Online retailer Overstock.com is hiring up to 150 software developers for a new software development center in Utah County. The Salt Lake City-based company plans to bring 100 of these new staffers on by the end of 2012.
"We're looking for developers that speak Java first and foremost," said Sam Peterson, senior vice president of technology at the firm. "Web experience, especially in retail, is even better." He is shopping for people who are able to handle large datasets and many transactions.
The company has five locations, all in Utah. It chose to set up shop there because of the "incentive the state offers," according to company president Jonathon Johnson. "We also like the workforce we are able to draw from here," he said.
The company hires "aggressively" from the University of Utah and Brigham Young University in Provo, said Peterson. He's looking for all levels of experience.
Johnson said he is hiring now because of business growth, and not much else. "We've got a lot of new ideas on how to improve the shopping experience, and we're a website, so just about everything involves development at some level."
The holiday shopping season also might have something to do with it. Online retailers like Overstock.com and Amazon have been bringing on a lot of help for the busy season.
What is it like to work at Overstock.com? Peterson said that it's not like other technology jobs. "We are not the type of organization that tries to keep people on campus," he said. "We want a work-life balance."
Write to Shareen Pathak
