I am a rising senior in college, so where I want to work when I graduate is at the front of my mind. Entering the workforce out of college can be overwhelming, but it helps to know what kind of company to look for. In college, I’ve had the pleasure of interning at some great companies (including Stories Inc.!) and it’s given me insight into what kinds of things I value when looking for a job. One company that stood out to me when researching is Cvent in Tyson’s Corner, VA. Cvent is a company that provides event management and meeting software to their customers and clients, and they embody a lot of the qualities I value in a workplace.

Culture – These days, you have to have good culture in order to attract prospective candidates. A big part of employer branding is the ability to communicate the kind of culture a workplace has (which Stories Inc. helps their clients with). At Cvent, they take pride in their company culture of fostering entrepreneurship in their employees. They also provide a lot of company benefits, including events for team building, having fun, and giving back to their community. 

Opportunity – No one is going to do the same job forever, so the ability to move vertically and horizontally within a company is something I’m looking for. At Cvent, they emphasize their employees have the ability to move vertically through promotions, or apply for positions in other departments. I like the idea of being able to move up, or switch departments if I feel there is something that better celebrates my skill set. Having that flexibility and opportunity is a great part of being able to work somewhere.

Travel – Another aspect I look for in a company is the ability and opportunity to travel to other places. To be clear, I do not want a job where all I do is travel. But the opportunity to go other places, meet new people, and experience different cultures is very exciting to me. Cvent is an international company with offices in the U.S., England, India, and Canada. Depending on the job, I may have the opportunity to travel to some of their other locations.

Impact – One thing I’ve found over and over in my internships is the ability to make an impact on the company, no matter how small, is very important to me. I don’t ever want to fall into a job where I feel like my work is not valued. At Cvent, they have an open door policy for their upper management, and they value the ideas of anyone who works there. No matter where I work, I want to feel like I’m a valued employee and I am having an impact on the company.

Passion – Whatever I end up doing after college needs to be something I am passionate about. I want to be excited to go to work in the mornings. Company culture will absolutely contribute to this, but what the company does is equally important. Something I really like about Cvent is the new and innovative technology they provide in their products. I would want to work in their marketing division, since I am entering the fields of communications and marketing. Being able to market this cool product would excite me to go to work every day.