Pros
Fast paced, challenging work environment with intelligent coworkers. Flexible schedules; pay and benefits are slightly above average.
Cons
Rapid change can be an interesting challenge but when change seems to occur every second of the day, it creates massive inefficiencies and frustrations at work. Work has become even more bureaucratic over the years and there are way too many cooks in the kitchen, trying to take ownership of everything. Capital One is a meeting culture, again, leading to many hours each day that are completely wasted. The collaborative environment is only good if you are an extreme extrovert, otherwise this is not the place for you as you will find yourself on the road with coworkers for hours on end, commuting from Richmond to Mclean, to the airport, business trips, etc all together. At the very top, Capital One is mismanaged. It can take several months or longer to roll out a new process while employees struggle to follow whatever the 'current' process may be on any given day. I have worked in the headquarters for 2 years now and have only seen execs roaming the halls a handful of times. You never hear direction come from the horses mouth, instead it comes from 5 levels below senior management at which point the message has more than likely become misconstrued and miscommunicated. Many wasted hours are spent on performance management which, as in most places, is a joke and unfortunately comes down to who you know/ who likes you. The "diverse" and "open" culture that Capital One raves about on daily basis don't seem to apply to the average person. Joe Schmo will never fit in at Capital One. You must come to work each day with a crazy frat boy-like story in order to fit in with the culture here. Good luck to those who don't!