Avantages
ICF will not overmanage its younger staff. I enjoyed having enough breathing room to focus on the project at hand instead of having to worry about a plethora of company-specific tasks. I have always felt comfortable approaching my managers and senior managers, as the company hierarchy isn't clearly defined. This is in sharp contrast to my previous employer.
Inconvénients
ICF is not a company that builds or promotes young talent. Instead, you are constantly looked down upon even after being promoted from research assistant (entry level) to analyst. The job descriptions of the two positions are nearly identical. Still, you have to wait 18 full months before you can even be considered for "promotion". Therefore, there is little to no incentive to stay if you have to wait a year and a half before seeing the fruits of your labor. Even then, the salary increase and opportunities within the company are abysmal. There is little to no mentorship or leadership within the company, at least not in the homeland security/emergency managements business area. Communication is poor among team members of my business area since nobody really works at headquarters.