What's it like to work for Extron?

I interviewed once at Extron. The manager seemed overworked. The facilities seemed kind of run down. No business cards were presented. It seems very hard to get an internal contact.

Are their salaries competetive?

The Ad has been for more than a year. I don't they're hiring. I had an interview early 2006 for the same position.

yes, I interviewed there too. they are trolling
for an engineer that can do three or four jobs:
the guy even told me they are in "no hurry".

a dsp engineer, a codec engineer and a c++ applications engineer;
all rolled into one.

can't blame them for trying, just don't waste too much time on these guys.. tire kickers..

Be wary of this company. Several people were hired for the NC office, taken to California for what was supposed to be initial training, and let go before the end of the first two weeks.

DO NOT WORK THERE! I applied there and they are slave drivers! I was interviewing for a test technician position and the manager does look over worked and under a lot of pressure to get his underlings to test a certain amount of products everyday. As a consequence, they don't even like it if you take a bathroom break outside of lunch breaks and break times! You see Extron hiring all the time because the over turn is high and people there are generally miserable!

So, have things changed at Extron since nine months ago?

I wasn't there 9 months ago. But by what reading the other posts, I would say things have not changed.

Spodeboy in Irvine, California said: I wasn't there 9 months ago. But by what reading the other posts, I would say things have not changed.

Spodeboy:
Thanks for your comment. When you say "other posts" are you referring to the posts on this forum, or other forums? If other forums, can you give me the links to them?

Also, do you have inside or personal information, or have you been employed by Extron recently?

I mean the other posts on this thread.

I was employed by Extron recently.

Spodeboy:
Thanks for your quick reply.
Does anyone else have any input on this subject? Comments greatly appreciated.

They have had an event mnanager position posted for at least 3 months, both with an agency and on the job sites. My skills matched exactly what they are looking for but no contact. I called their HR dept and asked if they were really lookig to fill the job and they said yes, but have been very busy. That was a month ago and the job is still posted. The agency has given up on it because they can't get a read from Extron. Tells you something about the company.

Yeah, what that tells you is that the people are leaving as fast as they're hiring.

Don't waste your time with this company. They wasted mine as in fired me after two weeks upon the discretion of my manager with no real explanation. Made no sense. Only hear bad things from the inside. There is a military frat in there.

I have now completed their interviewing process--telephone, in-person, and then HR. I believe the first two interviews went way above my expectations, and was looking forward to making Extron the company of my future. However, the HR interview style didn't turn out as I had anticipated. In fact, this was the first time I have been talked out of joining a company by a representative of the company. Needless to say, I was very disappointed in my failure to make it to the next level. Too bad, too, because I really liked the hiring manager and was a perfect candidate for the job.

By the way. Spodeboy and Chewgood, I see you are both from Irvine. Are you the same person?

No Jack T, I'm not the same guy as chewgood. But, chewgood's experience is spot on. It is a privately held company and the owner prefers to keep a hold of its emloyees by the "short hair."

I just interviewed for a Maintenance Lead position and they sent me to 4 Interviews One with the hiring Manager, HR, Building supervisor, HR again? built My hopes up wasted my time, to tell me NO!, Yes I agree don't waste your time with this company HR think's they are GOD!

Bizarre. I guess it's classic personality driven company with little discipline. That usually ends up with a lot of messes and employees afraid to make any changes for fear of retribution.
I interviewed the test group. They told me the product's code was all written in assembly. I was told the owner gets very unhappy if anything gets broken. Reading between the lines, no way are they going to use something like a C compiler. Too abstract.

They've has job postings opened here in NC for 4+ months for a handful of jobs. I would think by now they have more applicants than they need.

Ground was broken for a new office building in Raleigh in March 2008 but so far the land has just been cleared and prepped. It appears their plans for opening the facility by 2010 has been slowed by the recent economy and may explain why they are not in a hurry to fill previously planned open positions.

I've heard of some folks getting phone screen interviews but not yielding anything further. I find it hard to believe that they would hire two people only to fire them both after two weeks on the job and inclusive of training expenses. There must be more to this story.....

My feeling is that the company is a very frugal and ruled by the top person which can make it a very challenging company to work for. It's evident that they are expanding out of California for business reasons and the owner's personal preference. Can't blame them for that.

Any further comments from experiences or employees currently working at Extron? This would be helpful to job seekers whom already have suffered enough by getting laid off and who's time is precious in this economy. No one deserves to have false job hopes at this time - only a exploitive & cruel company would do that.

Engineer in NC.
You sound young and/or naive. If you want cruel & expoitive, try Western Digital. Unbelievable.

It appears that Extron is using data on their job applications to build a salary data base for their new site in NC. That's the reason they've been advertising for the same group of jobs for over 4+ months here in NC. They appear not to be looking to hire but will interview you. Do not disclose prior job salary information!

From my short, unprofessional interview, it appears they are not looking for the best prospect, but the lowest cost one that they could get about one year out of and then the cycle repeats itself. They appear to be hiding something. If you think of them as a temporary job shop and continue to look while you work for them, then this type of relationship would be fine as long as you could put up with the working conditions and hours. When the economy picks up..... its time to get out of Dodge.

Extron has had these jobs in NC posted for more than 4 months. I want to say it has been close to 2 years. I remember when they first ran a print ad in the Raleigh News and Observer newspaper and that was awhile ago. They have had multiple head hunting firms pushing these jobs for awhile some consistently and some come and go it seems. They are spending a lot of time, effort and money looking NOT to hire. They are building a new building that will hold close to 400 people. I don't think it is even close to being finished so maybe they aren't ready to bring on a lot of people yet??? I don't know. It doesn't make sense.

I figure these are open reqs. and they are looking to hire all the time because of the expansion OR they can't get or keep people for some reason(pay, hours, working environment, etc.) OR their hiring expectations are unrealistic. Maybe they want a 4.0 GPA with a PHD who can write software and design electrical AND mechanical hardware??? This is all speculation on my part. I haven't interviewed over there yet. Although I have been contacted MULTIPLE times by MULTIPLE head hunting firms about a job over there. I have been weary for some reason...

"David2" you talked about "put up with working conditions and hours"? Is this place a "sweatshop"?

A friend of mine is an Extron customer. He has met the owner a couple of times. He said Extron is a very tight personality run company. Every product has to work or the owner has a fit.
I interviewed with the test group about 2 years ago. I definitely got the impression that the people were overworked, underpaid and stuck with "old" ways of doing things. The underlying theme was the owner's way or the highway.

Get an interview and report the results here. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. You can either affirm or refute the statements made thus far in this forum regarding Extron. That would be giving the company a fair shake and a chance to right itself with respect to its declining reputation in NC as far as employee and recruiting firm reputation goes. Don't you find it interesting that Extron has not requested nor received state assistance money for opening up a very large corp expansion in NC? Could it be that they think the professional talent in NC is "backwoods" and ignorant? Seems a bit odd that they didn't locate the start-up team on the NC Centenial Campus .... Not appearing to be a class outfit.

My advice regarding working for Extron is DONT unless you have no alternative. The company treats its staff like children and HR are a bunch of Nazis. There are many ridiculous and uneccessary rules plus the fact that all staff have to punch in and out. I haven't done that since the 1970s.

At Extron you are either "in" or "out". You are in if you are a robot with no original thoughts. The most successful people at Extron are ex-military in their first and only civilian job. They behave like frat boys while the people they manage have to be goody 2 shoes. The day I was fired my boss sent an email to all his staff with photos of how he had prank-decorated his neighbor's house with the graves of Christmas characters. Apparently the neighbor didn't see the funny side either. The working conditions are mediocre with windowless offices and an overcrowded lunch room. Eating at desks is not allowed nor are cell phones or any personal calls etc. The bosses openly ignore these rules.

I was upset and shocked when I was fired but a couple of days later I ralised how relieved I was not to have to go back to that place. I have found a new position where I am treated with respect and my talents are recognized and apprecited - things that were totally missing in Extron.

Since I was hired the next 3 people exployed in my department were fired in their first 2-6 weeks. The only peron still there who was hired after me is an hourly paid graduate.

I really thought I had been accepted when I made it through the 6 month proabationary period. But in my 8th month I was fired with no warning, verbal or written, 2 weeks before Christmas.

Extron is not the place to work for. When I interviewed, I met with HR and the person who interviewed me was not pleasant at all. I was hired after 3 interviews and because they offered a very high salary, I accepted it right away. I left my former employer of 6 years only to find myself regretful. I already started with Extron when I read the Indeed forum on them. If I knew how horrible this company is, I wouldn't have left my former employer. NOT ALL THAT GLITTERS IS GOLD. Although Extron pays a lot compared to others, the stress and the unethical treatment is not worth it.

You either sick or swim at Extron. If your manager likes you, even if you are not doing a good job, you will be fine, but, if the manager feels threaten by you because you are talented, expect to be terminated.

They have what they call 6 months training period. I managed to complete that period but to my surprise, on my 8th month, the manager said I was being let go. There was not verbal or written warning, I just found myself fired 2 weeks before Christmas. I heard that 2 other employees were fired only after being with the company for 2-3 weeks.

Obviously, they treat their employees as object that they can easily discard if no longer desirable. It is no surprise why there are hundreds of job openings for this company. They are always hiring because they are always firing. In my stay there, I've heard so many rumors how they always fire people and noticed that people don't seem to smile around there.

I am still on the job hunt. I am optimistic that I will find an employer that will respect me as an individual and will utilize my skills.

For those of you who plan to move to Extron for a better compensation, don't just think twice, thick 10 times before considering it. I don't want you to have the same experience as most of us.

spudzz in Los Angeles, California said: I just interviewed for a Maintenance Lead position and they sent me to 4 Interviews One with the hiring Manager, HR, Building supervisor, HR again? built My hopes up wasted my time, to tell me NO!, Yes I agree don't waste your time with this company HR think's they are GOD!

Don't waste your time leaving your current employer. It is not worth it to move to Extron. This company is a nightmare and you will be miserable there.

Regretful, your story sounds identical to my experience and others at Western Digital.

I interview with them next week, I will report my findings as soon as its over!

To help yourselves and others, post a company review and salary comments to glass door .com. This site has much wider national visibility than Indeed. In these times, it could be a disaster if you bailed out of one company and into a worse company. False expectations can be devastating.

A job at at this company can be used as a springboard [your thinking and theirs] if you're smart about it. If your going to use them as a springboard, make sure your resume and actions do not give any hints of this intention. If your hired keep your job search activities at home [my bet is that that is why folks are being fired within one year of signing on]. From the sounds of previous posts, it appears that this company is using their legal rights and is monitoring company communications on company owned equipment for signs of disloyalty. Be smart. Play their game - both of you can benefit.

NC engineer. You are making a large leap in logic assuming the prior commentors were let go because they were looking for other jobs. Why would anyone want to use a position at a crappy company as a springboard? If I'm at a company that I've outgrown, I would stay put until I find a better position. If I'm out of work, any port will do.
Using a known crappy company as a springboard is never a good strategy.

California guy - can't you see the witting on the wall? Extron is moving out of California into NC [owners home state...back home]. California Extron folks will be or are training the NC guys. Why do think there are so many open postings in an economy like this? Compare cost of living index in LA with Raleigh and ask yourself where you would put your money.

A job at a crappy company is better than no job at all. At least it pays the rent/mortgage and food bill. Always better to be looking for a job when you have one rather than being unemployed unless the company your are working for commits crimes against humanity.

Hmmmmm... if that's true, why don't they just hire temps in Ca? Why the big ads for Ca positions? Also, I've been hearing the same treatment in the NC area.
BTW The reason some companies prefer Cal to NC is there are more talent here.
Sounds like you are working for Extron in NC. True?

I'm not an Extron Employee.
It almost appears as if Extron is mirroring the jobs in CA to NC ...check out the job boards. Not too many companies "expaniding" in this economy.
Talent is just an internet connection away............
I haven't seen an Extron product that couldn't be made in Asia yet.

If I were an Extron employee in CA I would be looking because that job is going away sooner than later. Overhead of operating a company like Extron in CA is just too high to be competitive in a global economy. Nothing against CA,... very talented people, risk takers, and entrepreneurial. But the global playing fields aren't level - overhead costs in Asia are dirt cheap because they have no environment to protect. Europeans are smart about this though. Good Luck.

Went on two interviews. The first was with four different people over a 2.5 hour time span. The basic questions were asked, but I never been to an interview where they talked down about the position so much, and how "conservative" the culture of the company was.... Such as flat out telling me you either sink or swim, you clock in and out with a time card, we don't celebrate birthdays or holidays, you do your job, you go home, understood?
I go to my second interview, wasn't asked a single question, I was their for 15 minutes, totally yanked my chain. I have not heard from them since. The interview process their was very odd. I didn't want to believe the other posts... but man, they are are valid after my experience with these d bags.

In a way that's a good thing. Would you rather find out before or after you sign on?

I met one of the lead managers over there for an interview, and they weren't very nice, to say the least (not likable any sense of the word). The place was deserted. Over half the cubicles were empty. May be its a new office?

A shame hearing how things are run over their. Based on my interaction with the manager, I do not doubt the comments here for a second.

hi lazerman,

did you ever hear back from extron?
what position were you interviewing for? could you maybe tell me a little more about their interviewing process? like what sort of questions etc...

Thank you!!

I worked there for 2 months and was told that I didn't meet expectations. This place is a pile of Cr@p littered with Shin's and divorced people that can dedicate their lives to the man. I personally believe that after 8 years of Product Development at Dell, weathering the storms there, they fed me a pile. Extron people are stressed and treated like robots. If you have any self worth, stay away!

I work there, and here's my two cents:
1.) Interview was indeed wierd;
2.) HR are militant;
3.) It is a cubicle farm, like out of dilbert, in old buildings throughout anahiem, california;
4.) I have the latest and greatest technology at my disposal;
5.) They pay above market rate (I left a place to make 30K more at Extron);
6.) Everything about the rules mentioned above - and how managers violate it - is true;
7.) My chair is terrible. Must have set them back 75 bucks at office depot or something, and everyone has these things;
8.) People are nice and deeply technical;
9.) Those who do smile have been there a while, and play the game;
10.) They are building in Anaheim;
11.) They are building in NC;
12.) In California, they have 5-6 buildings all located around Disneyland. They lease these. They own the land on Ball, and will be constructing a 6 story building, and moving some of their facilities - training, corporate HR, some IT, etc. - to it. Not sure what else.
13.) There are positions still posted on the job boards for the position I filled, which makes me nervous.

I just interviewed there. It was set up through a local staffing agency. The Director said he wanted me back to meet a VP. The HR people then told the girl at the staffing agency they weren't interested in hiring me, but told her they would tell me themselves.
I'm still waiting! After what I've read, I'm glad it didn't go further.

For the people who do work at Extron, Anaheim location, what are their hours? Do they keep you at a strict clock in/clock out? Timed breaks, etc? Do programmers get to telecommute? Been to one interview which they just had me go through a skills test and such. Then showed me what I would be doing. Then in the end said, its a 2part process that interview then to meet with HR. What happens when you meet with HR?

yes, clock in and out timed breaks; it all seems nice until you really get to know HR and the clown management, and 25 VP's

my advice is look at all of the posts here and take heed this is the way extron does business....

Taking a job at Extron was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I absolutely dread going to work everyday. Job was not as advertised in any way. HR is terrible, managers are terrible, expectations are crazy high (they want you to do three jobs at once). I took the job because they offered the salary I asked for without pause (which was 10% above what I was looking for).

I could write a novel about why it's so awful. I'll give you the Cliff's notes version: Stay away. Stay away. Stay away.

I am actively looking, and will bail when the overall market permits.

stillLooking in San Bernardino, California said: For the people who do work at Extron, Anaheim location, what are their hours? Do they keep you at a strict clock in/clock out? Timed breaks, etc? Do programmers get to telecommute? Been to one interview which they just had me go through a skills test and such. Then showed me what I would be doing. Then in the end said, its a 2part process that interview then to meet with HR. What happens when you meet with HR?

I went back for the 2nd interview, which was just to talk with an HR lady and she asked a few typical questions and said I'd hear in a week or so. They called one of my personal references and that was it. I received a letter in the mail saying I didn't get the job.

I guess things happen for a reason and I didn't get it for a reason. Whatever it was, it saved me I suppose.

Thank you for all your help and responses. I will continue to look for another job.

Spodeboy in Irvine, California said: Yeah, what that tells you is that the people are leaving as fast as they're hiring.

exactly, the door is revolving.

I had an interview with Extron 2 days ago for a HW Engineer position.. 5 People.. 4 Technical and 1 VP... Didnt get to talk to HR.. How long do you think I have to wait before they will contact me (if ever)?

I have been unemployed for over a year!!!

I interviewed with one manager and a sidekick. They looked absolutely haggard. No HR interview. No business cards. No contact points. Never heard from them again.

I wish I could help, oh wait I can run don't take the job this place is an HR state.

What does that mean?

Markaloni in Escondido, California said: I interviewed with one manager and a sidekick. They looked absolutely haggard. No HR interview. No business cards. No contact points. Never heard from them again.

How long ago was your interview and for what position?