Still Hard to Imagine a Better Company to Work For
Pros
- Great pay with annual performance-based raises - Great benefits - Young, outgoing, intelligent coworkers - Best product on the market - Opportunities to relocate every few years (handled and paid for by the company, including a 6k relocation bonus to cover expenses) - Tons of job security. With the pandemic going on, I'm more grateful for this than ever. The company has tripled in size since I started with no major layoffs. Working with government on essential systems means the jobs are mostly recession proof. - Despite rapid growth, the company is more focused on quality and maintaining a good reputation than making quick money. This goes along with them being more focused on doing what is right for the client instead of what is most profitable. It ALSO goes along with them only hiring good people! It feels good to do work for a company with integrity. -( When there isn't a pandemic) There are monthly team-building activities paid for by the company. I know many sites have been continuing to try to make this work with virtual happy hours and game nights, but things have definitely tapered off. As is the case with all things :( - (When there isn't a pandemic) Annual General Meeting. This is an all inclusive 3 night stay at a resort for employees and their families. The location changes every year and they really go all out for these events. Not exaggerating when I say some of the nights have felt magical! It's always a highlight. Really missed it this year! - Company owners are still working hard alongside you. The company has 1500+ employees and the owners are still fully integrated in every level of the company. They know their products inside and out. They also visit sites regularly (twice a year is my guess for an average). When a partner visits, employees are typically given the opportunity to hold 1 on 1 meetings with them. Great visibility in a big company. - Company seems to genuinely value employee health and happiness. - You can learn a lot and are given responsibility quickly. There are tons of different skillsets you can focus on and a wide range of opportunities. Even more as the company continues to grow. - Increasingly open review process with regular feedback meetings scheduled throughout the year (If you're a FASTie reading this and your project manager isn't doing this, say something! They're supposed to be and HR/Directors/Partners will back you up.) Unsolicited advice to current/future employees: I got to a place early on working for FAST where I thought the world was against me. I was unhappy and started looking at other jobs. I spoke to HR about my situation and they were able to 100% turn things around. If this is you, try reaching out. If the job just isn't for you, it's not for you. But if you feel the work environment is toxic, or your direct managers aren't doing their job, this is something the company will want to address. In my experience, they really do care.
Cons
- Relocating can be tough - You don't always get to decide where you relocate (often you have input, but it largely depends on the current need) - A few bad eggs can make your experience on a site stressful (talk to HR!)