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American Funds is often cited in media as being a "secretive" company, and this holds true internally as well. HR has an extensive hiring process where they examine every detail of your working past, but they are evasive and deceptive about the position they are considering you for and what your responsibilities will be. Within the organization, they are equally evasive when it comes to job advancement.
Essentially, though they hate to admit it, American Funds is a call center. No matter how they sell the position to you, you will be taking inbound calls 90% of your day, and 90% of them will be essentially identical calls. It is monotonous and boring work. There is no schedule flexibility, little horizontal loading (acquisition of new job responsibilities) and no upward mobility. Don't enter the door thinking you can contribute and add something to the position, they have their own way of doing things and you won't make a difference. They aren't looking for stars.
Salaries are not competitive with industry standards and raises are below the inflation rate. What is more disconcerting is that the hire in salaries are adjusted yearly and quickly outpace the salaries of tenured staff. You can currently expect to be offered about 31k, which is about equal to someone who has been there 3 to 4 years. By comparison, the same position at Fidelity hires in at around 34 to 36k.
On the plus side, benefits are phenomenal. 12 hrs vacation and 6 hrs sick per month, 2 yearly bonuses and a 15% of equivalent salary in a retirement acct on your behalf. The Employee Assistance Program and Helath benefits are top notch, and there are lots of little other perks as well.
A Pro or a Con depending...
They hire everyone from college grads to GED's. If you have no experience this is a good place to start, but it can be discouraging to have a senior manager with no education when you're trying to pay off thousands in student loans for a job that requires so little skill and lets your strenglths go un-utilised. MBA's look elsewhere or you will be doing yourself a disservice.
You will however be highly trained by the company on everything there is to know about the product and business.
They have a team oriented environment, which is an effective and beneficial means of socialization within the corporate environment, this however can also be problematic. Team managers are cut from all types of cloth, so there is a lot of inconsistency in management; and consequently, a lot of disparity in the way reps are treated and progress in their careers.
You better have thick skin...
American Funds swears by feedback, which can be a useful tool, but they use it to a degree that it feels nitpicky. Add to this, it is always negative feedback, you'll get little encouragement and frequently feel humiliated in frequent job reviews. Your day to day operations will be micromanaged, down to 5 min intervals. Everything you do and say will be subject to scrutiny. If you work there, the safest piece of advice is that "feedback rolls down hill". Don;t dare to offer constructive criticism to a superior.
But they are forgiving...
You won't be punished for honest mistakes, they look at them as learning experiences. Though you have no power in your position, you are empowered in that you can make recommendations and get a supervisor to approve them.
Dress code is semi-casual, callers are rarely irrate because service is top notch, and during high stress seasons management is sincerely appreciative and treats staff to snack and lunches.
The product and service offered are top line, and many of the customers you talk to know that and are appriciative. They are very much about doing what is right for the customer. It is a great company to start out in, but there is a low ceiling.
Please keep in mind this is a review of American Funds Service Company, one of many companies under the umbrella of Capital Group, which is the home of American Funds. Other companies within the organization have different cultures and opportunities.