Pros
Note: This review addresses non-sales, non-customer service positions. I have been in Marketing, IT, and Network positions, so I believe I am qualified to express my views from a corporate HQ level. Here are the benefits in a nutshell: health insurance plans; 401k match 1-to-1 up to 6%; tuition assistance up to $8k (and you don't have to stay at the company after completing your degree); bonus to the tune of 18%+ if you are lucky to be a "C" band or higher (12%+ for band "D", 8%+ for band "D" hourly); annual merit increases; you can pretty much retire staying at your current position.
Cons
This is the part where I hope to explain some of the shortcomings of working at such a big, bloated company that is Verizon Wireless. You can be the dumbest, laziest person on the face of the earth, yet still get a "Performing" annual review and at least a 3% merit raise. On the other hand, you can be the smartest person in your department (maybe even with a Ph.D.) yet still get the SAME performance review and merit raise. No one is allowed to receive a "Leading" performance review - really, why bother having that as a choice? Actually I don't have a Ph.D., but I do have a Bachelor's degree from a tier 1 university as well as working on a Master's - and I make less compensation than someone who's worked in the same position for 15 years and possesses only a high school diploma. Does that make sense? last time I checked, this wasn't a union shop. I suppose this is an example analogy of the power of compounding interest! (3% every year adds up very quickly) There seems to be a very inconsistent method towards promotions. Many employees at HQ location in Basking Ridge somehow increased their title levels just before the Alltel merger. They are doing the same jobs as before, so why did they get automatic promotions? It will take an act of God to get promoted otherwise. Internal jobs are very hard to come by. I suppose that is somewhat true everywhere, but in my observations, positions are filled based on _who_ you know as opposed to _what_ you know. For better or worse, networking is the only way to go if you want to move up the ladder in your career. That is, if you are even motivated enough to switch jobs - like I said, the long-timers have no need to take risks to improve their self-worth by education or switching jobs, because they have it made financially. If you are young and ambitious, be ready to be disappointed trying to make a move in your career. Like some who have commented, perhaps we should let some of these HR people go, so they can experience what it's like to be on the OTHER side of the table for a change.