I'm considering working as an entry level software engineer for Siebel
Systems. Before I accept their offer, I want to find out as much as I
can about what it's like to work for the company. What kind of hours
do their employees put in? Are they likely to start laying off
software engineers in the foreseeable future? What are the pros and
cons of working for the company? When people quit, why do they quit?
Bonus question for a $2 tip: The company seems to employ very few
American-born caucasians, even for an IT company. Why is this? Do
whites who have worked there find it difficult to fit in?

Hello beatle-ga,

Congratulations on getting a job offer from a high profile, successful
company in these tough economic times. I live just down the street
from Siebel headquarters and I’ve met some people who work there. This
company definitely has a very distinctive culture and it is fairly
easy to find information about them.

I’ve collected a selection of articles to help you get a feel for what
they’re like and to help you evaluate their business and financial
prospects. Some of the information you’re looking for is very tough to
find on the open Web. No company is likely to give you information
about why people leave. They may even have stringent separation
agreements that prohibit departing employees from talking about the
circumstances of their separation. The employee demographic
information is also extremely difficult to find. The company will
always profess to adhere to all EEO requirements but they're not
likely to say anything about their diversity profile for public
consumption unless they have something to brag about. Your best bet
for finding this is to try to talk to people who work there. I can't
tell you what are the pros and cons of working for Siebel because I
don't know what is most important to you about this job. To help you
with making this decision, I’ve collected a selection of articles that
help you figure out what’s important to you so you can evaluate the
job offer against your own criteria.

I hope this information will give you what you need to make your
decision about your job offer. Please ask if any of this needs
clarification before you rate my answer.

Best wishes for launching your career.

czh

======================================
COMPANY CULTURE AND WORKING CONDITIONS
======================================

http://www.vault.com/nr/main_article_detail.jsp?article_id=1772647&listelement=2&cat_id=0&ht_type=6
Interview with David Wisz, HTML Production Specialist at Siebel
Systems (and Dot Com Layoff Casualty)
Well the corporate culture is very... corporate. Siebel systems is
definitely not an Internet startup. I have to wear a suit to work,
eating in work areas is not allowed, and let's just say there is no
Friday afternoon keg. It's a pretty political environment too, where
people have aspirations to climb the corporate ladder. The whole
general ambience at Siebel is not "work hard, play hard," but more
like, "work hard."

http://www.business2.com/articles/mag/0,1640,42092,00.html
The CEO Dashboard: Siebel's new software helps managers drive their
employees. But will it drive them crazy?
By Ned Desmond, August 2002 Issue
At Siebel Systems (SEBL) in Silicon Valley, management by stress works
so well that CEO Tom Siebel is building the company's future on the
idea. … His new product is (pardon the acronym) ERM, or
employee-relationship management software, a highly automated system
that directs, informs, and tracks employees. Siebel had it developed
for internal use after surveys showed that many of his employees were
unsure about their roles.

http://www.siliconindia.com/women/womenmantra/women_feature_display1.asp?articlesid=45&catname=feature
House Rules: How Siebel Systems Became a Star -- January 3, 2001
There are no scraggly, barefoot techies in shorts and tee shirts
tossing Nerf balls through baskets hanging in office doorways. People
are required to dress appropriately for the job they do. "Engineers
have to be fully clothed," House says dryly. Employees who face
customers must wear ties and jackets, hose and heels. Everyone arrives
on time and prepared for meetings. Doors are always open, even
conference room doors.

http://www.computing.vnunet.com/Features/1124207
The world according to Tom Siebel
Computing  [25-07-2001]
He bristles when reminded of press coverage that suggests he's a
control freak. … "But to portray this company as a bunch of mindless
automatons, cogs in a machine, or robots that come to work every day,
is wrong. There's a whole building over there filled with engineers in
jeans." … Siebel does engage in some controversial employment
practices, however, most notably the annual cull of the bottom five
per cent of the company's workforce.
http://www.imakenews.com/techyvent/e_article000108634.cfm
February 6, 2003  -- Siebel Systems' Secrets of Success 
CFO Addresses Association for Corporate Growth
 “In the last quarter, we saw customer satisfaction up 23 percent,
customer retention up 13 percent and revenue growth up eight percent,”
said Goldman. “While we are pleased with the numbers, they have been
much harder to achieve than they were a year ago.”
Ranked as one of the fastest growing companies in the world – it is
the only company ranked in top 20 of fastest growing companies four
consecutive years by Fortune magazine – maintaining that pace has not
been easy.

======================================
COMPANY FINANCIAL STATUS AND PROSPECTS
======================================

http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=sebl&d=v1
See comprehensive information on Siebel including Financials,
Historical Prices, Industry, Insider, Messages, News Options, Profile,
Reports, Research, SEC Filings, more...
There is a definite downward trend.

http://www.forbes.com/2003/03/27/cx_500s_dropintro.html?partner=yahoo&referrer=
Forbes 500s Dropoffs 
03.28.03, 9:00 AM ET NEW YORK - 

The ten companies in this slideshow suffered an implosion in one or
more of their Forbes 500s metrics--sales, profits, assets or market
value--and were knocked off this year's Super 500 list.

http://www.hoovers.com/co/capsule/5/0,2163,51275,00.html
Siebel Systems, Inc. – Company Capsule
Siebel Systems is more than willing to take on all sorts of tough
customers. The company is the leading provider of customer
relationship management (CRM) software that automates the sales and
customer service operations of large corporations. Its software allows
companies to distribute customer information to call centers, direct
sales teams, resellers, retailers, and Web-based sales forces,
supporting functions such as marketing, sales, and customer service.
The company also offers services such as consulting, maintenance, and
support.

http://www.crmguru.com/crminsight/2002a/0117.htm
If Siebel's so Great, Where are the Raving Fans?
Jan 17, 2002, C R M . I N S I G H T
The Real Battle for #1 is in Customers' Hearts 
In this issue's Perspective column, I argue that Siebel's long-term 
success is not assured. In fact, despite its recent growth, I'm going
to boldly predict that five years from now Siebel won't be the
industry leader. Why? It boils down to a sales-obsessed, not
customer-centric, culture.

September 13, 2002 -- Cash for their trash
Siebel plans to pay employees for out-of-the-money options, but it's
not great for shareholders
Siebel is one of the best-run companies in Silicon Valley, a maker of
software that big businesses use to automate their sales forces and
customer-service outfits. It also was one of the highest flyers of the
high-tech boom, in part because it wasn't a flimsy dot-com, but rather
an immensely profitable company making multi-million-dollar sales to
Fortune 1000 companies.

=============================
EMPLOYEE TURNOVER AND LAYOFFS
=============================

http://www.vault.com/community/mb/mb_main.jsp?product_id=8109&ch_id=337&forumtype=0
Siebel Systems -- HOME > Technology & Science > Software > Message
Boards
The message board postings for the past 60 days are open to anyone. If
you want to read earlier postings you have to become a member. The
postings are mostly by disgruntled current and former employees. You
can compare what they say to what the company says about itself and
what’s written about it in the trade and business press and make your
own decision.

http://www.fortune.com/fortune/ceo/articles/0,15114,367129-3,00.html
FORTUNE. Tuesday, September 3, 2002 
SIEBEL -- This Time Tom Siebel Guessed Wrong
He never seemed to miss a call on the way up. And he never thought a
downturn could last this long.
Yet on this day Siebel is morose because the numbers are so utterly
and indisputably bleak: Year-over-year sales are down 28%, profits are
off by 61%, and the company is eliminating almost 1,200 jobs, or about
16% of its workforce. "It's very weak out there," laments Siebel.
"There is just not a lot of business being done in information
technology. We don't see any reason to assume it will get better," at
least for the balance of the year.

http://www.destinationcrm.com/articles/default.asp?ArticleID=2632
Siebel: No New Layoffs
CFO says sales will be back on track
Siebel CFO Ken Goldman said Wednesday at the Merrill Lynch Software
Conference in Monterey, CA., that the company plans no further layoffs
or corporate restructuring. … In July Siebel said it would cut about
1,200 jobs, which reduced the company to approximately 6,000 employees
at the end of its third quarter, ended September 30.

========================
EMPLOYMENT PROS AND CONS
========================

http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco20046.htm
Evaluating a Job Offer
There are many issues to consider when assessing a job offer. Will the
organization be a good place to work? Will the job be interesting? Are
there opportunities for advancement? Is the salary fair? Does the
employer offer good benefits? If you have not already figured out
exactly what you want, the following discussion may help you develop a
set of criteria for judging job offers, whether you are starting a
career, reentering the labor force after a long absence, or planning a
career change.

Evaluating Job Offers
The process of choosing a job begins long before you receive a job
offer. The key to choosing the right job is knowing what’s most
important to you and determining which organization offers the most of
what you’re looking for in an employer.
Towers Perrin has developed this guide to help you identify what’s
most important to you and evaluate different potential employers.
The Job Offer Questionnaire lists all the aspects of the job, the
rewards and the work environment that you’ll want to consider.
he Employer Report Card is a tool you can use to rate different
organizations and decide which job is best for you.

http://www.jobweb.com/Resources/Library/Career_Pursuit/Evaluating_Job_75_01.htm
Evaluating Job Offers & Negotiating Salary
This article is designed to cover: the seven factors in evaluating job
offers, additional factors to consider, the three job offer options,
negotiating salary, considering fringe benefits, success at work, and
finally questions to help you evaluate this process. Remember that
discussing your job offer with a career center adviser can be helpful.

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SEARCH STRATEGY
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siebel systems culture
Siebel corporate culture
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