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1,000 percent growth Feisty and fast-growing, digital cell-phone technology pioneer Qualcomm was founded by college professors Irwin Jacobs and Andrew Viterbi in San Diego, California in 1985. The company is now the largest private employer in San Diego and has seen its revenue increase by a factor of 10 in four years; its payroll has risen from about 1,200 to 10,500 in six years. In 1999, grateful investors made Qualcomm the best-performing stock on the S&P 500, increasing its value by 1,000 percent. Today, CDMA, tomorrow the world Qualcomm built a critical niche for itself in the wireless communications market by developing a technology for transmitting digital information called code division multiple access (CDMA). Originally developed by the U.S. government, CDMA codes enable the transmission of much greater data over cellular phones than is currently possible. The speed of transmission will increase from 9.6 kilobits per second to 2 megabits per second. As the company's stock suggests, 1999 represented a crucial year for the company. After years of uncertainty, CDMA technology finally gained wide acceptance as the cell phone technology of choice (at least in America). Eager to capitalize on this development, the company sold its handset manufacturing and wireless infrastructure businesses - two steps crucial to the acceptance of CDMA - to concentrate on chip manufacturing based on CDMA technology, satellite communications for truckers called OmniTRACS, and Internet e-mail client software called Eudora. The company is also developing chips that allow users to download information from the Internet at speeds far exceeding those of existing modems. A new standard? Qualcomm faces stiff competition from other firms racing with it to develop a new standard for wireless technology. Meanwhile, a rival technological standard has taken hold in Europe and much of the rest of the world, including the huge Chinese market. Qualcomm officials charge that the European companies are deliberately seeking an incompatible CDMA technology to circumvent Qualcomm's patents and to give European companies an unfair advantage in the market. Ericsson and other European wireless companies say they are simply looking for the best technology, and are not concerned with making their phones compatible with existing CDMA technology. In March 2000, Qualcomm paid $1 billion in stock to acquire SnapTrack Inc., a leader in wireless position location technology. The acquisition gives Qualcomm ownership of SnapTrack's portfolio of nearly 50 patents critical to the deployment of Wireless Assisted GPS systems. In the same month, Qualcomm also acquired technology and systems consulting firm Within Technology, Inc., a company with expertise in collaborative workgroup software, interface design, and document annotation techniques. Terms were undisclosed, but Qualcomm, which worked with Within Technology previously on its Eudora e-mail software, expects the deal to broaden its technical expertise considerably. Additional Qualcomm moves have included alliances with NetZero, Sprint PCS, Samsung Telecommunications America Inc., In-Flight Network, and Globalstar. The company has also expanded its presence in Europe by launching eQ-COM, which will provide some of the continent's transportations industries with wireless communications-based fleet management solutions. Further Qualcomm deals have included a license agreement with Seiko, and a $125 million bidding voucher received from the FCC. Growth stunted Qualcomm's remarkable rate of growth seems to have come to an end, however. Hundreds of employees lost their jobs when the company, deciding to focus on its High Data Rate technology, sold it phone manufacturing division to Kyocera of Japan. The company's stock has steadily declined in 2000, and continues to do so after a Wall Street analyst decreased earnings forecasts due to reduced sales expected in Asia; the company has experienced problems in Asia recently. South Korea planned to discontinue its subsidies of cellular phone companies, a move that would cause the price of Qualcomm's phones to skyrocket. The company has tried to secure its share of the Chinese market by signing R&D pacts with several Chinese companies. In late July 2000 Qualcomm announced plans to spin off Qualcomm Spinco, its semiconductor and systems software business filed for a $100 million IPO at the same time. To give Spinco access to necessary technology, Qualcomm planned to assign some of its patents to Spinco. This move follows the spinoff of service provider Leap Wireless the year before.
Qualcomm fields about 100,000 job applications a year. As one insider says: "The competition for getting a job here is fierce." Getting into the company has been especially tough since the company instituted a hiring freeze in 1999. Normally, the company recruits through a variety of methods, including career fairs, campus recruiting, web advertising, and employee referrals. Also, "they hire through a temp agency with the possibility of being permanent after six months." To find out about current job opportunities, or check out the recruiting events the firm is scheduled to visit, consult the "Employment Opportunities" section of Qualcomm's web site, located at www.qualcomm.com, or phone the company's job hotline. Applicants can send a resume and cover letter indicating their position of interest to Human Resources, or e-mail to resumes@qualcomm.com. "Be prepared for a lot of interviews," warns one contact. This is especially true for engineering candidates. Explains one insider: "On the engineering side of interviews, they're pretty grueling. Count on being here an entire day and being interviewed by about six to seven people." In another group, "we do what we call a panel interview. The panel consists of four or five engineers, and we all interview the candidate at the same time." Not only is the interviewing process often arduous, it can also be intense, with loads of technical questions. Explains one insider: "The people here are sharp, so I wouldn't expect a bunch of easy questions." Says a human resources contact: "Most engineering interviews average four to five technical interviews of 45 minutes each." Reports yet another insider: "If you are being interviewed as an engineer, expect a lot of technical questions - four to five one-on-one interviews with engineers."
Young and relaxed culture Insiders agree that Qualcomm has a youthful and relaxed corporate culture. Says another: "It is a fairly young company and everyone seems to have an open mind." And yet another: "Qualcomm has a very informal culture. You feel just like you are at school." The company is as social as school, too. Co-workers at all levels are described as "friendly and social" by one contact, and very friendly" by another. One employee says "it's easy to make friends, so you don't feel like the 'New Fish' for very long." Part of this relaxed, "open door" culture, insiders say, is an emphasis on entrepreneurialism and individual responsibility. "It's a very fast-paced, young, hard-working, and ambitious environment," reports one insider. Says another, "They have a laid-back attitude and they have a philosophy that basically allows us to do our own thing for the good of the whole company." And yet another explains his take on the company's relaxed attitude when it comes to work: "Qualcomm's basic strategy is to hire really good people, and then place little restrictions on them to get the best performance out of them." Dress code? Mandatory hours? Not here Of course, Qualcomm's relaxed culture extends to its (nonexistent) dress code and flexible work schedules. While there is no official dress policy, employees at Qualcomm aren't quite the ripped T-shirts-and-sandals-wearing types that can be found at some other high tech firms. Instead, dress is described as "pretty casual." One insider reports that there's "definitely no dress code, although most dress with casual business attire." One contact estimates that "90 percent of the people here don't come to work in suits." Says that insider: "I've seen people wear things from jeans and polo shirt to shorts and slippers." How flexible are the hours? One contact explains: "You will be given important projects and will be expected to be at mandatory meetings, but so long as you are keeping up with your responsibilities, no one will be keeping track of when you come and go." Another notes that "hours are flexible, as long as you overlap enough hours with the people you work with." Work hard Flexible hours at Qualcomm, however, do not mean short hours; company insiders generally report that they work hard. "There are times when I work 60-hour weeks, during a big crunch," reports one insider. "But after the crunch is over, for a while, I generally work less than 40 hours a week." "Overall, it's a great experience, though lots of hard work." Also, Qualcomm employees get ample time off from work. "You have three weeks vacation per year when you start, and you get more weeks as you stay with the company longer," reports one insider. As an added bonus for those who stay with the company, "vacation accrues forever and never expires." Great perks Qualcomm's vacation perks are only part of a benefits package employees describe as "the best you can get." In addition to a 401(k) plan and stock options (which "many new hires get"), employees enjoy such benefits as tuition reimbursement up to $5000, loans to workers who need to buy computers. There's also "great medical and dental." In fact, one source reports that "employees here do not contribute any money toward their benefits. Qualcomm pays for it 100 percent." Qualcomm also organizes a bevy of company festivities ranging form picnics to an annual corporate Olympics. Reports one insider: "We have tournaments for every sport, including bowling." Says one insider: "One thing Qualcomm cannot be accused of is getting 'cheap' on its employees. They have no problem with rewarding the employees with special events a few times a year - which are usually pretty elaborate." The company's headquarters is palatial, with tennis courts, a swimming pool, a sand volleyball court and three fitness centers, and on-site child care facilities. In addition, the firm also has a "recreation, health and wellness group" that organizes seminars on health-related issues like stress management and nutrition. And as if the company didn't provide enough perks, its San Diego location is described by one insider as a bonus in itself. Says that contact about San Diego: "It's probably got some of the best weather year-round on the planet." (On the downside when it comes to location, one insider complains that "unless you live within walking distance, the commute to work is usually horrendous. Here in southern California, you'd have to get used to the fact that you will be dealing with traffic jams going to and from work.") Average pay, but two raises a year Qualcomm insiders aren't as effusive as they are with company perks when it comes to discussing pay. Although one longtime employee describes the compensation as "always above fair," another insider describes the company as offering "mid to low pay." Still, the company has come up with some creative ways to make its employees happy about their pay. Explains one insider: "Raises are given twice a year, with the average raise being around 3 percent. So that means about a 6 to 7 percent raise per year." Employees can receive both cash and non-cash bonuses, including "trips to amusement parks, or dinner for two at a nice restaurant." Good comments about diversity As one of a few women in her group, one contact admits being initially "a little worried about diversity issues." However, says that insider, "this has not been a problem at all." One employee notes "I've seen women playing as many roles in the company as men." Says another: "Lots of women and minority VPs." Sums up an engineer at Qualcomm: "Women and minorities make up a good portion of company population. As far as I can tell, everyone is treated the same." Recent problems... Even with Qualcomm's emphasis as an employee-centered company, because of Qualcomm's financial troubles recently, not everything is peachy. "It's a bit chaotic and confused due to the rapid growth," reports one insider. Another reports that "everyone knows our company is in chaos because its growing and has been poorly managed." ...But still great satisfaction Despite these problems, Qualcomm insiders express an almost alarmingly high level of satisfaction. "I am so spoiled that I will not be satisfied if I have to work elsewhere," says one recent hire. Another contact, a longtime employee is similarly taken by the company: "One thing that has always impressed me is that although Qualcomm has grown this large this fast, management has done very well at keeping it an 'employee company.'" Says another contact with several decades of experience in the communications industry: "My comments aren't from just someone new. But I will tell you that this is the best company that I have ever worked for."
Human Resources (619) 658-JOBS
Communications systems:;OmniTRACS System;Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA);GlobalStar Mobile Satellite System;Application Specific Integrated Circuits(ASICs);Eudora e-mail Software
Ericsson;Iridium More Company Profiles For more career information, go to Vault.com ©2000, Vault.com Inc
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