Guys, I am looking at options here as I'll likely be canned very soon. What are your thoughts about Exxon (in general)
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I've worked 3 projects as a contractor for Exxon, and now have been a Chevron employee for the last 4 years. The two companies are completely different in attitude. At Exxon, they almost expect you to work an extra 10-12 hours per week. 40 hour weeks do not exist. Here at Chevron, people show up late and leave early every day, and nobody seems to care about that. They also do not have the 9/80 schedule, it is 5 long days per week - usually 10-12 hrs a day. Pay is comparable between the two, until you factor in the extra hours at Exxon. Casual Fridays at Exxon consist of dress slacks and button up shirts with a collar. No jeans, no sneakers, no t-shirts. It is a very old fashioned company, too many stiffs work there. Overall, I find the people at Chevron easier to work with, and have more outgoing personalities and leadership characteristics. At Exxon, you have to wait your turn to be a leader, they will smack you down if you try to step up too early. You just do your job there.
That being said, I would rate the management at Exxon as much better than Chevron. They promote managers who are experts in their field, and are proven top-level performers. They penalize these managers when they are wrong. At Chevron, I've mostly found incompetent managers who just have good personalities. They can blow millions in change orders, and still keep their job. That is a problem, there needs to be a balance of both of these situations. Chevron is horrible at demoting or firing managers, which is a shame.
Exxon would crush Chevron employees? Ha! Confirms what we all know: Exxon is for a-holes with no life. A decent person wouldn't want to work there.
Exxon won't hire Chevron employees? BS. We get recruited by them all the time. It's why they bumped all the engineers pay a few years back - poaching.
Bottom line, Chevron always gets ranked as the place to work. Exxon doesn't. Don't hate just cause your employer sucks to work for.
I worked there for 6 years. Everyone here has pretty much hit the nail on the head. It was much more of a work hard play hard attitude. I really liked my work at Exxon but the work life balance sucked. In at 7 out at 5 or 6 was normal and expected, but we got a lot done, and in most cases done well. I jumped ship for the 9/80 and better work/life balance. One of the biggest gripes from when I was there and even from friends still at Exxon is the forced rankings. Many thing it is not necessary to keep high performance. Example of the shitty part, if you are on a team of high performers you can still end up shit out the bottom as everyone is literally ranked top to bottom, someone always has to be the bottom post. Also, if you don't have a good supervisor who fights for their employees in the ranking sessions then you could drop just because of that. In general if you are good you are rewarded. of course they have their own political issues and ass kissing but doesn't seem as bad as Chevron.
I enjoy the 9/80s and have had a few good supervisors at Chevron but haven't really enjoyed the rest of the Chevron culture all that much. The Chevron "yes", lack of responsibility, urgency, or accountability really gets annoying and I think it's actually hurt my own personal drive.
Exxon isn't known as the "Evil Empire" for nothing....
If you are long term Chevron you won't get hired. My wife works for Exxon and she said no ex Chevron employees do well there so they don't hire Chevron. There are enough embedded contractors in Chevron now that have worked for Exxon and they will tell you how horrible Chevron is at accountability and results. Ask around and chat with one. You probably will loose a night of sleep hearing from an outsider how downright dumb we are...
If you watch FMJ and even for a second feel sorry for Leonard then you need to look elsewhere. If you have no idea what I am talking about you need to look elsewhere
haha... Exxon hire Chevron! Now that's funny right there! Exxon is legit on how they run business. I was a contractor before hiring on with Chevron so I know both parties and whinny ass, incompetent Chevron folks wouldn't make it. Produce or go home. They have no time for lame excuses. Your throat will be cut by someone better than you. It's hunger games everyday. They are filled with alphas who can produce, chevron is suck on this titt since I hurt your feelings while you produce nothing. I'm an experienced hire who is few years in at Chevron and it's pathetic!! I just want my package to take my talent elsewhere.
Exxon 101% better
If you worked for chevron and liked it - Exxon will crush you. Doubt they would hire you anyway. Not too many people came to Exxon most come from Exxon. Worth a shot though if you think there is an opening....
Chevron employees would have a better chance working for the government than for Exxon.
Sounds like my kind of gig so I set up a search alert for my "drilling" on the Exxon career website. I've heard of companies that straight-up ax the bottom 10% every year, and I would thrive in that environment. If you sh*t the bed then I'll figuratively slit your throat in front of everybody with a smile on my face. And there's nothing you can do to retaliate because I keep my hands squeaky clean. It's much more important to me to know that I'm contributing solid performance than to tip-toe around everybody's feelings while they're riding unicorns over rainbows. I'm sick of working with/for grown-ass crybabies who don't do their job.
What the previous poster said is true. I worked at Exxon for 9 years and loved it. It takes a certain type of personality to survive there. If you are too nice then you will not survive there.
Anon 317 is correct. 90% of Chevron people wouldn't last a day, or any other company for that matter.
Man Exxon is 180 degrees the other way rough. Hyper results oriented and true forced ranking. So the power positioning is harsh. But I would go back in a minute. If you work hard and are smart you will do fine. Of course there are exceptions. But at Chevron you can see that today hard work advantages are not recognized. And of course there are exceptions to that also. I worked for Exxon for a longtime and came over to Chevron for the unconventional plays. Exxon is not moving people to XT0. So I thought what the he'll I will go to Chevron. What a huge mistake. Chevron can not compete in the unconventionals. You will slowly see a shift. We have bombed in PA and Alberta. I mean flat out failed. In Texas we can drill but at twice the cost as a Pioneer. It really sucks coming to a losing team. So I would go back to Exxon in a New York minute but 95% of chevron employees would not last 6 months. Not trying to throw stones just being truthful.