Pros
As a small company, Point Forward is poised to provide opportunities for associates to jump right in, gaining valuable hands-on experience with ethnography, analysis, synthesis, and client presentations, but career advancement within the company is limited. Work-life balance is fairly good. Compensation is modest by Bay Area standards.
Kontras
The four founders freely express a preference for doing interesting work over worrying about management, which is why they keep the firm small. As such, associates need to advocate for themselves, and should not expect formal support, such as regular performance reviews or standardized HR processes. Paths for career advancement within the company are not well-specified. Historically, the company has not retained female talent.