Pros
You have the chance to test many things due to the good budget, but the reports must be very detailed and if the data shows controversial results, the test can be stopped very quickly. In my opinion, this sometimes prevents the company from benefitting at the end (as sometimes the Google Ads learning phase wasn’t finished/ or the test needed more time).
Cons
I worked at the company for a year and a half. I personally haven’t noticed a big difference between the reviews that employees were leaving 5 years ago and the current situation. In my opinion, the lack of internal communication is the biggest problem at Auto1. There is no open feedback culture with the higher management. After 6 months you can get very exhausted and demotivated even if you love your job. I felt, the main reasons are: - Micromanagement and lack of respect to the mid-level and junior managers. - The absence of a healthy work/life balance. You are expected to work extra hours every day without compensation. (they have made sure to write this in the contract). - Very badly managed meetings: I was very surprised to find out that for some of the top-level managers it is considered quite normal to raise the voice or even scream during meetings. This led to a lot of stress and burnouts. This communication style is very far from the people principles that Auto1 communicates, it also creates a very negative atmosphere. - No exit interviews, feedback sessions are considered unnecessary. I feel that people are aware of the problems, but probably are not willing to improve the situation. Compensation. From what I have heard, the compensation level has been improved in recent years, but this wasn’t the case for me. After being promoted to a mid-level manager I was offered a salary that is way lower than the market average. The team has a very high turnover. During my time at Auto1, 9 team members left the company. Employee retention is quite a problem. The average stay in Auto1 is around one year. Still, the best part was the paid online team itself, it has very motivated, smart, and supportive people. Everyone is eager to help others, learn and improve things. It is quite sad that this unhealthy company culture makes it impossible to create a supportive atmosphere and to stop these high turnovers.