Pros
While this wasn't the best agency I've ever worked with. However, it also wasn't the worst. Here are some highlights of the things I appreciated at Directive: * It's been said before, but you really are working with a smart group of people and some genuinely talented marketers. You'll learn a lot fast and become better at what you do. * We female SEOs were, mostly, sheltered from some of the issues seen in the other departments. That's 100% due to the tone the SEO leadership team sets. * There's an evolving library of case studies and other information you can leverage for your campaigns. So if you can't grab someone to help, you have all that knowledge right at your fingertips. I've never worked at an agency who's done anything like this. * Outside of Directive Daily, it was amazing to have people to bounce your ideas off of. The caveat was that many of the more tenured team members also have the greatest workloads. I spread my questions around so I wasn't disrupting the same people. * As previously mentioned, the SEO Director is really fantastic, with none of the ego or standoffishness that is sometimes seen in that role. His leadership style and the dynamic he created in the team were the main reasons I stayed as long as I did. * The salary is ok, depending on how much experience you have. It's better than many roles if you're less experienced. If you're more tenured, you'll like find something that pays better. * The benefits are AMAZING. If I'm honest, the only thing that made me pause before accepting another role was walking away from affordable benefits with great coverage. I should clarify that I don't have dependents so I'm not sure how good the family plans are. * Client load. At my first agency, I had twenty four clients and 27 websites. Managed end-to-end (including writing content). Directive does an amazing job at keeping your account load low. If you have high touch or big budget clients, you may have even less than the max. This really gives you the time to dedicate to doing good work for your clients. Directive is the agency for you if: * You're fairly self-sufficient and able to troubleshoot client and SEO issues on your own with little or no support * You're willing and able to put in long hours. Although management claims they don't want anyone working more than 50 hours, you will also hear from the CEO himself that the most successful team members "put in the hours" (see cons below for more details on the gaslighting), and those people he was referring to regularly put in more than hours * You're a generally outgoing, upbeat person with an innate ability to "get clients pumped" on calls * You've worked in an agency before. If you haven't, you may feel overwhelmed * You're on the younger side If you at least checked off 1-3 of the bullets above, then congrats! This is your agency and you'll learn so much!
Cons
If you're still reading this, I'm assuming that you either didn't check off the bullets below, or still have some doubts. Let me clarify that my star rating is based off my personal experience, and some of the 5 star reviews are actually legit reviews. These are the reasons I left: * The gaslighting. The CEO will tell you he doesn't want you to work long hours, but then tell you the successful people do. He'll also say you don't do bad work and then set a goal to "never do bad work again". I think it's just inexperience and poor leadership skills. If you think I'm making it up, just go read how the CEO shuts down reviews that make him look less than perfect. I'm fairly certain the response to this review will be equally aggressive. * As I mentioned in the pros, the women in the SEO team are mostly sheltered from the worst of the accidental misogyny rampant in the rest of the company. However, it's still felt when interacting outside the team. The greater problem is that the team members perpetrating this behavior don't have the emotional intelligence to recognize it in themselves. * The cliques. Your experience and knowledge matter much less than being liked. So, regardless of your skillset, you'll do well to get into the "inner circle early on". Otherwise, your chance of being considered for internal projects or good clients could be low. * Lack of support. Multiple times, I raised my hand to point out client issues that needed escalation. None of those times was I given the support I needed, which made me feel more pressured and stressed out than I should have been. * The clients. I've worked in a number of industries and never experienced so many issues with getting recommendations implemented. I do think the company is actively working to fix this issue across the board. *Conservative leadership. I agree that the top feels like the good ole boys' club. You have the right to your own opinions, but those opinions should be put aside during working hours. *Directive Daily. This was supposed to be an opportunity to learn and get support for your clients but the bulk of the calls turned into a primer on how to market like the CEO, with few actionable suggestions. Directive is not for you if: * You're introverted/shy/quiet/a wall flower. Image is very important and the company wants a team full of thought leaders to bolster the agency's public appearance. * You've never worked at an agency. The lack of support and self-directed learning can make the job overwhelming. * You need/want regular feedback and goals. It seems to be slightly different for newer people with other ADs, but I got neither. * You're in the Alphabet Army. The conservative nature at the top of the org makes it an org that's LGBTQIA+ friendly on the surface it is, but not at its core - which is what matters. So that's the gist of Directive. For the right people, it's an amazing opportunity to grow and expand your career opportunities. For other people (including this reviewer), it can feel toxic and stagnant. Hope this helped.
