administrative assistant

liaison

customer service representative

financial advisor

financial professional

Cambridge Investment Research, Inc.

Hostile work environment due to representatives calling in being allowed to belittle you, call you names, and curse you out with no consequence. But if you stood up for yourself you would be reprimanded.
If this department could get away with it they would chain you to your desk with a diaper on. Other than company-wide break times, you have to be at your desk accepting calls for the entire 8+ hour work day, and have no more than 15 minutes unavailable for calls. If you need to go to the restroom you have to let the entire 500 + employees know. They might have a fancy game room and all these different activities that you can go and decompress or take a minute from any other department you might work in. Other departments as long as you get your stuff done in the time they give you to do it, you could totally spend half your day in the game room playing ping pong or the Wii this department is almost impossible to transfer out of due to 6 months just us to learn the information to do the job. Two weeks was just listening while somebody else answered call Ann ran the computer, the next two weeks you could answer the calls but somebody else ran the computer. And every single specialty area of knowledge was already under-staffed for call coverage, so the goals parameters upper management set that you had to achieve for a pay raise was set up for your failure from The beginning. You can move around in the department to other specialty knowledge areas, because there was always internal movement somebody got burnt out they needed to change it was easier for them to specialize in financial statements instead of one of the Clearing Houses. You have to know as a partner support representative how to fix any paperwork the rep advisor has messed up on, or how one of the other departments has made an error how they should have done it and how to fix that problem. The majority of financial advisers that call in are calling because they have no clue how to fill out the paperwork, or have already incorrectly established an account and need it corrected trying to get it done without client signature on updated correct paperwork, because they don't want their client to know they did it wrong. Then filling out the paperwork wrong is your fault because you answer that phone.
To move up in position status to a team lead or supervisor oh, you have to be in classes to achieve a series 7 or already having a series 7 license. Any other department will encourage acquiring a series 7, not the case partner support they want you to have so many months of experience before they allow you to take the classes four-wheel flat refuse to allow you to take the classes all if you do not belong to the upper management social cliques. And in opposition, somebody in their first month unemployment can get signed up to take the series 7 just because they are upper managements social pet. Your team immediate supervisor is supposed to be the next knowledge and experience level above you to handle things that you are not capable or know how to do, and the supervisors are allowed to review how you do your job answer the calls and the turnaround for your service tickets how much to handle yourself and how much has to be sent to The Resolution Team to handle the service ticket, and this review of your performance effects your pay raise if you should possibly get one. New supervisors are allowed to grade you and your performance without even knowing how to create a service ticket for a call, which is the entire departments function. 
If you want to move to a completely different department, upper management is more likely to straight fire you with zero write-ups and multiple years worth of employment in that department just because you are not their social pet.
I actually moved into a position in the department on The Resolution Team as the second level for service tickets and follow-up that was open because somebody left, this is a position that is off of the call center answering. my specialty area was for cir statements and as a cir statements  specialty area I had to  follow up my own service tickets start to finish  I didn't have a second level to go to. But because they had nobody to replace me, not only did I have to take over all the service tickets for The Resolution Team position that the person that left was responsible for I also had to stay on the incoming call Loop for cir statements the position I was supposed to be transferred out of. They had me doing the incoming call Loop for cir statements in addition to all those new Resolution Team service tickets from the new area I was in, no increase in pay.  I am 100% convinced I was set up, because a week after i moved to my off call loops new position and answering the same cir statements loop calls, doing both employees jobs, the upper management instantly terminated me using the reason that I was unable to perform my position requirements. I had never even been written up while working for this company. HR employee that takes care of the termination told me flat-out to go file for unemployment immediately because they will not contest my claim because I lost my job through no fault of my own. I didn't even get a chance to improve on my performance, because they hadn't written me up or reprimanded me for underperforming. The only thing that I had done that actually gets you fired from a position at Cambridge is not being in the upper managements social clique. You can achieve social status only by joining and participating in company-wide activities like bags tournament or Wii bowling tournaments, but in partner support you can't participate in that because you cannot leave your desk.

 the entire call center PS position was like being employed by and ball and chain shackled to a dumpster fire. 


-10/10 even being one of the highest paid Departments starting wage, it doesn't pay well enough to justify being treated how you are in partner support.

I think Cambridge Investment Research Inc. overall is a great company. They have great benefits and amenities for the employees, one of my favorites was the pond we could walk around during our breaks.

The culture is weird. You've either "got it" or you don't. 

The majority of the individuals I've worked with and met there are quiet, intellectual, blunt, driven, and extremely competitive. 

If you are truly passionate about the financial industry and that's what makes you happy, go for it. You can learn to work with any personality as long as you are doing something you love.

I was surrounded by individuals who couldn't find a better paying job in the rural community we were located in and therefore felt stuck at their current job/life. 

It was quit depressing actually.

Again though, if you LOVE the financial industry and you want to make a career out of it, this would be a great place to learn about it and see if this is something you would like doing. They also offer internships as well for college students in the rural state of Iowa.

Personally, I didn't care for their emphasis on the culture, I thought the culture was weird and I never really felt like I was a part of it. 

The job itself consisted of an insane amount of learning on a daily basis. Because of having to stay in line with FINRA the SEC and various other government organizations and policies, we, as a broker/dealer were constantly having to make changes to the way we did things which meant in the long run, more work for us. I know certain changes were necessary, however when things are changed too often in too short of a time frame thing can get hectic really quickly.  

Also there were lots of weekends spent working overtime so we could maintain a certain level of business' standard(s). 

It was hard to keep on new people in the departments I worked in because the training was not nearly as extensive as it could have been. For the amount of work, the type of work, and the expertise knowledge of the work that individuals are expected to do on a daily basis I would say that it is pretty close to college degree level work. 

My personal opinion is I think they expect the general public to "get it" within a few weeks/couple months' time.

I thought the benefits were great, culture is weird, there was a lot of drama, but but overall if you're looking at it from a purely black/white perspective, a good company to work for.

This company is poorly managed from the top down. Training is disorganized and ineffective, and inefficiency runs through nearly every process. Many leadership positions are held by individuals with little to no relevant experience people who neither understand nor uphold the company’s stated values. The result is a culture steeped in hypocrisy, favoritism, and discrimination, where genuine inclusion takes a backseat to performative diversity and appearances matter more than authenticity. Real concerns are dismissed, and mediocrity is rewarded so long as you’re liked.

No matter how skilled, intelligent, or dedicated you are, or how hard you work, if you don’t conform to Cambridge’s rigid mold, you’ll be overlooked and undervalued. During my time there, I felt invisible and experienced an alarming level of neglect and unprofessionalism. It remains one of the most disappointing work environments I’ve ever encountered.

If you take pride in your integrity, work ethic, competence, or independence, don’t let this company exploit them.

If you desire to have a real career, and be better than average, this is  not the place for you.  Unless you grew up in the area and have a bunch of friends here who have your back from the people who hate and fear anyone new....don't do it.  Just my opinion stated here....but new outstanding people were blacklisted by the "old guard" who did not want new people to outshine the expected and allowed averageness of the long time employees.  Look at turnover rates and draw your own conclusion.  My experience was terrible and bullying was allowed by higher ups...HR was fully aware but powerless since it is a private company,  anything is allowed by higher ups.  Very few businesses in the area, so people stay as there are very few options.  Still not worth the treatment I received.  Again, just my opinion but when you watch people targeted because others simply don't like them....it is not a positive and thriving environment to work in.  I would not have wanted any of my family to work there and be treated the way i was treated, yet most people have lots of family who works there....which is also part of the problem.  

Join Eneric Petroleum's IT department and prepare for an amazing journey back in time, where computers are just there to save money on paper and management does not work together.

There was a time when the organization was trying to be the leading independent broker-dealer in the financial services industry That all changed when the founder stepped down and the core values became just words painted on the wall.

The majority of your peers are great to work with; they're in the same boat as you. "Cambridge," in and of itself, is pretty decent. The problems with the organization stem from IT being perceived as not providing value and is simply a cost center viewed as a necessary evil. This attitude and lack of support from the executive management and staff, have led to a Machiavellian house of horrors within IT that you might only expect to see on a season of Game of Thrones.

If you are brave enough to proceed to an interview, ask them about their employee satisfaction surveys in the IT department, how many assistant vice-presidents the company has, the turnover rate this last year and how much they have increased their contractor overseas roles. Best of luck!

There is definitely job security which is great because there didn't use to be. The problem is certain departments have great management and others don't. There was one incident where I was sick and having heart attack symptoms and I was actually punished for taking time off as sick days despite me having time off to use. They didn't ask questions they just wrote me up. That sent a clear message that they had no qualms about me using my death benefit to my beneficiaries. It was at that moment I realized I should never volunteer for over time. Only work the required amount. There are some really great people but there are some of the worst there too.

Most people outside of management are wonderful.  A few in management are too, but very few.  In technology it’s more important to have things look good than to be accurate and honest.  CMMI starts at a 1 for maturity, if they evaluated Cambridge Technology it would rank a 0.5. 

In over two years there I learned nothing.  Nothing new, nothing old, nothing. They only pay for external training for a select few butt ki55ers.   They use multiple free copies of postman because they don’t want to pay for 15 licenses.  

They are a company of work arounds.   If you can find a way around it, do it regardless of the risks or time sinks it causes.  

They do not listen and implement ideas from out side for multiple years. And when they do, and have waisted massive amount of time and abused their teams they say see, we listened. 

It’s a fine place to work on prove you can do more than consulting jobs.  Great place to rebuild yourself after personal problems.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Great work/life balance.  Typically very accommodating managers.  Core Values are unique and valuable.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Management is absolutely clueless.  They push new initiatives with very little planning or consideration for downstream impact.  Training is nearly non-existent.  Every few years when new management comes in the go on a hard METRICs kick and people have the best way to advance is to manipulate the metrics to get the answer they want.  It's a highly toxic workplace where words and actions do not align.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very fake and performative.  As long as it looks like you're working and contributing your good but again very little actual work being done.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
8-5 M-F.  A few meetings all via Teams.  Follow up on emails and tasks.  Do a little issue investigating or testing. Low stress

You can make better wages at McDonalds. Every  year the big wigs tell employees if you work hard we will pay you more…after five years I gave up. Your bonus is not even half a check every year. If you do a good job they micromanage you and have you work out of different phone lines for different departments with half a day training and slow response managers. No flexibility if you have a family. They will guilt you!  I got in trouble for cleaning my desk because I wasn’t working. They don’t have regular people that actually clean your area just a couple janitors that are also over worked. Bathrooms are gross! There is favoritism and HR knows about it. I couldn’t be on my phone but my coworkers could. I finally refused to do extra work I was not comfortable with without the extra pay and I know that’s the reason why I was watched. Don’t settle for this place, not good for retirement. 

My 'Team Lead' at the time trained me and my coworker wrong.  The procedures were wrong, and very few people knew what all my Team entailed as far as workload.  I had to learn on the fly, and was pretty much thrown to the wolves.  And when this was brought to my Supervisor's attention, I was told to 'stop making excuses' and was made to sign a 'write-up'.  When I questioned the 'write-up' I was told it was more of a way to track what I needed to work on, and wasn't a 'negative.  Then, when I tried to help an Advisor and they didn't like the answer provided, I was fired.  I wouldn't recommend working at Cambridge to ANYONE.  If you don't fit a certain 'type', you're ostracized and singled out by upper management.  My co-worker made more mistakes than anyone, and she gets promoted because she was 'in' with upper management.  I had to do their duties on top of my own because 'the workload was too much for them'.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Administrative assistant 12 salaries reported	$23.42 per hour
Liaison 15 salaries reported	$73,000 per year
Customer service representative 1 salary reported	$70,000 per year
Financial advisor 12 salaries reported	$75,417 per year
Financial professional 8 salaries reported	$45,625 per year

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