Pros
I was talking to a former co-worker/friend today who was bashing CoStar. They said they had posted something on glassdoor recently. I had never been on here before, but felt I should leave some genuine comments. Some posts have some merit, but the former co-worker I was speaking to worked in another office, but even so, this person doesn't have the greatest work ethic. I've been to HQ before and it definitely has a different feel, but that's because multiple departments are housed there. That is actually a good thing as I've seen people easily move from research to sales, or sales to marketing, or research to IT. I've been with the company for 10+ years. Recently received employee stock for that milestone. I wanted to take some time to highlight some of what I told my former co-worker. CEO gave our DC and Columbia office off the Friday before the blizzard, and the Monday after. My friend said, so what, my response was how many companies did that with pay? Every year we have a top notch holiday party, this past year was at the Building Museum in DC. I love it and so do many of my co-workers. Tons of other perks above 401k match, stock discount, employee recognition, annual merit increase, quarterly bonuses, etc. The researcher role is one of the most difficult and I know quite a few people that left because it is demanding. I guess where I differ is that demanding is rewarding. I think many of my current co-workers feel the same. Our office is a pretty close group and it's neat to see the newer employees become a part of that. We have our challenges, but I know most of the staff and managers care, and that I can share my honest feedback with them. My last comment is about all the change I've seen in 10 years. We've acquired multiple companies, including Loopnet one of our biggest competitors as well as other companies, like Apartments.com and smaller companies. Growing bigger has some challenges, but if you work hard here, it does create job security.
Cons
As I mentioned above, we have acquired multiple companies and that brings about change. The research department typically shoulders the work in transition. The Loopnet and Apartments.com piece required RA's to move quite a bit from one portfolio to another because we needed to support company initiatives. I definitely understand the why behind it, but that can be more difficult for employees who don't see the bigger picture. There are competing demands which in many cases are all "top priority," again I understand this, but for others it is more difficult. This section is more about reality. My role in the organization is an important one and as I said before, demanding, but rewarding. It has been a great place for me for 10+ years, but make sure you understand the demands of the role.
