Exponent reviews

3.0

34% would recommend to a friend

(79 total reviews)
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Catherine Corrigan

30% approve of CEO

30% positive business outlook

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79 reviews

Reviews about "Compensation"

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2.0
Jan 10, 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Extremely receptive to hiring people with only academic experience (i.e., fresh out of grad school), which can be a great alternative to those considering post-doctoral work. You'll get a greater variety of work than you thought possible, and have some big brains to bounce ideas off. Something approaching "fun" may ensue. The pay is reasonable. Entry-level employees can get massive overtime.

Cons

Not a particularly helpful or supportive work environment. A fellow employee (or even your boss) will gladly throw you under the bus to save themselves if you share a mistake. No orientation, no actual "managing," little praise or encouragement. The fight for billable work and credit for bringing in clients can make for a tense atmosphere, especially between the more junior and more senior staff, but also for those of equal rank. You are only as good as the amount of money you are bringing in, and little time is afforded for you to learn your job before high expectations are placed. Taking time off (even a personal day) is begrudged and counted against your annual billing quotient.

5.0
Oct 12, 2012

Great place for self-starters who happen to be workaholics

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Variety is the spice of life. No boss to speak of, other than the client. Crazy schedule and fast burn projects make things exciting. Salary starts out a bit on the low side for the expectations and workload, but high performance is definitely rewarded, especially when you get to the manager level and above. Once you get to principal you have the golden handcuffs firmly in place. This place is a total meritocracy. Individual performance based on billable hours is measured, quantified and reported on a weekly basis to everyone in the company. Loafers and people who don't come up to speed quickly with the corporate culture don't survive long. You are surrounded by high performing, brilliant colleagues from top universities. Hard to think of a better environment to strut your stuff. If you just graduated with a Ph.D. from a top university and want to know if you've got what it takes to compete against the best, brightest and hardest working Ph.D.s from the other top universities, then Exponent might be the place for you.

Cons

Work-life balance very difficult (dare I say impossible) to achieve. This is definitely a company for workaholics. Raw performance is measured and rewarded, so if you are someone who thinks they can rest on their laurels and prior success, don't bother. If your spouse doesn't have a career and wants to stay home with the kids, this may be the perfect place for you. Heaven help you if you are a dual income household with two career minded partners. Nearly all of senior management is divorced or is married to a spouse who has no professional career. No formalized training to speak of. This is a sink or swim career path. You either get it or you don't. You must be a self-starter and come up to speed very quickly, otherwise you will be looking for your next job less than a year after your start date.

4.0
Aug 25, 2012
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Brilliant coworkers, wide variety of projects, faced-paced work environment, good compensation

Cons

Management at this company doesn't manage people, they manage projects so you really have to stand up for yourself and take charge of your career if you want anything to happen, unpredictable work schedule

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