AdvisoryWorld Financial Technology Reviews

Hopefully I can provide a review of this company (as a former employee) that will assist future prospective employees in helping make their choice. I could go on a rant with expletives and bashing, but I'm going to try to keep it simple, listing out facts, and hopefully answering questions before you decide to apply for a position here. AdvisoryWorld is a company that has been in business a long time and clearly has the ability to stay in business. It was founded many years ago by the current COO's father. The public face of the company is someone who has worked no where in the financial industry (other than this company), by someone who has no experience being an employee at a financial firm (other than this one), and by someone with no experience managing a business or people (other than this one). The Carlsbad office is in constant flux. I'm not sure if there is even a true LA office anymore. Employees in Carlsbad tend to last anywhere between 3 months to a year before leaving. In general, from talking to other former employees, everyone leaves for the same reasons: 1. Hostile work environment 2. Micromanagement 3. No process leading to bad work conditions There is no full-time HR department. And the job of HR seems to do not much more than officially put in writing the demands of upper management. The benefits package is extremely expensive and not all that great (the later being my opinion, not necessarily a fact). Make sure you get any benefit information in writing and signed off on. The holiday schedule was (maybe still is) comical, as we didn't even get all bank holidays off. If I'm not mistaken, there is no law in the U.S. for companies giving holidays to employees. I believe we received New Years Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Hopefully that is improved by the time you're reading this, but that was it. Project Management is all but nonexistent. There is no experience (prior to this company) with project management, no experience in the financial industry, and no experience with software development. The people you work with could be (and usually are) good people. The problem is, the turnover is so high, no one sticks around long enough. And for the people left behind, one message is clear from upper management: it's not the companies fault that someone left, it's obviously something or someone else. Lunchtime... forget about it. I won't even get into detail. Just make sure to ask during your interview what the policy is on lunch. It too was/maybe is still micromanaged. Hopefully after reading this, you'll come to understand that you do NOT want to work at this place. However, if you are desperate for a paycheck, please just ask these simple questions during your interview process. 1) What is the management hierarchy? Whom would I report to? Would I ever directly report to upper management (i.e. VP level or above)? 2) What is your policy on breaks? Am I allowed to go at any time that works best in my schedule? How long can I stay out? Am I allowed to go out on my lunch break, but bring food back and eat at my desk as long as it doesn't interfere with my duties? Are my bathroom breaks kept track of? 3) How many people have there been in the job I'm applying for in the last 2 years? (If it's a "new" position, ask how many employees have left the company over the last 2 years). 4) What release process do you have? How are project timelines affected if requirements change mid project? 5) Do you have actual requirements documentation for projects? How are requirements determined? Is it ad-hoc? 6) What hours am I allowed to work? i.e. Can I start at 6AM and leave at 3PM? Can I work at home? If so, how often? What sort of notice is needed? Can I get that all in writing? While I have some opinions in here (the place really is a nightmare), I hope I was able to deliver a review based mostly on simple, factual points. If you disregard everything, which is fine, at the very least, take to heart the 6 questions above. Please keep them in mind when interviewing. Lastly, in regards to some "5 star" reviews on this company. I question the authenticity, and some of the things mentioned are a bit of a stretch. * "alot of potential to grow". No evidence of that. Love to know what is meant by that. Employees who have been there for extended periods of time have held the exact same title forever. Company financials are not disclosed with anyone. So not sure where this comes from * "The company is growing at a really great clip and all of us are working together to keep things on track" A different 5-star review. Growth apparently is being pushed, albeit, not seen. * "laid back work environment where taking the initiative is rewarded" False. Not laid back at all. Micromanaged lunch policy, leaving early, even for family events, is scrutinized, you can't dress casually (not that you should be able to, but laid back tends to suggest that), you get yelled at weeklyfor __fill in the blank__, ... * "There's a full kitchen and lunch is brought in monthly". Fridge, Microwave, toaster oven, and sink. Sure, it's a kitchen, and it suffices, but don't expect there to be any paper towels. And I dare you to ask what the lunches are which are brought in. It's a forced lunch where everyone must attend in the conference room and eat Jersey Mikes. So not false, but really? This is a perk? * "that doesn't have all the strict regulations of a huge corporation" Has this person every worked at a 'huge' corporation? I've never worked anywhere as strict as this place because the 'regulations' are just edicts from the top down. * "But management is working on processes to ensure communication improves and to make sure everyone gets the support they need". First of all, there is no real management. Which processes exactly are they speaking of? Communication at AdvisoryWorld is either being yelled at, being told you're doing a crappy job, being told you're missing deadlines you never agreed to, or whispering to other colleagues to find out if they got that 2nd interview at some other company.

company is so desperate they have executive management come on Glassdoor and make fake reviews. company has been around for decades and has less than ten employees despite attempts to grow. people get hired and regret the decision a month later and immediately start working on an exit plan- it takes some people longer than others. this is all due to poor local executive management in Carlsbad office. they have tried all kinds of band aids to fix the problem because in their minds the employees are the problem, not themselves. you wouldn't believe how toxic, awkward and uncomfortable the office is. attempts to go out to "team lunches" are really funny... expect sandwiches while real companies are out at restaurants and allowed to spend $50 or more per person. take a look at their current office. they moved into a bigger space that holds probably 25, had a bunch of resignations (predictably), and now it's a ghost town. laughter in the office? nah. friendly banter? nope. everyone is led by fear and micromanagement disguised in false friendliness and insincere talk talk talk. benefits are also very bad. very very bad. executive management maybe doesn't know how bad because they've never had any other jobs anywhere else for comparison. and don't think they'll make up the benefits with a higher base salary, they still pay for under market. a quick Google search on your own market value will prove this.