The four potential employers I chose to research were the State of Nebraska Department of Transportation, Kiewit, Concordia University in Seward Nebraska, and Cisco. Some of you may not already have some career experience under your belt but as I am 34 and have already graduated once and been employed in that field for about 10 years now I would encourage you to look into not only what companies you are interested in working for, but how those companies treat their employees. If you think you will have a family in the near future it would be important to look at how your employer would accommodate you as your life changes such as a healthy work life balance, work from home options in case you have to stay home with sick children and good retirement and health insurance options. As you can see in my research below those areas as well as opportunities for advancements are my main interests when looking for an employer.
State of Nebraska, Department of Transportation
I have been employed by the State of Nebraska for the last seven years. The State of Nebraska has several agencies and areas to work for and I have been employed in two of them, Health and Human Services and Transportation. State Government in Nebraska is one of the largest and most diverse employers with more than 10,000 employees. They offer great health and retirement benefits and lots of paid time off including 13 paid holidays. Both of the agencies I was employed with were very accommodating to young mothers and allowed a work from home option when my kids were sick as well as private mothers room for when I was breastfeeding and my position at the department of transportation offers a partially remote schedule which is advantageous to me as I commute from a town 20 miles away.
Working for the state is an overall rewarding experience as you are charged with being good stewards of tax dollars and running state programs as efficiently and too the best benefit to the public as possible. I specifically worked with finding efficiencies in Medicaid processes, completing the legislative process for both the department of transportation and health and human services, and completing public involvement for transportation projects. I will end my tenure at the State on the 27th to move to the private sector but I will be sure to keep an eye out for opportunities in State Government since I have had such a positive experience here. The reason for my leaving right now is salary. While benefits are great with the state, they usually do not provide competitive pay so I am taking an opportunity that will allow me to gain experience in my major while increasing my salary.
Kiewit Corporation
According to their website, Kiewit is one of North America’s largest and most respected construction and engineering organizations. Their construction and design engineering professionals work on some of the industry’s most complex, challenging and rewarding projects – whether it’s boring tunnels through mountains, turning rivers into energy, or building bridges that connect communities. Kiewit people tackle important projects of every size, in any market.
I will be starting a position with Kiewit on the 27th of this month specifically working in their transportation section as a data analyst. I will be charged with Strategic Planning/Business Planning and Market Analysis, Opportunity/Client Analysis, Competition Review, Data Mining and Assure all data and information is accurately entered into CRM.
I have done a lot of research on this company recently as I will begin employment there soon and most of the information, I found was positive and showed that Kiewit supported a healthy work life balance, had good pay and benefits, and an accommodating schedule (I will work remotely the majority of the time.) Questions I asked in my interview were: What will a normal work day look like for me?; What are some of the largest challenges Kiewit faces in their day to day business?; and What opportunities for advancement do you see me being able to work up to in the future?
Concordia University
Concordia University is a private, faith-based college in Seward Nebraska. Concordia offers a multitude of benefits to its employees, ranging from retirement plans to health insurance and wellness plans. I would like to become employed by Concordia University since it is one of the best employers in the city I live in and I would enjoy working for an organization that shares my religious beliefs.
Researching the company has made the company more appealing to me especially looking into the benefits they provide. I know several people who work for the University, and they say it is a great place to work and I would enjoy not having a commute. Questions I would ask in an interview would center around work-life balance and advancement opportunities like the other companies I researched.
Cisco Systems, Inc.
I chose Cisco as a potential employer to research because when I googled the top companies to work for in the United States Cisco was in the top 10. Forbes released information saying Cisco was named No. 4 on the list of 2020 best Fortune 500 companies to work for. The company was No. 6 on the list last year and has appeared on the list every year since it began 23 years ago. According to Cisco’s website, 93% of Cisco employees say it is a great place to work and 9 out 10 employees say that they look forward to coming to work. 98% say Cisco is a physically safe place to work. 97% say they are treated fairly regardless of their sexual orientation, and 96% say they are treated fairly regardless of their race. 95% reported that they were proud to tell others they work for Cisco.
If Cisco offered a remote opportunity, I would consider taking a position with them. I would look forward to benefits they provide as well as being a part of a well-known company. Questions I would ask again would be centered around work-life balance and opportunities for advancement. After looking at employee reviews, my research weakened my interest in this company as many previous employees say lay-offs occur frequently, so it is a better company for a short-term gain in experience than a company to stick with for your entire career.
Sources:
https://online.cune.edu
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/about/contact-cisco.html
https://fortune.com/best-companies/2020/cisco/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/moorinsights/2019/11/01/why-no-one-should-be-surprised-cisco-named-worlds-best-workplace-for-2019/#:~:text=down%20the%20results%20further%2C%2093%25%20of%20Cisco%20employees,proud%20to%20tell%20others%20they%20work%20for%20Cisco.
Cisco seems like it could be a pretty nice place to work. Knowing how much Cisco’s items are used, it would be cool to work with them and help ensure that their technology works for everyone.
As for the other ones, I definitely wouldn’t have thought of those unless you had said them. You brought up some very good places!
Before I contacted Cisco, I was a person with zero computer knowledge. I only use my computer to watch videos. During covid 19, I learned the basics of information network systems and learned a lot of skills through Cisco. Cisco is a very complete system and a multi-faceted company.
Those are the great company to be in. Cisco Systems Inc. is the company where I want to work. I am so familiar with Cisco product like switch and routers. I have really good knowledge about routing and switching. After you uploaded this post I went over their website and career page. They need the certification for most of the job. I am planning to take CCNA certification and apply for the job in Cisco. Thank you for uploading this link which is helpful for me.
Jessie,
I was surprised to learn that after seven years with the state, you are leaving. Someone I know worked for the State of Tennessee, and after 10 years, they were fully vested, and now they have their pension. Do you not get a pension if you were to stay another three years. I have been with Ford for 25 years, and after 30 years, I will be able to retire with my full pension and other benefits. I will be 54 years old at that time. There is something said for sticking with a company for a long time. Wish you the best in your new upcoming career.
I like how this assignment aligned with the real world by you starting a new position at Kiewit Corporation around the same time. The questions you asked in your interview sounded like they covered a lot of ground, and I hope you got the answers you were looking for! I wish you luck in your new job and hope that the company turns true to your research found about it! Researching any business is very important to see if they have your best interest in mind.