Not for everyone - Marketing Communications Specialist Applied Materials Employee Review

3.0
2 Aug 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- 2 week shutdowns during the winter holidays (also a con since they force you to use your PTO even if you did not want to) - Pay is okay - Free coffee (better than nothing) - There's a gym - Bereavement policy in place - Match 401K - HSA option

Cons

- Very hierarchical, which decreases efficiency greatly - Sparse room to grow (stay 5 years minimum in order to grow) - Lacks company culture; not a lot of networking opportunities within company - Ridiculous amount of politics and drama (you would be surprised) - Lack of simple processes that should be in place for a 50 year old company - Marketing/Programs/Events teams are extremely understaffed - Lots of micro-managing, to the point where creativity is discouraged - 8 hour work days are unacceptable (they "suggest" that you should be working 24/7 -weeknights and weekends; not promptly responding to every email, even the 1:00 AM ones, reflects poorly on your work ethic; this probably goes without saying, but you should be responding during PTO as well); - They need to better train their managers; managers are frequently not aligned with themselves....(they scold you for not owning a project that you literally could not own because they never told you about it in the first place) - Document all communications at all times; people (including managers) will often try to push the blame on you so having documentation to support yourself is CRITICAL - Not suitable for a younger professional, especially if you are female (the men here...) - Employees steal from one another, so keep your things locked in your cabinets - If you have a strong work ethic, this may not be the place for you since you will find yourself overcompensating for others' poor work ethic

Explore other reviews about Applied Materials

5.0
27 May 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good company , benefits , lots of room for growth

Cons

Slow changes , tech related software on the IT side are very old.

2.0
8 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Salary, I was compensated very well, the I hated working there so much that I resigned without anything even lined up. It was a good move for my mental health.

Cons

The leadership in general are not very intelligent, disorganized, and uncommunicative. They were decades behind in certain areas that lead to massive inefficiencies and overwork. (Out of respect I will not be specific). I suggested an improvement that would have taken task time down from 8 hours to virtually real time, but the executive Team, in their arrogance, did not allow me to implement the system. Sometime later, the cumbersome, unreliable system was not working and a deadline approaching. I worked 20 hours per day for 7 days and built an entire real time reporting system - then resigned. No one at AMAT was ever helpful. It always seemed an inconvenience to give a colleague outside ones group the time of day. I gained absolutely ZERO new skills or professional development at AMAT all my time there. Many of the employees at the time, including senior management, felt free to publicly express invectives against the current POTUS in their suffering TDS. Another reason I could not work in the environment. Rules for thee and not for me.

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