Pluspunten
The position was predominantly remote. Occasionally a claimant would request a hearing in-person in their county, but that was rare and when it did happen, it was fun to get out of the house. All new ALJs are provided mentors, but it would have benefitted the new ALJs to be in the office a couple of days a week and an experienced ALJ in the office on Fridays so there could always be someone to go to for assistance.
Minpunten
Nearly every hearing required a decision to be written, even when the hearing was just going to be dismissed, and although we were told due dates were 30 days out, ALJs were constantly handed cases with due dates that were due that day, or within days, so the stress of submitting late decisions, that could total anywhere between six pages for a dismissal, to 22 pages due the next day, was real. I would start the day around 6:00 a.m. or 7:00 a.m., and wrote until midnight or 1:00 a.m. I felt management was not transparent with applicants about how much time the position required.