Smithsonian reviews

4.1

66% would recommend to a friend

(508 total reviews)
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Dr. David J. Skorton

75% approve of CEO

64% positive business outlook

Smithsonian has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 508 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Smithsonian employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Nonprofit & NGO industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

508 reviews
3.0
Mar 5, 2016

Career training

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- collections - people/ co-workers - exciting new things to see

Cons

- lack of leadership - no clear goals. Strategic plans are a joke. No inclusion or transparency at all. They make and decide what they want to accomplish and you get to do all the work. - wage disparity from the top - down (all public information) if you are curious to know what your boss makes you can find it online. It's a total bummer how much work/soul you put into the job and well... your pay doesn't amount to much. Directors and Curators are making about 3 - 4 times the GS - 5 position and you never know what they do. - growth potential is minimal. Most people ahead of you are in full time permanent positions. Good luck trying to get them out. - favoritism is rampant. If the bosses like (i mean worship) you they will watch out for you. No questions asked. High importance on new people coming into department once your first year is up you get cycled into a stalled career and no growth. - most departments have too many contractors and no positions for them once they are done. So don't assume you will get a job after wards.

5.0
Feb 15, 2016

My Time at the Smithsonian

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great company culture with open and relaxed environment. Nurturing employees with an array of interest and experience

Cons

Slow paced work schedule. Endless meetings and expensive cafeteria food because of free admission into the museum

3.0
Jan 14, 2016

Poor management

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Pay, benefits, and coworkers are all great pro's. But with all good things there is one major issue. Need to fill the 20 word minimum

Cons

The one major issue that really messed it up was on the admin side of the business. There is clear ageism and management is sit. They ruin it for what would be a great job

Viewing 64 - 66 of 508 Reviews

Glassdoor has 797 Smithsonian reviews submitted anonymously by Smithsonian employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Smithsonian is right for you.