Pros
From day one, communication was broken. Training was inconsistent. Leadership was completely misaligned. It didn’t take long to see why morale was so low — the right hand didn’t know what the left hand was doing, and no one wanted to admit it. When I first joined Cary Oil, I truly believed the company lived up to its reputation — “best in class.” That’s how they sold it. The culture, the leadership, the opportunity to grow. It all sounded great on paper. But the reality was different — and I’m not the only one who saw it. If you're good at playing corporate politics, this is the right company to apply to.
Cons
“Training sessions” were mostly personal stories about retirement, the old days, or quick criticisms of something I hadn’t even been coached on yet. I couldn’t get a word in. I wanted to learn, but it was impossible to get any real structure or clarity. I take responsibility for not going straight to leadership sooner — I assumed no feedback was good feedback. That was my mistake. I gave them the benefit of the doubt. But eventually, it was clear that the problem wasn’t me — it was the system. Cary Oil has incredible public statements about culture and excellence, but those words mean nothing if they don’t show up in action. Behind the slogans, the reality was a team where most employees couldn’t wait to clock out at 4:00 and dragged themselves in right at 9:00 — not because they’re unmotivated, but because they’ve stopped believing their efforts matter. Even some of the board members seemed less engaged than a fan watching their team’s losing season. They didn’t just waste time; they wasted potential. Better is better. And this wasn’t it.