Do not overlook all the Glassdoor warnings - Anonymous employee SEO Employee Review

1.0
Nov 17, 2018
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Scholars Some amazing staff memebers Free bagels on fridays

Cons

The retention rate alone should warn you not to take a position at this organization. In every single department you have someone leaving what seems like every week. When I was interviewing for the position I asked about the Glassdoor reviews to which they answered “many people just feel wronged and want to rant”. I tried to take it with a grain of salt. Horrible choice as I quickly noticed why so many people were “ranting” or what I like to call “speaking the truth”. An all staff survey was distributed because of the Glassdoor reviews. The top 10 issues with negative staff feedback were centered on management. When you have a whole office, including her own team, talking behind a managers back you know something must not be right. The incompetence of someone and the amount of people they have ruined the reputations of for no joy but their own should prove how unfit they are for a role but that has been overlooked numerous times by an even higher incompetent staff. Though I was very passionate about the mission of SEO and the scholars that came with it, crying and having anxiety attacks every week were just not worth it. Currently working under new management at a better organization has shown me what a real manager should act like. I am overjoyed to not be in such a toxic work environment any longer.

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SEO Response
7y
Thank you for taking the time to write a review and for your passion for our mission of creating a more equitable society by closing the academic and career opportunity gap for motivated young people from underserved and/or underrepresented communities. SEO is growing at a fast rate and with growth comes growing pains. There is no denying that SEO has experienced some challenges recently. As you mentioned in your review, we did conduct a team-wide survey to learn about concerns of our staff and we are addressing staff concerns head-on. We are committed to providing a positive and supportive work experience for ALL employees. We are enhancing our best-practices in areas of increased manager training, leadership coaching, and professional development. If you ever would like to connect offline and discuss your experience further, please contact Maria Fornario at 646-230-0253 or email at mfornario@seo-usa.org. Thank you.

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Cons

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3.0
Jun 24, 2026
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Pros

SEO’s mission is meaningful, and the work can feel purpose-driven, especially if you care about education, access, and supporting students from historically excluded communities. There are people across the organization who genuinely care about the students and programs. I appreciated the opportunity to contribute creative ideas, marketing strategy, and communications work in support of a larger mission.

Cons

My experience was ultimately disappointing because the internal culture did not always reflect the care and intentionality of the external mission. Communication was often unclear, priorities shifted quickly, and decision-making sometimes felt inconsistent or disconnected from the day-to-day work being asked of staff. There was also frequent leadership turnover within the same year, which created instability and made it difficult to feel grounded in the direction of the organization. At times, onboarding, manager support, and internal processes felt underdeveloped for the pace and expectations of the work. I also experienced a moment at a work-related event where my manager asked about my sexuality, which felt inappropriate and uncomfortable. That experience contributed to my feeling that stronger management training and clearer professional boundaries are needed.

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