Mixed experience, fell short of expectations
Pros
There are a lot of things to appreciate about Edelman. The vast - and I mean *vast* - network is peerless, IMHO. There are so many strong, supportive and smart colleagues, and they are really keeping an otherwise strained, languishing sense of culture going during Covid-19. The variety of client work is impressive which leads to opportunities for career exploration. The brand value of Edelman on a resume is high (and they know it...more on compensation below).
Cons
You don't really join a company the size of Edelman, you join a team at Edelman. That team is everything. Choose it wisely. Shortly after my onboarding I was re-org'd as part of an internal business transformation taking place and moved to a national specialty pool from my local/geo team. This led to the rapid decline in my day-to-day experience as I began working across a dozen teams with very little overlap. This led to a feeling of disconnect with the company, with the team and with the work. Ultimately felt like a dead end. Compensation is also marginal. I know of some colleagues who left for 30-50% higher pay at other firms or in-house. Some senior management are truly outstanding mentors. Others are completely hands-off and too quick to drag their team under the bus when things run off the road. Found their approach to WFH/hybrid work very inconsistent. It's not at all clear how they plan to enforce return-to-office. It's been challenging for any leader, but communication has been hit-or-miss. It is common to hear one set of guidance during town halls/all-hands from Richard, and another from intermediate leaders. Creates unnecessary uncertainty that trickles down quickly and is demotivating.
