Is First Solar a good company to work for?

First Solar has an overall rating of 3.7 out of 5, based on over 806 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?

"Good benefit and growth of the company" ((in 57 reviews)); "People are understanding of mistakes and it's great as a first full time corporate job." ((in 54 reviews)); "Good pay and days off" ((in 41 reviews)); "Good culture Friendly co" ((in 33 reviews)); "Good work life balance here" ((in 22 reviews))

What are the cons of working at First Solar according to real employee 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 12 reviews)); "Long hours necessary to accomplish workload." ((in 10 reviews)); "Poor communication and coordination throughout the organization" ((in 10 reviews)); "senior management is incompetent and lazy" ((in 5 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

(183 total reviews)

Mark Widmar

86% approve of CEO

62% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (183 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

183 reviews

Reviews about "Compensation"

Return to all reviews

5.0

Jan 2, 2019

Great Company

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great pay, great benefits, I like the people I work with and the person I work for, location is good in Tempe, AZ

Cons

Shift work (12hr days), can be monotonous

First Solar Response

7y

Thank you for the positive review! We are glad you are having a good experience so far! If you want to share more please feel free to email jobs@firstsolar.com.

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

Sep 29, 2018

Not a bad place to work when there was money to spend.

Construction supervisor

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Opportunities for advancement. Safety conscious workplace. Opportunity to travel. Decent pay.

Cons

Expected to work a lot. Management doesn't always know what is going on. Money is not always spent in the wisest ways on projects.

First Solar Response

7y

Thank you for your review and feedback. We appreciate both the positive and negative feedback. We’d love the opportunity to learn more to help us identify areas for improvement here at First Solar. If you'd be open to sharing more, please email jobs@firstsolar.com.

Viewing 112 - 114 of 183 Reviews

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Jobs at First Solar

Production Operator (Days)

Manager– Marketing & Marketing Operations

Production Operator (Day Crew)

Technician- Manufacturing Engineer II USA (B Crew/PM Shift)

Production Operator (Days)

First Solar

First Solar reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Reviews about "Compensation"

Great Company

Poor management

Not a bad place to work when there was money to spend.

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Jobs at First Solar