By Trina Fletcher-MacDonald

* Five months in current role

Likes the product/service that the company produces

"It's a lot easier to get all fired up about something that's really a super product, especially in marketing," Ibenhard says. "The more you believe in it and the more you're excited about it, that communicates."

Ibenhard currently runs her own marketing consulting and services business, Marketing Magic, and is in the process of starting up her own software company after more than 20 years of experience in the software industry.

Senior management

Jane N. Isaac, Co-founder/senior vice president at an Internet-based financial service company (scheduled for public launch next year)

* 14 months in current role

Having a flexible work schedule

"It's a matter of a company admiring the skill set of an individual," Isaac says. "The company says, 'Do they bring enough value to the table that we'll work around limitations?' "

Isaac works for a Chicago-based company that makes it possible for her to continue to live in Rhode Island. She travels to the Chicago headquarters for three days each week, then works at her home office. "If I were not given that freedom to figure out a way to bring it to fruition, I would be very frustrated."

Middle management

Bev Crair, Software engineering manager of file sharing at Sun Microsystems

* Six months in current role

Compensation with added benefits

According to Crair, Sun's benefits philosophy includes a contracted relationship with a company that provides research services for employees, which helped when Crair was making plans to visit Europe with her daughter.

"I called [the service] and they did a little research and called me back with the results," says Crair, who was concerned about the custody issues the trip might raise. "The value add at Sun is that employees are spending less time trying to manage these things on [their] own."

Staff level

Jennifer Cummings-Martin, Diversity programs manager at Amdahl

* 10 months in current role

Work that offers professional growth, entrepreneurial experience

Cummings-Martin says having the freedom to solve problems and bring projects to fruition is key to job satisfaction.

"We were chartered with generating revenue for our organization, and there was a lot of creativity there in terms of how I could go about doing that," Cummings-Martin says. "We were given an objective, then between me and my manager, we figured [out] what we needed to make that a reality."