Be very cautious before accepting a position with Ericsson as it will be enticing to you because of the impressive buildings and open public areas, the reported claim of being a major in telecomm and the highly skilled HR recruiters who will tell you what you want to hear so you accept a position. The pony show is over after you accept an offer and the reality of working for Ericsson sinks in quickly. Ericsson US employees are miserable and it is evident throughout the campus. Also, be very sure to negotiate your starting salary to one that is sufficient to support you for years because even though HR promises that the low base salary is misleading at Ericsson and that the generous bonuses, performance raises and other types of compensation make up for the lower base, it is not true. Bonuses are very low and as for performance raises, all I can say is good luck. We are told every quarter by the CEO about how disappointed Sweden is with our poor performance which is very detrimental to motivating anyone to strive harder than we do already. While the US must cut back on everything to the point it is ridiculous (make sure to bring your own supplies), you will see so much waste from Sweden. It is common practice for Swedish employees to come to the US for an one-hour unproductive meeting but stay a week so they can shop and play. On the other side, we are told to use video conferencing and travel better be the last option available.
Ericsson is very Swedish centric and does not welcome US operations' attempts to offer fresh insight into the "ways of working." You will see a lot of "motivational" campaigns such as "It all begins with us" and the Dialog survey which, if you rank anything lower than satisfied, the "confidential" based survey will find you sitting with HR and your manager to explain your responses. This is known through the US so the results will obviously make it appear that everyone is so happy, loves their job, is highly motivated and that Ericsson is the greatest. It is unfortunate because there are so many talented individuals in Plano that will never advance their career farther than where they started and most are very quick to leave. I have been holding out to see if change would happen but I am done with that delusion and will be leaving myself as soon as possible.
If you are not Swedish, you will most likely find your Ericsson experience to be very frustrating and you will not remain for the long term.
