Vantaggi
Opportunities: Edelman is a huge name and you’ve got to give credit where credit is due. It opens up avenues and channels to speak with incredibly talented and bright people. The smartest people I have ever worked with and encountered. Switched on. The drive to succeed is there and it’s great to work with such passionate people. “It’s the people” is a phrase you’ll hear endlessly, but it’s true. Cafeteria: The catering and hospitality staff are just absolutely wonderful people! The food they produce is scrumptious. Whether you are wheat free, nut free – anything, you name it – they have something for you. You’ll never be hungry. Just another way of keeping staff in the office working and never away from their emails. Work events: Lots of big-budget Christmas/Summer events like treasure hunts is a great chance to get to know people from other departments. Clients: Great roster of clients. Flexibility: Can work from home. This all depends on what department you’re in. Training: Lots of it on offer. Often there is a lack of time to attend but with effective planning you can do it! Make sure you have the time to go or you can make a lot of stakeholders (internal and external) very cross with you.
Svantaggi
Culture: This is by far the most toxic working environment I have ever been exposed to. If you want to feel like a resource rather than a human being then please sign up. - Long hours is the “Edelman way”. The ‘Always On’ culture is the “Edelman way”. ‘Cancel your plans you’re working until 11pm and will be back at your desk for 7am’ is the “Edelman way”. For juniors in particular, this often means that they are working for less than the minimum wage – #exploitation - Sorry, what’s that, you have a life and a personality? Well forget that. You’ll soon be made to feel worthless and your personality removed as you succumb to ridiculous bureaucracy. Felt like a slave. - The hierarchy is a joke. “Their pay grade is higher than mine” attitude means often things just don’t get done in time making the whole PR process inefficient. - Unreasonable deadlines promised to the client, which will have you lying awake at 2am thinking about what you have left on your list - Is it 1999? Why is so much communication still done via email and messenger? Diversity: In some ways the company is diverse. It depends on what team you are on. Gender, socio-economic background, race and disability are all areas that Edelman needs to go back to the drawing board and address. It is elitist. It is the global elite and at times this is propagated by the recruitment referral scheme which means that the company becomes about “who you know” rather than a “what strengths you have” environment. High Turnover: Hard to ignore especially amongst juniors irrespective of what department you’re on. The disappearance of life outside the office might have something to do with it, alongside the nasty way in which management and external stakeholders speak to juniors. There are one or two bad eggs who like the furniture have been there so long they think they run the place. They need to be kept in check. Don’t Believe the Hype: Professional PR company that knows how to PR itself. Sans ‘Deportivo’ (an acquisition), the digital capabilities at Edelman are lacking and so is innovation. It’s an old school PR shop, simple as that. Quick turnaround means the work is rarely up to scratch. Overall – run, run, run as fast as you can for your sanity, your pride and your life. Don't look back.