Pros
• Professionals – There is a very real reason why Straight North has the reputation is does. It attracts and cultivates some of the best talent in the Chicago SEM area. You will be working with lots of experienced professionals who are dedicated to staying on top of the ever changing trends that are SEM. • Management – The management was top notch. While it might look a little top heavy, each play a very important role and all bring great value to the process and company. • Growth – While an employee there was good growth, which is important on many levels. This did not come with some challenges in client management, internal strategy and resource management, but that’s just part of growth. • Good people – This tends to be a said at every company, but the people at SN for the most part are just good people. Sure everyone has their differences/personalities, but very rarely will you find someone with an attitude or negative. This is really important to have when you’re working on large scale, complex and accelerated projects. Lots of good ideas out there, but few good teams. • Learning – Straight North offers a lot of hands on experience. If you’re a young professional, this can be very important for building your resume and skillset. You will learn a LOT and it will be key in your growth within SEM and as a professional. If you are a little more seasoned, there are many opportunities for you to grow/learn through other professionals. • Goodies – There was always goodies/drinks available for all employees, to include good coffee. Very much appreciated.
Cons
• Internal management - The history of Straight North while very interesting, was founded in friends creating a business, which is great, but can also bring challenges when needing to be honest with one another. Previous reviews have noted that the company may be a bit cliquish, but that is just the result of the company’s history. That being said, I wouldn’t say it’s a large CON, but something that should be noted. Outside of that, the office politics were pretty non-existent and really didn’t effect any day to day operations. • COO – Wanted to note this, as another review touched on it. While at Straight North, I did get the feeling that the COO had a heavy hand. More than a few employees confided in me that his style of management chased away talent and created an environment of people not wanting to speak up. I did witness this a few times. That being said, being a COO a growing company is not easy, but I believe everyone’s opinion is important and each employee should be treated with respect. Some people have sharp elbows and that’s fine, but you should try and cultivate an environment where employees want to speak up. Also, my whole time there, I really looked at him as more of a CTO, rather than a COO, as he was pretty far removed from the front lines. Not really a CON per say, but some feedback for management. • Client management – Straight North is very efficient in their processes; however sometimes they can be too efficient. If there is an issue, I would rather do things right to rectify the situation, then try and meet a deadline that is unreasonable and which may make the situation worse. Everyone wants to get things do on time, but getting them done for the sake of getting them done made projects more complex then they needed to be. Also, some processes were a bit siloed and drastically need refinement; however I’m sure since my time there, they have been addressed.