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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Reviews

3.7

71% would recommend to a friend

(571 total reviews)

Managing Partners

76% approve of CEO

Ratings by category

3.8

Culture & Values

3.8

Diversity & Inclusion

3.8

Career Opportunities

3.5

Senior Management

3.3

Compensation and Benefits

2.8

Work/Life Balance

Ratings distribution

5 stars

21%

4 stars

31%

3 stars

25%

2 stars

14%

1 star

9%

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Found 571 of over 676 reviews

Updated Nov 30, 2023

What people are saying about Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

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Top Review Highlights by Sentiment

Excerpts from user reviews, not authored by Glassdoor

Pros
  • "The people I met were great and this was in 1979 !(in 49 reviews)
  • "Good benefits but not enough holidays just 20 days.(in 24 reviews)
  • "Colleagues are friendly and helpful.(in 23 reviews)
  • "great opportunities to work with talent people.(in 15 reviews)
  • "Office is nice They put fruit (not many) in kitchen in the morning(in 14 reviews)
Cons
  • "there are often long hours and clients can be difficult(in 49 reviews)
  • "No work life balance.(in 31 reviews)
  • "Poor management and a waste of human resources(in 24 reviews)
  • "Old school hierarchy, working long hours, low pay compared to other firms, etc. Partners & principals seemed unapproachable.(in 14 reviews)
  • "1. Long hours is a common thing.(in 14 reviews)

Ratings by Demographics

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This rating reflects the overall rating of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and is not affected by filters.

    1. 5.0
      FEATURED REVIEW
      Jun 20, 2023
      Marketing Specialist
      Current Employee
      Chicago, IL
      Recommend
      CEO Approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      A leader in the industry, SOM offers working on exciting projects around the world. The people here, for the most part, are brilliant

      Cons

      It is expected you can engage in critical thinking, be independent and resourceful, and give it your all.

      1. 5.0
        Oct 15, 2023
        Architect
        Current Employee
        Recommend
        CEO Approval
        Business Outlook

        Pros

        Healthy environment, qualified people, interesting projects

        Cons

        Low pay, but it's rather about architecture in general

      2. Join the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill team
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        1. 3.0
          Nov 5, 2023
          Architectural Designer Level E
          Former Employee, less than 1 year
          San Francisco, CA
          Recommend
          CEO Approval
          Business Outlook

          Pros

          There are many resources at SOM. Firm offers Amberbook. Other perks and benefits, such as health advocates to manage your healthcare. Free admission to Moma museums. upper management is supportive and willing to help. The projects are very large and reputable. Firm encourages you to speak.

          Cons

          Company hires and terminate employees frequently. They make judgements base on things such as appearance, personality etc. management won’t tell you how they made the decision on terminating you. Currently using UHC which isn’t one the best healthcare insurance anymore. Approve for medication can be very difficult.

          1. 2.0
            Nov 30, 2023
            Architect
            Former Employee, more than 5 years
            Chicago, IL
            Recommend
            CEO Approval
            Business Outlook

            Pros

            Work with a group of really talented people Good Projects Exposure to great responsibility and heavily involved in project develoment Support in Research Projects

            Cons

            Long working hour Poor Work/Life Balance Poor project management

            1. 3.0
              Nov 26, 2023
              Architect
              Current Employee, more than 3 years
              New York, NY
              Recommend
              CEO Approval
              Business Outlook

              Pros

              Good place to learn from some of the best minds in the industry with remarkable projects

              Cons

              long hours. benefits are just okay.

              1. 3.0
                Nov 16, 2023
                Designer
                Current Employee, more than 3 years
                Chicago, IL
                Recommend
                CEO Approval
                Business Outlook

                Pros

                have strong competence in highrise building design, could help new grads to learn skill rapidly through one to two projects.

                Cons

                not very good work-life balance.

                1. 4.0
                  Nov 20, 2023
                  Designer
                  Current Employee
                  San Francisco, CA
                  Recommend
                  CEO Approval
                  Business Outlook

                  Pros

                  Great people and fun projects

                  Cons

                  Projects can get very intense

                  1. 4.0
                    Nov 17, 2023
                    Intermediate Designer
                    Former Employee
                    San Francisco, CA
                    Recommend
                    CEO Approval
                    Business Outlook

                    Pros

                    good project good people overall

                    Cons

                    Technical growth is slow pay is not great

                    1. 1.0
                      Nov 4, 2023
                      Structural Engineer
                      Former Employee, more than 1 year
                      Los Angeles, CA
                      Recommend
                      CEO Approval
                      Business Outlook

                      Pros

                      Not a good and respectful environment

                      Cons

                      Too competitive environment with no benefits

                      1. 5.0
                        Sep 5, 2023
                        Associate
                        Current Employee, more than 8 years
                        New York, NY
                        Recommend
                        CEO Approval
                        Business Outlook

                        Pros

                        Worked with the smartest people in the industry and around the world. Great collaborative environment.

                        Cons

                        Long hours, a lot of hard work. It pays off in some ways.

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                      Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Reviews FAQs

                      Skidmore, Owings & Merrill has an overall rating of 3.7 out of 5, based on over 676 reviews left anonymously by employees. 71% of employees would recommend working at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to a friend and 67% have a positive outlook for the business. This rating has improved by 1% over the last 12 months.

                      According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.3 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

                      71% of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews. Employees also rated Skidmore, Owings & Merrill 2.8 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.8 for culture and values and 3.8 for career opportunities.

                      According to reviews on Glassdoor, employees commonly mention the pros of working at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to be culture, benefits, career development and the cons to be senior leadership, management, work life balance.

                      Popular Careers with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Job Seekers

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                      Interview Tips

                      Feel free to post any interview questions you might be asked and I’ll help you compose an effective response :)

                      ComEd

                      Got booted from my former position about 4 years ago, which I LOVED. I have the impression I was "kept" in sympathy. Now that I have my feet beneath me, I feel like I'm running in place. Over the past 2 years, I've probably applied for about 100 positions in other departments. True, a few were unlikely moonshots, but for the most part I didn't misrepresent myself. Am I the world's worst interviewer? Otherwise.. shouldn't I have been accepted elsewhere, by choice?

                      2
                      4 Comments

                      Administrative Assistant

                      I haven't worked since Jan. 2020 when my job as administrative assistant for the Hospitalist group was eliminated. I can't begin to count the number of applications submitted, interviews I've had, jobs that I was told were mine then they weren't, etc. Several jobs have fallen through or not panned out. I am not a job hopper and want to stay where I go. I have a zoom interview tomorrow for a front desk receptionist position at an oral surgeon's office. Any interview tips are appreciated.

                      7
                      5 Comments

                      Meta

                      Hey all, I’m looking for advice on program manager hypothetical interviews such as: “what would you do if X happened?” Is there a particular thing or core value that Bloomberg looks for? Thanks!

                      1
                      0 Comments

                      Glassdoor has 676 Skidmore, Owings & Merrill reviews submitted anonymously by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Skidmore, Owings & Merrill is right for you.