quality assurance inspector

laboratory technician

inspector

construction project manager

laboratory analyst

Working for SGS as an inspector can be a very difficult ordeal. One must contend with poor management and lackluster leadership, long work hours and constantly changing work schedules, which makes it difficult to maintain any semblance of a life outside work.

SGS is notorious for treating inspectors with little respect, more like cattle than people. Upward mobility is limited, and even when available, is not really worth it, in my estimation (Examples- 1. Several inspectors have been "promoted" to office positions over the past year, a salaried position, and are still being paid their old hourly wage, awaiting management, or HR, to put in paperwork to place them on salary. 2. Inspectors have been "promoted" to shift leader positions, with more responsibility, and told there would be no pay raise). Asking for a pay raise is much like going to the dentist for a root canal. Receiving a pay raise when merited is a pipe dream. SGS management and leadership are so averse to granting pay raises, it almost always requires one to threaten to quit, and even then nothing is guaranteed. There is no pay scale- a new hire with no experience may be hired in making, say, $17.00 per hour, whereas someone currently working for the company, with three years experience may be making $15.00 per hour, for example. Inspectors are run into the ground, with management often times treating them as if they are nothing more than replaceable cogs in a wheel, and making it very clear that this is the case.

Initial training for new hires is also an issue. SGS has individuals who are in charge of training, but many offices lack a trainer, and even with those offices where there is a trainer, not much training is done. New inspectors, more often than not, have to learn the hard way by making repeated mistakes. SGS suffers from an inability to provide new inspectors with adequate training and preparation. It is truly an embarrassing issue.

BUT... every inspection company is like this.

Inspectors jump from one inspection company to another on a regular basis to make a few extra dollars (this seems to be one of the only ways to get a pay raise in this industry), but treated exactly the same- very poorly. And because of the treatment by management and the top leadership, it is a common thing to come across inspectors with bad attitudes, who do just enough to make it through the day, people who are otherwise hard working, dedicated workers. There is no motivation other than the paycheck; morale is very low.

It is quite unfortunate that this company cares so little about the inspectors, and does so little to make work conditions better, such as improve morale, create a graduated pay scale as well as annual reviews that include possible merit raises, expend some capital on improving employee relations, or a myriad of other things that could be easily accomplished if the will to do so was there. SGS could be the shining star in this industry, far out shining any other inspection company if it changed its business model a little, leaning more toward how most chemical plants manage employees. When employees are constantly frustrated, demoralized, unmotivated, feel mistreated and are constantly looking to jump ship at the first opportunity, it would seem to me that leadership would take notice and do whatever is necessary to improve things... but it doesn't happen, which is confounding.

This is a job, there's no doubt about it, but the inspection business is basically the laughing stock of the oil and gas industry, and due to poor leadership at the top, nothing is done to change this. Limited short term goals and quarterly or annual bonuses apparently out-rank long term outcomes, only peripheral attention is deemed necessary for long term business goals and maintaining a strong, well trained, motivated, well paid, professional and loyal work force.

The people you will get to work with will be some of the nicest people you could meet, and are an absolute joy to be around. Unfortunately the pathetic working conditions and miserable managing of the lab will quickly wear you down.

If you go in as a seasonal tech prepare to viewed as completely disposable by the management. They will never give you positive affirmation regarding anything and will always be sure to find something to criticize about your work.  If a manager is having a bad day they will go out of their way to pass that on to you. Snide and disparaging comments from them are common, and don't be surprised if you are expected to know information that you literally do not have access to.

Once you are placed in an area the training that follows is an absolute travesty. Management only directly involves themselves in orientation, which gives you a brief overview of all the sections. This orientation drags on and essentially assumes you never got past the 8th grade. Training for the particular area you are placed in is done by the full time analysts. They are friendly, and mean well, but they have their own job duties to attend to and are often busy. This does a fantastic job of making you feel like a burden and slows down the training immensely.

Management will dangle the possibility of a getting a full-time position over you, but it simply won't happen at the end. You have to prove your worth to them by working well in a vital area and have to resist their attempts to make you miserable by somehow ingratiating yourself to them. Do not expect to gain any instrument experience while there, and that is really the most valuable experience to gain in a lab environment.

Ultimately I did not find my experiences in this lab to be special nor worthwhile. Pay wasn't good, and working conditions weren't good. Disdain for the management is an open secret in the lab and it's remarkable they chug along as they do thinking nothing needs to change. I've worked in other understaffed labs that are more optimized than this lab despite the shortage, and have had a much more approachable and open management too. 

This has also been one of the filthiest and most cluttered labs I have ever worked in. It's mildly impressive how grimy and decrepit the place is. Bonus points for the numerous pieces of dysfunctional equipment in the lab too, some of which you will be expected to "work" with in an incredibly hacky manner.

Alaska is beautiful, but there are much better ways to visit it than working here. There are also much better lab opportunities available elsewhere. Ones that actually respect you and will give you the instrument experience that is vital for upward mobility in the lab environment.

I enjoyed my time here as a contract employee for the busy summer season. Looks great on a resume, I had the opportunity to learn a lot of different skills (both chemistry-related and interpersonal), but don't expect cross-training in other departments unless you are offered a full-time position. Management does a decent job of being hands-off and not micromanaging, but also rarely recognizes hard work. Overtime should be expected; most weeks were 50-60 hours, Alaska has a great overtime system so most of us didn't mind the OT (and often welcomed it for some extra $$$) but the analysts and year-round permanent employees were chronically underpaid, overworked, and generally unhappy. I was lucky to be hired with a great group of people and overall had a positive experience. Not sure if the vibes are that way every year. The work felt pretty thankless at times. Most of the analysts are cool and helpful, and understand that extractions don't always go as planned, but can't say the same for management. Usually on the hunt for a scapegoat or sows unrest/drama between departments. A great place to work if you're looking for well-rounded chemistry skill development (though I can only speak for GC Prep; other roles, like waste disposal, sample receiving, weigh room, etc. have fewer opportunities for growth and learning transferable skills). Don't expect to be working an instrument (GC-MS, etc.). You'll have the opportunity to become an analyst by applying for a full-time position at the end of the season if you choose, otherwise you won't touch an instrument, but I enjoyed the hands-on physicality of GC Prep (especially the waters side) and the analysts were constantly under a lot of pressure to churn out results despite frequent instrument failures. By the end of the summer, most of us were burnt out and ready to move on, but the heavy workload and self-sufficient workstyle (AKA one manager across all departments, nobody hovering over your daily tasks) means my department built strong bonds and had fun together. I recommend working here for a season.

The work environment was surprisingly casual, which was both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, there was very little strict oversight or nitpicking as long as you got your work done to the quality that was expected (which isn't saying much). You get generous breaks (Two 20 min breaks with a 30 min paid lunch) at least for my team, and hours were also quite flexible as long as you worked 40 hours a week. But on the other hand, there were many, MANY instances of negligence or apathy when it came to improving the workplace or dealing with safety concerns. How about not having a functional fume hood when dealing with fuming acids, or storing incompatible chemicals in the same place? Took longer than it should have to get either of those things addressed, and that's just two of many examples I could give.

Went through 3 managers in the ~3 years I worked there. Employee retention overall was terrible, probably saw about 10-15 people join and leave in the time I worked there. While the environment was casual, and most of the people very nice, there was constantly a feeling that the work being done was not appreciated, and hard work was not properly rewarded. There was constant complaints (even by long time employees there) about pitiful yearly pay raises, and I experienced this first hand. You do not get paid fairly for the amount of work you do. This was only rubbed further in our faces when someone undeserving got a 25% raise while the rest of us got less than 4%. 

The workplace culture seemed to reward sucking up to management more than hard work, and my efforts to actually improve the workplace was either brushed off or straight up ignored. It was only getting worse by the time I left, with management becoming more strict and expecting more work to be done, while the company decided a 0-2% annual pay raise was appropriate. All the while with constant reminders of "how well the company is doing" What a joke. 

If it isn't clear by this review, I wouldn't recommend working here.



Interview was easy and to the point by a telephone interview. They hired me with no experience and starting pay was fair for that. When they get enough new employees, they fly them from all over the country to there corporate headquarters. I was a month on the job training before I went for official training. They wine and dine everyone really nicely for five days. I was excited to start this new position. I definitely learned a lot. After that they even flew a assistant supervisor for me to ride with for a few days to learn and see how to conduct yourself in better detail. All was great.
Now for the bad part that new employees should know about. I was put on furlough for about two months during the holidays. So of course no holiday pay. I was employed four months at the time. When I was brought back it was really busy and I drove approximately 150 miles a day. I would recommend you have a fuel efficient car that you want to burn out because you will be driving a lot five days a week. By mid June everything slowed down. I started hearing rumor that SGS was loosing a lot of accounts. It was hard to get 32hrs a week. My supervisor says in a conference call that we are getting new accounts and will be busy again soon. A few weeks later without notice I was let go. I was the newest in my area. They said lack of work to keep me employed was the reason. You work in all types of weather. It's nice to be on your own.  Mileage pay is fair. I worked in southeast USA. To sum it up, company is very flaky and unstable nation wide. They have there favorites that have been there two to five years and some as long as over twenty years. But mostly under two years and your gone. If you take this job, only think of it as short term employment. Find someplace more stable. Don't worry about giving them much notice when you find something better. When you give it your all to get every account finished, they don't appreciate it.

No job security at all in this company, when I started we had over 100 people in my area and when I quit, we had 15, SGS lost A LOT of contracts, hired in a lot of people then laid them all off, I was lucky enough to stay and not get laid off.

I started out driving around my area, then the more they laid off, the larger my work area got to the point were it was almost the lower half of my state.

they only pay you 0.13 cents per mile on your own vehicle which is ridiculous, the wear and tear you put on your own vehicle is NOT worth it, and when your spending $500 a month in gas and driving around 2,000 miles a month it get really old really fast.

the equipment you are forced to use is EXTREMELY dated, the computer you use can't be used outside and when your job consist 100% of working outside it makes it very frustrating.  The cameras they send are very cheap and take poor photos for the job so you are always getting in trouble for bad photos when in reality it is there fault for supplying bad equipment.

Management is VERY cheap, asked for a snow broom to clean off the cars and was sent a 10 dollar Wal-Mart brush,  the equipment you are forced to use is so bad its 1 of 2 things, management knows and doesn't care or they're too cheap to buy stuff that works.

In the 4 years I've worked here I've had over 8 bosses, and I've met only 2 of them, there was a point where we had 3 in 2 months, the turn over rate is shockingly high.

Forced to be sent out of town for work, they put you up in a VERY cheap hotel (look up Air Way Inn in Brooklyn, NY).

Overall, this company is not going to be around for long, the amount of contracts they lost is pretty scary, I knew people who were hired for full time and laid off within 5 months and people who worked there for 10 years and laid off.

This is a very quick-paced lab with a wide variety of testing. They offer new grads and current students great experience and opportunities to learn a variety of techniques and instrumentation. You will work hard, no doubt, but you are rarely bored. My days flew by. I miss the routine of samples, rarely being bored at work and the sense of family there. 
Coworkers were close when I was there. There were Halloween parties, thanksgiving potlucks, Christmas dinner. They would book a charter bus and  take employees on a day trip to the state fair. There are catered lunches and other perks for employees. When I was there, the manager would randomly hand out gift cards for various things (stores, movies) as a thank you for weekend work, or coming in late (or staying late) to help out in another area. 
Summers are busy and do require weekend work, but Saturday work came with Moose’s Tooth.  And,  it’s an awesome opportunity to make extra money with OT.  Prove yourself, work hard, offer to help in other areas where it’s needed (weigh room, semi-organic prep lab), and you will get chances to do other things. The experience this job offered me was invaluable and has taken me far since I’ve left. I am very appreciative for the training that I received and the opportunities it afforded me after. Despite all I’ve gotten to do after, I have yet to find a workplace that offers the sense of family that SGS offered. Is SGS perfect? Absolutely not. But, I’ve learned that no place is and you honestly don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. I go back and visit every time I’m in Alaska. I can’t say that for any other place I’ve worked.

I believe the Quality Control / Quality Assurance filed utilze my experience ( 8 years experience in pharmaceutical industry ).
Right now I work at SGS Group ( Inspection, Verification, Testing & Certification Services ) as Conformance Analyst for Food,Chemical and pharmaceutical Products
Duties include:
-To check and approve the conformity documents (test reports, quality certificates, analysis reports …etc).
-To check company's Quality Management System documents (ISO 9001, ISO 22000, HACCP, …etc).
-Verify the conformity of the documents.
-Issue the certificate of conformity (CoC) which enable the goods to enter the country.

On the ather side I have vey good experience as Senior Quality Control Department in the pharmaceutical industry ( 5 years at Remedica Pharmaceutical Co / Limassol - Cyprus & 2.5 Years at Advance Pharmaceutical / Sahab - Jordan ).
Duties include:

- Good experience in GMP,GLP Requirements & Covered The Validation Strategy and Sampling Requirements for (Mixing, Granulation, Compression ,Capsule Filling, Dry Suspension Filling, Tablet Coating), Labeling and Handling of Validation Samples, Analytical Control, Protocol Deviation, Acceptance Criteria, Statistical Analysis, Process Validation Report .
- Participate in writing SOP’s for multi methods of analysis(Chemical and Physical tests) for Raw materials, In process and Finish product as USP, BP, EP Pharmacopeias (Wet Chemistry & Instrumental Analysis).
- Filing, Review and Check documents Via In House check list.
- Covered the full range of pharmaceutical analysis methods used by Remedica which includes TLC, Automated titration, UV and HPLC(Waters

Honestly, the Orlando location is in one word, disappointing. The "training" is non-existent, you basically "shadow" a coworker until you can do it by yourself (they won't talk to you unless you ask questions). Managers don't care enough, its all about the numbers, immediate supervisors are useless and unwilling to help (especially if they're "set up for retirement"), the job is monotonous and pointless, SEVERLY underpaid, understaffed, the labs are falling apart, we did not have enough materials to work properly, and forget about "moving up" (that by the way, does NOT come with a pay increase, just a "better" title). This location knows very well that employees come for "the experience" and are going to leave in 6 months to a year so they don't really do anything to keep you, you are replaceable, period. They do try to "appreciate" us by bringing bagels or snacks on payday Fridays which is nice, but have never seen any incentives that included money, which is what we actually need to survive. They did try to "incentivize" employees who wanted to work through Christmas by giving them a $50 amazon card, so there's that. If you really need some experience for your resume then its not the worst job out there, the schedule is VERY flexible, they literally only care that your batch goes out so you can come at whatever time and have to stay until its done (which is good and bad because you don't really get your 40 hours unless you come on the wekeends). So overall, not a positive experience and would not come back.

I worked as a vehicle inspector for 2.5 years.
This company certainly "wines and dines" you in the beginning.  I was sent to Orlando, FL for 4 days of paid training!
 But don't get it twisted, they're gonna get their monies worth out of you.  You'll sometimes drive to 10 different homes around the city to do 20 minute mindless inspections.  The people you are meeting with do not want you there and think the inspection is a waste of their time.  Alternatively, you might get a call to drive 400 miles to do one 20 minute inspection(sooo dumb).  There are some enjoyable aspects like going to dealerships and talking with the folks that work there, but that is maybe 20% of the job.  You are mainly in your car driving around to peoples houses.  Decent amount of OT if you want it.

When I started there were 6 inspectors in the area.  The company laid off 3 of them, and the other 3 of us left the company for various reasons.  For me, in 2.5 years I had 3 different managers.  My 3rd manager never even called to make an introduction.  You will only be speaking with you manager if you need something.  My cost of living raise was a laughable .25cents.  My final few months were unbearable because I was the only inspector within 500 miles and I had to cover the whole area.  Pretty tough not having any coworkers, a manager who is out of state, an impossible work load, a raise that doesn't keep up with cost of living, and working out in the elements.
Like my post says, take the job if you need money.  Its not so bad in the beginning.  But just know I wish I'd left the company at about the 1 year mark.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Quality assurance inspector 74 salaries reported	$42.66 per hour
Laboratory technician 4 salaries reported	$24.25 per hour
Inspector 4 salaries reported	$36.25 per hour
Construction project manager 1 salary reported	$91,818 per year
Laboratory analyst 7 salaries reported	$21.00 per hour

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