Challenging at times, but exciting also!
Pros
- Helpful co-workers. - Great benefits. - Exciting services to help clients produce quality applications for their customers. Been involved with uTest (now Applause) for many years now as a community member / employee (former) and really enjoyed my experience; more so at the beginning though. Upper management has a positive outlook for a potential IPO in the future. Middle management is OK. Fellow co-workers are extraordinary, eager to help, provide helpful suggestions to problems, cover for you when you are on vacation or traveling and willing to step in to make projects successful. Unlimited PTO is the stated policy along with other perks (bonus, etc.) The services the company provides are diverse and relevant to the industry. Overall, the company is headed in the right direction, but as always with high growth companies things can be stressful.
Cons
- No work/life balance (Management expects you to work endlessly - this is a 24/7 environment, a 'services / SAAS' company) - expect this if employed. You will work nights/weekends fairly regularly (most likely at home for after-hours work). - Stated job duties and goals are not completely presented to you up-front. Communication between managers and subordinates needs work. Never think you are doing what the manager wants you to do. Always verify and ask - get clarification, keeps records, otherwise you may receive a negative review, when you thought you were doing what your manager wanted you to do. - Too much work and not enough people. They need to hire more to spread the workload. Things have since started to recede after recent changes to management. Upper management seems too focused at times on the potential IPO, which could cause other issues to be ignored. Expect stress is pretty much all I can say!
