Finding a company that you want to work for is one thing, while finding a company that you can keep working for is another.
Many professionals can relate to being on the job hunt, as the average amount of time that a worker stays with an employer is getting shorter. In January of 2022, the average amount of time a worker stayed at a company was 4.1 years. Just two years later that lowered to 3.9 years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Finding a great employer can be a difficult task; finding one where you can stick around for longer than a few years is even harder.
Job seekers are looking for positions where they can learn new skills and stay competitive in their fields. But unfortunately, not many think that is possible at their current job. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, 20 percent of workers don’t feel optimistic about the opportunities they have for training or upskilling.
The following four companies want to buck this trend by offering solid professional development programs and paths for promotion. We spoke with tech professionals who have recently taken on a new role at each employer.
Ibotta is a performance marketing platform that allows brands to deliver digital promotions to millions of consumers through a network of publishers called the Ibotta Performance Network.
Tell us about your recent promotion or role change.
I was recently promoted to the director role on the Core Data & Analytics team, which serves as the central analytics hub within Ibotta. As a hub, the CD&A team is responsible for defining standardized data sets, models and best practices that are used by all our partner analytics teams from marketing to fraud to product, to name a few.
What will this new role or skill let you do?
In my current role, we’re driving numerous exciting initiatives that directly support Ibotta’s mission of “Make Every Purchase Rewarding.” A prime example is our work in AI-driven campaign optimization. We are strategically integrating artificial intelligence into our campaign setup process by developing internal machine learning models. This will enhance the precision and effectiveness of ibotta campaigns, enable us to deliver more impactful results, optimize campaign performance and drive greater value for our clients.
How would you describe the culture regarding internal mobility or upskilling?
Ibotta has cultivated a supportive environment that fosters professional development and upward mobility. My journey with ibotta began six years ago as a senior decision scientist on the retail analytics team, where I collaborated closely with the sales team.
Two years into my tenure, I was presented with an opportunity to join the newly formed CD&A team in a managerial role, which allowed me to further develop my leadership skills. Over the past four years, CD&A has grown significantly and now it is a team of over 20 exceptionally talented and motivated individuals.
Ibotta encourages individual contributors to explore different roles to ensure their career paths align with their aspirations and interests. For example, decision scientists within the company have transitioned into analytics engineering or data science roles. Furthermore, individual contributors can pursue a managerial career path, which is a common trajectory within the company. Managers have ongoing conversations with their direct reports to assess their interest in such opportunities.
FareHarbor creates tools for travel rentals, like boat rentals, museums, food tours, events and more. The company operates across more than 90 countries.
Tell us about your recent promotion or role change.
After working as a client dashboard specialist or “builder,” I recently transitioned into the team lead role where I am leading and mentoring other builders on my team. Working as a client dashboard specialist, I built a strong foundation in understanding the in’s and out’s of our product and our clients’ needs. Now, in my new lead role, I’m focused on developing my queue management skills and learning how to best support my team. This includes things like ensuring we’re maintaining SLAs, understanding prioritization, process improvement, mentoring new team members, reporting on metrics and more.
This new role has allowed me to level up and gain an even deeper understanding of FareHarbor, and also how an efficient team runs and operates to maintain its highest level of output. It’s been exciting to find new ways to fine tune the success of the team and identify opportunities to increase our efficiency. It’s a steep learning curve, but I’m excited about the growth opportunity.
What will this new role or skill let you do?
This new role empowers me to directly impact both our internal team as well as long-term client success. Within my new position, I’m training and onboarding our team’s new hires, which allows me to build connections with my colleagues and ensure they have the knowledge to thrive. It’s been an exciting opportunity to find new ways to conduct these trainings, prepare materials and work through different iterations to ultimately allow our new hires to be more prepared and equipped as efficiently as possible. Preparing for these training sessions has also opened up valuable cross-team collaboration opportunities and is strengthening communication across departments. Finally, having the opportunity to mentor others has taught me a lot about leadership and how I want to show up as a leader. It’s been a great way for me to take on this next level of responsibility.
How would you describe the culture regarding internal mobility or upskilling?
FareHarbor’s culture strongly supports internal mobility and upskilling. They provide a variety of resources, from learning libraries and coffee chats to cross-functional office hours and development maps, all designed to empower employees to learn and grow. Our Learning, Development & Culture team is committed to supporting development in a number of ways and provides different resources for learning opportunities for both growth in your existing role as well as future career aspirations. I also participated in FareHarbor’s Womxn’s Mentorship group, which allowed me to pair up with another employee within the organization to work through things like career guidance, skill enhancement, cross-departmental insights and more, all while promoting a more inclusive and diverse environment. Between the LD&C team, our leadership team and colleagues across the business, there is always a high level of support when it comes to learning opportunities. This support has been instrumental in my own development, enabling me to expand my product knowledge, become a team resource and ultimately move into a leadership position.
Homebot is a real estate tech company that empowers consumers with personalized and actionable financial insights through the full homeownership life cycle.
Tell us about your recent promotion or role change.
I was promoted just a couple of weeks ago to a senior financial analyst role after moving onto the finance team nearly two years ago. I decided to move to this team after I was approached about a new role and I jumped at the opportunity, as I was eager to break the constraints of my role on a different team at the time and venture down a new career path. Ultimately, I wouldn’t have succeeded in this role and be on this team if Homebot did not encourage career development and value internal mobility.
What will this new role or skill let you do?
This new role allows me to be deeper involved in our strategic decision making across the organization. Additionally, I am not only expected to maintain many of my existing responsibilities but I am also trusted with independently owning cross functional work with our sales and CX teams.
How would you describe the culture regarding internal mobility or upskilling?
Homebot truly values the development of their employees and this is exemplified through the success that many employees have had in new roles here. Not only does Homebot encourage job shadowing programs and internal mobility, but they also provide an annual learning and development fund to all employees that allows us to learn new skills applicable to our current or future roles.
zLinq provides software and services to manage enterprise customers’ communication lifecycles.
Tell us about your recent promotion or role change.
I am incredibly happy and deeply honored to have recently been promoted from major customer service manager to senior business analyst. This role feels like it is specifically tailored to me and how my brain works so in all honestly, most days it doesn’t even feel like work! The opportunity to be a part of the product team and work with such amazing people means so much to me and I am truly grateful for the trust and confidence placed in me. I look forward to continuously growing my knowledge base and taking on new challenges.
What will this new role or skill let you do?
This new role provides me with the opportunity to further explore my passion for CRM systems, data analysis and process optimization. It enables me to work within a structured environment — something I truly value — while also allowing me to leverage my creativity and innovative problem-solving skills. I am grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with exceptionally talented and knowledgeable professionals, from whom I gain valuable insights and learn each day.
How would you describe the culture regarding internal mobility or upskilling?
ZLinq is an outstanding company to be a part of, with a company culture that sets a high standard. The leadership team is among the best I have had the privilege to work with — consistently supportive, accessible and engaged. Additionally, our structured internal career mapping, reviewed quarterly, ensures strategic alignment and growth. ZLinq prioritizes career development, offering strong support for internal promotions, including a transparent self-promotion process with clear guidelines that empower employees to take ownership of their career progression.
