Pros
UHG has a very large presence in Minnesota, specifically the western suburbs of Minneapolis. Their size allows for many *potential* openings (more on this later), and can look on a resume. While the health/dental insurance is flat out poor, the company is generous with PTO. UHG is also very progressive with telecommuting arrangements (whereas most companies are still in the dark ages with this, and see working from as too revolutionary).
Cons
As the headline states, it's not who you are it's who you know. While it's true that this can be said of many companies and organizations, it is especially true at UHG. Being friends with the hiring manager will fast track you to a new position far quicker than actually being the most qualified applicant. In other words, people with mediocre experience and skills (but may have had a few happy hours with the hiring managers) are promoted, NOT the most qualified applicant. This is very frustrating. Even in the darkest economy, this company has thousands of job openings in the TC metro area alone. This speaks volumes about the company's ability to retain talent. External candidates are almost always perceived as being more hopeful and "exotic" than internal candidates, who are typically seen as "plain". As long as the hiring department can afford it, external candidates are paid whatever they ask for regardless of their current salary. But once you're in the door, you have no leverage with negotiating future salaries, and your new salary is based entirely on your current salary regardless of what others are making in the same position. The company would rather have people leave to make a competitive salary somewhere else than just pay their employees what they'll end up paying an external candidate anyway (i.e. someone with little/no direct knowledge of the position, may or may not work out, may or may not bail after a month due to a better offer, etc.). Long story short, make very sure that the salary you settle on is truly what you're after because it will not go up even after years in the same position. And if you get promoted to a higher level position, the increase will be noticeably less than what you would receive from a different company. Unless you regularly go out with your boss and buy them drinks, or flat out kiss their @$$.
