Beware. Northern Trust is very, very conservative and in many way is is a throwback to the 1950s. Dress in the banking areas of NT is business--all the time. Women dress to the nines on the banking side and are required to wear a jacket at all times (they do not want bare arms to show); They consider sweater twin sets inappropriate. Men same (even though they are required to wear long sleeve shirts). On the investments side, they are business casual, but dressy business casual.
It is very difficult to get access to allow you to sync up your work computer to your Blackberry/Palm; requires Executive Management approval, and most requests are denied. Flash drives are also not permitted and computers there will not recognize them. Your computer activity, including emails, websites, IMs, are very closely monitored.
Many people have been there for years (15+), which also equates to much dead weight. As such, it is very hard to advance in this company, no matter what they tell you. There is quite a bit of office politiking going on and colleagues will not hesitate to throw you under the bus if they thought it meant recognition by Management. Management also has their "favorites" and are not discreet about their feelings.
I took my job at Northern because they are a good, solid company that has respect in the industry. I also heard about the high-caliber of employees and opportunities for advancement. The people I interviewed with confirmed my impressions. However, when I joined the organization, I was deeply disappointed. It became quickly obvious that they put forth their best employees to interview me. Many of my colleagues do not live up to the reputation.
If you are looking to work at a place that is progressive and values creativity, this is not the place. However, if you like routine, don't want to think too much, and start right at 8:30 and leave at 5:00, Northern Trust is for you. Currently, I am looking
