-The number one complaint everyone has is the hours. You are told to come in at 7 and leave at 5. However, unless you are a top-end broker you are expected to be the first in and last out. I spent 4 years doing that. You will get calls at home. You will get calls while sleeping. You will not be able to take a vacation without working through your vacation. If you take a vacation to a location where there is no cell service, you will be told to find cell service. If at any time you don't answer the phone, you better prepare for the worst. Be prepared to give reasons why you want to take a day, or days, off. If you get sick you will work through your sickness with no excuses. You will be afraid to ask for time off. If you have a child and want 2 weeks off, you will be met with comments like "I only took 2 days off for the birth of my child and I worked through those 2 days". If you are new, you will be expected to come in on weekend, even if just for a few hours to make cold calls, monitor your LE account or try to garner business.
-No matter how well you do, no matter how much money you bring in for the company, you are a cog in a wheel that is easily replaced at the end of the day. The second your business takes a turn for any reason whatsoever, all those niceties you earned will be taken almost instantly.
-Management will have some of the most demoralizing and humiliating conversations with you, oftentimes in front of co-workers. Myself, as well as others, have been screamed at, yelled at, cursed at. Accounts you have worked for will be held hostage if you push the wrong buttons. You better have the mental health of Jolly Green Giant because you will need it. I left this company feelings the lowest of lows in all of my life, and I was one of the VERY few to have left on good terms.
-Your book of business can turn in a heartbeat. You can have a top 5 customer for the company and if that company decides to switch its business model, decides to use another competitor, or just take a downturn in business, you will feel it both in your paycheck and in the form of pressure from upper management. You will have weekly meetings where you never feel like your efforts are never enough. Your every move will be scrutinized.
-Treat your customers extremely well, as they will be crucial contacts for you when you eventually look for a new job. With the majority of people not leaving on good terms, you could spend a year or more here and not have any positive reference for you when they let you go. I've seen it happen several times and have been asked to be a reference for others because management wouldn't.
