Pros
When you interview with a company, you are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. For me, when I interviewed at LogRhythm there were 3 areas I wanted to ensure LogRhythm had right from the start: 1. Leadership - LogRhythm was a much smaller company at the time and it was critically important to me to feel comfortable that the leadership that was in place had all the right tools. This may be a very subjective area for some, but I needed to feel confident that the ones carrying the torch on the company behalf had the vision and ability to execute. You can have the best product on the planet, but with the wrong leadership it can fail miserably - or certainly not reach anywhere near its potential. Leadership also plays a major hand in company culture and that leadership directly impacts the culture and the personality that a company personifies. 2. Product - Being a technologist myself, this was likely paramount to all others. In the world of software, nothing is perfect and you're certainly never done. However, as someone who was being asked to represent the company from an engineering perspective to customers I had to feel confident that not only was the market in need of LogRhythm's solution, but that LogRhythm's solution delivered on customers expectations and was seen as a disruptor in the market. 3. Opportunity - This is an area that is different for many people. Opportunity could consist of a positive work environment that provides job security in a role/career that you thoroughly derive satisfication in. For others, it's the ability to move to other areas within a company and 'up' within the organization. Essentially, most people want a progression path and want to work for a company that understands and supports this progression. There were more, but these 3 areas were the most influential for my needs as I interviewed with the company. Now, several years have past, and when I interview candidates today they often ask me what I believe the strengths of LogRhythm are. I still revert back to these 3 areas, as I felt they were important then, and even more important now as I've had the experience to reflect on them and truly believe they hit the mark. The same leadership team remains intact from when I interviewed, and as importantly LogRhythm has augmented the team with like minded individuals taking the leadership effectiveness to even greater heights. The product was exceptional 8 years ago, and the rate of innovation at LogRhythm is unparalleled in this space, as a result the product has evolved both to match the vision of the founders as well as the answering market demand (both a constant evolution). Finally, opportunity is abundant. LogRhythm has entire management teams and leaders that have been 'grown locally,' even at the Executive level. Receptionists have moved into Marketing roles, Sales Development Reps have pursued opportunities in HR, Support Engineers have moved into Professional Services, Interns have progressed through the ranks as interns-full-time employees-managers, and others have moved out of the country to support growth in emerging markets across the globe.
Cons
All companies from the size of 1-100,000 employees has its challenges. In considering cons I'd probably highlight the following 3 (to stay consistent with the pros above): 1. Not a Large Company (less than 1,000 employees) Why is this a con? In my experience, smaller(isn) companies don't have some of the luxuries of their larger counterparts. For example, there are times when an asset doesn't exist and/or needs to be created. In a larger company, there may be a department dedicated to creating specific assets. At LogRhythm, there are often times where this responsibility falls onto the person with the idea. To be successful at LogRhythm you need to be a person that's ok, and even embraces, working a bit 'outside the box' and comfortable taking on responsibility above and beyond the day to day requirements of the job. TIP - See Opportunity above as often times these challenges lead to greater opportunity 2. Location (Boulder, CO) - Okay, some would say TWO THUMBS UP for establishing a business in arguably one of the most beautiful front range cities in Colorado. For others, who may be commuting from the tech center or further away, Boulder could be in another state as far as they're concerned. Travel Tip - commute at the right time of day and understand alternative routes and/or explore opportunities that allow a level of Work from Home options. 3. Growing Pains - I think our CEO would call these '1st Class Problems' - but LogRhythm continues to grow at record setting paces over the years. This type of growth comes at a cost, and typically it's things we've all experienced in a workplace at one time or another. Data repositories become fractured, file shares aren't always managed, etc. and you get caught in the 'where do I go to find this?' tail chasing. This growth challenge exists at LogRhythm and it is recognized. It's an ongoing challenge and it continues to get better. TIP - Don't let this get in your way, it's pretty minor in the grand scheme of things.
