software engineer

systems analyst

customer service representative

agent

team leader

Expeditors

I worked here as a customs brokerage intern, and overall, the job wasn't bad. The tasks were relatively easy, save for a couple of things I would get stuck on. 

The work environment was decent. A lot of people were kind and chill to me, and no one was rude. They would tell me it was okay to reach out to them for help, which I really appreciate. I would encourage others to reach out to those who offer help, even if you feel awkward about it. I know I didn't, and I kind of regret it. 

One of the biggest problems I had working at this company was the early start time. It started at 6 AM I think, which was incredibly difficult for me to manage. I would attribute it to my own bad sleep schedule, so I can't exactly blame them. This job just wasn't for me. 

Additionally, there was a requirement to finish a certain amount of files per day, which I failed to meet. The subtle pressure made me stressed out. I know this was on me a little, but I feel like the company kind of expects quantity over quality. I would take so long on the files BECAUSE I was trying to catch any discrepancies. Although they were kind about it, them telling me to work a bit faster didn't help. Eventually, I had to sacrifice being careful for the sake of meeting the requirement (though I will say I learned a bit from this). 

I also took a long time because the easier/shorter files would be finished relatively quickly, leaving behind the larger ones that took way longer to complete. I had to skip those ones in favor of reaching the minimum file requirement as well. I feel like file count should be irrelevant when there are different types of files, especially when there are long ones that require a script that sometimes take up to an hour to go through. For example, some long files might take an hour (that is out of your control since it requires a script to run on it), and in an 8 hour work day, if you tackle 8 of these types of files, you will only finish 8 of them. This is WAY under the minimum file requirement.

I suppose someone might say I should've skipped these files, but who else does them?? I just saw them collecting dust and that also stressed me out. There was like an obligation I have to do them. Maybe that was a me problem as well. 
If you work here as an intern, I would advise you work on the shorter and easier files. Once you get the hang of working quickly, then I would say you can tackle those. Don't be like me who stupidly went for the big ones when I wasn't capable of doing so.

At Expeditors I learnt a lot, I was given many responsibilities and the people were very helpful. 
They had self-motivation, dedication and taught me how the business worked. 
A typical day at work meant being at the office by 9am, I would work on the computers using their desktop software to book freight flights. I would type in the departure location, its destination, the price rates and times of departure and arrival. I would also log in truck waiting times, how much money was lost in that time and how much would be owed to the company at the end of each month. I put these statistics into a self-created excel spread sheet where I worked out average waiting times and which trucks needed more management.
The job's I did were explained by co-workers (Calumm and Ben) who had been working in the department many years before I came, to start with Calumm gave me organisational manual work that involved file management and data processing. But then Ben took over and taught me how to make calls to other branches and companies about flights, bookings, times and rates per container or unit. At one point I was responsible for updating Expeditors shipping rates on the data base which was a huge responsibility, I had to re-check them several times as any error would create so much loss and inconvenience to the company so this was the hardest job as the pressure was high. However, I overcame this and did the job well which was self-satisfying. I enjoyed everything about the job, I felt I had importance and what I was doing consisted of actual work that needed to be done even though every now and then there were points where I had finished my work early and ran out of things to do so with this I was able to take a longer lunch break (around 12 or 1pm). 
I was required to work until 5 or 6pm and most days it would be 5.30 that I’d finish at, I would do this job/experience all over again as I enjoyed the busy atmosphere as well as feeling smart and sensible (by how I was dressed in suites and doing a lot of work)





Expeditors has a lot going for it: stability, decent work-life balance, and a generally positive atmosphere. This tempting trifecta lured me in, but for most programmers the place is a trap. Here's why:

* Despite the flashy facade, the place is a shipping company. Think of them like the post office. They don't need cutting-edge technology, and they sure don't have it. Some of their core systems are written in... wait for it... Cobol! Their new development is mostly in Java, but even then the patterns and frameworks tend to be stale. There's also no guarantee which project you'll be on. (I was hired for one group and then swapped to another.) No matter what they tell you, there's a vast gulf between working at a tech company and working at a shipping/logistics company. 

* The pay is lousy. Ask around and you'll find it's common knowledge amongst recruiters that Expeditor's pays 10-15% below market average. They can get away with this due to point three, which is...

* They hire mediocre talent. There are certainly exceptions... they're the folks you'll tend to meet during your interview. Their average developer, however, simply isn't that great. 

As an aside, don't be fooled by the 50+ hours of training required each year. Hiring managers like to say it's designed to help keep you technically current. In reality, however, it's a blanket requirement of all employees – whether or not they're devs. In your first year, the 50 hours will be devoted to corporate indoctrination: topics like how to professionally answer a phone, and what constitutes harassing behavior.  It's mind-numbing stuff. In subsequent years, the hours will tend more toward shipping and logistics related topics. 

Bottom line: If you're getting older and want a place to coast to retirement, Expeditors may be a good fit. If you have any ambition whatsoever, however, stay away. Seattle has many better offerings.

Expeditors was a great place to learn and develop skills in the global logistics/business world. Day to day was very challenging with heavy workloads and minute to minute customer service both verbal and via email. Customers expectations are tight but after learning their specific needs came very easy and enjoyable when you met deadlines and kept the customer happy. Developing relationships with customs and border protection, forwarders, airlines, trucking companies and of course our clients was the best part of it all as communication was key in getting the job done correctly and effectively.  Advancement came very easy for some if you had the right people backing you. Nepotism runs rampant and you will find family members of upper management getting priority of titled positions without jobs even being posted to the branch. After 12 years of dedication I feel its time for me to explore elsewhere, somewhere my skills and hard work will carry me to a higher position without my relationships or relations for that matter being a factor. Pay is hourly but with bonus at percentages that aren't always promised month to month. PNL is very sketchy and unexplainable. My time here as been very up and down as my customer service skills have always surpassed the norm. I have attained numerous awards for exceeding expectations, but feel as if my continuous level of customer service has hindered my ability to be moved up and almost forced where the company wants me. Direct management hasn't changed over the last 7 to 8 years and do not see many opportunities to grow. Overall I cherish the knowledge and experience I have obtained at Expeditors, but also feel as if this chapter is getting closer to end and need to start writing a new and more fulfilling one.

When I started here there was no clear direction given to me as to what I would be doing. So, a typical workday would consist of me waiting for the supervisor on the floor to find something for me to do, which could take hours. This was extremely hard for me because I am very productive and like to keep moving it makes the time go by and you feel a sense of accomplishment once the task at hand is completed.
 The managers were to laid back and not very professional they did not like any kind of scrutiny or negative feed back. So, my complaints or concerns were often given the cold shoulder or nonresponse.
This company contracts out a majority of its employees, who are mostly migrants so if you have a problem with that this might not be the place for you . I was one of only two people hired that was not a temp or contractor. I did not find this out until after I started working here so if you are not bilingual you will have problems communicating with the migrants.

As for the culture this is more of a family and friends type of operation a lot of nepotism in the ranks you have to be careful of who you involve yourself with. People will drop the ball on you if you cross them in the wrong way and you will not know until its to late.
The hardest part of my job was standing around for up to six hours waiting for work to do and only having maybe three or four hours of actual work. This was a 10 hour a day job and I spent have of that time doing nothing.

The most enjoyable part of the job was the pay and only the pay. As for what I learned is not to ever trust what the recruiter says about the job you are applying for they are not always honest in the interview process. I was led to believe that I would be doing the job that I had applied for but that changed once I got hired on.

I would not recommend working at Expeditors. 2 stars for teaching me what I don't want in a workplace.

Cons:
-lack of accountability: whether your fellow employees are simply jerking off and wasting time or you're being blamed for something that isn't your fault
-siloing:  departments tend to avoid helping each other. Whether warehousing, accounting, compliance, or one of the different operations sections, they will work to push it off to the next department. All departments will maintain an air of caring however; the quality of work says otherwise.
-people can't read their emails: from the proles to management, the employees seem to have poor reading skills. E.g. personnel can't even address the correct person when responding to emails

Pros:
-lack of accountability: you can hide in the bathroom every 30 minutes to sit on your phone or you can do so at your desk for every 5 minutes if standing is too strenuous. If you're in management you can also enjoy the pleasure of delegating work, avoiding work, and otherwise affecting an air of caring which just serves to mask the desire to, again, avoid any work. Hours can be flexible if you ask for them; note: more flexible for some personnel than others.
-siloing: if you kiss the correct rings in your department and stick around long enough you might be promoted. Sticking together serves as a safety mechanism when problems arise, like a herd of buffalo on the savannah: just don't be the slow buffalo at the end of the line.
-people can't read their emails: sometimes problems simply dissipate because everyone marked an email as read and no one followed up. No actual resolution, just went away is all.
Don't worry, more problems will show up shortly.




The initial job listing was discovered through a local university employment board. After applying I had a lengthy phone interview and was invited to come to the local branch to have a formal interview. During this interview I spoke with three different department managers and finally the branch manager. Roughly a week later I was issued an offer to work for Expeditors-Memphis, on the condition that I started through a temp agency for six months. This was the first mention of the job requirement of being hired through a temp agency, which I felt was deceptive. The job listing on the university board never mentioned the fact that this was a requirement for employment at this company. I accepted, begrudgingly.

I worked within the administrative team. The administrative team manager, Catrina Tate, is universally disliked by many parties I've spoken with inside of the company. In my opinion, she keeps her managerial status by behaving overly affable around management team members and not through her job record. She is cold and displays an attitude around her subordinates/team members. The time I worked for her lead to the largest amount of unnecessary job stress I've ever experienced. Micromanagement is a daily occurrence, and any time she was found in the wrong by her fellow managers she would take out her frustrations on her team and would never own up to her own shortcomings.

Expediters was a top tier professional environment with a diversity of people and occupations. The education and support there was outstanding and people really cared about their jobs. There was a constant push for better communication that seemed to get lost in some of the day to day, but over all it was what one would imagine as working for one of those companies that is like family.

There were quirks but for the most part, there was a good system of checks and balance as far as I could tell. The interview process is extremely competitive to the point a person is not likely to walk in, regardless of experience level, and feel as though they are a shoe in.

The management culture is very welcoming, though confusing at times and it is a place where questions have to be asked to be able to wrap your head around many things, even to the point that it feels extremely uncomfortable or you will fail.

There is a culture of humility and respect that seems to be transmitted through out their teams and being new is no different.

The hardest part about working here was knowing how, when, what, and who to ask questions to and about as well as knowing where to be and when at all times. If you haven't worked in a large corporate environment before, this can create a massive culture shock.

If you're looking for a conservative company (you'll be required to wear a dress shirt and tie every day) that prioritizes customer satisfaction above all else, then Expeditors is the company for you. They're a global company, so you'll need to be available 24/7 in case something goes wrong. And they're a logistics company so something will likely wrong. This leaves the work/life balance for most positions at the company in a "Work is your life, right?" territory.

The conservatism also extends to the demands Expeditors will place on you. They claim to promote from within, but promotions seem to be based on tenure instead of competence. So, if you're the kind of worker who likes to hit the ground running and gain quick advancement by taking on a large workload and performing well, then all you'll achieve at Expeditors is an ever increasing workload and greater amount of responsibility without raises or advancement for your first 5 years. If you're the kind of worker that doesn't like to stand out in a crowd, however, you'll likely have a long and successful career.

The biggest advantage to working for Expeditors is job security. Expeditors doesn't lay off workers and they promote based on tenure, so as long as you work at an even pace and plan on staying with the company for at least 10 years, it's a good company to work for.

This company is really great and has some excellent standards. They really care about their employees and want to take care of them so they take care of the customers (and they will say that, too). This is definitely a corporate environment and you will most likely have a desk job which, I must say, is terrible for your health and well-being. The work is generally monotonous although the ultimate product, which is shipping containers all around the world, is at least a little interesting.
My manager was very upbeat and flexible. She let me change my schedule when I told her that my work-life balance was pretty uneven. However, she and the rest of my coworkers are a little unprofessional at times. They expect everyone to come to all the office outings and events which ALWAYS revolve around alcohol. Even though employees regularly get drunk and do things that might get them fired, they are accepted and their behavior is condoned by the staff. I don't know if the company would formally embrace these practices...
I didn't enjoy my job very much because it was essentially data entry while staring at a computer all day. If you're a salesperson, you don't have this sort of position but you are always trying to prove your worth and sell the company, so those folks tend to be a little flaky.
Anyway, if you're looking to make your living in the business/corporate world, this would be the place for you. Not for me.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Software engineer 4 salaries reported	$113,750 per year
Systems analyst 3 salaries reported	$75,000 per year
Customer service representative 2 salaries reported	$22.75 per hour
Agent 1 salary reported	$25.00 per hour
Team leader 4 salaries reported	$130,500 per year

Working at Expeditors: Company Overview and Reviews

Expeditors

Expeditors Ratings

Popular jobs at Expeditors

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected