Pros
I came to Whitaker with almost 10 years of recruiting experience and as a proven producer, I probably could have gotten a job recruiting anywhere. But for a host of reasons, I chose to come to Whitaker, and now 26 years later (!!) I'm still glad I did. Whitaker has become "home" to me in many ways. The owner of our company has proven time and again that he cares about the people who work for him 24/7 and not just from 8-5. He believes in bottom up management - that his job is to find ways to support the producers who work for him and enable them to become successful. There is no "glass ceiling" here. People are allowed to advance based strictly on merit and contribution to the company. Everyone is encouraged to pursue industry training opportunities and attend industry conferences. And ongoing training and continuous "sharpening the saw" is a cornerstone of the company's core values. Having worked for Whitaker for 12 years as a single mom, I fully appreciated the consideration and flexibility given to me through the years allowing me to juggle being both employee/recruiter and mom. And of course the outstanding benefit program has been an important part of my compensation package. In an industry that is rife with turnover and where successful recruiters leave big companies to go out on their own, it's extremely unusual to find as many tenured recruiters as you see at Whitaker. In fact I've been asked many times why I never went out on my own. Perhaps the simplest answer is that it's because I couldn't ask to have anything more than what I have now, and I don't have to deal with any of the headaches!
Cons
Whitaker does not have a huge corporate parent company so if you aspire to no longer "work a desk", Whitaker is not the place. Everyone on the management team at Whitaker (other than the President) is a "working manager" and is integrally involved in the placement process on a daily basis.
