Pros
Suntrust has a sizeable footprint if you're looking to work in the Southeast. Also, with luck and the right work ethic, it is possible to earn decent money working as a branch rep. The company does have a pension plan, which is rare these days, although it takes 5 years to be fully vested in it.
Cons
From my experience, most if not all regions suffer from extreme micro-management. It's so bad that someone as high-up as a regional LOB manager often sees the need to come in and directly observe tellers and other branch staff. Also, there is NO flexibility in how your job should be done. SunTrust has a "branch operating model", and this must be followed to the T, regerdless of its many flaws. The model essentially makes all jobs "stupid-proof", and hence they are able to bring in unskilled, uneducated employees at low salaries. Because of this, people with retail sales experience are far more valuable to them than anyone with a finance background. To ensure compliance with the model, management requires all employees to complete several layers of redundant reporting. For an example, all employees, even tellers, must complete a "daily contact sheet". This form has spots for every person one encounters on the phone, in person, or otherwise. It also has spots for sales oportunities uncovered, products sold, and follow-up opportunities. The employees must fill this sheet out and give it to the branch manager. The manager then takes these sheets, goes over it with the employee, and transfers the information to another sheet. The area manager then reviews these sheets with the branch managers, and so on. This kind of ridiculous reporting makes it difficult for anoyone to actually get any value-adding work done.
