A job search can often feel like a drawn-out process, but value alignment is worth the wait.
Employees who believe their company has a higher purpose than just making a profit are 27 percent more likely to stay at their jobs, according to a report by TinyPulse. Company mission and culture are often just as important to job seekers as salary and position title.
Amped about the idea of helping nonprofits or uniting energy operators, vendors and contractors? Professionals from each of the following eight tech companies told us about their companies’ missions, the traits they look for in new hires and what unites teammates in the office. Besides a shared passion for assisting colleagues, adaptability and an appetite for learning topped the list.
What they do: Payment solution provider ePayPolicy offers independent insurance agents, brokers, premium finance companies and other insurance industry clients a platform to accept credit card and automated clearing house payments. The company has processed more than $2 billion in payments annually across 2,300 clients.
One thing that would surprise people about ePayPolicy: The company’s clientele might come as a surprise to some. “Although we work in the independent insurance vertical, the platform we’ve developed serves not only agents, but also their partners and even their clients,” said Director of Marketing Seth Nagle. “We’ve given agents the option to accept large digital payments, making it easy for them to receive funds and insureds to pay their invoices. It’s rare to find a company where everybody wins but we’re happy to offer that.”
One trait all team members share: Relationship-building. “This trait benefits our teams for different reasons: how sales reaches out to new prospects, how support answers user questions and how marketing creates inviting content,” said Nagle. “But we also make friendships with anyone and everyone who comes into the office. We know the delivery guys by name and new hires are awesome because they represent a fresh chance to build the tribe.”
What they do: ShipStation provides e-commerce retailers with solutions designed to help them efficiently process and ship orders. The company has more than 300 partnerships with marketplaces, carriers and fulfillment services that include Amazon, Alibaba, FedEx, USPS and UPS.
One thing that would surprise people about ShipStation: Skill sets from all different backgrounds outside of SaaS. “Even though we are a software company, we have an eclectic group of individuals whose professional backgrounds span a variety of industries,” said Content Marketing Director Adam Foster. “Outsiders might assume that we all come from SaaS pedigrees but for some folks, this is their first time working for a software company. Regardless of our individual backgrounds, we have unique strengths that we bring to the table to reflect and engage our diverse user base and speak to what makes each of their businesses unique.”
One trait all team members share: Growing through experience. “Each member of our team thrives on adapting,” said Foster. “Our goals and business constantly change and we need to be efficient to stay ahead of the competition. As we expand into new markets and audiences, each member of the team understands the need to be adaptable in every single area. We test and try new things and are not afraid of failure. We’re all committed to personal and professional growth. This not only creates an awesome working environment, but also brings new knowledge to ShipStation, which assists creative problem-solving.”
What they do: RigUp is a service marketplace for the energy industry. The company’s solutions connect operators, contractors (more than 25,000) and vendors (more than 10,000) to energy jobs with the goal of reducing risk and costs for all parties. RigUp recently became a unicorn, following a $300 million Series D round in October 2019.
One thing that would surprise people about RigUp: It’s diversifying the verticals it services. “This goal helps us gain additional market share but more importantly, it drives us closer to our North Star to empower the people who power the world,” said Head of Recruiting Dan Adamson. “A major focus for us in 2020 is to create marketplaces in renewables, primarily solar and wind. Additionally, we want to mirror our ongoing footprint in oil and gas within the construction space. Often times, the contractors that work in these fields move from job to job in different verticals and it’s critical for us to be able to support them by expanding our reach.”
One trait all team members share: Passion. “We are focused on bringing in individuals that are mission-driven and who align with our four core values of exceeding expectations, always be growing, team up and positive energy,” said Adamson. “The most successful people at RigUp spike highly in all of these areas. They are passionate about supporting the workforce that makes modern technology and society possible.”
What they do: Atmosphere is an audio-optional TV streaming service for businesses. Bars, restaurants, hotels and other businesses can stream any of the company’s 19 channels meant to replace typical TV that may require audio or captions to engage with.
One thing that would surprise people about Atmosphere: With around 50 team members, Atmosphere’s size might surprise some. “Even though we have over 7,000 customers we are a relatively small company,” said Director of Inside Sales Mike Neri. “We’re fortunate to have been incubated by theCHIVE, but helping to scale an organization from the ground up is one of the most unique positions I’ve ever been in. Our operation is lean, but our resources are that of a fully established company, so we can still be agile with an outsized reach.”
One trait all team members share: Teamwork. “How well do all our different people, perspectives and traits work together?” said Neri. “We’re successful when everyone can harness their specific skill set and row in the same direction toward one goal.”
What they do: MVF helps companies across 15 industry sectors generate local and global customers through cross-channel marketing. The company generates over 10 million leads a year, produces content in 30 languages and markets to 120 countries.
One thing that would surprise people about MVF: The emphasis on collaboration and cross-functional learning. “On any given day, our Austin team is speaking to marketing, legal, finance, customer success and tech in the United Kingdom,” said Sales Manager Emma Stewart. “We even have a monthly company-wide meeting where teams across MVF discuss wins, challenges and exciting projects. Our teams learn much more than just how to sell; we’re learning about innovative technologies, discovering new marketing channels and diving into industries we’ve just broken into.”
One trait all team members share: Everyone on the team is committed to helping others succeed. “Senior team members frequently jump on calls to close deals for newer people,” said Stewart. “We also celebrate each other’s successes and discuss challenges at the end of the day. Everyone is happy to share experiences and help one another through team trainings, our mentor program or just sitting down with someone to answer questions.”
What they do: For many, Adobe is ubiquitous in the world of creative development, offering users software tools like Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. But the company also has a dedicated business vertical and customer experience management solution. Fun fact: 250 billion PDFs were opened in Adobe products in the last year, according to its website.
One thing that would surprise people about Adobe: In addition to a creative platform, Adobe is a leader in the digital marketing space, making it a premier big data company. “With predictive capabilities, our digital marketing solutions enable marketers, data scientists and developers at the world’s largest corporations, governments and educational institutions understand and heighten their customers’ digital engagement,” said Director of Talent Acquisition Mark Stevens.
One trait all team members share: They are value-driven. “Our team is made up of individuals with different talents, skills and backgrounds, all working toward a common mission,” said Stevens. “We know that cultures can constantly change but values don’t.”
What they do: Companies like IBM, Audi and Accenture use Plivo’s enterprise-grade communications platform to help them better engage with their customers. The company’s solutions include an SMS tech communication stack capable of sending texts to more than 190 countries and a voice API that allows for playback of pre-recorded audio files during a call.
One thing that would surprise people about Plivo: A unique founding story. “The founders, Michael Ricordeau and I, met over GitHub and built an open-source project that transformed into Plivo as a company later,” said Co-Founder and CEO Venky. “We have also raised less than $2 million in total funding, but by revenue scale, we are later stage than many Series C or D companies with more than 180 employees.”
One trait all team members share: Customer obsession. “That trait is our number one value,” said Venky. “It’s how we started the company and how we have grown this far.”
