Pros
> This is common for most jobs we'll ever have, but tends to always the people. The folks at Aircall are cool and it made working there really enjoyable. I think the positive culture of the company was curated by the ICs, the folks I'd interact with more on the day-to-day. > Unlimited PTO is a nice perk if you're comfortable enough to actually use it. If you're not swayed too much by the culture of your team (e.g. they rarely take PTO), it's worth it. > A lot of project based work with opportunity for input or ownership. I think if you're especially early in your career, this is a major upside because you get to be part of a lot of impactful work and quickly gain experience.
Cons
> Poor leadership retention. Something was always changing, especially the faces of leadership. The turnover rate was high. At some point I zoned out and was apathetic to who was coming and going. If this is something that demotivates you, definitely be mindful of this trait. > Bad support for employees. On my team, we had limited headcount and capacity but had to take on a lot. People were let go left and right and the workload only increased in unrealistic ways. I was less than a year into my role and was given a huge responsibility that had no innate checks and balances, and I was not given appropriate guidance into taking it on. > Bad manager (this'll be a long one). They say a manager can make or break your work experience and I can attest to that. I left specifically because I no longer wanted to work alongside my manager. I knew it wouldn't be good for my career growth. There are "people" managers and there are "work" managers, she was very easily the latter. Very execution driven but severely limited ability to people manage. I had limited to no support from her, particularly after my first 4-5 months. She would turn our 1:1s into working sessions. She would work or message people during our 1:1s, not giving our session full attention. She would constantly show up late with no heads-up. She wouldn't give me regular feedback, which I attempted to embed into our weekly 1:1s. She would, at times, say I was doing great. Then tell me I had been declining for some time. Most unhelpful, her feedback was always centered around an error or mistake of mine, and was rarely constructive or wholistic. I didn't question much after the first couple occurrences, as that gave me the read I needed into her managing style. The one time I communicated some concerns, shortly before I left, she was dismissive, condescending, apathetic, and made an ageist remark. My biggest issue with her managing style was her micromanaging and ability to impose urgency in situations that did not require it. Overall she was not a great manager and once I understood that, I knew I had no place working there. There's enough growth opportunities out there that I don't need to subject myself to negligent management that only prioritizes their own corporate climbing. She produced good work and knew how to build relationships with senior leaders, which I valued about working with her when I first started. But a people leader? I have more unusual or harmful experiences, but I think I covered the basis of her managing style/behaviors. I can say, however, that I appreciate the experience. I know the red flags to watch out for in future management. I know to set boundaries clearly and immediately. I'm glad I went through this now rather than later. I feel pretty confident I won't walk into a role with this type of manager again. I also know for certain the type of manager I'll never be. Those are pros within this con.
