Pros
At Benson, I learned how to take responsibility for my mistakes. I discovered ALL of my flaws, and fortunately, the company was merciful enough to provide guidance instead of kicking me to the curb at the first sign of imperfection. My coworkers and managers generally made sure to help me develop my career in whatever ways possible. The CEO always made me feel supported and accepted.
Cons
All of the worst things that have happened to me in my life occurred at Benson. I can’t even talk about some of them. I was paid so poorly that I felt the need to work several other jobs, and — not surprisingly — my performance at Benson suffered as a result. Receiving constant feedback proved helpful, but the one-on-ones alternated oddly over my time there between “Keep up the great work. You’re a top performer, and clients are asking for you by name!” to “I don’t want to make you feel badly about yourself, but you’re the least productive one of the bunch.” The workload was absolutely outrageous in relation to our workforce. Meanwhile, our customers were lead to believe that an entire army of designers tackled every project. Let’s be clear: there were often as few as THREE actual graphic designers on the Limelight team for print work and branding. What bothered me the most besides the low pay, weak staffing, and unspeakable trauma was that the organization would change procedures so frequently that the policies and methods for certain things would come full circle. What was a “don’t” became a “best practice” and then a “don’t” again. That cycle, while probably typical of a small company, got really annoying over the years! I’m forever grateful for the lessons learned and the career connections — close friends, even — made during my time at Benson, though.
