Pros
I am approaching my ten year anniversary at Group One Trading. This small privately held company has given me the best job I've ever had of the 16 jobs I've held in my life. The experience you will have at Group One depends directly on your own ability to produce useful results for the company, and the department you work in. This is not a place that wastes time in endless meetings, or where schmoozing and politics are the main way to get ahead. This company is for people who are self-motivated high achievers and measure their results in dollars, not hours worked. There are many departments at Group One, and your impression of the company will depend on the type of position you have. (Each department will have its own pluses and minuses.) As someone in the Computer / IT area of the company, our day can start earlier than everyone else, and end later, depending on how the systems are behaving. Management knows this, and- unlike other companies- doesn't make you work an 8 hour shift followed by having to do late night maintenance, and then get up early and start all over again. They treat you like a human, not a machine. Most other positions at this company do not have an out of market hour requirement, and their hours are correspondingly shorter. The company is fast paced, professional, and the focus is on the business and what is needed to get the job done. Their compensation and benefits are competitive with industry standards. As can be expected in a trading company, Traders take on the most risk, and can earn the most compensation. If you've had other jobs to compare this to, you will be shocked at how little overhead there is in activities that are time wasters. The amount of management used is the amount needed to ensure the company is working efficiently and no more. No one will be breathing down your neck as long as you are producing results. These working conditions generally mean that co-workers are enthusiastic about their jobs, and most employees feel fortunate to be employed here. Employees are lively, colorful, and fun to be around. We all work as a team. When it comes to reviewing any company, we can only speak from our own personal experience. For me, I have found the company to be kind, generous, caring, and fun to work for. It's been the best, most productive time of my life. I truly feel indebted for the opportunity. I have been treated with the utmost respect, rewarded for my efforts, and shown kindness by the company at every turn. I feel obligated to defend it against some of the harsh reviews that seem to unfairly portray the company in an overly negative light. Most of those reviews are by former employees, and most people aren't very positive when things don't work out their way. Working for a trading company is volatile, exciting, and like driving a high performance sports car. You won't know how great it is until you are behind the wheel. You can only appreciate it superficially from the outside. You have to try it to fully understand it.
Kontras
This is not the kiddie bowling alley. If you keep throwing gutter balls, there aren't rubber bumpers and do-overs. Your mistakes can easily cost the firm huge sums of money, and you could lose your job, or prevent your career from advancing further. This is perfectly fair, and perfectly scary at the same time. Trader Trainees have it the worst, and you will see that in the other reviews. Put yourself in the firm's position- Are you going to give your money to someone else to trade for you if you aren't fully confident in their abilities? As such, it is the duty of the company to only select the best when it comes to advancing trainees, and that unfortunately means that not everyone is selected to advance. No process is perfect, and rejection always feels personal. It's the company's obligation to shake out candidates early in the process to minimize potential losses. There must be confidence and trust on both sides of the table. If you are looking for a large corporation where you can disappear into the shadows and be anonymous, this isn't it. As with any trading company, market volatility, which is out of your control, can have a big effect on your paycheck. If you're a hand wringer, this may not be your best choice.