for a site visit in Seattle, which was very well organized. Hotel was excellent. Next day was a full day interview. Morning was 3 (three) 1 hour interviews with team members and 1 manager. Another interview during lunch with a brain teaser. 3 more 1 hour interviews in the afternoon, 2 technical, 1 HR.”

In addition, this job candidate presented some useful tips for any job seeker out there, including some pitfalls to be cautious of during a day-long interview.

“After lunch was downhill. Be careful what you eat during lunch! All the blood went from my brain to my stomach and the interview room in the afternoon was a small room with no windows. Combine that with some jet-lag (I flew in from the east coast). No surprise I didn’t get an offer.”

Although the job candidate gave the interview a difficult rating (4.0), this person gave the overall interview experience at Amazon a neutral rating. And again despite the absence of a job offer, Amazon paid the expenses for this person to travel from the East Coast to interview at Amazon headquarters in Seattle.

Have you interviewed at Amazon? On average, most job candidates note that the interview is difficult but 53% comment on having a positive interview experience whereas only 13% say it was a negative experience. What advice do you have for people interviewing here?

April Review of the Month: What it’s like to Interview at Amazon is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

Related posts:

1. Better Late Than Never – September’s Review of the Month Winner
2. February’s Review of the Month
3. March Review of the Month