Pros
You do have the ability to leave the company at any time.
Cons
The industrial division is one of the most ineptly run sales organizations of any company I've seen. Over the past eight years, the group has gone through seven VP of sales, each time throwing highly qualified leaders to the side until the executive team could settle on one who has had no experience in sales, nor any leadership qualities necessary to running a sales organization. Current management believes that leadership entails merely holding endless conference calls to discuss spreadsheet data that are readily available through the company's sales tracking system. You will experience no sales guidance or mentoring, merely criticisms that the team isn't living up to it's contribution to share value and the latest unrealistic sales goals. Bonus monies are subject to disappointing changes well into the process. These are not the qualities you would look for in a company as a sales professional. Since the current sales leadership took over, the industrial group has lost over 24 highly qualified individuals, with only three of those being let go (those individuals being highly qualified as well). The team is in a downward spiral, and more departures are imminent. The CEO runs the company like a fiefdom, pushing money and acquisitions around the board like chess pieces to prop up the share value, while ignoring the true leadership requirements needed to keep a company engaged and energized. Employee forced ranking is hard-coded policy here, a practice popular at the infamous Enron, and one that most companies have since abandoned. The employees tend to be guided only by fear of losing their jobs. Most who have departed have questioned why they did not make that decision sooner. You will not find a former employee who is disappointed to no longer be working for Belden. Following the failed takeover of the competitor Ruggedcom, the former Ruggedcom CEO Marzio Pozzuoli made this comment about Belden to the Toronto Star news organization: “They are bottom feeders.” And the Star says: “Belden had a reputation of sucking the competitive zest out of the companies it acquired.” Belden is truly a graveyard of once successful companies. Stay away from this toxic corporation.