Smithsonian Reviews in Washington, DC , US Area

Current Employee – been working at Smithsonian as an intern for less than a year

Pros – Loved the experiences, wide variety of duties

Cons – Being from the midwest, I didn't enjoy working on Washington DC's climate and an over populated area.

Current Employee – been working at Smithsonian full-time

Pros – Wonderful collections. True treasures. A one of a kind place to work in terms of its range of excellence in arts, science and research.

Cons – Management is not skilled in managing people. There are many demoralized employees. Also upper management seems very good at rewarding themselves but not those at other levels. The very highest levels of management are changing so maybe there is hope.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Smithsonian as an intern for less than a year

Pros – Welcoming environment, close-knit group with few interns, and I learned a lot during this summer internship. I'll miss this office wherever I end up.

Cons – Unpaid position- no benefits other than the experience itself.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Smithsonian full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Great benefits after two years of employment and committed people. Good work expectations.

Cons – Not a lot of vacation time and not a lot of upward mobility.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Smithsonian full-time for more than 10 years

Pros – Contributing to the increase and diffusion of knowledge

Cons – Quality of employee work life is not standard across departments.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Smithsonian as an intern for less than a year

Pros – Got to work on real projects, great boss, real commitment to the organization

Cons – Unpaid internship where I was doing some of the same work that paid employees were doing.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Smithsonian full-time for more than a year

Pros – Moved from NY to DC and I love my new co-workers. They have comfort me to feel like I am home!

Cons – Lack of communication within other departments.

Advice to Senior Management – .

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Smithsonian part-time for more than 3 years

Pros – It is a big organization, and has an outstanding reputation all over the world. There's a lot of opportunity with in the organization.

Cons – Sometimes it gets boring due to repetitive nature of the job. There is not much to do around winter time.

Advice to Senior Management – Management have been good overall. My only advise is continue the standard of SI, and also conduct more seminars about grooming employees to become successful in the future.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Smithsonian as an intern for less than a year

Pros – Everyone is positive, happy to work at SI

Cons – Difficult to move up ladder
Archive system outdated, need to embrace technology
Budget issues, decreasing workforce

Advice to Senior Management – Embrace technology and digital age, hire younger

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Smithsonian as an intern for more than a year

Pros – Very easy and comfortable. A lot of diversity and making of your own schedule.

Cons – Sometimes the workplace is TOO casual. Some people come dressed down, or over decorate their cubicles to the point where it is unprofessional.

Advice to Senior Management – Less micro management from supervisors.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company