What is it like working for an IT company

IT company and software company are often used as interchangeable terms, but there is a slight difference that has to be taken into consideration especially when looking for a job in the industry. According to Quora, “any company whose primary product is the development or use of technology is a tech company. Software is only one type of technology […] and many software companies (not all) are tech companies but no all tech companies have anything to do with software.” If you struggle with understanding what this industry is about, just think of the top 10 largest IT companies, such as IBM, Microsoft and Oracle, names that you are surely familiar with, but maybe you never questioned yourself about their evolution. The global economy and it’s fast-paced development together with “the demand for IT products and IT services is higher than ever” is creating a lot of jobs with interesting advantages.

What should you know before starting to work for an IT company?

Friendly and informal working environment

It is quite rare finding a top down or extremely formal philosophy in the tech industry. People are encouraged to feel free and creative in order to provide the best performance. At a first glance this friendly working environment is a highly competitive sector with a very result-oriented approach, where the pace is unbelievably fast, and progress happens every day.

Great offices with a touch of tech and futuristic vision 

Usually tech offices have a very futuristic touch, where everything is organized in order to guarantee sustainability, ergonomic design and the latest office tools in order to perform at a high level. For an IT company, an office organisation should guarantee the best service and quality, especially for people having roles that sometimes have long working hours (for instance, a software developer). In a certain way, a tech office has to reflect its working philosophy and the product that is being sold, and employees have to be part of this.

Interesting benefits 

The evolution of benefits is a never ending one: the main purpose is to make all employees happy and satisfied with their work-life balance, and many of the IT companies offer discounts, free meals, ticket concerts, free coffee, flexibility, permanent training programs and many other incentives. This is an employee-centered approach that possibly will enhance productivity.

But how are things evolving in this industry if you are a woman aspiring for a job and what should you take into consideration? Well, there is a significant gap in terms of gender equality in tech. According to the statistics, “female employees make up between 26% (Microsoft) and 43% (Netflix) of the workforce at major tech companies, with the percentage dropping much lower when it comes to actual tech jobs”. The studies include also the facts that: 1) only 25% of IT Jobs are held by women – 2) only 5% of tech startups are owned by women and 3) 28% of female professionals are proprietary of software jobs. Many IT companies are working to improve this situation and focus more on filling this gap.