Pros
For the most part you are surrounded by smart and motivated people. If you have a track record of success, you will have the opportunity to move into different areas (i.e. finance to sales). GE’s reputation for having great training and leadership development carries a lot of weight with other companies. I genuinely liked most of the people I worked with and made many friends while working with GE.
Cons
When times got rough, GE went back to its comfort zone. The “old boys” club is very much still in place. Generally speaking, GE still very much has a top down / command and control management approach. GE was trying to embrace innovation, but for the most part management does not really encourage it. The current year’s operating goals are priority one. Management and HR very much believe that GE is the greatest company in the world and that it is a privilege to work there. They take pride in paying employees below market. The most successful employees seem to have started with GE right out of college and have never experienced what it is like to work for another company.