Okay so it’s always been my dream
to work there (not gonna lie lol). After
reading these posts, I def feel like the allure is gone a bit which is probably for the best, lol. But I am curious—how do people get hired at such a behemoth of a company? I know people who were very talented (so I thought) who got rejected and I’ve been seeing designers who seem run-of-the-mill fly through the hiring process. Just curious how it works. Do you have to have connections, have to work for major brands, have some secret sauce, what?
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You have contacts on the inside, you're related to someone in SR management, you're a UofO or OSU grad, you've worked at the employee store or coffee cart, you're a blonde with family in Beaverton.
I applied online with no referral and a solid resume. Got the job after four interviews in just over four weeks. Tech / product space. From what I’ve heard from other folks it varies wildly by department and geography.
The three most dangerous things to be during a Nike layoff:
- Over age 40
- With the company less than 2 years
- With the company 10 or more years
Yep yep on the layoff front
Nike will target you if you’re old enough to be legally protected. It just means they have to lay off a 20 year old too.
@7uig Idk about lay offs not happening frequently, there were 2 big ones in less than 5 years.
@3kuf is correct. During a reorg, don’t think your high work quality or solid reputation is going to save you. If you fall on a certain demographic spot, which might NOT be what you think it would be, you’ll be out. Nike has to balance things out during reorgs, so no one should think “I’m black/white/Asian/whatever so they won’t get rid of me”, or “I’m 25/35/45 years old so they won’t get rid of me”. Or “I’ve always gotten high performance ratings and everyone likes me, so they won’t get rid of me.” During a reorg EVERYONE is a potential target. Yes, everyone.
During the last two reorgs I saw people let go that I would have never in a million years imagined. Accomplished, respected, tenured employees told “Thanks for your service but you need to leave now.” That’s when it hit me that everyone truly is a number at Nike. Your past hard work and accomplishments, no matter how significant, will NOT be a guarantee of continued employment. Everyone thinks that layoffs must follow some kind of logical path or system. I’m sure there is a system. I’m equally sure it doesn’t involve any logic you’d recognize.
I still work here so I’m not a bitter ex-employee. That’s just the reality of layoffs at Nike. The good news is that layoffs are not frequent. When they do happen though, whether you’ve been here one year or 30 years you need to mentally prepare yourself that your number might be up.
You just need to have graduated from U of O….
If you know somebody on the inside it helps A LOT. Just don't mistake all the marketing around the roles. In the end you are just a number and if you happen to be in the wrong spot on the Bell curve in a reorg you are out, despite the skills you might have. But whole you are in, definitely enjoy the perks, take all you can get, and make sure you to safeguard your own boundaries because the swoosh can eat you alive and sp-t you out once it"s done with you. Not a bitter ex employee, just a realist.
You just need to be good at what you do- and be able to show it. I was recruited by Nike. They reached out 3 times before I decided to speak to the recruiter. Pay is competitive is you are top talent. I agree with a previous post. Don't pay attention to most of the posts. There are a lot on unhappy entitled (and lazy, and unaccountable, etc) people at Nike and they would tell you they are the victim and it is somebody's else fault.
It's all about who you know which explains why the culture is so homogenous.
Don’t think for one second that Nike is out for anyone other than its own bottom line. Nike is a company long run by men and the after effects of this culture of are evident.
I’ll add to the pay comments below. While many here make blanket generalizations about Nike paying below market, pay at Nike is based on several market factors that can vary wildly depending on exactly what you do. A fact that should elicit a “Duh!” response from you.
I work in a professional/technical capacity in corporate functions, in a role that requires certain hard skills. My salary at Nike is on the high end of what I’d receive anywhere else in the Portland area. When you add in PSP (bonus) and any other cash compensation my total annual cash comp is definitely top of market for Portland.
Are there other people at Nike who can’t say that? I’m certain there are. I can’t speak for those people because I obviously have no idea what they do at Nike and how the market values their skills and talents.
I imagine that in some roles Nike can get away with paying below market because, within your skill set, just having Nike on your resume extracts that pay premium from you.
In the final analysis you need to know what you’re worth, what the market is paying people like you, and whether working at Nike is useful for you both considering and independent of financial considerations alone. Another “Duh!” observation.
Depending on which org you're trying to get in. Operations is super easy, planning or strategy maybe a little harder. Tech usually starts from contract to hire but as you can see most tech folks arent happy here at Nike. I honestly dont know why they still stay...anyway, sales and merch are easy to do, harder to get in because you need to be pretty good at talking but the job isnt hard. Somebody complained not getting paid industry level but I'm in Analytics and got paid a LOT more than some I know outside of Nike with same profile. Networking is essential before and after hire, or pretty much as long as you are here.
Nike does not pay market comp for industry or PDX metro. Nike hires people who don't know their worth or will take a job because they want to say the work for the brand. If you have 2-3 years and want to peek behind the current so you can have it in your resume, go for it.
I'm not a bitter ex-employee, I'm a former black badge who did a tour of duty behind the burm and used it to parlay myself to my next lucrative position.
Networking is huge. I probably applied for 15 jobs, until I finally knew a guy who knew a guy that knew the hiring manager. 1 interview, and I got the job.
That was a long time ago. And I do know that the hiring process is even more complicated now with HR having a much heavier hand.
Hope you get an opportunity. It’s not as bad as this site will lead you to believe.
Don’t pay attention to these posts. It is mostly bitter ex employees and never employees doing all the yapping.
And yes, networking is very helpful at Nike.