Pros
- Well established mentorship programme for junior staff and graduates - skills are learned quickly and there's a really high staff retention due to the career progression available
- High levels of trust within and between teams. No heavy-handed IT policies or managers breathing down your neck - you're trusted to bring your best and make up your time without being tied to strict hours. Can run an errand or book a holiday and no one's going to freak out.
- Fast-tracked career growth. Handful of the directors/senior management started as grads so the path to responsibility is pretty quick to travel if you have the ability and drive.
- Quality and breadth of clients and projects. You get to work on a bit of everything and have the opportunity to work on blue chip client accounts from the get go.
- Care for staff wellbeing and social life. Regular social events, stocked fridge, fresh fruit throughout the week, etc.
- Cool technology - SM are have a track record of working with the latest technology so it's a good place to cut your teeth at the forefront of the industry. They're one of a very few companies actively developing for voice technologies just now.
- Nice studio environment - good decoration, people are well dressed and presentable, good tunes.
- Great people! SM really pay attention to cultural fit as well as capability/skills/experience when hiring so it's a really good mix of people.
Cons
- Lack of free parking near the office is annoying if you're commuting
- As with any agency, the pressure can build up with lots of deadlines and you can feel a bit overwhelmed. Good support systems in-house make this manageable but not everyone is cut out for agency life.