Pros
- The brand name and the perceived superiority of the firm over its competitors - The compensation (for fresh graduates) and the promotion prospects (only if the management personally likes you)
Cons
- OFFICE POLITICS : This the single biggest downside of working for Goldman Sachs. Unlike other firms, here, politics can completely ruin your career because the entire compensation structure is determined solely by your Managers opinion or by the opinion of a a Manager abroad. In the 360 degree feedback, even if your colleagues rate you highly, your manager has the right to reject their review and provide his own opinion, good or bad. Also, small issues, like providing an opinion contrary to what your manager thinks. will ensure that you get 0 bonus no matter the work you have put in through the year. If the Manager or a foreigner likes a mediocre personality, he will get a huge bonus no matter the pathetic performance he puts in during the year. - NO CAREER PATH WHATSOEVER : Have you ever heard of a firm where a person with only two years experience at the firm will be the manager of a person with over five years experience in the firm, inspite of the SENIOR person being the better performer. Welcome to Goldman Sachs .. The firms line that it is a meritocracy, is nonsense. We have good performers and people with excellent leadership potential languishing as analysts, while their peers who have a good rapport with the foreign managers will already be Vice Presidents. In short "apple polishing" pays out here. Have you heard of a situation where a 23 graduate who has been trained by a 28 post graduate, ends up becoming his boss (with much higher salary of course) only because the firm is desperate to attract fresh graduates to do their no talent work. Once again, welcome to Goldman Sachs. In short if the management or the foreign dudes like you, your career + money + bonus are assured. -TOO MANY PHIRANGS - The firm does not trust the work done by the Indians, which is why they send Foreigners to Bangalore by the planeload. Abroad these people are mere graduates with negligible work ex, but here they become Senior Management, who stay in high end service apartments and five star hotels with unlimited vacation time. - NO HIGHEND WORK EVER COMING TO INDIA - The firm is nothing but a receptacle for the low end jobs that the guys out there do not want to do. When the same job is being done abroad, the work will be so low end that it will be something that an intern from college will do for the first week in order to keep in busy. Once it comes to India, it becomes hyped up, made out as if its critical with performance metrics etc but the fact is the work is still something that a 15 year old kid can probably do without much trouble. - DISCRIMINATION - Welcome to Goldman Sachs - Nothing is ever fair here. I am not talking about that between Indians and foreigners. This is discrimination between you and the fellow sitting in the next cubicle. For eg, You are a performer with excellent rating who will be slogging for years without a promotion but the fellow (mediocre chap who cannot even type an e mail properly) next to you will flying abroad every month, enjoy huge bonuses etc only because someone in the management likes him. You will suffering coming in the office cab, while this guy will driving in with the latest highend car bought with a quarter of his bonus. In short, this is a good place to work if you are a fresh graduate recruited from campus, but if you are a lateral hire joining from some other company, please think four times before you join. The company will only treat you like a fool and not offer you the growth that you hoped for when you left your old firm. Please do not get taken in by the compensation. Its a trick. One day the campus graduate will be your boss even is he is twenty years younger than you.