Good experience if you can put up with the BS - Anonymous employee Smithbucklin Employee Review

2.0
Mar 27, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

SmithBucklin's MO is to hire kids right out of college and often put them in positions to gain great amount of experience. Experience that in many cases someone so green would not get the opportunity to learn. A lot of potential for advancement (due to significant turnover).

Cons

The cons though to this experience are great. First note that their staffing model is to be running everyone at 45-50+ hours plus under optimum situations. What is an optimum staffing situation you might ask. Well if there was no turnover and everyone who worked their was fully able to do their job 100%, then you would probably be working 45 hours a week. The problem is annual turnover among the non-executive staff is 20-25%, which means all the work of those open positions and new hires who don't know what they are doing yet then falls upon those that stick around. This leads to an office where you can easily expect a normal work level at 50-55 hours per week. Please note that while you will be getting good experience, and if you survive this first trial, then you will likely get promoted pretty quickly (not a lot of people last long enough for promotion). This leads to the other awful part of SmithBucklin, no matter how hard you work there, and promotions you receive, you will be paid your age not your job title. SmithBucklin's expenses are 98%+ payroll, so they keep this down by encouraging the constant turnover grind that I have outlined above. Additionally the culture seems broken, as many people who don't leave seem not to because they are so stressed out they don't have the time/energy to devote to a job search. Last year the CEO and CFO left the company, and there are serious concerns about a leadership void that has been created with there retirements.

Explore other reviews about Smithbucklin

5.0
Jul 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great work environment Hybrid work schedule - office and WFH

Cons

Low ceiling for climbing the job ladder.

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Smithbucklin Response
1d
We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. We're glad you enjoy our work environment and hybrid flexibility. We appreciate you sharing your perspective on career growth.
3.0
Jun 14, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

1. Gaining experience in marketing, communications, editorial operations, project management, time management, organizational skills, and interpersonal communication, which can help you become more competent in those areas, learn what you're good at, like and dislike, progress your career with the company, or use the experience to pursue another role that fits your goals. 2. Working a hybrid schedule with the ability to handle your work on a computer is a great lifestyle and flexibility advantage. Working adjacent to Downtown Chicago is an incredible experience that can bring even more lifestyle, professional, and personal opportunities. 3. Networking and getting to know a diverse group of people in the company and your department is great for relationship building, both professionally and socially. 4. Smithbucklin provides a robust onboarding and professional development program, providing support for advancing your career, feeling more comfortable at the company, and pushing you to grow.

Cons

1. Workloads can be overwhelming if not properly managed. Managing tasks for several clients at once demands a higher level of time management, organization, consistency, and interpersonal communication tolerance (for a great number of meetings, emails, and messages) that seem to be quite challenging for many associates. But if you ground yourself and continue to become efficient at your workflows, you can handle it. 2. Performing work across different clients makes it hard to focus and specialize. You may be more of a generalist starting, but by discovering the industries, clients, and type of work you like, you may be able to carve out a path you want. 3. The work itself, which can consist of executing digital marketing, comms, or editorial operations tasks, can seem underwhelming, and the learning curve may take time, but the tasks themselves are not necessarily difficult.

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Smithbucklin Response
4w
Thank you for your feedback. We're glad you valued the professional development opportunities, hybrid work environment and collaborative culture. We appreciate your time with us and wish you success in your future endeavors.
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