Employee Caliber (including the CEO) - Not as it Used to Be
Pros
The company is socially responsible and truly cares about social issues and human welfare. A well recognized brand with ongoing, consistent sales training
Cons
Job descriptions today have lower overall requirements than the identical role demanded several years ago and salaries are lower than the average. If you're of the mindset that starting at a lower overall salary and working hard to build your reputation will set you up for an extraordinary, long-term career, you could be disappointed. HP values their shareholders. Lower wages across every category became a priority when former CEO Meg Whitman recognized that the company was an inverted pyramid, rather than a conventional pyramid - with fewer people at the bottom than near the top. The average wage in each category today is less than the same position paid in 1990. If you stay in a job role long enough to be at the top of the position's salary band, its very likely your job will be eliminated in 18 months or less. You may also endure "penalty for performance". Quotas are not based on averages or pipeline likelihood but rather on the last six months plus management's agreed growth percentage - e.g., if you have a rockstar fiscal half, your next quota will be set at the record breaking sum plus an increased 9-15%. The reality penalty is virtually zero commission and an unattainable quota, leaving your employment stability vulnerable. There are only 500 Fortune 500 companies - beware if you have the "good fortune" of closing a double digit, multi-million dollar purchase. A closed "special hardware project" in one fiscal half on paper becomes the expected run rate computer hardware expectation.
