Is First Solar a good company to work for?

First Solar has an overall rating of 3.7 out of 5, based on over 805 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 3% over the last 12 months. 70% of employees would recommend working at First Solar to a friend and 62% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about First Solar have been left by employees working as Manufacturing Engineer , Development Engineer and Manager .

Does First Solar pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, First Solar employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.4 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at First Solar. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at First Solar?

70% of First Solar employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated First Solar 3.7 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.7 for culture and values and 3.3 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at First Solar?

Engineer (24) , Manufacturing Engineer (21) , Manager (17) , Technician (13) , Development Engineer (11) , Intern (9) , Development Engineer II (8) , Internship (8) , Manufacturing Associate (8) , Project Manager (8) , Production Operator (7) , Analyst (6) , Director (6) , Coater Technician (5) , Human Resources Generalist (5)

What are the pros of working at First Solar according to real employee reviews?

"People are understanding of mistakes and it's great as a first full time corporate job." ((in 55 reviews)); "Good benefit and growth of the company" ((in 55 reviews)); "Good pay and days off" ((in 45 reviews)); "Innovative culture and great co" ((in 32 reviews)); "Work life balance is good" ((in 27 reviews))

What are the cons of working at First Solar according to real employee reviews?

"Base salary is low and doesn’t go up easily" ((in 16 reviews)); "Poor communication and coordination throughout the organization" ((in 11 reviews)); "Cultural challenges given the number of spread out offices and difficulty establishing a common culture; stock price volatility reducing the value of equity compensation, a number of silos which resulted in "us vs them" mentality (EPC versus Project Development); recent layoffs given shift in the market away from historically subsidized markets in Europe" ((in 10 reviews)); "Long hours necessary to accomplish workload." ((in 10 reviews)); "Favoritism is very high there." ((in 10 reviews))

What are employees saying about First Solar layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about First Solar layoffs and their outlook for job security at First Solar in 2026.

What are the top reviewed First Solar locations?

Perrysburg , Tempe , Toledo , Santa Clara , Trinity , Phoenix , Bridgewater , Walbridge , San Francisco , Columbus , Sunnyvale , New York , Mesa , Palmdale , Oakland , New Iberia , Tampa , Butler , Bound Brook , Jersey City , Lumberton , Decatur , Farmington , Chandler , Tucson , Portland , Elm City , Austin , Dallas , Houston

First Solar reviews

3.7

70% would recommend to a friend

(683 total reviews)

Mark Widmar

86% approve of CEO

62% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (683 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

First Solar has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 683 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The First Solar employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Manufacturing industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

683 reviews

2.0

Oct 12, 2018

Poor management

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Better salary and good benefit. Look like a matured organisation for outsider. Look like a best employer.

Cons

High workload. Management not doing good job in resource planning but trying to blame the employee for not doing their part well. Managenent always like to give chance to the employee to growth in fact they push the work that suppose to be accomplished by management to the associate even though the associate is with high workload, sadly the management thought that workload is good at the point. There is management people not perform and the associate who under his/her care has no good career growth, no future. Old mindset people are a lot especially management team. Unwilling to change but act like change. The people in this company mostly good actors or actresses.

First Solar Response

7y

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. I am very sorry to hear that you experience has not been meeting your expectations. We value your feedback and would appreciate the opportunity to further discuss and try to resolve your concerns. If willing and interested, please email jobs@firstsolar.com and we can set something up.

4.0

Feb 20, 2018

Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Senior manufacturing engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Work life balance Systematic company Great benefit and pay above market rate.

Cons

Gap between management and executive level is huge. Fast pace environment that may roll out new technology in very aggressive manner.

First Solar Response

8y

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We appreciate the review and feedback. We are glad that you have had a positive experience overall! If you have any further comments or concerns please feel free to contact us at jobs@firstsolar.com.

5.0

Oct 27, 2017

Manufacturing Engineering Engineer

Manufacturing process engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

flexible working hour to suit task timing requirement, good benefits and allowance.

Cons

Too many employees who know nothing with their TECHNICAL BACKGROUND & job responsibilities and give baseless excuses to cover their mistakes and ridicules blames the mistake on irrelevant group/department .

First Solar Response

8y

Thank you for taking time to share your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback and are glad your experience has been positive overall! We'd love the opportunity to resolve any of your mentioned concerns. Please email jobs@firstsolar.com and we will be sure to get you in touch with a representative that can help you.

Viewing 655 - 657 of 683 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Siemens

3.8★Compensation & Benefits

Samsung Electronics

3.7★Compensation & Benefits

Eaton

3.7★Compensation & Benefits

Broadcom

4.2★Compensation & Benefits

Jobs at First Solar

Production Operator (Nights)

Production Operator (Night Crew)

Production Operator (Days)

Production Operator (Day Crew)

First Solar

First Solar reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Poor management

Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Manufacturing Engineering Engineer

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Jobs at First Solar