Chicago's tech scene is positively booming — but by now, you've probably already heard that. If you're looking to get in on the action, there are so many innovative companies out there that it can be hard to know where to even begin the job search.
To help you get started, we've put together a list of some of the hottest companies hiring this month. Read on to learn more about who they are and what they do.
What they do: Uptake helps companies harness and capitalize on the billions of data points collected from their equipment and facilities every day. Founded by serial entrepreneur Brad Keywell of Groupon fame, the company was named the hottest startup of the year by Forbes magazine in 2015.
Sweet perks: Uptake offers an unlimited PTO policy, regular guest speakers and philosophy classes to encourage its team to continuously be curious.
Note from the boss: "In just two short years, Uptake has assembled a world-class team of problem solvers," said Director of People Gentzy Franz. "We are doctors, farmers, lawyers, scientists, miners, pilots, artists, entrepreneurs and engineers. Our goal as a team is to hire the smartest person in every room and bring them to Uptake."
What they do: Morningstar provides independent financial research and real-time data about everything from stocks and mutual funds to indexes, futures and commodities. The company was founded in 1984 by Joe Mansueto and has since become a global leader in financial analytics.
Sweet perks: Morningstar offers an open, egalitarian environment, casual dress every day, social events, bagel Wednesdays, free beverages and at-cost subscriptions to Morningstar products for friends and family members.
Note from the boss: “We like to hire the individual — mission-driven people with a strong desire to excel, push technology and make a difference,” said Director of Engineering Stephen Rylander. “We consider ourselves white hats in this industry, and those individuals tend to gravitate to our breadth of opportunities.”
What they do: The BMW Technology Corporation team in Chicago builds connected car services for the storied automaker. The company’s agile developer team works out of the Boeing International Headquarters building, overlooking the Chicago River.
Sweet perks: The perks of working for BMW’s tech team include health benefits, paid time off, a matching 401k and a retirement income account. Employees also get to lease BMW and Mini vehicles at a sharp discount and partake in internal hackathon weeks.
Note from the boss: "The BMW Chicago team is looking for motivated engineers who are interested in learning and building the latest technologies into consumer services at the intersection of automotive, cloud and mobile,” said Director of Engineering Mike Mitchell. “Most desirable software skills include Swift, Java and C# (to name a few). Experience building mobile apps or scalable backend solutions is a good foundation for success. BMW provides the platform to dream and to realize the digital services vision that is disrupting the automotive industry in a big way.”
What they do: From data protection and analytics to research and ethical hacking, Trustwave’s services run the gamut of cybersecurity. Headquartered in Chicago, the company employs cybersecurity experts all over the world.
Sweet perks: Trustwave offers a matching 401k, a Divvy bike program and great, flexible medical coverage. On the professional development side, employees can take advantage of a paid certification program and plentiful opportunities for career advancement within the organization.
Note from the boss: “At Trustwave, we’re looking for talent that is passionate about our mission to help organizations fight cybercrime, protect data and reduce risk,” said SVP of Human Resources Darshini Brown. “Our ideal employee, whether they be ethical hackers, software developers, security analysts, sales or marketing professionals, are entrepreneurial thinkers and rock stars in their fields and want to join Chicago’s leading cybersecurity and managed security services provider.”
What they do: Raise has built an online marketplace for discounted gift cards that lets sellers get cash for their unwanted store credit. Buyers, on their end, can save money on stuff they were already planning to buy. The company recently acquired New York-based gift card startup Slide and is launching a new office in the Big Apple.
Sweet perks: In addition to a comprehensive benefits package and a competitive vacation policy, Raise’s employees work on top-of-the line Macbook Pros with dual 27” Apple Cinema Displays. They also compete regularly in pool, Ping Pong and foosball games and get breakfast and snacks daily.
Note from the boss: “At Raise, our ideal candidate is passionate about what they do and ready to make an immediate impact on our business,” said founder and CEO George Bousis. “We love candidates who are self-motivated and are able to excel in a fast-paced environment.”
What they do: When shopping for a new home, a neighborhood can be just as important as the house itself. In recognition of that fact, Neighborhoods.com couples detailed home listings with in-depth content about things like the neighborhood’s history, quality of local schools and what the coffee shop situation is.
Sweet perks: Neighborhoods.com has a casual dress code, flexible vacation policy, insurance and a matching 401k. There’s also a fully-stocked kitchen with cold brew coffee and craft beer on tap, snacks, soda and LaCroix.
Note from the boss: "We’re looking for team players who are willing to work hard building a great product that will change the real estate search process, while having fun along the way,” said COO and Co-founder Danny Goodman. "All of our employees are encouraged to develop their leadership skills while working as part of the team, no matter their title."
What they do: ContextMedia delivers targeted, actionable health information to patients at the point of care, helping them improve their health outcomes. Founded by Northwestern grads Shradha Agarwal and Rishi Shah, this Chicago tech staple has been growing at a rapid clip in the past few years.
Sweet perks: In addition to a 401k plan, healthcare and equity in one of the city’s fastest growing tech companies, ContextMedia hooks its employees up with free breakfast and lunch and an in-house barista.
Note from the boss: “When speaking with candidates at ContextMedia, we look for individual growth and an authorship-oriented mindset,” said Chief People Officer Madan Nagaldinne. “We are directly impacting behavior change in patients, physician practices and the life sciences, and candidates who demonstrate creativity, collaboration and authorship in their previous roles are a natural fit here. Tactically, we seek individuals that demonstrate ‘first principles thinking’ in their problem solving and planning.”
“ContextMedia exists at the intersection of healthcare, content and technology, and when you start to impact industries as massive as these, the opportunities for career growth are endless,” he added. “Once they begin work, new hires who have thrived demonstrated a pattern of being bold and visionary in their area of work, a fearlessness in changing the status quo, a bias toward action and a belief that ContextMedia will provide them excellent support by way of mentors and managers.”
Images via listed companies.
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