ICF reviews

Career advancement can be difficult. They have very specific career paths which is difficult to move into a certain direction because of unclear criteria or changes in management. (They are mainly a project-based company so your "manager" can change with each assignment.) Annual reviews are difficult too. In the years I've been there, the review process has changed every year, sometimes being more lengthy or subjective than it should. Being in one line of business over another can be competitive as well. They don't seem to want to easily let you go to another LOB because that may mean lost business for them. You also need to be a go-getter and be expected to be a valued contributor. This can be viewed positively or negatively by some, but I didn't have problems with this unspoken view and found it rewarding. However, if you expect easy assignments or don't contribute, you will struggle here.

Working hard to grow the company, but in some ways by nickel and diming the employees. Benefits have decreased twice in the past year. If you want a significant promotion or salary increase, you need to apply for a new position within the company. If you're on a project that either ends or is not won back, which happens a lot in project work, you can pretty much bank on being laid off. There's very little effort to help you find new work. Or if you're not 100% billable, don't trust that your job is secure. It's very common for employees to network internally to find enough work to remain billable and to secure their jobs. It can create a stressful work environment.