What to look for in a Tech Company

Within the past decade, dot-coms have been bursting onto the technological scene in droves. There have been many stories of incredible successes and an equal number of tales about failed companies that lasted less than a year. These young companies, however, tend to do things a little differently than your traditional large business corporation. For example, most of the larger, more established dot-coms have adopted the attitude that nobody working at their company will ever be bored. These larger dot-coms strive to challenge their employees on a regular basis to ensure that they have a myriad of fascinating projects to work on. Not only that, but the majority of these companies try to make life for their employees a little easier as well, which, although it may mean that you can wear jeans to work on Friday, does not necessarily include the fairytale of a daily uniform consisting of Hawaiian shirts and sandals.

Nevertheless, there are many perks associated with working for some of today's big-name dot-coms. Aside from working with a younger staff in a friendly culture, these companies offer more than just the standard medical and dental benefits. Many have on-site doctors and dentists and even offer both maternity and paternity leave when that time comes. Once that baby becomes a toddler you'll be able to take advantage of the corporate sponsored child care and family-friendly atmosphere of these companies. Most offer traditional benefits like stock packages, vacation, holidays, income protection, etc., but some tantalize employees by offering free gourmet lunches served daily, massage therapy on-site, gym access, company activities (like nature walks and roller hockey), and, to top it all off, dry cleaning.

While the allure of having your dry cleaning done while you work may entice you, there are other aspects of actually working at one of these dot-coms that you should consider as well. Most companies are searching for employees who are excellent programmers, enjoy working in small teams, and have exceptional communication and organizational skills. The dot-com environment is a high-energy, unstructured one that requires its workers to develop innovative new products and work with the knowledge that what you produce will be used and depended upon by millions of people every day. Although many of the ideas these companies are planning to work with in the near future have not yet been publicly announced, the one certainty about working for a large dot-com is that staying on top of the trends and developments within the technology industry is vital to your success at any IT, technology, or dot-com company.