Good career here if you can navigate the organization
Pros
Working at PW can be a rewarding experience if you can navigate the organization. The salary can be outstanding. If you want to work at PW and maximize your experience here is a perspective to get there. PW is best for those with 5-10 years experience elsewhere. Also great for those with no experience to learn how the industry works. Learn and work hard first six months - hit the ground running. Everyone is watching you for this time and your reputation will be set quickly. Work as much as you can take now and you can work normal hours later. Establish your reputation. Have a talk with your supervisor on what it will take to get an EP rating. EPs get the highest increases and best visibility. Ask specifically from your supervisor what it takes to get the EP rating and write in your objective document. When it comes time to hand it out you have a good justification to fight for it. Only 1-2 EPs are given out per working group so establish this early. If you do not get it and hit your goals ask why and push for a higher raise anyway. Establish peer networks - during these first few months you must establish a network of people inside and outside your working group. Start with your internal group first. Find someone there who can show you around and guide you preferably someone with 5-10 years there. Use networking groups within PW to build a network outside your working group. Many people are fairly social at work so this won't be too hard - even in engineering. Having these networks help with familiarity of the organization. Set aside part of your paycheck for having lunch with anyone and everyone - the cafeteria works well. Get to know your HR manager well or someone in HR and be in their good graces - HR runs your career at PW not your supervisor necessarily. HR has all the inside information and can quickly accelerate your career by tipping you off to new and better jobs. They also recommend people first for jobs and usually are final gatekeepers on all jobs. They also influence and run leadership reviews - which means you can get fast tracked more quickly. I have personally seen people with years of experience and leadership skills get passed over for leadership for people who are friends with HR managers. Don't skip this step. Get an executive mentor(s) - after about 6 months find an executive mentor. This needs to be an executive. When 6 mos rolls around you should start looking for one and get one within 9 months. Some executives are more strict on mentoring than others but all of them will be willing to do it. First preference is someone within your organization chain. If you get a meeting with them be prepared - know what you want to do at PW (do not be shy) and ask how to get there. Executives know how to maneuver the politic and they can recommend you for better jobs and better salaries. It is OK to have more than one. Switch jobs every 2 years - to grow here you have to constantly switch jobs. Learn and grow in first year of your job, make a difference in role at 18 mos plus start looking for new job, 24 mos have new job. Your salary and your reputation will not grow without it. Do not fall for lines on staying in a job - many have listened to this advice and are now eternally stuck there with 0-3% raises. The high profile jobs that can help you succeed more quickly at PW - jobs directly supporting the sales organization (executive interaction constantly), Customer Service, fleet management, FP&A, systems engineering, program management, legal, supply chain, operations. Wrapping up PW can be a great place to work if you know how to approach it. PW wants aggressive talent that is smart, socially savvy and bold. You can not be introverted or shy to be successful there. There are many smart talented people there but the bold and socially savvy people succeed while the other smart talented people get poorly compensated and become unhappy. Be happy and get paid well.
Cons
If you can not navigate the organization then PW can be a nightmare and a quagmire You must be smart, socially savvy, and bold (pro and con): First rule at PW is to be smart and pull your weight in your job. Next rule is to be socially savvy. Third is to be bold and aggressive. Management does not like the introverted, the indecisive, the poor communicators or those who do not deliver results regardless of excuse. If they see you that way you will be stuck at your position forever. You must be aggressive and communicate well to succeed there and be identified for management. PW is survival of the fittest at the management levels. You have to fight your way to the top. Communication by powerpoint is key. You must network at all levels and jump at opportunities to work on projects and present to executives. You must go to parties and networking events. Executives give projects to people they like and know. You must go to Summer parties and holiday parties to network to get promoted and succeed. I highly suggest learning to play golf (a $500 investment with clubs) and playing in United Way tournaments and golf leagues - easy way to network and succeed. Know where you want to be in 5 years; if not there in 5 - leave. PW is known for having high potential. However if you are not on a fast track and are ambitious you need to get out. Staying beyond 5 years without a direction leads to getting stuck there and becoming unhappy. There are many other companies that will take your skill set you learned from PW and pay you 20-30% more. Don't get stuck with a 0-2% raise when you can make more. Besides - PW has a reputation of taking people back after a couple of years of leaving with a 20-30% bump and promotions. Engineering is the slowest route to promotion - engineering is notorious for not promoting people and having to wait in line 20-30 years to become a manager. Do yourself a favor if you are ambitious - don't stay there. Do your 4-5 years and go work somewhere else. If you are young or have little experience you are not valued greatly even if you are a superstar. Rotation programs such as FLP or LDP make you believe you are doing well and are fast-tracked. However there is a youth bias at PW. If you are under 30 or starting out of college you can be an EP your first few years and it means nothing. The people that get the manager jobs are over 30 and/or come from outside with 5-10 years experience or have good relationship with HR managers. You will not be managing 5 years out of college even with an MBA and other credentials. Compensation guidelines - there are usually rules that everyone get 0%-3% raises yearly. This is an easy way for HR and supervisors to get around the difficult discussions around salary they don't want to have. There are many people that get much higher (10+%) raises. You have to fight for it to get it (squeaky wheel idea). Awards are also not limited - you will hear certain awards are limited to 1-2 per year - HR says this to keep things fair. However if you can't get the big raise ask for multiple awards a year. There is no limit to these despite the general guidelines. Learn to say no - except to your boss and executives - to preserve work life balance - your boss somewhat and executives to a heavy degree set your upward mobility. To achieve work life balance say no as much as you can to tasks except to your boss and executives. Any direct work from executives comes first and is much more valuable to your career. Help your peers when you can but do not do their work for them - many get caught in that trap - make your peers work because they probably make more than you do. That is harsh to say but unless you want to work 80 hours a week with no benefit you have to do it.
