Excellent teamwork is often a healthy mix of accountability, energy, good communication and the right amount of fun.
These qualities, among many other accolades, are some of the traits of Built In Chicago’s top companies hiring today. While each of these tech organizations has its distinct mission and style, one thing that unites them all is the opportunities they provide their employees to grow.
Career growth is a significant factor in overall job satisfaction. According to a recent study by the American Psychological Association, 91 percent of adults believe it is important to have a career with consistent opportunities to learn and improve.
It should come as no surprise that all of the featured tech organizations on this list have excellent opportunities to connect and thrive for prospective employees. To get an inside look at what makes these businesses some of the best places to work, Built In Chicago checked in with a few key employees who shared their experiences in Chicago tech.
Invenergy is a leading global privately-held developer and operator of sustainable energy solutions, including wind, solar and natural gas power generation as well as advanced energy storage facilities.
Describe Invenergy’s company culture in one word. What made you pick that word?
Dynamic. There is so much happening in the company — whether it’s construction, development and operation of wind, solar, storage, transmission, clean hydrogen and offshore wind energy centers — there is no shortage of activity that the company is undertaking.
My team works with internal stakeholders to get the right parties in the room to identify technology solutions for complex challenges that are ever-changing. We are always striving to move the needle forward on multiple activities all the time.
We're always striving to move the needle forward on multiple activities.”
How long have you been with Invenergy, and what professional growth or development have you seen in that time?
I’ve been with the company for four years, and over that time I’ve been able to grow my technology delivery and project management team from five to 15. This has not only enabled me to further develop my management and strategic planning skills more fully but has also enhanced our department’s ability to support more technology projects and initiatives. As the company continues to grow the technology team needs to continue its growth trajectory as well.
Beyond Finance is a forward-looking fintech company helping people escape a vicious cycle of debt and reach financial freedom.
Describe Beyond Finance’s company culture in one word. What made you pick that word?
Ownership. At Beyond Finance, every individual is expected to operate as an owner, regardless of their level or tenure. This means that everyone owns their work from start to finish and makes a real impact on the business.
For example, a new analyst recently took on a project to improve how we communicate with our prospective clients. She analyzed the current state, identified and addressed technology issues and created and executed on a prioritized list of feature enhancements. She had to work with various marketing stakeholders as well as product management, sales and business intelligence to push her project forward. Though she was new to the company, she was able to truly own this project and make a clear, measurable impact on the business.
How long have you been with Beyond Finance, and what professional growth or development have you seen in that time?
I’ve been with Beyond for almost five years, and the growth I’ve experienced has been amazing — both in terms of my own effectiveness as well as becoming a stronger leader.
The growth I’ve experienced has been amazing, both in terms of my own effectiveness as well as becoming a stronger leader.”
Some of the areas where I’ve learned the most are prioritizing — and reprioritizing — the most impactful projects, setting clear objectives and executing against them, empowering people to use their strengths to drive the most value to the business and embodying accountability and ownership.
Rocket Travel by Agoda helps travelers earn loyalty rewards by booking travel so they can travel more.
Describe Rocket Travel’s company culture in one word. What made you pick that word?
Connected. I chose this word because it encompasses a variety of characteristics that Rocket Travel by Agoda, or RTA, embodies as a company. We are collaborative, engaged, inclusive and empathetic. With hybrid and remote work environments still commonplace, some companies struggle to keep their employees engaged. This is an area where RTA thrives. Some examples of how we stay connected include utilizing Slack, Teams and email, as well as collaboration tools like Kahoot and Metabase for shared insights on data.
With hybrid and remote environments still commonplace, some companies struggle to keep employees engaged. This is an area where RTA thrives.”
Every Monday, our entire organization participates in a virtual all-hands meeting to kick off a successful start to the week. We celebrate wins, transparently share challenges and provide peer-to-peer recognition. We value communication across teams, and there is always a way to connect with someone to get the support you need. We prioritize offering fun opportunities to connect. We partake in annual company-wide retreats and monthly photo contests and offer tailored, interest-based Slack channels — with my personal favorite being our #pets channel. Not only do we celebrate our contributions to RTA, but we also recognize the importance of our lives outside of work.
How long have you been with RTA, and what professional growth or development have you seen in that time?
I joined RTA in September of 2022. One reason I joined was to experience the professional growth I’ve been seeking in my career. After over seven years in recruiting, I was excited to have the opportunity to lead all recruiting efforts across the Americas, as well as gain more global work experience.
RTA took a chance and hired me. Over the past year and a half, I’ve been able to expand the scope of my role. I’ve hired for ten unique departments including engineering, product, design, IT, strategic partnerships, finance, business operations, marketing, legal and people operations. My manager has given me the opportunity to lead our immigration efforts, and I've been able to partner closely with our best-in-class global mobility team.
Working within a global organization, I will be traveling to our Bangkok office later this year to meet with team members I work alongside on our global talent acquisition initiatives.
At RTA, you’re not only seen as a true subject matter expert but you are also given the autonomy and resources to make a rewarding impact across the entire organization.