Pluspunten
Aside from the fact that you are working at one of North America's top Investor Relations web design consultancy firms, zu.com is a phenomenal place to be. For a developer/designer, the company has all the .com trappings, including a wii in the kitchen area, a stocked pantry, "DJ of the day", and a very relaxed work environment. Management expects a great deal from you, but they know what it means to have a good work environment, and work hard to produce it. More thought and effort goes into a trivial Friday afternoon gathering than many companies put into a Christmas party. And the zu.com Christmas parties are legendary. Zu's design concepts are really top-notch, and you will learn huge amounts of what proper investor relations is all about. You will be asked to stay at the cutting edge of web development, and will be able to put together some very impressive applications. In addition, zu.com fully supports your interesting little side projects. The company is a big driver behind BarCamp Saskatoon, and is always looking for innovative ways to use any type of New Media, especially when it comes to investor relations. For the more business-minded, zu.com is at the top of the Online IR profession. Whether you are in project management or business development, you will be working to bring about serious change in the way public companies connect with their investors. There is a long way to go in the industry, and zu.com is probably one of the few companies that really leads the way.
Minpunten
The salaries at zu can be on the low side. Having said that, it's offset somewhat by some very fair overtime compensation schemes. The cost of living in Saskatoon is quite low, compared to other cities. Still, salaries are on the low side. In addition, working at zu.com means that there's a great deal of work to do; sometimes too much. Zu is a relatively small company, and there's a lot of work to spread around. Particularly as a developer, you are often asked to get a complex piece of software done with a short turnaround time. Management generally tries to keep deadlines reasonable, but sometimes that's just impossible. It can be particularly difficult during companies' Annual General Meetings, there tends to be a great deal to do. On the business side, you may find frustration from the fact that you are part of a very traditional industry. Since zu is a very technology-focused company, you will be trying to push new ideas and solutions onto IROs who are not used to thinking in those terms. When you find a client who is enthusiastic for the changes you propose, you'll have a great time. But many of your prospective clients will make things difficult on occasion.