Computerworld - How do you hold on to IT talent when you're in the business of helping people find better jobs? Chicago-based CareerBuilder could face that problem. But employees like Sabrina Pickeral, chief engineer for corporate applications, say there's no need to look elsewhere when you have a clear career path, opportunities to further your education and strong rewards for performance.
Pickeral is taking advantage of tuition reimbursements of up to $10,000 a year while she works on a bachelor's degree. And she recently won a "Hack Day" competition, where IT employees are encouraged to come up with an innovation. Pickeral's idea, a tool to help salespeople quickly gather data on prospective companies, won $10,000. IT staff can earn up to 20% of their salaries in bonuses, and performers in the top 10% are invited to all-expenses-paid trips to places like Hawaii and Aruba.
CareerBuilder breaks jobs down into levels, each with clearly defined responsibilities and metrics for moving to the next level. Incremental promotions are common: 30% of IT employees were promoted last year.
The IT environment, while busy, is "relaxed and fun," Pickeral says. Projects move quickly, rolled out in stages every three or four weeks, adds Roger Fugett, senior vice president of IT. "There's nothing tech employees hate more than working on something and never seeing it in production," he says. "Here you see the impact on the company every day."
Next: Spotlight: No. 14-ranked SAS stresses flexibility
Read more about Management in Computerworld's Management Topic Center.
Free Insider GuideCopyright © 1994 - 2013 Computerworld Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Computerworld Inc. is prohibited. Computerworld and Computerworld.com and the respective logos are trademarks of International Data Group Inc.
