Tuesday, March 06, 2007

5 I'd work for, 5 I wouldn't!

My new friends at wirelessisfun.com just posted an interesting piece called, "5 I'd word for, 5 I wouldn't!"

Well, to be specific, it wasn't the whole crew, just Dan.

Here's the post:
Getting a job in the Internet era is trivial if you’re serious about your skills and really want to go the next mile. It’s a personal matter to choose fun over paycheck, relocation over your home town or country, alternative crew or 9-5 army.

Since I deal with the following companies in various ways, I’ve settled on which I’d say yes or no to if they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Not all of them are in the wireless field, but they are all Internet players.

The beloved-

1. Skype, because they preserve identity and stimulate individual development, while managing to hold a functional team. Plus, working for Skype is fun.
2. Moo, because they use Macs, are innovative and have a good sense of humor.
3. Meraki, because they’re still young and I could get there in time to make them work.
4. Apple Inc., only if i took Steve’s job. It’s the only decent/thrilling job in Cupertino.
5. A Chinese OEM. I bet that’s fun! :)

The ‘no so much’-

1. Google, because they’re big and matte. Individual identity? What’s that?? So what if they pay, give you free candy and loundry? The paycheck should cover that plenty anyway.
2. Yahoo!, oh no! These guys have lost touch with the 21st century realm.
3. T-Mobile, too big and slow moving, lost in the incumbment’s junkyard. I’d say yes only if they gave me an innovation team to work with and took us seriously.
4. Fon, because they’re only cool on paper. I’m into really changing the WiFi world!
5. Cisco, because only the Japs know the secret of the do-it-all company.
# Dell, nope! Don’t ask!
# Boingo. Nope! Innovation??? Ring a bell?
# Vodafone and the like. No way! Clock tickin for you guys! ;)

I’m off to my favorite caffe downtown to sip on a latte! Which employer would let me out of the cubicle before 5pm?

Dan notes a few good points on the companies for which he'd rather choose unemployment. However, I feel it's my duty to defend at least two companies that made it to his "naughty" list:

Google:
Hey, you can't please everybody, but most likely the #1 company on Fortune's Best Place to Work list isn't going to fool this many people. And we recently posted this video that showed its share of smart, happy, energetic employees, many of whom I'd wager leave the office at 5pm each day for a caffe. And I don't think they're all just drinking the Google Kool-Aid.

I could be crazy, but something makes me think that the folks at Google have "individual identity" to spare. I mean, c'mon, isn't Jason the epitome of individual identity? Just look at that mug!

T-Mobile:
I know, I'm slightly partial here. I left a comment on Dan's post and questioned whether he had the right company. Anybody that's ever had reason to work with, or for, T-Mobile USA, would not use the words "big and slow-moving" to describe the company.

Hey, we're not perfect, but big and slow-moving are absolutely inaccurate. We might be big (employee-wise) compared to Alltel or U.S. Cellular, but certainly not when compared to the likes of Verizon and the new AT&T.

Big and slow-moving? Wow, I don't put in many 80 hour work/weeks, but I'm no slouch. And neither I, nor my colleagues are what I'd call slow-moving.

In fact, I'll go out on a limb and say that, I believe it would be difficult in the United States to be a big, slow-moving company and still receive the highest customer service rating by J.D. Power and Associates for six consecutive years (among wireless carriers).

But like I said, I'm partial.

Okay, Dan, I'm officially stepping off of the soap-box now.

But just for the record, I still like you and your motley wireless crew. And to prove it, I'll officially leave the office at 4:00pm CST tomorrow. Your ears will probably be itching as I say a lil' toast to my good buddy Dan and, in his honor, sip my Caffe Latte.

Cheers, my friend. And thanks for keeping wireless "fun."

Dennis

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