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Smart Start ECS

Is this your company?

Take a job here only if you have no other options - Anonymous employee Smart Start ECS Employee Review

1.0
25 Oct 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

In general, the co-workers are really great people, the office has a casual dress code, and it's a good way to familiarize yourself with evaluation if you are new to the field.

Cons

The pay is well below the average market rate for evaluators, the benefits are nearly nonexistent, there is little to no flexibility in customizing work hours or telecommuting although this work is perfectly suited for flexibility, there is little to no training for new employees and none of it is formal or standardized, there is very little room for advancement, and turnover is incredibly high for the profession and size of the company. In terms of company culture, transparency is very low which is odd for such a small company, there is a sense that employees are not trusted and must be monitored, decisions affecting employees are made with little to no input from employees, and in some cases problems with performance are minimized or ignored until they become a much greater issue.

Explore other reviews about Smart Start ECS

2.0
28 May 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

a good entry into the field of evaluation but look elsewhere for building a career out of it

Cons

high turnover of staff; no OT for hourly

1.0
31 Dec 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You could potentially learn a lot quickly. Co-workers are great. You'll gain experience writing reports.

Cons

Compensation is very low. The learning curve can be steep, but then stagnates. There are rare occasions when senior staff know more technical skills (e.g. statistics, project management, data collection/analysis, etc) than associates. Which is very problematic for evaluation associates fresh out of graduate school who are still looking to develop their skills. After about 6 months there is little left to learn. Almost no internal promotions. A lot of Associates were promised Senior Positions within a year of their start data, and then we were told it was no longer an option. The CEO/owner can be very inconsiderate. Her primary function is to proofread reports. She has little qualitative and quantitative analysis skills, and limited knowledge of evaluation theories and best practices. Almost all of the work is limited to asking participants how satisfied they are with programs and comparing means. There is little critical though about effectiveness. Any statistical skills will go to waste. Turnover is extremely high.

4
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