Capital One reviews

Management is the worst I have ever seen. Oh they're sharp too, but for starters, there are are ridiculous number of managers...and some seem to exist mostly to tell other managers to get the work done, apparently having no idea how to actually do (or even guide) any of it themselves (ironically, they're usually the ones making the big bucks). A lot of micromanagement as well, ie emphasis on creating reports/"tickets"/etc detailing what you've done - sometimes I swear half the job was saying what you did for your job. Also it is the "coldest" place I have ever worked; teamwork gets lip service but is non-existent. Why? Mostly because managers care *nothing* for their employees - especially contractors, who they treat more like a disposable resource than human beings. They have layoffs one minute, then start hiring back the next. Training also ranges from weak to non-existent. Frankly I think most people hate it there (walk around the campus - you won't see many people smiling, but you will see a lot of stern/angry faces), but stay either because the pay is good or they just haven't found anything else in this tough economy. PS: if you're Indian, that's a HUGE plus; I'd say about 1/3 to 1/2 of all people there are, even though they're a very small minority in the Richmond area. Draw your own conclusions.

I am neither a stupid nor inexperienced professional, but nearly everyday that I have worked here, I have been spoken to like I am. My experience has been insulted, and my attempts to draw upon past experiences and accumulated skills to enhance project work has been de-valued and discouraged. Management has a filter on with regards to divergent opinions, and devotes lots of talk to analytical thinking, problem solving, hanging out shingles, professional development and transparency but takes actions frequently inconsistent with those values. There is an awful lot of talk, but little if any follow through. Lots of arrogance that would put Wall Street to shame about how innovative, smart, analytical, and high-performance they are. Opportunities are defined by how well your manager likes you and how well he/she advocates for you in the performance management process with the ultimate decision-maker (the process itself is wildly imconsistent and laughable). They will describe your performance with poorly defined qualitative stories and personal anecdotes then try to "benchmark" them against a quantitative scoring systems that creates the appearance of rigor and objectivity in the rankings. Creativity in thinking, business judgement, and results matter far less than your personal style and desire to take-on extraneous responsibilities unrelated to the business. People managers are generally young and poorly-seasoned at managing people and work. They fundamentally do not understand the role of a manager in another professional's development, in managing work effectively, and taking responsibility for their own failures as managers. Professionals are more like line workers here than knowledge workers. You will be asked to do things your manager just doesn't want to do, he/she will act as if the work is beneath them, and your manager will not take responsibility when they make an error. Overall, I would say the value proposition for working at Capital One is not particularly distinctive or defensibly different from any of the other large banks.