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Small Business Administration

What is the best part of working at the company?
All of my experience working there were great, you have a chance to assist people that’s really in need of someone who cares.  And it’s always a learning experience you will learn something new each time, it teaches you to appreciate life more and how much we need one another.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part we’re sometimes it will be lots of long hours per day, but it goes along with the job, it’s never guaranteed a 9 to 5- Monday - Friday, you must be ready and prepared to receive the normal and abnormal business hours from day to day.  It’s a disastrous situation you are there for, not a walk in the park.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It’s like meeting new people from all cultures, nationalities, and levels of life, sometimes it seems like family because we are together so long, and try to keep in touch with one another, the environment is pretty much what you make it, you have to be resilient, ethical,  and professional at all times.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day for me was like, rewarding that I was able to help someone else  to resume their activities of daily living, to assist someone that sometimes have lost everything, so as long as I know I applied everything I was taught by SBA and having my own professional knowledge to reassure someone else, it made my day to see them come into the center one way and leave out with hope and reassurance that we were there for them.

I worked for SBA's Disaster Assistance Office which offers financial relief in the venue of low interest loans to natural disaster victims. I was privileged to work with a well seasoned and dedicated staff responsible for supporting administrative and front line field workers.We prepared traveled arrangements, issued travel credit cards, reconciled travel vouchers (expense reports) and submitted them for payment. We also resolved any issues that arose after payments, such as with the credit card issuers. During the height of Katrina we worked 12-14 hour days keeping track over 1200 field workers. The hardest part of this job was Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. From watching the unbelievable footage in the break room to listening to seasoned field workers cry on the phone over what they were seeing was emotionally stressful and draining, However, the Director would often have impromptu informal pow wows where we got to speak about any job related stresses. Sometimes there were heated words, tears or laughter as voiced our frustrations, feelings and thoughts, but the atmosphere of the department handled all of this well. When we were through everyone went back to work refocused and aware of the importance our behind the scenes roles played in returning disrupted lives to a semblance of normalcy,

Before I say anything i would like to say that I worked here at a very caotic time so there was little time for everything: training, communication, taking calls, etc. First month I was skeptical if i liked it or not. The rest of the months, 2-6 months, I was always thinking 'maybe i should quit, no ethics'. The only reason I stayed till the end was because of the pay and my IMMEDIATE team lead, which was very polite, responsive and eager to assist and do a GREAT JOB. The bad: Every other aspect not mentioned. Management was terrible, no communication what so ever. You felt like a piece of trash taking a call just to say 'Hi, sorry I understand, but you have to wait'. I have never felt worst answering calls and addressing a customer. I had to stop be me and provide HELP or ASSISTANCE just to say 'im sorry for the inconvenience, more information will be provided later on'. Training was very short for all the information provided. Not able to do much for the customer. Good mission but no hard work to fullfil the mission or maybe there is so much work to do for such a SMALL agency, who knows. Not much opportunity to grow in a short term. 

A typical day at work involved me ( a decent writer- I have published two amazon books) training myself and picking up the slack of a former employee who did not do her job. I learned favoritism is real ( I was told that I should have dressed better for my interview- I wore a blazer , red blouse and brown slacks w my hair in a bun- I did not wear makeup). I got the job, but I was judged before I even had a chance. Management needs training and continuing education in order to lead and not judge. Workplace culture was not my priority as I was bounced around between two job titles and did both with full effort only to be fired 25 days after being hired for not writing down what management SUGGESTED - upon being let go- management stated three times I did not use her examples verbatim. I did not know that was the protocol, as there is no training or HR to guide you.

•	Direct SBA Supervised lender activities for lending partners, including Small Business Lending Companies, Federally Regulated Lenders
•	Perform analyses and on-site reviews of SBA Lenders 
•	Prepare analyses of SBA lenders to identify risks to the 7(a) SBA loan portfolio and prepare associated risk mitigation reports for senior managers.
•	Manage SBA lender portfolio on a quarterly basis, schedule lender  Examinations and Targeted Reviews, analyze results, and identify deficiencies and draft reporting for management team.  
•	Develop and sustain relationships with agency lending partners, recommend enforcement actions, and present solutions to OCRM/director and lender oversight committee (LOC) for approval. 
•	Prepare reports and summaries of on-site lender reviews, virtual reviews, performance trends analyses, and prospective performance levels and enforcement actions. 
•	Review examination reports from contractors for quality and issuance by Director for OCRM.




If you have anything to do outside of work here, do not apply. The hours are long, breaks are short and communication is poor. Management is horrific. You must give a 4 day notice for any time off, expectations are lofty while communication, management and trainings are inferior. This company uses fear and threats such as if you call out we will note your record so you will never have a Federal job again. Processes and procedures change DAILY and you’re expected to keep up despite limited training or time to ready and study new programs and procedures. You are reminded every two months that you are temporary and must provide excellent service despite poor working conditions. Health benefits are the only benefit offered at a rate that seems high considering it’s a Federal plan. 

Working for the Small Business Administration Office of Disaster Assistance is a great resume builder.  If you can get lucky enough to be placed with the right group, the job can be rewarding and fun.  Certain people in positions to delegate due to their physical location in the office can cause power trips (i.e. a GS7 trying to act like you report to them as a GS9 because their work entails assigning you work to complete).  Good government HR experience.  Working remotely is good for self-starters; you WILL be thrown into situations with minimal training and direction and expected to swim.  Tons of overtime when disaster activity is high, so the pandemic has afforded me the opportunity to make a lot of money from home.  60 hour weeks consistently throughout the entire appointment.

Loved the job, applicants. and business owners great to work with.Traveled nationwide with Core team to determine damages from Natural Disasters. Determine Fair Market Value to homes, businesses and personal property, with damage or total  destruction and determine damages to machinery, equipment, inventory, furniture, fixtures  and supplies Able to determine foundation types, such as slab, crawlspace, or pier/beam.  Able to determine types of framing, insulation, various types of sidings, Roofing types, electrical services, sewer/septic and HVAC systems, Able to measure fencing, square footage  Of landscaping, footage for seawalls, as well as different types of construction, and other land improvements.  Experienced in the use of Marshall And Swift Cost Estimators, and other construction estimators,  Also experienced in all aspects of drawing of home plans  Or design of businesses or developments on computer programs

A good position to get your feet into the door especially if you are interested in working for the government. The hours are good (originally had 60 hours but have reduced the hours to 40 hours). This is a temporary role but extensions may be granted based one’s work ethic. Some members in the organization (especially management) are on a power trip (whether they recently got promoted or are in panic mode due to the transition in office). My current co-workers and team lead and having weekly meetings to catch up and de-stress are good work/life balance techniques and helpful with our job. and it’s great making sure applicants receive the assistance they need to run their business especially due to the pandemic. There’s a lot of conflicting information about work requirements.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Friendly work environment.  My colleagues are helpful, collegial, and committed to SBA's mission.  Supervisors are always supportive.   I consider all of the employees very smart and eager to learn.  A great place to work. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Excessive work load. We are expected to simultaneously manage a lot of projects.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Everyone is committed to SBA's mission.  We all work very hard and take pride in our work.  My colleagues and supervisors are smart, supportive, and eager to take on new assignments. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Answer emails, write detail memoranda of law for DOJ, review and process WOSB applications, prepare POCs, and investigate qui tam claims.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Attorney 1 salary reported	$133,069 per year
Loan specialist 1 salary reported	$73,477 per year
Paralegal 29 salaries reported	$57,894 per year
Legal assistant 1 salary reported	$25.51 per hour
Customer service representative 2 salaries reported	$70,401 per year

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