Why Women Love Working at the ‘Most Trusted and Transparent Automotive Marketplace’

CarGurus, the most visited and most used automotive marketplace in the U.S., strives to build and nurture a global culture where inclusiveness is a reflex, not an initiative. It’s a workplace where everyone can be themselves — not just fitting in, but thriving. 

The company believes the ability to disconnect, rest and recharge is essential, and they encourage employees to take time off to prioritize their well-being. “We know that creating a workplace where we can all thrive means empowering our community to show up as their whole, authentic selves — both “in” and outside of the office,” explains Andrea Eldridge, Chief People Officer at CarGurus. “This includes prioritizing our mental health and actively engaging with the issues that are impacting us, our loved ones, our communities and the world around us.” The company even offers several company-wide mental health holidays throughout the year so that employees can take time to rest and recharge.

Further, in the past few years, CarGurus has revamped its entire family leave policy by following feedback from the team to support new parents. All primary caregivers receive 16 weeks of paid leave with a bank of 15 days for a gradual return to work. Meanwhile, all secondary caregivers receive eight weeks of paid leave. The offices also feature Mothers’ Rooms for nursing moms who are returning from leave.

Other benefits include medical and dental insurance, 401(k) matching, legal insurance and services that help employees navigate complex medical issues, unlimited PTO, tuition reimbursement and even an “auto perk,” which offers employees a discount on the purchase of a vehicle from the company’s site.

Women share why they love working at CarGurus.

Women feel supported at the company, which has the core values of moving quickly, pioneering, transparency, collaboration, data-driven results and integrity. “I love how supportive people are when testing new ideas,” says Vanessa DeGennaro, vice president of engineering. “Some are successful, and some aren’t. Either way, we learn, and the learning is what’s important.” 

Others agree that it’s a wonderful workplace for women. 

“When I interviewed at CarGurus and met other UI engineers, I felt confident that I had found a culture that was the right fit,” says Katie Langerman, technical lead. “Since we have a growing engineering team dedicated to learning and development, I’ve been able to work on solving problems that utilize my design/UX strengths while building upon my engineering skills.” 

The company’s Women at CarGurus Employee Resource Group also provides support and development opportunities for women with resources, roundtable discussions, career conversations and its newly launched Feminist Scholars Club.

That’s just the name of the game at CarGurus. “At CarGurus, we aim to create an environment where our female employees feel supported and empowered to grow with us,” Eldridge says. “Currently, we are exploring additional leadership development opportunities for women at all levels of the business, including piloting formal learning programs and curating resources to support women in navigating their careers.”

And, because empowered women empower women, the company also gives back to its community through charitable giving and volunteering. The Charitable Giving Program encourages employees to nominate the nonprofit organizations that mean the most to them. Then, an employee-led committee reviews the nominations and awards grants to selected charities on a quarterly basis. CarGurus also occasionally makes off-cycle corporate donations inspired by current global events. As of May, the company donated nearly $90k in charitable giving grants and another $25k in off-cycle corporate donations so far in 2021.

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