Pros
No daily commute - all Field Reps work from home offices throughout the US. Job Security - there seems to be an endless supply of work, most likely because we provide thorough reports for all types of businesses for a small amount of money. Flexible schedule within a work day, i.e. easy to make personal appointments, pick up children from school. Good work/life balance. Management leaves you alone as long as you get all of your work done and meet your weekly goals. The overall benefit package is solid and includes the standard stuff (PTO, health/dental, 401 (K)) and also a work vehicle (Ford Fusion), basic HP laptop, camera and iPhone.
Cons
Just about everything. The job itself is at times rewarding and interesting, and you will see many businesses and buildings that are fascinating. However, usually you are meeting with people who don't want to meet with you and they view you as a 'villain' or police officer there solely to find issues and increase their rates. My analogy of this job is: IRS agent + Data entry Specialist + Police Office = ISO Field Representative. My least favorite part of the job is setting an appointment. They are required by all customers and it is a nightmarish process. About 50% of the time we are not provided with the proper contact and you can spend hours just trying to find the right person. Lots of cold calling and you will feel like a salesperson trying to get your foot in the door. We are expected to complete 7-10 building inspections per week, and the reports are very tedious. We are expected to operate like factories that churn out building underwriting reports. Reports will include construction data, fire protection analysis, sometimes 100-200 liability-related questions, a diagram, a roof report, valuations - on and on. Overtime is rarely approved (I have received less than 20 total hrs of paid OT in 2 years), and we are expected to get all of the work done in a 37.5 hour work week. I have been averaging 45-50 hours since starting in 2015 - approximately 700 hours of unpaid OT - all to get a 2% raise. The job is 100% production-based measured by a flawed point-based system. You will receive a similar amount of points for inspecting a 300,000 sq. ft. warehouse or a 1500 sq. ft. restaurant. This makes no sense, and the result is poor and incomplete reports since we are not provided with enough time to do a thorough inspection. There is no incentive to go above and beyond. The salary and annual raises are very low. I have exceeded all expectations and goals, and so far have received one 2% raise for my efforts since 2015 . Raises are entirely based on the flawed production system, not whether you are accurate or efficient. The quarterly bonuses are tiny (~$650/quarter after taxes) and if you take more than a few days off a quarter, you have a small chance of reaching the bonus. Oh, I forgot about the $30 Holiday Bonus. What a joke. All of the software we use is archaic, and our main software is a DOS-based system from 1989. Seriously. Our CAD drawing software (Apex) is the 2001 version. We use numerous softwares and they do not communicate with each other, which causes us to enter the same information 4 or 5 times on a single order - completely inefficient. We have nearly 100 different customers, and each customer has unique requests, process and forms. This creates confusion, uncertainty and again, a highly inefficient process. There is 'Zero' company culture, at least for Field Reps. There are '22' Field Reps on our 'team' and I have met only 6 of them in person over the last two years. There are no meetings or discussions to make the process easier or more efficient. I have spoken to my manager twice in the last 7 months who lives 1100 miles away. Almost all communication is via email. Over 90% of job openings are in the New Jersey HQ, and there seems to be little to no growth opportunity for Field Reps.