Pros
First, the good: * Core values and company culture are great * Company is stable and likely won't be going anywhere * Small business/startup feel with big business revenue * Fun, progressive work environment * Benefits and perks make up for low pay * Training program is very good * Great second or third company to work for At first glance, T-Mobile is a great place to work but, from my experience, everyone was pretty bitter, stressed-out, and worried about losing their jobs. The turnover was very high, especially on the call center and tech side. We'll get to that. You'll love T-Mobile if you're the type of person that likes lots of direction and prefers not to think for yourself. The work is extremely repetitive and mundane. It's all about sales and efficiency. If that sounds great to you, then definitely work at T-Mobile. The interview process is thorough, which might give you an opportunity to see if it's the right fit for you. Be warned: the impressions you get during the interview process likely won't align with what it's actually like working there. If you're fortunate to get hired directly into a management/salaried position, you'll actually be able to enjoy the little things: pool tables, air hockey, video games, nap rooms, etc. The benefits and perks are very nice, overall. There's also performance incentives which, again, are sales-driven. I will say this: their training is superb. You get one to three months of training, depending on your role, including shadowing others in similar departments/teams. The skills you develop there are transferable to just about any field. In fact, this is a great place for young people who are just getting started in their careers.
Cons
* Limited growth opportunities * Repetitive work * Sales quotas * Poor leadership * Very high turnover * Pay not commensurate with expectations * Poor work hours * Independent thought is penalized * Terrible company for experienced/skilled professionals On the customer service and sales side of T-Mobile, it's all about the bottom line. Sure, that's what business is about.. But they don't care if your customers love you, they only care if the balance sheets are in the black and you get customers in-and-out fast. For a company that claims to have world-class customer service, it's actually very poor. In my experience, customers call about the same issue three or more times until they get someone who knows what they're talking about and will actually take the time to help them. Sadly, the ones who take the time to resolve issues with irate customers get dinged on performance scores. I can tell you I had customers ask for my supervisor on several occasions to say what an amazing job I did (not complain, as one would expect) but our team leader dismissed it because I wasn't getting customers off the phone fast enough. In short, everyone is focused on passing the buck so that their metrics are not impacted. It's a terrible business model. The people who trick customers into buying stuff are valued more than the ones who build loyalty and actually fix things. Go figure! What's more is that it doesn't matter if you graduate at the top of your training class: you're stuck with whatever schedule and supervisor they decide to give you. This leaves everything to chance and disincentives putting in any real effort. In fact, the drones and zombies get more recognition. If you're particularly smart, compassionate, and tech-savvy, look elsewhere. It's worth noting that their knowledge management system actually becomes a hindrance when most of the information is incorrect and the processes slow you down. Again, if you are a great troubleshooter and can think for yourself, you'll find yourself hating the work here because they value malleable peons over experienced personnel. Truly, this is an ideal place for someone who... * Really loves the call center environment * Hasn't had much work experience * Prefers heavy supervision/direction over independent work I must stress: this is a DEAD END JOB unless you really can see yourself working in a call center long-term and don't mind waiting 5-10 years before a significant promotion takes place. It takes a very specific type of personality. Don't expect any promotions as the management tends to stick around (it's a cake job with decent pay). The only way to make a nice income here is to aggressively sell-sell-sell, which usually means deceiving customers in a "pleasant" way. Some world-class service!
