Brands like Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and others are some of the best tech companies for work for. If you have any interest in technology (or money for that matter), then landing a job at any of these firms should be considered a major win.
Facebook’s London officeHow do we define whether a company is good to work for or not? Some factors to consider include:
- Salary
- Future prospects/stability
- Flexibility
- Perks
- Office
- Morale
- Job satisfaction
All of these separate factors should together combine to provide a single metric: employee satisfaction. In other words, if employees rate themselves as being happy and fulfilled, then the company must be ticking at least some of those boxes. Fortunately, Glassdoor publishes an annual list of the 100 best places to work each year, based on that very factor.
So if we extract the better-known tech companies from this list, we should in theory be left with the very best tech companies to work for in 2020. If you’re going to aspire for the very best, which companies should you be aiming for?
Read on to find out what might be the best fit for you.
Note: We’ll be updating this post annually as Glassdoor publishes newer versions of its list.
Table of Contents
The best tech companies to work for in 2020
Hubspot
HubSpot is a company that provides software and services for businesses, handling inbound marketing and sales. This includes the likes of content creation, SEO, social media marketing, and more. The company doesn’t have quite the same public profile as some of the others on this list owing to its business-to-business (B2B) nature. However, it is used by some huge brands such as Trello, Docplanner, SendGrid, and more.
More importantly, Hubspot landed top place on Glassdoor’s list, making it subjectively the very best company to work for across all industries. The company is clearly proud of its own efforts when it comes to looking after its workers, stating:
“Our company culture builds connections, careers, and employee growth. How? By creating a workplace that values flexibility, autonomy, and transparency. Through our commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, and unique approach to company culture (our Culture Code has more than 4M views), we’ve redefined how people work and live.”
Professionals with experience working in SEO, internet marketing, SMO, etc. would be a good fit for GlassDoor.
Quick profile:
- Employees: 1,000-5,000
- Average salary: $78k
- Headquarters: Cambridge, MA
- Founded: 2006
- Website: hubspot.com
DocuSign
DocuSign is another somewhat lesser-known tech company (don’t worry, the big names are coming soon!). That said, as someone who provides a lot of freelance work, I’ve personally gotten a lot of use out of the software-as-service (SAS).
Essentially, DocuSign offers an online contract-tool that helps facilitate the transfer of goods and services across the web. Like PayPal, this is a tool that a lot of businesses use and there isn’t a whole lot of serious competition.
Reviews on GlassDoor describe an environment that is supportive, flexible, and ultimately great to work in.
Quick profile:
- Employees: 1000-5,000
- Average salary: $80k
- Headquarters: San Francisco, CA
- Founded: 2003
- Website: docusign.com
Ultimate Software
It’s not just GlassDoor that finds Ultimate Software to be one of the best tech companies to work for! It’s also listed by FORTUNE’s Best Companies to Work For, Best Workplaces for Women, and Great Workplaces for Millennials. The company’s tagline is even “people first!”
Ultimate Software provides end-to-end HCM cloud solutions; internal software that can take care of payroll, benefits, attendance, and the like. In other words, it’s a company that’s so good at supporting its staff, it has created software to help others do the same!
Quick profile:
- Employees: 5,000-10,000
- Average salary: $81k
- Headquarters: Weston, FL
- Founded: 1990
- Website: ultimatesoftware.com
This is probably more in line with the kind of company you might expect to see make the list. This is one of those trendy tech firms, with a giant Dinosaur standing outside its Googleplex, and time dedicated to personal passion projects for staff.
Google has actually been in some hot water recently over disputes with its employees, and it seems there is trouble in paradise. Issues range from mishandling of sexual misconduct allegations to shady business dealings. The company is also under increasing scrutiny for its privacy policies.
But according to GlassDoor reviews, the majority of employees are still happy to work at the big G (keep in mind the list is published in January, so watch this space). It certainly offers the salary, prestige, and cool factor, if nothing else: Google.com is the most visited website in the world, after all!
Quick profile:
- Employees: ~10,000
- Average salary: $115k
- Headquarters: Mountain View, CA
- Founded: 1998
- Website: google.com (you know the one)
LinkedIn is the pre-eminent social network for professionals, helping connect talented employees and freelancers with employers, clients, and potential partners. It’s a very useful tool and is another example of a business that seems to have applied what it has learned about good business to its own dealings with staff.
One happy employee left this review:
“The amazing people, all the way through the organisation. Incredible leadership. The focus on diversity, inclusion and belonging, something we truly live by. A place I have transformed my career.”
Quick profile:
- Employees: 10,000+
- Average salary: $122k
- Headquarters: Sunnyvale, CA
- Founded: 2003
- Website: linkedin.com
NVIDIA
NVIDIA describes itself as being “like no place you’ve ever worked.” Fortunately, it means that in a good way! It promises you will face some of the “world’s hardest problems,” and discover “never-before-seen ways to improve quality of life for people everywhere.”
The company is about much more than just gaming chips, and recent focus has been on AI applications of its GPUs. It pays pretty handsomely, too!
Quick profile:
- Employees: 10,000+
- Average salary: $138k
- Headquarters: Santa Clara, CA
- Founded: 1993
- Website: nvidia.com
Microsoft
Microsoft, perhaps unfairly, has a reputation as being a little outdated and “stuffy” among certain circles. In fact, the company is extremely cutting edge with its fingers in lots of fascinating pies (all pies are fascinating). Whether your interests lie in software development, gaming, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, or big data; there are plenty of areas to get stuck into. This, along with generally good practices, makes Microsoft one of the best tech companies to work for in 2020.
Microsoft has won numerous awards for the quality of its workplace and has a long history behind it to feel proud of if you ever land the job.
Quick profile:
- Employees: 10,000+
- Average salary: $119k
- Headquarters: Redmond, WA
- Founded: 1975
- Website: microsoft.com
I’ve visited Facebook’s UK office for a feature piece I was writing. While there, I learned one crucial thing: the food is amazing! Seriously, it’s free, it’s unlimited, and it’s just as high quality as anything you’d find at a restaurant. It helped that I was there over Chinese New Year, too!
Otherwise, the office also had many of the other trappings of a modern tech firm. That means a laid back attitude, multiple work spots, cool features and sculptures everywhere, the works! That location at least also had a great attitude towards empowering staff to take ownership of their own projects and features. Rolling out updates looks stressful, but the environment is supportive to help employees cope.
Like Google, Facebook has come under some fire for a number of its practices recently. However, it was still ranked the 23rd best company to work for in any industry by its staff.
Quick profile:
- Employees: 10,000+
- Average salary: $119k
- Headquarters: Menlo Park, CA
- Founded: 2004
- Website: facebook.com
Landing a job with a big tech firm
Now you know the best tech companies to work for in 2020, the only thing remaining is to get out there and land a position!
So, how do you beat the odds and grab a job at Facebook, Google, or the likes? The key is to make yourself stand out against what will be particularly stiff competition. That firstly means finding roles that seem to have been tailor made for your own skills and experience. Ask yourself how likely it is that someone else will come along and be an even better fit on paper. If chances are high, move on!
If there’s a job you particularly want, then of course you can bulk up your resume to match. You can also set yourself apart in other ways, by doing extra-curricular activities to demonstrate your skills. Why not set up your own blog? Or create your own app or software package?
Once you have the relevant experience and qualifications, you need to remain vigilant and on the constant look-out for jobs that suit your very particular set of skills. It also means setting up alerts on websites so that you are the first to hear about opportunities.
But this is not just a matter of ticking boxes: it’s also about finding that x-factor and fitting into the company culture. Remember: an interview is not just an opportunity for them to assess you but also an opportunity for you to decide if you can work there. It’s about whether you will be able to slot seamlessly into the team, or whether you will find their working and communication style difficult to work with. Don’t be afraid of conveying some personality in covering letters, or interviews. Be yourself, and if that costs you the job; it may be for the best.
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Likewise, be prepared to think outside the box. We’ve all heard of the crazy interview questions used by Google and the other best tech companies to work for. Practice thinking creatively and recognize that you might be required to call on some different skills than those required by the typical “stuffy corporate” environment.
Finally, keep in mind that these are just a few of the best tech companies to work for in 2020. There are many other great tech startups and established businesses out there. So don’t get disheartened, and shop around!