Disney says it has rehired 100 IT employees, after outsourcing about 250 jobs through the H-1B visa program last year, but former IT workers and legal representatives dispute this claim. Republican presidential candidates say the company has abused the H-1B program. Disney says it also has added 140 US IT workers.

US Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith and US Digital Service Director Haley Van Dyck have spoken to South by Southwest festival attendees about open federal IT positions. Van Dyck, touting modernization and increased diversity, said the government tech culture is like "a network of startups that is embedded within the White House."

Amazon is hiring the most business-school graduates among tech companies, according to US News & World Report. The company aggressively recruits from top schools. Amazon says MBAs appreciate the amount of responsibility they receive, as well as the startup culture of the company.

More companies are partnering with colleges to create development programs for employees, writes Mika Nash, academic dean of Champlain College. These initiatives bridge gaps in employee skills and help employers foster leaders, Nash writes.

Big-name companies are turning to microlearning apps and websites for training employees. They offer lessons in short segments that are tailored to people's decreasing attention spans. These lessons might include a mix of video and interactive content and last for five minutes or less.

Becoming a leader doesn't make you an excellent communicator -- it's something you'll need to work at to succeed, says leadership-development expert Lou Solomon. "If there is no healthy straight talk or quality communication coming from the C-suite, that pattern cascades throughout the company, and people stop believing they can make a difference," Solomon says.