Pros
*NOTE* I sell capital equipment at Keyence. My experience does differ from the groups that sell "commodity" items. Good pay structure, freedom to make your own sales call schedule, very good sales support from corporate, AMAZING PRODUCTS - selling is more fun when you are the best choice in the market. Office culture is very good (in my experience, see below) Keyence is a great company to work for if you are willing to try hard at your job. Any negative reviews on this page are from people who don't get it. I agree, the job isn't for everyone, but just because you don't like it when your manager says "you missed your sales call goal this month" doesn't mean you are a drone. At no point in the hiring process did I feel mislead about what was expected of me. If you can't handle getting to the office at 7:30am, go work as a cashier at Costco. This is a job for people with ambition. My direct manager meets with me every week. That isn't micromanaging, that is career guidance and support. It is impossible to get fired from this job for not hitting your sales numbers. They coach you IN, not OUT. The only way you will get fired is if you fabricate data like sales calls to make it look like you are working. Support staff, customer service, technical marketing, all of these groups do an amazing job and meeting the high expectations from Keyence wouldn't be possible without them. The products from Keyence are the best in the market (yes, I drank the KoolAid). They are the top price point and top performance. You are selling an iPad Pro, not a Kindle Fire. My office-mates are easy to get along with. Everyone is helpful, there's no backstabbing. If my colleague finds and opportunity where we could compete head-to-head to sell, he will be very transparent and we will work together to provide a solution for the customer, not keep it a secret to get the sale.
Cons
Long hours, many metrics to keep track of, competitive promotion structure. Office culture is highly variable. Like I said above, this job isn't for everyone. They do hire a lot of people out of college, and they do get burnt out sometimes. Keyence tells you what is expected, but they don't always verify that the candidate is up to the task, just that they are capable. Promotions are largely based on your performance relative to your peers (same level in same product group). There is very little consideration for if you are a clear choice for promotion, even if your numbers on paper say otherwise. Even worse, they will promote someone who is not ready based entirely on amazing sales performance - even if it's a fluke. Patience is key. My office culture experience can't be guaranteed. I have heard some stories that contradict what I said above - as with anything, it depends on who you end up sitting next to, but the company does its best to guide offices towards what I've experienced.
