What an awesome company to work for. I worked for enterprise for roughly 3.5 years and my experience was incredible for the most part. I’ve worked at the Gladstone Oregon branch, Portland Airport location, and Wilsonville Oregon. Despite what you might here from some bitter ex-employees the pros far outweigh the cons at this job/company.
I no longer work for the company. My intention is to be completely honest about my experience to help anyone considering a career at Enterprise.
Pros:
-Amazing Culture.
-Good Pay.
-Incredible Experience/Greatest Resume Builder Ever.
-Active Job (you will BURN calories at work)
-Great Upward Growth Potential/Quick Promotions.
-Good Benefits/401K.
-Get to Drive Lots of Fun New Cars.
-Learn to Manage a Team and an Entire Business Operation.
Cons:
-Workload/Long Hours/Some Holidays & Weekends.
-Some Customer Interactions can be Awful.
TRUST ME. The pros far outweigh the cons
-The workload/long hours can burn you out pretty quickly. Stay positive and think long term.
-Customer service is only fun if you make it that way. You will deal with 15-50 customers every day. You can meet future networking connections (lots of corporate renters for company travel so make good impressions just to keep doors open). If you have 50 customers in one day, keep in mind, 40 will be great people and fun to converse with and 10 will not just be “bad customers” but truly the WORST people this world has. There’s something about the rental car industry that brings the PSYCHO out in what was already crazy (haha). I’ve been spat on, shoved, screamed at and even had to call the police on multiple customers. Again, stay positive, it ends up being great life experience. Quickly builds confidence in making difficult decisions and having tough/firm conversations. Also, I still keep in touch with several customers that I used to see often. Most of them are awesome! Try to forget about the bad ones, they’re NOT the majority!
If you want to know more, here is a more detailed breakdown of what you need to know when considering a career at Enterprise:
The interview process can be intimidating. Three interviews total. The first interview is usually with an HR Recruiter, second will be with an Area Manager, and third will be with one of the higher up corporate managers (my third interview was with the highest ranking employee in Oregon and a regional manager). DO NOT BE NERVOUS IN THE INTERVIEW. I got the job instantly and in my interview we talked about everything from my gambling hobbies (haha) to my doing hot yoga the night before. Sell yourself but keep in mind this is also the time for YOU to determine if THEY are a good fit. Trust me, after 1 month with the company you will understand the people/culture and realize that you should have treated the interview as more of a semi-formal discussion with an old professional friend. Just sell during the interview. Show a bubbly personality/competitiveness/interest in running your own business/being your own boss/managing a team/etc.
2) Pay: The company loves to recruit fresh college grads, especially if they were former college athletes. Bachelors degree is required, however, you don’t need much professional experience. The pay is very appealing for a recent college grad (roughly $50,000/year). This figure is very accurate, but it is not a “salary”. You will be paid hourly and annual pay is based on a 49 hour work week. The 9+ hours of weekly overtime pay is calculated into what you will make annually. This is where the $50,000+ figure comes from. (Realistically, you will work closer to between 50-60 hours per week, but that is even more overtime and better pay. Plus, you’re a young college grad... come on... you’ve got the energy!)
3) Overall Experience: Truly the BEST job you could possibly take fresh out of college. After the interview, you may be thinking this is a sales/marketing/management/business development position. It is (somewhat), but your first year will be mostly customer service transactions, and yes, you will wash/vacuum a few cars here and there. You will meet tons of new lifelong friends (they hire INCREDIBLE PEOPLE). You will learn how to sell (even if your sales aren’t great you will learn how to sell yourself in a professional way). You will learn how to talk to new people with confidence and enthusiasm. WRITE THIS DOWN: If you begin the Management Trainee program and have the opportunity to work at an airport (best persons program) PLEASE TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY. It will be some of the funnest 4-6 months of your life. The company promotes like none other. You will spend 1 year as a Management Trainee, then 6-12 months as an Assistant Branch Manager. Based on performance, you will then be promoted to branch manager with a higher salary, company car with insurance & fuel paid for. As a Branch Manager, you can really prove yourself. If your branch is successful you will make more money and be promoted faster. Once you are a Branch Manager, you can apply for a number of different positions on a more corporate level. That’s the goal. Less time with customers and much much higher pay. If you REALLY climb the Enterprise ladder you can make a ridiculous amount of money. Seriously, we’re talking a potential $300,000-$500,000/year, but that will take a lot of commitment and hard work.
4) Management: Don’t be fooled by horror stories of higher ups here. Yes, the higher ups don’t live to talk to you, but they are INCREDIBLY BUSY people. Don’t forget, they were a management trainee not too long ago also. If you can sell yourself well, then they will show a lot more interest in your development. (They will show a good amount of interest in developing you regardless of what you do though). They’re good people. Incredibly intelligent, successful and hard working. Not super empathetic, but again, that’s because they’ve been a management trainee and don’t want to hear complaints. They want to see determination and perseverance. They will have a lot of the same daily cliche motivational lines.
Side note: you will quickly notice that something odd happens to a person once they are an Area Manager or higher. They are almost not a real human being. They are 100% devoted to the company (almost cult like). They live, eat, sleep and breathe enterprise (not all of them... but at least 75% are like this). That is kind of what it takes to get to the top.
Again, I’m not a current employee. I left the company on my own accord earlier this year. This is a very honest and accurate review.
