Great experience, but always a stepping stone
Pros
- You will gain a lot of good work experience in a fast paced environment. The company is publicly traded, so there is pressure to work hard and be as innovative as possible. - The company is headquartered in Silicon Valley for those looking to pursue a career in tech - Low level employees (Directors and below) are great to work with, and you will make friends out of them. - The health benefits are very affordable. - Kitchen is always stacked with tea, coffee, soda, snacks, cereal, etc.
Cons
- COMPENSATION: This is the biggest concern I've heard from every single employee (former or current). If you work at QuinStreet, expect to be paid 30-40% less than the average rate for the exact job/title in the Bay Area. However, VPs and Executives are compensated very handsomely. - Raises/Bonuses: Everyone is brought on board at a sub-market rate, but are promised annual bonuses and raises. At the end of the fiscal year, expect your raise to be 5-8% if you are promoted, and 1-3% if you are not promoted. This keeps every employee at a sub-market salary for their titles and responsibilities. Also, you will only receive a maximum of 70% of your already low bonus potential. - Lack of respect for low level/high performing employees: If you prove yourself as a high performing employee in a lower level job title, you will be expected to take on more responsibilities without a fair raise or a guaranteed promotion. - Promotion Cycle: This ties into the prior statement. It can take 2-3 years to get promoted from one level to the next, even if your responsibilities deem promotion within 1 year. QuinStreet has a very nonsensical vertical promotion structure which strictly rewards the amount of years you've been with the company, rather than based on performance. - Dying Industry: QuinStreet's entire business model is based off of lead generation for specific market verticals including mortgages, credit cards, for profit education and auto insurance. With more companies conducting in-house marketing, and google making its way into the led-gen space, QuinStreet is slowly losing its purpose in the marketplace.
