Pros
I enjoy going to work each day because of the people I get to work with and the challenges I'm confronted with each day. I've worked plenty of jobs and Carvana is easily the best place I've ever worked for the following reasons: Culture / Environment - I've had the opportunity to meet and interview candidates and every single candidate comments about the vibe and energy in the building. I feel it every day. Even though we are maturing and growing, we still have the same energy and I love experiencing it each day. - The people drive the culture. I feel like we hire people with similar traits. Generally, I think people here really care about the success of the company and their fellow team members. We don't tolerate ego maniacs that care first and foremost about their personal success at the cost of others or the company. The people that are most successful seem to genuinely care about getting involved to help the success of the company. I've worked at places where people are in it for themselves, and it creates politics and a negative work environment. Even as I write this, I'm shocked at the lack of politics we have at Carvana, I hope we keep that up. - HR Team: I'm going to give these guys a shout out because they work very hard to keep our culture in tact. Whether it's the many events they put on like basketball, ping pong, and soccer tournaments, or the waffle breakfasts, company lunches, etc. The energy of the company is driven by this group, they are protective of our environment and its clear in the people they hire. This is the best HR team I've ever interacted with and they understand management's vision and ensure the culture is maintained. Senior Management - About 18 months ago I decided to relocate to PHX from California. It wasn't an easy decision because of the many opportunities to find challenging roles where I was living. However, my family decided to relocate and I was lucky to find Carvana at the right time. I was sitting in the interview room with Ernie (CEO) and Mark (CFO) came rolling in. Ernie was wearing some bright polo shirt and I believe pink shorts. I remember thinking, who is this guy? He had a ton of energy and could talk a mile a minute. Mark on the other hand was quiet and methodical. Although they seemed like polar opposites, I could see that they were on the same page. I met with them for 20 or 30 minutes, and I knew that this was going to be a special opportunity. The passion and vision were obvious, and I was even challenged in the interview to see if I would bring that same passion. I loved it, I was sold, and working here only confirmed my first impressions. - After joining the Company, I met the different members of the senior management team and realized many were friends of Ernie's from college and what not. This was initially concerning to me because at my prior company, many of the executives were friends of the CEO and unfortunately it didn't function very well with people competing for his affections and essentially being yes men. At Carvana, it's a different story. Our executives are clearly on the same page and understand the vision. I've told many colleagues that we are lucky at how quickly they align and make decisions, but at the same time challenge each other to ensure we are making the right decisions. For an executive team they are young and might lack in experience in all areas, but I never question their commitment and caring for the company and employees ,and their drive to make this a special experience. This view is shared by all my colleagues, we feel lucky to have this group leading us. Opportunities - One thing that was clear to me is that the company values employees that are willing to contribute in whatever way they can to help the company. Of course we all have our standard responsibilities we need to take care of, but management encourages proactive behavior to help the company achieves its objectives. This creates additional opportunities to stretch and grow, which is key to me for my career progression and personal growth. General Success - The Company is doing great. We are growing like crazy and it's just fun to be a part of that. I came from an area in California where everyone wants to be a part of this type of company, but they are hard to find. I end up moving to Arizona and happen to land in one such company. This is a heavy contributor to the environment and energy of the company, because we are all working hard to keep this going.
Cons
I love working here. No place is perfect. I would list the following as the challenges I see: Systems - Our systems aren't great. We were a subsidiary of a larger retail company at one point and still use some of the same systems. Since I was hired, we are steadily separating many of our operations and systems from that company and that has been great. Realistically we are probably looking at a 12 - 24 month period before the systems are completely separate, but I do appreciate that management is prioritizing this so we can get systems that directly meet the needs of our business and will help create a lot of efficiency. It's not a huge hinder to the work we perform, it can create obstacles though. Growth Challenges - With a quickly growing company we will run into challenges with that fast paced growth. Some groups end up working extra hours to meet the success and from reading some of the reviews it's clear that some people have felt that was a bit too much. I do believe management cares about that and actively try to find ways to reward those people, and I appreciate that the management team puts in as many hours as anyone from what I've seen. Young Company - We are a young company, only in business for a few years now. Our executives and directors are young which can result in lack of experience. Perhaps we have a misstep or two because we are learning together. I will say that on the flip side, I've felt more empowered because management doesn't have preconceived notions about how things have to be for the most part. My boss at my prior company had 25+ years of direct experience and I can only assume that contributed to his very structured view of our department and complete lack of flexibility. Where our management team lacks in experience they make up for in flexibility and creativity to attack solutions because its clear they just want to find the best way, and the old ways aren't always the best ways.