Pros
- The agency is made up of fantastic people full of great ideas. - Serious, yet social working environment. - Zimmerman is predominantly made of young people which is great when moving from another state, or far from family. You will easily be able to connect with your coworkers & in most cases, there is a bond as you are going through the same experience. I met some of my best friends and mentors through the company, and for that I am truly grateful. - Good place to start in the advertising industry - looks great on a resume. You will be given work which requires experience well past your years, but it gives you the opportunity to learn in a fast-paced environment. - All other agencies and most marking companies have heard of Zimmerman and note that it is a fast-paced workplace and know that all individuals coming from there are well experienced past their years and will be a great asset to any future team. - They have bought a new building & will be moving within the next year (space is extremely cramped currently). Parking is also currently tight and there will be plenty of room after the move. - They are finally getting on board with fun ideas like 1/2 day Summer Fridays once a month & more company bonding events - Services such as dry cleaning & car washes are provided on site which makes life easier.
Cons
- Pay is atrocious for the hours put in and there is very small pay increases even after putting in several years of experience. Within my 3 years, I was bumped up a mere 6k from the 24k that I started with & I put in an average of 10-11 hours most work days) - Little to no compensation for working after hours, yet it's expected that you stay. Starting out as an Account Coordinator, once you meet your 40 hours, you will be allowed to leave early on a Friday, however, all higher positions receive no compensation via hours off or in pay. You are salaried & should not expect to be compensated for extra hard work. - You can & will be contacted 24/7. If you give out your cell number and work with clients in different time zones, be expecting calls late and/or emails at night. - Job training is not provided. We trained each other. It was the blind leading the blind in many cases as those who were not taught well were teaching others after only a month or 2 on the job. There are no handbooks or "how to's". It's sink or swim. - Quick turn over rate. Be prepared to see those around you dropping like flies. The typical time period most people stay is about a year (give or take a few months). Once a certain level of experience is reached, it only makes sense to move elsewhere to be able to cover your monthly expenses. - Titles do not directly relate to the responsibilities one may have - Usually people do the work of a higher position with a lower title and pay. - 3 small tables & 12 chairs in the tiny kitchen area are NOT remotely enough for a workplace of roughly 450 employees. People are forced to eat at their desk if they have a lot of work. This does not make for a happy work-life balance.