One Day, One Job » administrative

Coursekit

Willy Franzen — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:42:34 +0000

I’ve been a devoted Apple fanboy since 1990, yet I didn’t watch the liveblogs for their Education Event yesterday. It’s hard to get excited about digital textbooks when you never intend to read a textbook again, but I have to say that I’m looking forward to seeing how much technology will change the ways that future generations learn. Apple pushed a lot of people forward yesterday, but there’s a lot more to education than the content. Communication between teachers and students is essential, and technology can play an amazing role in this relationship. Coursekit is a New York, NY based company that offers “instructors and students amazingly designed tools to manage their courses – calendaring, file management” while making “it unbelievably easy to interact with one another.” It may kill a lot of your excuses for why you didn’t do your homework, but I think that the benefits are pretty obvious.

What’s in Your Kit?

From what I can tell, Coursekit is currently focused on the college market. That probably makes sense, especially considering how terrible the Blackboard experience is for most students. To get a feel for what Coursekit looks like, check out this video (you may have to click through to see it):

There are already professors at top schools using Coursekit, so check out the company’s Case Studies to get a better feel for how the software fits into the education environment. The remaining question is how does Coursekit make money? The short answer is that they don’t–they’re still running on investor cash. As their FAQ explains, the platform is intended to always be free. How they monetize the platform is yet to be determined. If that doesn’t scare you off, then you may want to take a look at Coursekit’s Careers page. They have a number of opportunities that look great for a new or recent grad including:

If you want to help continue the convergence of technology and education, then it would be hard to find a better place to do it than Coursekit.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Were you frustrated by your professors’ lack of tech savvy?

Super Sprowtz

Willy Franzen — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:01:09 +0000

Earlier this week I was catching up with Jason Seiden. We covered a ton of topics, but one thing that we kept coming back to is how frustrating it can be to work in the careers space. Why? Because, as Jason said, “Truly valuable career advice is like vegetables–you can’t give it away.” This is so true. You can try to force things on people, but you won’t get anywhere unless they want what you’re selling. Super Sprowtz is a company that is trying to change the way people–namely children–think about vegetables. They’re based in New York, NY, and they’ve seen how powerful cartoon characters can be in affecting children’s food choices, so they’ve developed a cast of “vegetable super heroes” to “entertain and educate children about healthy eating habits.” I started out thinking this was pretty weird, but I’m kind of warming to the idea.

How Super Are You?

When I first discovered Super Sprowtz, I assumed that they were a non-profit. Who would build a business on trying to get kids to eat vegetables? Even agricultural lobbies realize that they’re better off focusing on selling veggies to adults. But then you realize that Super Sprowtz’s customers aren’t children, but people who have children’s best interest at heart. Super Sprowtz develops DVDs, books, plush toys, apparel, and an interactive platform to sell to parents, teachers, nutritionists, and other concerned adults. Parents aren’t ever going to stop trying to get their kids to eat vegetables, so why not make an investment in products that are going to make their attempts more successful? There’s certainly a market for Super Sprowtz’s products, and it will be interesting to see how big it is. If you’d like to work directly with super heroes, check out Super Sprowtz’s jobs on Startuply. Right now they have mostly internships, but there is one Administrative Assistant position that looks interesting. Check it out, and don’t forget to bring along a bag of carrots if you get the interview.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your take on Super Sprowtz?

MakerBot Industries

Willy Franzen — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 18:04:19 +0000

In case you didn’t get the drift from out post on Best Made Company, artisan craftsmanship is in and mass manufacturing is out (unless it’s done by Apple). But what if you could combine the two? You’d have the technology of mass manufacturing, but the closeness to the process of something that is handmade. That’s what MakerBot Industries is making possible. They’re a New York, NY (Brooklyn) based company that has been “producing an open source 3D printer to democratize manufacturing.” All you need is a CAD drawing and one of their Thing-O-Matic 3D printers, and you can print pretty much whatever object you want in plastic. I think they might have finally figured out Santa’s trick.

You Might Need a 3D Resume

To get a better sense of what MakerBot is doing with the Thing-O-Matic, you need to check out some of the things that people have already made with it. There’s the Turtle Shell Racer, a squirrel, a log cabin, and a whole lot more. What’s really cool about MakerBot is that they offer different sorts of gadgets that you can combine with what you print out to add functionality. That means you can even build something as cool as a remote control car–the opportunities are limited only by your imagination and your ability to do the CAD drawings. What I think is most remarkable, though, is the price. You can get a fully assembled Thing-O-Matic for $2,400. That’s a lot of money if you just want to print out a few toys, but it’s an absolute steal for someone who might be building prototypes or needs very specific one-off plastic items. Presumably the price will keep coming down, and it will be more and more likely that you’ll have your own Thing-O-Matic one day. If the idea of 3D printing has you amped up, then take a look at MakerBot Industries’ Jobs. They have a number of interesting opportunities right now, including:

There’s a ton of variety here, so take a look at all of the positions and see which one makes the most sense for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What would you make if you had a 3D printer?

BookRenter.com

Willy Franzen — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:38:14 +0000

We’ll be wrapping up our survey soon, so speak now and help shape the future of ODOJ.

I’m convinced that textbook publishers are just really expensive money launderers. You spend an outrageous amount of money on some book that you probably won’t even open, and at the end of the semester you sell it back for 15% of what you paid for it. Your money is clean and you’re slightly more educated, yet there’s this sinking feeling that you’ve been had. Academic publishers have built monopolies title by title, and they’ve reaped the rewards for decades. It’s finally coming to an end. There are now open-source publishers like Flat World Knowledge and textbook rental services like Chegg and BookRenter.com that are digging into the publishers’ profits. Today we’re going to focus on San Mateo, CA based BookRenter.com which was founded in 2006 “to make education more affordable for everyone.” From what I can tell, they were the first textbook rental service, and they’ve been growing big time since they launched.

The End of Rent Seeking

You could make a pretty strong argument that textbook publishers are just rent seekers. They use their connections to professors to charge above market prices. Oddly enough, it’s the rental business that might just put an end to their monopoly power; though, I do wonder whether a move to digital publishing will tip the scales back towards the publishers. Anyway, BookRenter.com has built a remarkable business by making a capital investment in tons of textbooks and building out the logistics to get the books quickly to and from students. Now BookRenter.com just needs to get more and more students to try renting. That should be easy considering that they can easily save an average student more than $500 a year. If you’re liking what BookRenter.com is all about, then take a look at their Jobs page. They have a ton of open positions including:

There are all kinds of great options at BookRenter.com, so join their team and help put textbook publishers in their place.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your worst college textbook horror story?

Grist

Willy Franzen — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 17:50:30 +0000

So far our survey says that you find the job search frustrating. Tell us more so that we can help.

When I was in Ann Arbor, MI last weekend, I noticed that there’s a tremendous amount of interest in the environment there. Maybe it’s because two of the friends I was visiting got Master’s degrees from University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment, but it was also the LED street lights and the students who I met who were asking about green careers. That’s why I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a lot of subscribers to Grist in the Ann Arbor area. Grist is a Seattle, WA based magazine that “has been dishing out environmental news and commentary with a wry twist since 1999.” They’re a non-profit organization, so they’re “funded by foundation grants, user contributions, and advertising.”

Get the Grist of Things

A fair criticism of most of the environmentalist movement is that it lacks a sense of humor. It’s hard to have a laugh when you’re constantly screaming “the sky is falling.” Grist is certainly an exception, as their about page starts with:

Laugh now — or the planet gets it.

You know how some people make lemonade out of lemons? At Grist, we’re making lemonade out of looming climate apocalypse.

It’s more fun than it sounds, trust us!

The sense of humor comes through in articles like Live Your Tiny House Fantasies by Renting One on AirBnB, but there are also plenty of more serious ones like Making Federal Buildings Green Cuts Costs by a Fifth. If you’re digging Grists’s approach, then you may want to consider working for them. Their Jobs page shows that they’re looking for a Web Developer and Idealist shows that they’re looking for an Office Assistant. If neither of those positions sound right for you, you may want to take a look at Grist’s Writer’s Guidelines. There are both paid and unpaid opportunities for writers.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you read Grist?

BeachMint

Willy Franzen — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:37:43 +0000

So far our survey says that you find the job search frustrating. Tell us more so that we can help.

Back in June we told you about Birchbox, a company that offers a subscription to customized beauty product samples for $10 a month. It’s an interesting model, and it seems to be working out extremely well for them. BeachMint is a “social commerce” startup with a similar subscription model, but a very different approach. They’re a Santa Monica, CA based company with four brands: JewelMint.com, BeautyMint.com, StyleMint.com, and ShoeMint.com. I think you can guess what each offers a subscription to. When you sign up they give you a quiz to get a sense of what you like and what you don’t like, and then they start making new recommendations for you every month. It’s a little weird in that it’s structured like a subscription, but you don’t have to buy every month (but it sounds like it’s more of a monthly opt-out than opt-in). I kind of wish they stayed true to their name and would send me to a different beach every month.

Making a Mint

BeachMint is still a very young company, but they’ve raised a ton of money (nearly $40 million) and had some great early successes (apparently BeautyMint got 500,000 visitors in its first day). A big part of BeachMint’s strategy and a likely reason for their rapid growth is that they’ve aligned with some big name celebrities like Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Jessica Simpson, Rachel Bilson, and Kate Bosworth. I’m sure they had to spend a lot of their funding on getting those names to sign, but it seems to be paying off with huge growth now. I’ll admit that I find BeachMint’s model a little confusing, but that doesn’t seem to be stopping people from signing up.

If you’re intrigued by what BeachMint is doing, then you should take a look at their Jobs page. There are a ton of jobs posted though most of them are either tech (Web/Software/Mobile Development) or Mint Brand Ambassador Manager / Independent Sales and Promotions Coordinator positions. The latter are available all across the country, and seem to be heavily commission based. The job best suited for our readership is probably the Merchandising / Design Assistant, which unfortunately is only part-time right now. Additionally, there’s the option to apply for future opportunities, and I also found a Customer Care Associate position and an Executive Assistant/Office Manager position on Startuply. I also found a Content Department Coordinator posting from a couple of months ago. It seems that BeachMint might be a bit disjointed in posting jobs, so don’t be afraid to apply for future opportunities.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you tried any of BeachMint’s offerings?

Time Out

Willy Franzen — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:15:42 +0000

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One of my favorite things about living in Chicago is the restaurants. There are so many great places to eat, and there are new ones opening constantly. It’s a lot of fun, but it can be overwhelming if you try to keep up with it. That’s why I rely on Time Out Chicago to keep me up to date with what’s going on in Chi-town, whether it’s restaurant openings, cultural events, or things to do. I guess I’m lucky that Time Out chose to cover Chicago, considering that the London, UK based publishing company typically focuses on major international destinations like Bangkok, Barcelona, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, and Venice for their guides and magazines. As far as I can tell, Boston, MA; Chicago, IL, and New York, NY are the only U.S. cities to get weekly magazines, though a few other like Las Vegas and San Francisco do get their own travel guides. I must say that Time Out’s online presence is quite disjointed, so there’s a chance that there are locations in the U.S. where they might be hiring and I just missed them.

Take a Time Out from Your Job Search

It seems as though the U.S. based Time Outs operate somewhat independently from the parent company. You’ll probably want to bounce around TimeOut.com, NewYork.TimeOut.com, TimeOutChicago.com, and TimeOutBoston.com to get a sense of all of the different sub-brands. You may also want to take a look at Time Out’s Wikipedia entry to get a fuller sense of the business. But really you should focus on digging into Time Out’s content (a lot of which they publish online) and getting a feel for how they cover different locales. Then you’ll want to read up on the specific Time Out that catches your interest and take a look at their jobs (all of the Time Outs seem to hire independently from each other). In the Worldwide office based in London they have a few job openings and also offer what they call work experience. You can use the links below to find the Jobs pages for Boston, Chicago, and New York, and you’ll see that they have a number of interesting opportunities including:

SEO Master (New York, NY)
Copy Editor (New York, NY)
Ad Operations Specialist (New York, NY)
PHP Symfony Web Application Developer (New York, NY)
Account Manager (Chicago, IL)

They’re also big on internships, so if you want to get a position on the editorial side it would probably benefit you to start as an intern. (I have a friend who did exactly that at Time Out Chicago). Here’s a list of all of the internships that they offer:

Photo Intern (Boston, MA)
Editorial Intern Intern (Boston, MA)
Art & Design Intern (Chicago, IL)
Editorial Intern (Chicago, IL)
Online Photography Intern (Chicago, IL)
Online Production Intern (Chicago, IL)
Photography Intern (Chicago, IL)
Web Intern (Chicago, IL)
Admin/Human Resources Intern (New York, NY)
Advertising Intern (New York, NY)
Art – Magazine Design Intern (New York, NY)
Audience Development Intern (New York, NY)
Editorial Intern (New York, NY)
Editorial – Visual Arts Intern (New York, NY)
Editorial – Food & Drink Intern (New York, NY)
Public Relations Intern (New York, NY)
Editorial – Music Intern (New York, NY)
Editorial – Online Intern (New York, NY)
Editorial – Shopping & Style Intern (New York, NY)
Marketing & Events Intern (New York, NY)
Online Production Intern (New York, NY)
Photo Intern (New York, NY)
Editorial – Film Intern (New York, NY)
Special Projects Intern (New York, NY)
TONY Kids Intern (New York, NY)
TONY Kids Photo Intern (New York, NY)

They’re all unpaid, but they could be a good way to get a foot in the door.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you own any Time Out guides or subscribe to any of their magazines?

American Horticultural Society

Willy Franzen — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 13:46:11 +0000

I don’t think I realized how much I enjoyed the gardens my parents had in our backyard until I moved to a city and lived in a high-rise. As cool as it is to be 30 stories up and see tiny people going about their business below, I’d much rather be able to open my back door and see blooms, butterflies, bees, and birds. I’ll bet that the people at the non-profit American Horticultural Society would agree with me. The AHS “is one of the oldest national gardening organizations in the country,” and since their founding in 1922 they’ve grown to more than 20,000 members. The AHS is headquartered in Alexandria, VA at a placed called River Farm, which was owned by George Washington. It includes 25 acres of landscaped lawns and gardens, so I’m sure it’s stunning.

Enter the Garden

As the American Horticultural Society has grown, its mission has evolved to blend “education, social responsibility, and environmental stewardship with the art and science of horticulture.” You can browse through some of their programs on the AHS website, and the key thing to remember is that the AHS puts a really strong focus on providing information to its members–mostly because that’s what gardeners want. If you like the idea of working in a place surrounded by gardens, then you’ll want to check out jobs at the AHS. The one entry levelish position they have posted right now is only on Idealist , and it’s a Member Services Associate job. It looks like a great opportunity for a new grad, so check it out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you have a garden?

Institute for Transportation and Development Policy

Willy Franzen — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 13:59:36 +0000

Yesterday I picked my parents up from the airport. Because of traffic, I ended up spending more time in the car to do a roundtrip of about 35 miles then than they spent on the plane flying from New York City to Chicago. It’s amazing how far we’ve come in terms of transportation over the course of human history, but we still have a long way to go. Society still has a ton to gain economically and environmentally through innovation in transportation. That’s why the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy exists. They’re a New York, NY based non-profit organization that “works with cities worldwide to bring about sustainable transport solutions that cut greenhouse gas emissions, reduce poverty, and improve the quality of urban life.” They have offices in Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Mexico, so it’s clear that their mission is as much about international development as it is about transportation.

Transport Yourself

It’s easy to forget how much transportation affects nearly everything that we do. But when you see that ITDP’s six key issues are Climate Change, Urbanization, Poverty Alleviation, Road Safety, Health, and Air Pollution, you instantly realize just how many things are affected by transportation. ITDP’s biggest role is providing technical advice to cities on how they can improve themselves through transportation. To really get a sense of how ITDP is making the world a better place, you should read up on their work–they have some really interesting projects. If you’re excited about what you see, you should check out jobs at the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. While they don’t have any positions that are perfectly suites for a new grad, it’s worth taking a look at the Administrative Assistant, Human Resources Associate, and Communications Officer (Guangzhou, China) positions. You could also try reaching out about an unlisted position.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your favorite mode of transportation?

TicketLeap

Willy Franzen — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:58:44 +0000

Last week we told you about Blue Chip Career, so here’s another reminder to check them out. They offer personalized guidance from seasoned executives to help you overcome your biggest job search challenges. Get paired with one of their experts and receive the inside scoop on how to land the job of your dreams.

Last September I went to see Seth Godin. I bought a ticket online and was pleasantly surprised a few days before the event to learn that it allowed me to bring a friend. The event was great–just what I would expect from Seth. Every detail went smoothly, even the ticketing process, which was done through TicketLeap. I barely noticed them when I originally registered for the event (which what you want from a ticketing provider), but when a reader e-mailed a few months ago to tell me that she landed an internship with TicketLeap I decided to take another look. They’re a Philadelphia, PA based company that was started in 2003 “to bring professional-grade ticketing to events too small to get the attention of the big ticketing companies.” They offer a great user experience, and their cost is pretty much unbeatable–$1 per ticket for events $10 and under, $2 per ticket for events over $10, and free for all free events.

Take a Leap

While I often like to tout a company’s client list, I’m not going to do that with TicketLeap. They’re not about serving the big names, they’re about serving the little guys with a product that would be suitable for many of the big guys. While I’ve been able to enjoy the TicketLeap from the attendee side, I haven’t tried it from the event organizer side, but it sounds great. TicketLeap thinks their product stands out for 7 reasons that range from great design to dedicated customer support to awesome analytics. What I think is most interesting about TicketLeap is that they have built a marketing platform into their ticketing solutions. It’s exactly what event organizers need if they want to sell out. If you’re digging what TicketLeap is doing, then you’ll want to head over to their Careers page. Right now they’re looking for Inside Sales Reps. I did a little more digging using our job search engine and also found positions for a User Interface Designer and an Energetic Assistant.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever used TicketLeap?

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

Willy Franzen — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 17:59:17 +0000

We’ve been having e-mail deliverability issues over the past couple of days. I’m working with our provider to figure out what’s going on. Hopefully this message will come through without a hitch and make this note irrelevant.

Yesterday we looked at a non-profit that is devoted to a unique sector of performing arts. Today we’re going to look at one that is more traditional. Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is based in New York, NY, and they’re the organization that runs “the world’s leading performing arts center.” Lincoln Center is located on 16.3 acres, and it has 11 resident organizations that use their space but are run independently. Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts “serves three primary roles: presenter of artistic programming, an international leader in arts and education and community relations, and manager of the Lincoln Center campus.” They seem to be doing a good job considering that Lincoln Center hosts more than 5 million visitors every year.

Put on a Good Performance

To really get a feel for what the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts does, you need to read up on the other 10 Resident Organizations. Here are the links to each of their websites (each of these organizations has its own job and internship opportunities):

In addition to these organizations, Lincoln Center also is home to quite a few programs. These include American Songbook, White Light Festival, Fashion Lincoln Center, and lots more. There’s a ton of other relevant information about the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on their website, so you should really dive in if you like what they’re all about. Eventually you’ll land on their Jobs page, where you’ll see that they’re hiring a Receptionist, a Grants Writer, a Special Event Sales and Client Services Associate, a Lead Telephone Agent, a Part-time Telephone Agent, and a Part-Time Visitor Services Representative. There are a number of options, so hopefully one of them will be a good fit for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever been to Lincoln Center?

Behance

Willy Franzen — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:36:12 +0000

Over the past two days I’ve been talking about how important it is for your career to be building something. This means generating new ideas and taking action on them. That’s what Behance is all about. They’re a New York, NY based company that “develops products and services that empower creative professinals to make ideas happen.” I’ve heard about Behance a lot before–probably because founder Scott Belsky is a fellow Cornellian, but it seems as though their name keeps coming up lately. I guess it’s easy to generate a buzz when you’ve developed a line of products that helps creatives overcome “inefficiency, disorganization, and careers at the mercy of bureaucracy.”

Be Behance

Behance’s flagship product is the Behance Network, which is a place for creative professionals to “create multi-media portfolios that showcase their work.” Instead of building a “social graph,” they’re building a “creative graph.” TechCrunch chronicles Behance’s growth to 1 million projects published here, and Behance has an awesome infographic that gives all kinds of stats on how the Behance community has grown. Behance’s other products include Prosite (personal portfolio sites), The 99 Percent (a think tank for research and best practices), and Action Method (a task management methodology). It all adds up into an awesome resource for creative people to manage and grow their careers. If you’re digging what Behance is doing, then you should take a look at their Jobs page. Right now they’re looking for a Community and Office Associate, a Backend Developer, an Interaction Designer, a Web Developer, and a Web Tester. These jobs sound great, so give them a good look.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Are you a member of the Behance Network?

Yeti Coolers

Willy Franzen — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:33:33 +0000

I spend a ton of time outdoors between fly fishing and playing beach volleyball. You’d think I’d have a cooler to take along with me, but I don’t. If I did, it’d have to be one of the models made by Yeti Coolers. They’re an Austin, TX based company that builds coolers that are more durable and keep things colder than any other coolers on the market. Yeti Coolers are built for tough conditions, which is why some of the biggest names in outdoors sports endorse them and the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee has deemed them Grizzly Proof. You may think it’s cooler overkill, but the market for high quality coolers seems to be extremely strong. That’s why Yeti Coolers made the Inc. 5000 with 613% three-year growth to $13 million in revenue.

These Jobs Do Exist

Yeti Coolers’ business seems pretty simple. They build a superior product and market it to a demographic that appreciates the kind of quality that Yeti Coolers offers. It’s obviously been a bit more complicated than that considering how quickly Yeti has been able to grow. I’m sure their engineering and manufacturing is pretty high tech, and I’m sure that going up against entrenched cooler manufacturers is a big challenge for a relative upstart. Still, you have to love that there’s still a ton of room for Yeti to grow in the market. If you want to be a part of that growth, then you should check out Yeti Coolers’s Careers page. While they don’t have any openings posted there, they do have an Application Page where you can apply for positions in Account Management, Accounting/Finance, Administrative, Cusomter Service, Human Resources, IT, Marketing, Operations, Order Processing, R&D / Product Development, Sales, and Warehouse. Hopefully your search for these jobs will be more fruitful than the search for the Abominable Snowman.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you own a Yeti Cooler?

The After-School Corporation

Willy Franzen — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 16:37:56 +0000

I don’t know about you, but I did a ton of learning after school. Sometimes it was in formal activities like Odyssey of the Mind or a computer class, but often it was on my own, whether it was digging holes in my backyard and finding artifacts or trying to teach myself how to write simplistic computer programs. While formal education sets the foundation for a successful life, it’s often the activities that students take up outside of school that influence what they do later in life. The After-School Corporation is a New York, NY based non-profit that works “in New York and the nation to change public policy and expand public funding so all kids from all backgrounds can have high quality experiences beyond regular school hours that support their intellectual, creative and healthy development.” They’re different from other non-profits that focus on after school activities in that The After-School Corporation does not actively operate after school programs.

What Are You Doing After School?

If The After-School Corporation doesn’t run after school programs, then what do they do? They “build the public-private partnerships that make after-school programs strong and reliable year after year.” Beyond that, they are constantly trying new ideas and conducting research “to expand the time and ways kids learn.” To really get a feel for TASC, you should read over their About page and their What We Do page. Reading both will help you better understand TASC’s focus on building better infrastructure for after school programs. If you like what you see, then take a look at The After-School Corporation’s Jobs page. The positions that you’ll want to look at include Development Officer, Special Assistant to the President, and Special Assistant to the Chief Operating Officer. These positions do require some prior experience, but some strong internships in the non-profit world could probably be sufficient.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about The After-School Corporation?

charity: water

Willy Franzen — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 14:36:13 +0000

For me water is all about recreation. It’s a place to fish, swim, kayak, and hopefully one day learn how to surf. That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy drinking water–I’ve had servers at restaurant tell me that I drink more water than any other customer they’ve served–but it’s mostly an afterthought. Unfortunately, for nearly a billion people across the globe water is neither fun nor an afterthought. “Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war.” charity: water is a non-profit organization that is “bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations.” They’re based in New York, NY, but they’re doing work all over the world. One of the most interesting things about charity: water is that they’re able to put 100% of the public donations that they receive towards clean water projects. This is possible because a small group of private donors has committed to covering the organization’s operating expenses.

charity: job

I’d had my eye on charity: water for a while. I knew that they were getting a lot of attention, and I figured that they’d have to have jobs and internships available at some point. A reader alerted me that they were hiring right now, so I was excited to finally give them a closer look. According to the charity: water home page, they have funded 3,962 projects in 19 countries with 25 local partners. These projects have brought clean water to 1,794,983 people so far. That’s an unbelievable number, but it’s kind of scary to think that they’ve only served 2% of the population in need. They still have a long way to go, which is why they seem to be growing quickly. If you’re moved by the the charity: water mission then you’ll want to check out their Jobs page. Right now they have a few opportunities for new or recent grads including Digital Assistant, Software Developer, Front-End Developer, Water Programs Officer – East Africa, and Curator of the Well. There are some really exciting positions here, so check them out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about charity: water?

Atlantic Council

Willy Franzen — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 16:45:49 +0000

Our country’s relationship with Europe started off pretty rocky. There were all kinds of conflicts including the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Spanish American War, and plenty of others. It wasn’t really until after World Wars I and II that U.S-Europe relations really began to stabilize. That’s why in 1961 The Atlantic Council was founded. They are a Washington, DC based think tank that “promotes constructive U.S. leadership and engagement in international affairs based on the central role of the Atlantic community in meeting the international challenges of the 21st century.” Over the organization’s 50 years its mission and programs have evolved, but they remain focused on maintaining a constructive trans-Atlantic dialogue.

Join the Council

I realize that it’s kind of hard to grasp what think tanks actually do–especially when their mission is something as nebulous as promoting “constructive U.S. leadership and engagement in international affairs.” Here are some things that the Atlantic Council is working on that will give you a better idea of what they actually do:

identifying and shaping responses to major issues facing the Atlantic Alliance and transatlantic relations;
building consensus on U.S. policy towards Russia, China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan;
promoting balanced responses to growing energy needs and environmental protection;
drafting roadmaps for U.S. policy towards the Balkans, Africa, Cuba, Iraq, Iran, and Libya;
engaging students from across the Euro-Atlantic area in the processes of NATO transformation and enlargement

To really get to know more about the Atlantic Council, you can take a look at the Atlantic Council’s Programs and Publications. If you’re interested in getting involved, then head over to The Atlantic Council’s Jobs page. Right now they’re looking for an Outreach and Public Events Assistant – Office of Development and External Relations. Give it a look.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about the Atlantic Council?

Lower East Side Tenement Museum

Willy Franzen — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 16:25:48 +0000

We often forget that this country has been built (and is continuing to be built) by immigrants. For hundreds of years people have risked everything that they had to try for a better life in America. While just getting here is a journey, the first few years of “making a new life, working for a better future, starting a family with limited means” can be daunting. The Lower East Side Tenement Museum in New York, NY tells the story of life in America for nearly 7,000 immigrants from over 20 countries who lived in the building between the years of 1863 and 1935. It’s a part of American history that doesn’t get a lot of attention (how many of us have visited colonial era museums?), yet it’s an extremely important part of our national identity.

97 Orchard Street

What’s most interesting about the Lower East Side Tenement Museum (which is part of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience) is that it gives us deep insight into how much living standards have changed over the past century. By sheer luck 97 Orchard Street was left as it was for more than 50 years, and when museum founders Ruth Abram and Anita Jacobson stumbled upon it, they knew it was the perfect place for building “a museum that honored America’s immigrants.” If you want to be part of sharing the history of the immigrants who built this country, then take a look at Jobs at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. They have a number of interesting opportunities including Museum Shop Associate, Visitor Services Associate, Collections Manager & Registrar, Costumed Interpreter/Educator, and Executive Assistant. Give them all a look.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever visited the Lower East Side Tenement Museum?

ReTargeter

Willy Franzen — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:12:15 +0000

Want to be part of the One Day, One Job/Internship team? Here’s your chance!

I’m about to head over to TechWeek to check out midVenturesLAUNCH. It’s an event for new startups to launch and release new products. I figure it’s a good scouting opportunity for finding companies to tell you about. As I was looking over the website for the event, I realized there were a bunch of sponsors that probably have job opportunities. One that caught my eye was ReTargeter, which is an online advertising company based in San Francisco, CA. Last week we looked at RadiumOne and their social targeting technology. Today we’re going to look at ReTargeter and their approach to targeting. Retargeting is all about showing ads to people who have already shown interest in something. I actually started seeing ads for TechWeek all over the Internet after I visited their site a few times. That’s retargeting. (We covered the topic previously in our post about FetchBack.)

ReTarget Your Job Search

ReTargeter says that their retargeting campaigns are 300% more effective than regular ad campaigns. I believe it. Though retargeting isn’t a replacement for traditional online advertising, it’s an excellent supplement. The best way to get a feel for what ReTargeter does is to read through their Case Studies. You’ll also want to check out their Product offerings. I could totally see a job seeker trying out retargeting. I’m not sure how cost-effective it would be, but imagine having a recruiter constantly see ads for hiring you after he or she visits your online resume. I’d love to see someone try it. It might even be a good way to convince the folks at ReTargeter to hire you. Right now their Jobs page shows that they’re looking to fill a number of positions that could be suitable for new or recent grads including Account Executive, Ad Operations Specialist, Front-end Developer, Back-end Engineer, Community Manager, Community Ninja, and Office Manager. Check them out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What ads get retargeted to you?

MailChimp

Willy Franzen — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 16:19:40 +0000

A few weeks ago in my post on SailThru, I urged you to consider e-mail marketing as a career option. It’s a field that provides an immense amount of value to businesses, yet it gets far too little attention–especially from college students and grads. One of the keys to doing well with e-mail marketing is finding great tools to use. I use Aweber to deliver our daily e-mails, but I’m constantly tempted to switch over to MailChimp. They’re an Atlanta, GA company that is growing at an insane rate. They offer a platform for e-mail marketing that just keeps on getting better for a user base that is climbing towards 1 million. MailChimp’s attention to design and detail has made them a standout in a space that is getting more and more crowded. Every day I seem to notice that another e-mail newsletter that I’m subscribed to has moved over to MailChimp.

Start Chimping Around

One of the best ways to understand how MailChimp serves their clients is to read through some of their Customer Stories. You’ll learn all about what MailChimp offers and how companies are using these services to build better businesses. You can even set up a free MailChimp account and use it to start learning a little bit about e-mail marketing. MailChimp is so product-focused that learning about their product is the best way to learn about their company–though they do seem to have a pretty sweet culture too (you can just feel it on their website). Additionally, MailChimp has one of, if not the best Jobs page that I’ve ever seen. It’s simple, clear, and beautiful. It also has a bunch of jobs that seem perfect for new or recent grads including Compliance Geek, Tech-support Geek, Multilingual Tech-support Geeks (Spanish, French, Portuguese, German or Dutch), Infrastructure Engineer, PHP Developer, IT Human, Zookeeper (Office Manager), and Web Analyst. These look like awesome jobs, so check them out–even if it’s just so that you can experience a Jobs page that isn’t completely frustrating to use.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you love MailChimp’s logo?

Quickparts

Willy Franzen — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 16:14:53 +0000

I’m headed to Atlanta for a wedding this weekend, so I decided to do a little searching for interesting companies in ATL. Pretty quickly (no pun intended) I came across Quickparts, and they stood out because I’ve never covered a business that does what they do before. The Atlanta, GA headquartered company that is “dedicated to providing [their] customers with an online e-commerce system to procure low-volume and high-volume custom manufactured parts.” What does that mean? You can upload CAD drawings for some sort of part or product to their site, and they will instantly offer a quote based on “the part geometry, the required materials, lead time, and quantity.” If the quote meets your specs, then you give them the go ahead to start manufacturing. Yes, this company actually make stuff!

Be Quick

It’s kind of mind blowing how easy it is to have a product made these days. Quickparts makes it even easier. They’ve worked with huge names like Boeing, Caterpillar, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, General Electric, NASA, Nike, and plenty of others, so you know that they must do great work. I wish I knew more about Rapid Prototyping and Injection Molding, so that I could explain them better, but I only have experience in building web products. If you really want to dig into the ins and outs of Quickparts’ business, you should check out their Learning Center. If you like what you see, you’ll want to look at jobs at Quickparts. Right now they have a few positions that you may want to check out including Receptionist, Territory Accountant, Graphic Designer, Project Manager, Business Analyst, and Inside Sales Manager. All of the positions have some experience requirements, but they’re generally pretty light.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Quickparts?

Youth Service America

Willy Franzen — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 16:18:00 +0000

Looking for a job in the non-profit world? Samaritan’s Purse has a number of great opportunities for you.

Some of my fondest memories from my high school years are of my church mission trips. Every summer my youth group would pile into a van, head somewhere within a day or two’s drive, and start helping people–usually by fixing up dilapidated houses. It was a ton of fun, and it was extremely rewarding. Consequently, I’m a strong believer that everyone should be involved in some kind of service work, especially our nation’s youth. That’s why Youth Service America caught my attention. They’re a Washington, DC based non-profit organization that “improves communities by increasing the number and the diversity of young people, ages 5-25, serving in substantive roles.” It’s all about building a commitment to service in the next generation that will continue to thrive as the generation matures.

At Your Service

Youth Service America pursues their vision through three main activities. First, they promote Public Mobilization Campaigns that include Global Youth Service Day, Semester of Service, and Get Ur Good On. Second, they do a lot of grant making and award giving targeted towards organizations that promote their ideals. Third, they offer a wide range of resources that can be used to develop and promote youth service programs. All of these programs have been developed to achieve two goals:

Educate youth, teachers, community organizations, media, and public officials in the power of youth as problem solvers.
Engage children and youth as volunteers, as academic achievers, and as community leaders.

If you’re excited about what YSA is doing, you have to take a look at their Jobs page. Right now they have two positions that seem like they might be suitable for new or recent grads: Web Designer and Special Assistant to the President. Both look great, so check them out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you do any service work?

Hill Holliday

Willy Franzen — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 15:52:54 +0000

I have to admit that I’m a little bummed that the holiday weekend is over. Since it’ll be a solid 2 months until we get another one, we’re going to have to make do with Hill Holliday. They’re a full-service advertising, marketing, and communications agency with presences in Boston, MA; New York, NY; and Greenville, SC. It all started in Boston in 1968 as Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos, Inc., and now it’s a firm of more than 800 employees with some really big name clients including Dunkin’ Donuts, Major League Baseball, Anheuser Busch, CVS, Liberty Mutual, Bank of America, and more. Unless you are a total hermit, there’s almost no way that you wouldn’t recognize at least some of their work.

Another Holliday!

Whenever I look at advertising or marketing agencies, the first thing that I do is look at their work. Hill Holliday’s work is super impressive, and there’s a ton of it to look at. At first I though there were only a few pieces, but then I noticed the slider at the top of the page that lets you browse everything that they’ve done by client. One of my favorites has to be Brian Wilson’s Beard. If you’re digging Hill Holliday’s portfolio, then you’re in luck, because they also appear to be an awesome place to work. In 2010 they were named #1 in the “Boston Globe 100 Top Places to Work.” That’s why you should check out Hill Holliday’s Careers page, and then dive into their job postings. They have a bunch of opportunities for new or recent grads including Junior Studio Designer (Boston, MA), Administrative Assistant (Boston, MA), Front End Developer (Boston, MA), Jr. Flash Animator/Developer (Boston, MA), and Junior Media Buyer (New York, NY). There are a bunch more positions that require a little more experience, so you may want to check those out too.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Hill Holliday?

evoJets

Willy Franzen — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 15:52:55 +0000

You have to love it when July 4th lines up on a Monday to make for a long weekend. It provides a great opportunity to get away, see friends or family, and enjoy our freedom. When I’m getting away, I prefer to do it via private jet. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to one, which is why I’m staying put in Chicago this weekend. But if I did want to spend every penny I have on a flight for the weekend, I’d totally try evoJets. They’re an Aspen, CO based company (though I see some indication that they’re actually based in New York, NY) that provides “on-demand private jet charter service.” That means that you don’t need to own a plane or a share of a plane. You can just call them up, and they’ll get you where you want to go. evoJets is another company that I learned about from Inc Magazine’s 30 Under 30. Both founders are 28, which seems too young to be flying on private jets, let alone running a company that provides access to them.

Jettison Your Job Search

According to the Inc. article, evoJets is still a really small company. They’re only expected to generate $1.8 million in revenue this year, but that’s a more than 50% increase over last year. (The revenue number only sounds small because we’re talking about private jets here.) Just to be clear, evoJets doesn’t own or operate any planes. They help you find “the right jet at the right time for the right price.” They have access to a network of more than 7,000 aircraft, so they work with the companies that own and operate those planes to make sure you can get where you want to be. They take on all of the administrative stuff that comes with booking a private jet, and get a fee for doing so. It’s a pretty smart business idea. Now, the evoJets website could probably use some work (it went down while I was writing thins), but that will come in time. The company only has 3.5 employees, but they are looking to grow. They invite people interested in working at evoJets to reach out to them at hr@evojets.com. What kind of jobs they might offer is unclear, but you have to think that two 28 year olds would be more than willing to take a chance on entry level talent. I should also note that I did find this posting for a paid Marketing & Sales Intern.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever flown on a private jet?

Kickstarter

Willy Franzen — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:11:24 +0000

I’m not sure how many of you have been with us long enough to remember, but 2.5 years ago Jason Seiden and I put together a job search prep course called Found Your Career. We did it for two reasons. First, we saw a need. Most entry level job seekers need some serious help. Second, Jason was looking for a way to productize his content, and I was looking for a way to develop new revenue streams (since selling advertising to employers in the middle of a recession is kind of hard). We tested the waters with some introductory content and got a good response, so we went all out and developed an awesome course for job seekers. We charged $152 for the course, and it actually sold pretty well in its first week. It did ok over the next month or so. Then the sales dried up. We learned the hard way that selling products to entry level job seekers is really tough, which is why we’ve finally decided to make Found Your Career free–you can find all of the lessons here. If I were to do it all over again, I would have used Kickstarter to build support for the project before actually building the course. Kickstarter is a platform for funding creative projects. They’re based in New York, NY, and they’re making all kinds of awesome things happen by matching up creative people with customer/funders.

Give Your Career a Kickstart

Let’s say Kickstarter was around when Jason and I were coming up with the idea of Found Your Career. We could have posted our project on the site with a specific fundraising goal. Let’s say $10,000. We’d offer details about the project, and we’d offer rewards for certain levels of pledges. Maybe $30 would get you access to the course. $50 would get you the course and a signed copy of Jason’s book. $100 would get you a half hour phone call with me or Jason. $2,000 and we’d fly you out to Chicago and spend the day with you developing a job search plan. The project would run for a set amount of time, and if we reached our goal, everyone who pledged would get charged and get their rewards. If we didn’t reach our goal, nobody would get charged and we’d can the project. The best way to get a feel for this is to take a look at some real projects. For instance Minimal Inc. raised nearly $1,000,000 for their iPod Nano watch, EFFALO is trying to raise $5,000 to build software to help people make geodesic structures, and Nathan Bergey has already raised enough to fund his project of building lamps that light up when the International Space Station is in your view. You really should spend some time browsing Kickstarter and maybe even try funding a few projects that interest you.

The range of projects on Kickstarter is pretty amazing. At least for now, they limit projects to “the creative fields of Art, Comics, Dance, Design, Fashion, Film, Food, Games, Music, Photography, Publishing, Technology, and Theater,” but you can find a way to fit almost anything into one of those categories. Since there’s so much potential for abuse on a platform like Kickstarter, they have some pretty strict guidelines and a seemingly exhaustive FAQ. I’m completely amazed by what Kickstarter already is, and I can’t wait to see it keep growing. If you’d like to be part of that growth and you love the idea of helping make creative projects happen, you have to take a look at Kickstarter’s Jobs page. Right now they have two positions posted–Designer and Office Manager. Both look like they could be great fits for new or recent grads, so check them out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you used Kickstarter?

San Francisco Film Society

Willy Franzen — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 13:34:26 +0000

I must admit that I’ve never been to a film festival. I can barely sit through one movie at the theater, so I doubt that a festival would be up my alley–unless it was the Fly Fishing Film Tour, which I’ve sadly never been to. Anyway, when we think of film festivals, we often think of exotic locations like Cannes and Venice. That’s a long way to go to watch some films, especially in 1957– the year that Irving “Bud” Levin started the San Francisco International Film Festival. This festival is presented by the San Francisco Film Society, which is a non-profit organization that “encourages the progressive evolution of film culture and individual lives by celebrating the transformative power of the moving image in all its forms.” By bringing together filmmakers and filmgoers in the Bay Area, the San Francisco Film Society is further expanding the culture of an already culturally rich city.

Action!

The San Francisco Film Society offers all kinds of programming. Obviously the Film Festival is a big part of it, but they also offer Screenings & Events, Classes & Workshops, Publications & Media, Filmmaker Services, Youth Education, and more. The Society holds the “fundamental belief that film is the most powerful and influential medium of our time,” so it should be no surprise that they’re fully committed to promoting the art and culture of film in any way that they can. Every year they present “more than 300 films and reach 15,000 students through [their] education program, while disbursing millions of dollars to deserving filmmakers,” so there’s no question that they’re having a monumental impact. If you want to be a part of the San Francisco Film Society, check out their Jobs page. Right now they’re only looking for an Executive Assistant, but they offer a number of internships in a variety of areas, so there’s certainly the potential for other career opportunities.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever been to a film festival?

Seedco

Willy Franzen — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 15:17:22 +0000

Helping people find jobs is obviously a cause that is close to my heart. I chose to focus on the college market for two reasons: I was familiar with it because I had struggled through my own entry level job search and I wasn’t really qualified to help anyone else when I started. As tough as it is for college grads to find jobs these days, you actually have it pretty easy. You’re educated, energetic, and don’t need to make all that much to get by. It may seem hopeless now, but you will land a job and get your career started soon. You just need to keep pushing and be smarter about how you approach employers. There are others out there who need a lot more help, which is why organizations like Seedco exist. Seedco is a New York, NY based non-profit that “designs and implements innovative programs and services for workers, families, and businesses in need.” They’re all about driving economic growth and helping people be their most productive selves.

Plant a Seed

Seedco was founded in 1987 through funding from the Ford Foundation. They work at a community level by partnering with local organizations and now serve 17 states and Washington, DC with offices in 6 of those states. You can break Seeco’s programs into three categories: Workforce Development, Work and Family Supports, and Community Finance and Small Business Services. Throughout these programs they focus on 7 guiding values: Innovation, Effectiveness, Empowerment, Measurement, Collaboration, Sustainability, and Shaping Policy. There’s a ton of info on Seedco’s website, so I recommend that you really dig in and start to learn more about what they do and how they do it. If it looks like something that you want to be a part of, then head over to Seedco’s Jobs page to check out their current opportunities. Right now they’re looking for a Program Assistant – Benefits Analyst, a Program Assistant – External Affairs, Administrative Support Staff, and a Career Coach, Front Desk Greeter/Data Entry Clerk. There are a bunch of other positions that also look interesting, but they seem to require a bit more experience.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

PowerReviews

Willy Franzen — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 16:14:28 +0000

Yesterday we looked at a company that helps online publishers make more money from their content. Today we’re going to look at a company that helps businesses capture user-generated content and use it to drive sales of their products. It may not seem obvious, but quality content is the key to driving online product sales. Not only do you need to convince people to buy your product, but you need to show search engines that your page is the place to go for information on a given product. That’s why PowerReviews exists. They’re a San Francisco, CA based company that has “built innovative social solutions at every stage of the social commerce journey to help you connect with your customers, learn from them, and sell more.” In other words, they provide software that powers customer review sections on e-commerce websites.

You Got the Power!

There are customer reviews all over the web. Some are great, and some are pretty worthless. A lot of that has to do with how they’re collected and how they’re presented. PowerReviews must do a pretty good job considering that their clients include Staples, REI, Toys ‘R Us, Orbitz, MLB, NBA, NFL, UGG, Tumi, Filson, and tons of other huge names. When you hear some of PowerReviews’ client testimonials, you realize that “social commerce” isn’t just some made up term. PowerReviews also has a site called Buzzillions, where they aggregate the reviews of all of their clients and allow you to search for product reviews of more than 15 million products. If you like the idea of a career in social commerce, take a look at PowerReviews’ Jobs page. Right now they have a bunch of interesting opportunities for new or recent grads including Technical Support Engineer, UX/ UI Engineer, Jobvite Guru, Office Manager, and Market Development Representative. There are a bunch of options here, so head over to the PowerReviews Jobs page to check them out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you ever write online product reviews?

Network Communications, Inc.

Willy Franzen — Thu, 26 May 2011 16:45:22 +0000

If you had to think of two industries that were hit hardest by the recession, what would they be? Mine would probably be publishing and real estate. (Finance may have been hit harder, but they bounced back almost immediately.) Since I firmly believe that great opportunity lies in taking on difficult challenges, I’m going to tell you about a company in the real estate publishing industry. Their name is Network Communications, Inc. (which tells you nothing about what they do), and they’re located in Lawrenceville, GA (a suburb of Atlanta). They produce a wide range of publications that focus on three specific areas: Home Sales, Rental & Leasing, and Home Improvement & Design. Some of their titles include The Real Estate Book, Apartment Finder, and Mountain Living. They break things down both by vertical and regional, and they’re just as active on the web as they are with print publications.

Making Publishing Real

The real estate publishing business model is pretty simple. The goal is to create content and distribute to anyone who might have a remote interest in buying, renting, or improving property. Then you sell ads alongside that content to help businesses like real estate agents, architects, contractors, and many others reach potential customers. This is a model that lends itself particularly well to the Internet where it’s easy to track lead generation. Based on the numbers, it looks like Network Communications, Inc. excels in every area of this business. Here are some stats on them:

They “distribute more than 13 million magazines each month.”
They serve “500 markets in the U.S. and Canada.”
They work with more than 45,000 advertisers.
Their websites get 10 million unique visitors who view 500 million listings annually.
They have “a proprietary network of over 320,000 distribution points around the country.”

It seems to me that they’ve overcome many of the problems that plague publishing companies by moving quickly to adopt new technology, and now they just need the real estate market to thaw a little bit more. It’s tough when your core advertisers are scared to spend money (believe me, I know). If you’re interested in working at the intersection of media and real estate, then check out jobs at Network Communications, Inc. Right now they have a few entry level positions including Junior Account Executive (Sacramento, CA), Online Product Manager (Lawrenceville, GA), and Sales Coordinator (St. Louis, MO). I imagine there will be a lot more opening up as soon as the real estate market picks up (whenever that may be), and some of them could be pretty cool–think editorial, social media, etc.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about NCI?

Weight Watchers

Willy Franzen — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:53:50 +0000

A little known fact about me is that I earned “The Speed Limit” as a nickname during my Senior year of high school. It wasn’t because I drove slowly; it was because I somehow managed to lose 55 pounds between the end of Junior year and the beginning of Senior year. I still don’t know how it happened–I wasn’t even trying to lose weight–but it did (I’ve since gained much of it back, but part of that is because I don’t have the body of a scrawny 17-year old anymore). Apparently, there’s some mysterious weight loss secret out there that I used, but don’t know about. Unfortunately, weight loss isn’t usually that easy, and for most people it’s a huge struggle. I’m a big proponent of “the slow-carb diet” and other methods from Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Body, but it’s all about finding what works for you. For many it’s Weight Watchers. The New York, NY based company was started in Queens during the early 1960s by Jean Nidetch who “began inviting friends into her Queens home once a week to discuss how best to lose weight.” Now more than a million people across the world go to Weight Watchers meetings every week.

Jobs to Watch Out For

The Weight Watchers business is based on providing “information, knowledge, tools and motivation to help you make the decisions that are right for you about nutrition and exercise.” Everybody knows that the science of weight loss is easy. If you’re burning more calories that you take in (or at least absorb), you will lose weight. Putting that scientific fact to work is what’s so difficult. Weight Watchers is really about overcoming the psychological obstacles that prevent people from losing weight. The meetings are one way that they help people achieve this, and their Points systems is another. By simplifying healthy eating into an almost game-like system, Weight Watchers makes it easier for people to make the right decisions. In a way, weight loss is a lot like the job search in that you almost have to trick people into doing the right things because they’ll rarely do what you tell them to do. Anyway, the weight loss industry is about as competitive as it gets, but Weight Watchers seems to continue to do well. They’re expanding their online presence, and they also seem to be hiring some new people. You can learn more on their Jobs page, where you’ll see positions like Administrative Assistant (Jericho, NY), CHAMP Reconciliation Specialist (Jericho, NY), Part-Time Collections Clerk, Corporate Sales Operations Coordinator, Field Coordinator, Program Innovation Developer, and Tally Clerk.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever tried Weight Watchers?

iParadigms

Willy Franzen — Mon, 09 May 2011 13:11:08 +0000

We’re right in the thick of finals season. A few of you lucky ones are already done with them and may even be back at home already, while most of you are probably studying up a storm. It’s certainly a stressful time, and it often leads to bad decisions of the cheating/plagiarism variety. It definitely seems that plagiarism is a bigger problem now than it was in the past, but I think that it has more to do with advances in technology than an overall decline in student morals. When you had to hand write a paper or type it on a typewriter, copying someone was almost as annoying as writing your own paper. Now copy and paste makes it way too easy. Luckily, technology is catching up. iParadigms is an Oakland, CA (I swear I’m not trying to make this Oakland only, it’s just what I’ve been finding lately) based company that has been developing software to fight plagiarism since 1996. It started with some UC Berkeley researchers who had built internal tools “to monitor the recycling of research papers in their large, undergraduate classes.” From there a company was born.

Cheaters Never Prosper

iParadigms launched with Plagiarism.org and has building products around plagiarism detection ever since. The cool thing about their approach is that they’ve developed different products for different user groups. There’s Turnitin for teachers and instructors, Ithenticate for publishers and researchers, Turnitin for Admissions for Admissions professionals, and WriteCheck for students. The first three are pretty obvious products, but you may be wondering why students would need plagiarism checking software. Well, a lot of plagiarism is actually accidental plagiarism. WriteCheck helps students identify these mistakes while also helping them improve their writing. Plagiarism poses a variety of threats to education, and iParadigms has built a really interesting business in preventing plagiarism. If you like what they’re doing, you should check out their Jobs page. Right now they’re only looking for a Front-end Engineer, but they invite anyone who is interested in working for them to reach out and apply–just make sure your cover letter is completely original.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you had any experience with iParadigms Software?