Pros
This is a good company to learn the business. They have a good training program and maintain thorough "checks and balances" to ensure you are on path with their processes and delivering quality homes. It is a large relatively stable company with a lot of support personnel and the ability to provide some stability with market downturns. I would recommend this company for entry level experience. The company also offers a good 401k program, good benefits and a decent health insurance program.
Cons
Compensation- any nominal pay increase is difficult to earn- even for top performers. You can expect a extra large workload, long hours, high stress and a performance standard so lofty you may find it unrealistic, all for less than you could be earning elsewhere. Construction build time templates- have not changed or been updated since prior to the recession in 2008. Unrealistic build time templates equate to less earning potential and unrealistic upper management expectations. Operating Sytems- The operating system are dinosaurs. "BOSS" the builder software has not seen any significant updates in nearly a decade. It is dated and can be extremely inefficient and time consuming Work/Life Balance- The high volume, high expectation environment can lead to a lot of stress. I was routinely bringing this stress home with me. It was a non stop grind. And, on occasion, I found it difficult to balance and maintain an enjoyable quality of life. High Turnover- It was often joked that "David Weekley Homes has trained just about everyone in the industry." I did not understand why management would joke about this then, and I don't get it now. Because, it is in part true. But, the reasons that make it true should not be so easily dismissed by management. They are unwilling/unable to retain builders. Some entry level builders just arent cut out for this as a career. However, many builders they hire are, and have past building experience and success. Most just cant make it long at Weekley- due to job requirements/demands/stresses/often unrealistic expectations and relatively low compensation. Weekley has difficulty retaining the younger builders (25-35) for more than 1-2 years, and they lose a lot of tenured guys with 5+ years experience. They have an equally difficult time retaining sales personnel. They always have 2 person sales offices, and it's common they have 3 person sales offices. It is also fairly common for the talented sales people get frustrated with their lack of earning potential in this system and move on. Customer Service & Involvement- Let me explain. Customer service is important. But, the level, standards and management of this at David Weekley Homes verges on insanity. You will bend over backwards, you will break your back to earn a "Definitely Would Recommend" on every customer satisfaction survey. Because if you don't, and you earn anything less, your job may be/may soon be in jeopardy. With sales & builder teams very aware of these consequences, be prepared for construction/selection changes at any stage of construction, an average of 4-6 customer meetings thru the process, weekly phone calls to each customer, customer delight action plans for each customer, and a culture where the customer is truly always right. For the builders, this is typically at your expense (in time and hassle factor). Be prepared for the stresses of earning a "Definitely Would Recommend" from every customer every time to justify your existence.
