One Day, One Job » agriculture

Solazyme

Willy Franzen — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:34:11 +0000

“Yo I’m a Raptor doin’ what I can gonna eat everything till the appearance of man. Yo yo yo, see me, I’m living below the soil, I’ll be back but I’m comin’ as oil!” That has to be one of my favorite lines from Mrs. Doubtfire, a movie that I saw dozens of time as a kid. I thought it was funny even though I had no idea what it meant (probably because Robin Williams saying anything is funny). Mrs. Doubtfire was on tv recently, and I saw the scene for the first time in a long time and finally got it. Disappointingly, petroleum doesn’t actually come from dinosaurs, but from decomposed single-celled organisms that existed 10s or 100s of millions of years ago. That means that oil is a non-renewable resource… or at least it used to be. Solazyme is a San Francisco, CA based company that has “pioneered an industrial biotechnology platform that harnesses the prolific oil-producing ability of micro algae.” Yes, they are actually synthesizing real oil that can be refined and used to power things.

Squeaky Wheel Gets the Oil

What Solazyme is doing may sound like a futuristic fantasy, but United Airlines has already flown flights with Solazyme’s algae based fuel. They’re also planning to buy 20 million gallons of the fuel in 2014. Solazyme’s business isn’t just about energy. They also develop products for the Chemical, Nutrition, and Health Sciences industries. You can learn more about each of these market areas here. You’ll also probably want to read up on Solazyme’s technology. If reading that gets you fired up about a future powered by Solazyme, then you’ll want to check out the company’s Careers page. They’re obviously a very science-focused company, but most of their non-science jobs require pretty significant experience (and so do most of their science focused jobs). The one position that stood out to me as possibly being a good fit for a new grad is Fermentation Research Associate. They also allow you to apply for unlisted positions, so you may want to do that if you think you’d fit in for a role that isn’t posted (they do offer internships, so those might be a good guideline for what kind of entry level opportunities could be possible).

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Solazyme?

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?

National Christmas Tree Association

Willy Franzen — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 14:29:34 +0000

It’s Christmas Eve! This was the first year that I’ve had a Christmas tree in my apartment in Chicago. Unfortunately, it isn’t a real tree. It isn’t even a decent fake tree. It’s a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. That’s a far cry from the Christmas trees that my family cuts down every year. There’s nothing better than a real tree–it looks great, smells great, and gets needles everywhere. I feel that everybody should have a real Christmas tree (even if they don’t celebrate Christmas), and so does the National Christmas Tree Association in Chesterfield, MO. They are a lobbying organization that “strives to be one voice representing Christmas Tree Professionals and promoting the use of Real Christmas Trees.” They have more than 5,000 members, and they’re constantly working to protect the interest of Christmas tree farmers by promoting the industry, lobbying the Federal government, and enabling knowledge sharing. It’s unclear whether they have any job opportunities, but you can Contact them if you’re truly interested. You may also want to look at our past Christmas Eve posts on The Elf on the Shelf, Caribou Coffee, and NORAD

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What kind of Christmas tree do you have?

4-H

Willy Franzen — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 12:27:38 +0000

One of my favorite classes at Cornell was Animal Science 290, which was better known as “Meat Science” or “Meats.” We did pretty much everything including slaughtering, butchering, curing, cooking, and eating, but, even better, we learned all about the scientific reasons for why we were doing what we did. Everything about the class was great (especially the eating), but one of the unexpected benefits was getting to interact with an entirely different group of students than I was accustomed to. A lot of the kids in the class actually grew up on real, working farms, and I don’t think that I had ever met anyone my age who grew up on a farm before Cornell. They were the kind of kids I assumed did 4-H in high school. It turns out that my view of 4-H was a bit narrow, as it’s much more than an organization for farm kids–it’s a non-profit that “empowers youth to reach their full potential, working and learning in partnership with caring adults” in all environments. 4-H is based in Chevy Chase, MD, and it’s pretty clear from their website that they’re trying to build an image that goes beyond agriculture. Still, 4-H is administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture and works through the Cooperative Extension of “America’s 109 land-grant universities,” so agriculture remains extremely important within the organization.

Head, Heart, Hands, and Health

I had absolutely no idea that 4-H is as big as it is. There are 90,000 affiliated clubs across the United States with a total of more than 6.5 million members between the ages of 5 and 19. There are also more than 60 million alumni. Today, 4-H’s programs are split into three distinct areas: Science, Citizenship, and Healthy Living. These programs are delivered in a variety of ways including clubs, camps, after school programs, and even in school programs. Yes, a lot of the programming is focused on agriculture and surrounding topics, but they also cover things ranging from robotics to digital photography. If it’s relevant to helping develop young people into better citizens, then 4-H probably does it. With 90,000 chapters, you’re going to get a ton of diversity, and that’s what is so cool about 4-H. If you’re excited about what 4-H is doing for America’s youth, then check out their Careers page. They have a bunch of job openings that seem suitable for new or recent grads including Community Coordinator – my4-H.org, Consumer Insights Specialist, and Multi-Channel Merchandising Assistant. The opportunities are as diverse as the organization, so give them a look.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Did you do 4-H?

Synthetic Genomics

Willy Franzen — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:31:40 +0000

When I think of the energy industry, I think of big machines like oil drills, windmills, and coal elevators. Microbes and genetics just don’t come to mind. Synthetic Genomics is a company that is aiming to change that. Energy is just one of the industries that they are working to disrupt as they develop “breakthrough genomic-driven solutions for major global issues.” Right now Synthetic Genomics, which is based in La Jolla, CA, has put a heavy emphasis on working with the energy and chemical industries because there is so much potential for gain–especially in terms of the environment; however, they’re also working on things like food production, human health, and water availability. It’s all about “turning novel science into life-changing solutions.”

Synthetic Opportunities

Obviously commercialization is a key concern for Synthetic Genomics–they need to develop technologies that can actually make money, but they seem to have decided that fixing some of the world’s most pressing problems will provide plenty of revenue opportunities. Makes sense to me. From what I can tell Synthetic Genomics is really all about developing the technology. Once they have something that is ready for the market, they find partners in the industry to put the technology into action. I wish I could dive deeper into the specifics of what Synthetic Genomics does, but words like “environmental genomics, microbiology, biochemistry, bioinformatics, plant genomics, genome engineering, synthetic biology, and climate change” tell me that I’m in over my head. If you have no problem following along with their What We Do page, then you may want to consider taking a look at their Careers. Right now they’re hiring a Research Associate and a Research Associate – Production R&D. They have a bunch of other positions that require more experience/education, and the only other job that you might want to take a look at is the Business Development Associate position.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Synthetic Genomics?

Hamilton Farm Bureau

Willy Franzen — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:53:35 +0000

Somehow my Dad and I forgot to get the proper cord to hook up my iPhone to his car speakers. That’s a big mistake when you’re doing two 13 hour drives in less than a week. We really could have used a book on tape considering that NPR is pretty much the only non-music station that comes in reliably in Northern Maine (and the CBC once we get close to the border). I know I’ll catch a lot of flack for this, but I’m not an NPR fan (it bores me to tears, and the CBC is even worse); however, there was a segment this morning that caught my attention. It was on Hamilton Farm Bureau and how they’re having trouble hiring qualified people. Considering that the company is based in Hamilton, MI and has locations across the state of Michigan, you’d think they’d be able to tap into the nearly 20% of state residents who are under or unemployed. Who knew that a cooperative that “sells fertilizer and propane gas, packages and ships eggs, and helps farmers market what they raise” would have so much trouble finding good people?

Cooperate with Hamilton Farm Bureau

I get a lot of complaints from readers who think that I cover too many companies in tech. I realize that a lot of people don’t have the skills for those kinds of jobs, but that’s where the jobs are. I’m waiting for the day that someone e-mails me and asks me about resources for learning the kind of skills that might make them a fit for these kinds of jobs. Hamilton Farm Bureau is facing a similar problem to many tech companies. I guess there just aren’t a lot of people who have strong sales skills and an interest or background in agriculture. If you went to an ag school, you could be a great fit–and if you didn’t, maybe there’s some way you could position yourself to become one.

I must admit that I am a bit frustrated with Hamilton Farm Bureau. Wade Blowers, their COO, was quoted extensively throughout the NPR piece on how the cooperative has had to slow down its growth (they currently have 130 employees and $130 million in revenue) because it can’t find the right people for jobs. He goes on to mention a few ideas for why this might be such a problem (but he never dives into exactly what he is looking for). I have a way better idea than he does. THEY DON’T HAVE JOBS POSTED ON THEIR JOBS PAGE. I’m not joking. They just had a huge PR win for their employment branding efforts, and they are completely unprepared. All they have posted are two delivery positions. I don’t see any postings for sales people who “typically take on a heavy consultative role in the farm.” I don’t see any positions related to agricultural technology. So how you should respond? Do some research. Learn more about Hamilton Farm Bureau and their business. Then track down Wade Blowers and tell him how you can help grow the business. It’s worth a try, right?

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Did you hear the NPR segment on Hamilton Farm Bureau?

Ocean Spray

Willy Franzen — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 16:23:55 +0000

Have you ever had Craisins? The ingredients list only says “cranberries and sugar,” but I swear that there has to be something else in there that makes them so addictive. Ocean Spray has made a name for itself by consistently finding new ways to market the fruit that they produce. See, Ocean Spray is an agricultural cooperative (I assumed they were owned by some big conglomerate or something), which means that they’re “owned by large group of cranberry growers throughout North America.” Most of the 600 members are cranberry growers, but there are also 50 Florida grapefruit growers. This means that Ocean Spray is all about finding new ways to increase demand for two tart, but delightful fruits. The company is based in Lakeville-Middleboro, MA, and they’ve been “the leading producer of canned and bottled juice drinks in North America” since 1981.

Crave the Wave

Usually when you think about innovation in fruit, you think of genetic engineering and other creepy stuff like that. At Ocean Spray it’s all about giving consumers new ways to enjoy fruits that they’ve known all their lives. At first it was Cranberry Juice Cocktail in 1930, then Cran-Apple in 1963, Ocean Spray® Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice Drink in 1991, and Craisins in 1993. Ocean Spray has a solid history of successful new product launches, yet they’ve continued to stay true to their grower owned heritage. It’s a simple business, but it’s one that has continued to grow over 8 decades–to the point where Ocean Spray did nearly $2 billion in revenue in 2008. If you love grapefruits and cranberries and would like to become part of the Ocean Spray story, then you should check out their Jobs page. But before you do that, you absolutely need to make sure that you know what a bog is. Ocean Spray has quite a few positions posted, and a few seem suitable for a new or recent grad including Client Technologies Administrator and Supply Chain Coordinator (Kenosha, WI). They had a Business Development Analyst position posted that seemed perfect for a new gradd, and they seem to have removed it just as I was writing this. You can see the Google cache here. You can always reach out to them to see if there might be other similar opportunities that aren’t posted yet.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your favorite Ocean Spray product?

Marrone Bio Innovations

Willy Franzen — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 14:10:07 +0000

Ten days ago we took a look at Rodale Institute, a non-profit that is “dedicated to pioneering organic farming through research and outreach.” We talked about how industrial farming has led to amazing boosts in productivity, but it’s also created a lot of problems. Marrone Bio Innovations is a Davis, CA based company that is taking a natural approach to one specific area of agriculture: pest control. They’re aiming to be “the world leader in natural product innovation” by making “natural, effective, safe, environmentally friendly products the mainstream future of pest management.” Usually you don’t hear organic and pesticide in the same sentence, but Marrone Bio Innovations’ business is predicated on bringing the two together.

Don’t Be a Pest

Marrone Bio Innovations has a range of products that solve problems from Fungal and Bacteria Disease Control to Blight Control. Now, I’m not a Plant Scientist, so I don’t know anything about the effectiveness of Marrone Bio Innovations’ products, but I do know that they recently received a $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for the development of a natural biopesticide for control of invasive zebra and quagga mussels. If the NSF is backing them, then you know they’re one of the leaders in the field. If you’re excited about a world with less harmful pesticides, then you should check out jobs at Marrone Bio Innovations. Nothing is explicitly entry level, but if you’ve been working in a lab throughout college, I could see their Associate Research Scientist – Formulation position being a good fit. There’s also a Zequanox® Sales manager position that could be worth checking out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think about biopesticides?

Rodale Institute

Willy Franzen — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 16:51:51 +0000

Last week I got an e-mail from a One Day, One Job reader who is just wrapping up a seasonal position and looking for her next gig. In doing so, she realized that other readers might be interested in her current position, so she wrote me to tell me about it. When I saw the name Rodale Institute in her e-mail, I swore to myself that I had already featured the organization, but it was actually a publishing company named Rodale that was started by the same person as the Institute and used to be financially linked to it as well. The Rodale Institute is a Kutztown, PA based non-profit organization that is “dedicated to pioneering organic farming through research and outreach.” They’ve been at it since 1947, and they’re going to keep “researching the best practices of organic agriculture and sharing [their] findings with farmers and scientists throughout the world” because they believe that eating organic is the healthiest option for people and for the Earth.

Go Organic!

What’s old is new again. For most of human history, farming was organic—there was no other option. But as technology moved forward, more and more chemicals made their way onto our farms—and this was great because it enabled us to produce food on a massive scale. Unfortunately, there are a lot of negative effects that come along with industrial farming. J.I. Rodale was one of the first people to realize what was going on, which is why he founded the Rodale Institute “to study the link between healthy soil, healthy food and healthy people.” The mission hasn’t changed over more than 60 years, and The Institute continues to be a leader in research and advocacy for organic farming. They’re proving that improvements in farming technology don’t require chemicals and industrial practices. If you want to be part of the organic movement, then you should consider jobs at the Rodale Institute. The Seasonal Research Technician is the position that I was e-mailed about (there are 5 different options), and there’s also a Part Time Store Assistant position.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you eat organic?

American Farmland Trust

Willy Franzen — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 12:07:55 +0000

Environmentalism and farming have an interesting relationship. Without a healthy environment, productive farming is nearly impossible; however, farming done wrong can be even worse for ecosystems than a smoke-spewing, toxic waste dumping factory. American Farmland Trust is a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, DC that works with communities and individuals to “to protect the best land, plan for growth with agriculture in mind and keep the land healthy.” As America forgets how reliant it is on farmland for our food, more and more farms are being developed and losing their food producing capacity. American Farmland Trust was founded in 1980, and since then they’ve saved “millions of acres of farmland from development and led the way for establishing sound environmental practices on millions more.”

In the Farmland We Trust

American Farmland has a simple slogan: “No farms, no food.” It’s easy to forget where your food comes from when it comes so nicely packaged at the supermarket. The problem is that building another supermarket or housing development isn’t going to produce more food, and it might take away from our food production capacity if it’s built on existing farmland. American Farmland Trust acts as a “vital link among farmers, conservationists and policy-makers,” so that we don’t end up relying on other nations for our food like we do for oil. Below you’ll find a short video introduction to American Farmland Trust:

If you love our farmland and want to be a part of ensuring that it’s still around when you have kids, then you should check out jobs at American Farmland Trust. Right now they’re looking for a Development Associate at their Washington, DC office, and it seems like a perfect opportunity for a new or recent grad. American Farmland Trust also has offices in Northampton, MA; Dekalb, IL; Sutter, CA; Windsor, CT; Saratoga Springs, NY; and Seattle, WA; but no jobs listed at any of them.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you know where your food comes from?

Cultivating Community

Willy Franzen — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 08:33:02 +0000

Agriculture has done a lot for us over the past few millennia. It’s by far the biggest development in the history of our species, as it’s pushed us forward into all kinds of other technological advances. Sadly, most of us have left agriculture behind—we couldn’t possibly feed ourselves without supermarkets and restaurants. That’s not really a problem, but it’s still a bit disheartening. Luckily, there are some non-profit organizations out there like Portland, ME based Cultivating Community that are using agriculture to enact positive change. Cultivating Community, for example, grows “tens of thousands of pounds of organic produce with and for people with low incomes” while using “community food work as a platform for youth empowerment programs.” It almost sounds too good to be true.

Cultivate Your Career

What’s really interesting about Cultivating Community is the fact that their tagline is “Feeding our hungry. Empowering our youth. Healing our planet.” They’re killing three birds with one stone, and it’s all based on simple agricultural practices. Small farms and gardens can play a huge role in our communities if we let them. Cultivating Community is pushing to make this happen. If you share the same ideals, then you might want to consider a job with Cultivating Community. Although their Jobs page doesn’t show anything, you will find one opening if you check out their job postings on Idealist. They’re looking for a Refugee Farmer Specialist. You can apply by sending a résumé and cover letter by Thursday January 7th, 2009 to amy@cultivatingcommunity.org. It sounds like a pretty cool opportunity.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about Cultivating Community?

Pilgrim’s Pride

Willy Franzen — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:09:37 +0000

It’s Thanksgiving! That means that we’re going to run with the theme and talk about a… chicken company? I know we’re all getting ready to chow down on some turkey, but first we should take a look at Pilgrim’s Pride, a Pittsburgh, TX based company that happens to be our country’s largest chicken producer. Much like how our tradition of Thanksgiving started with one small group and grew to be celebrated by hundreds of millions of people, Pilgrim’s Pride started as a single feed store and grew to be an $8.5 billion company. Unfortunately, Pilgrim’s Pride has hit some problems as of late, as they’re going through a bankruptcy. Still, they couldn’t have a more appropriate name (it came from their founder’s last name) for a Thanksgiving themed post, and they do still appear to be hiring; in fact, they even seem to have turned a profit in their most recent quarter.

Sounds Like Turkey, Tastes Like Chicken

Now, I realize that distressed companies aren’t usually the best places to start your career and that the fact that a company’s name fits in well with a theme like Thanksgiving isn’t a good reason to want to work for them, but I still thinks it’s important to look a little deeper into opportunities that you might typically overlook during your job search. Pilgrim’s Pride is a perfect example. They’re a massive company with more than 40,000 employees, and they appear to be coming out of bankruptcy in the near future. Hopefully, that means that they’ve been able to solve many of the problems that put them in this situation. Chicken production isn’t the sexiest industry, but it’s massively important to our economy (just imagine life without buffalo wings). Pilgrim’s Pride has a few dozen job opportunities posted, and plenty of them appear to be suitable for new grads—especially for those with a background in Animal Science or Food Science. I’ll leave browsing the jobs to you, just make sure you do it before the sleepiness from eating all of the turkey kicks in.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you eat Pilgrim’s Pride chicken?

Green Chimneys

Willy Franzen — Sat, 16 May 2009 13:46:18 +0000

Have you ever heard of animal-assisted therapy? Wikipedia defines it as “a type of therapy that involves an animal with specific characteristics becoming a fundamental part of a person’s treatment.” This type of therapy can have all kinds of beneficial effects for a wide array of ailments, and it can be done with animals ranging from dogs to horses to elephants to lizards. Green Chimneys is a Brewster, NY based non-profit organization that “operates residential treatment for children and a special education school” with a large focus on animal-assisted therapy. They’re located on a 200-acre farm, and they’re constantly working towards “restoring possibilities and creating futures for children with emotional, behavioral, social and learning challenges.”

Green Chimneys Is the Place for Me

If you love working with special-needs children and also love animals, then it would be hard to find a better place to work than Green Chimneys. They have a ton of job opportunities available, and plenty of them are appropriate for new grads. You can find the full list on Green Chimneys’ Jobs page; however, I’d recommend that you look for the following jobs: Youth Counselor, Assistant Unit Supervisor, Therapeutic Intervention Specialist (Crisis Intervention), Social Work Supervisor, Speech Teacher, 1:1 Aides, Social Worker (New York City), and Case Worker (Bronx). You can apply by sending a cover letter and resume to employment@greenchimneys.org, so get to know them by browsing their site and see if they’re a good fit for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever experienced any therapy animals?

Agricultural Consulting Services

Willy Franzen — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:52:54 +0000

The economy may suck, but you still need to eat. No matter what you’re eating (unless it’s dirt), it probably came from a farm. That means that farms won’t be going out of business anytime soon. I haven’t deeply investigated how a recession affects the agriculture industry, but it might be an area worth looking into even if you’re not an Aggie. One company that is hiring new grads in the agricultural sector is Rochester, NY based Agricultural Consulting Services. They seem like a relatively small company, and it’s hard to get a lot of details about who they are, but they’re a perfect example of a company that the large majority of job seekers would overlook. They offer a wide range of consulting services to farmers that include farm mapping, soil and plant analysis, fertilizer recommendations, integrated pest management, weed scouting and control, tillage recommendations, manure management, crop residue and cover crop management, laboratory services, environmental services and recommendations, and custom farm management software. I’m sure some of you are BS artists who specialize in “fertilizer recommendations” and “manure management,” but for the most part ACS is looking for new grads who have a background in Agriculture or Engineering.

Down on the Farm

Before I go any further, I have to say that despite the fact that Agricultural Consulting Services’ website has been updated in 2009, it looks like it’s from 1999. The site is pretty ugly, and it doesn’t even have a decent About page to tell the company’s story. We’d love to get a little more background, but we’re not going to hold it against them. Their business is helping farmers grow their businesses, so a flashy website probably isn’t a priority. Still, since there’s not a lot of information available about ACS, you’ll want to do your due diligence and really check them out if you’re interested in either of their two job openings. Their Careers page has postings for Agricultural Engineers and Agricultural Consultants. Both jobs look very interesting, although they both have some pretty specific requirements. If you’re interested in either job, you can apply by sending a cover letter and resume to careers@acsoffice.com. They’re located in Rochester, NY, but they apparently work all over the East Coast. That means that there might be some travel involved with these jobs.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Should we feature more companies like Agricultural Consulting Services?

Jennie-O

Willy Franzen — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:21:12 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you for reading and helping to make the first year of One Day, One Job a great success. Last year we told you about jobs at Plimoth Plantation and Colonial Williamsburg, which are still a great option if you want to be reminded of Thanksgiving every day when you’re at work, but this year we’re going to take the easy way out and talk about turkey. I was first introduced to Jennie-O when I tried some of their turkey bacon. It’s good, if you haven’t had real bacon in a while. Since my Thanksgiving cooking philosophy is that bacon makes everything better (especially when it’s put on top of the turkey and doused in maple syrup, seriously, try it), I’ll let Jennie-O provide the turkey, but I’m getting the bacon somewhere else. In the three or four years that I’ve been familiar with the Jennie-O brand, I’ve noticed that they’ve revved up their branding efforts. You’ve probably seen some of their tv commercials, which are pretty funny, but you may have overlooked the fact that they’re working hard to expand recognition of their employment brand with college students.

Gobble, Gobble. Jobble, Jobble.

Ok, so Jennie-O’s Career page has a corny headline – “It’s everything you’ve wished for” with a picture of a wishbone. Whatever, it works for them, and it’s pretty witty. Their whole Careers site is top notch, so we can’t hold one pun against them. Not only do they have all kinds of information about what it’s like to work for Jennie-O, but they also have a section specifically for college students. It includes a calendar of recruiting events (which have already happened) and other general information. One unique feature is an image that shows which entry level jobs and internships at Jennie-O match up with which college majors. You should find this extremely helpful, although it doesn’t seem like Jennie-O lists specific job openings. It appears that instead they just take applications and then figure it out from there. They do provide a list of jobs that they offer throughout the company and a map with company locations (in Minnesota and Wisconsin), but the Application page asks you to fill out an application form and e-mail it to them. That’s it.

Jennie-O typically offers entry level jobs in Accounting, Human Resources, Industrial Engineering, Information Technology, Live Production, Maintenance Engineering, Production Management, Product Marketing, and Quality Assurance with jobs titles like Associate Live Production Supervisor, Associate Applications Analyst, Associate Maintenance Engineer, Associate Product Manager, Associate Technical Analyst, Industrial Engineer, Production Manager, Quality Assurance Supervisor, and Staff Accountant, so you can use these as a guideline when deciding whether or not you want to apply.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever tried maple bacon wrapped turkey?

Rainforest Alliance

Willy Franzen — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 13:14:05 +0000

Surprise, surprise. We’ve selected yet another one of the Wall Street Journal’s Best Small Workplaces to be featured on One Day, One Job. That’s three in a row for those of you who are counting. We can’t express enough how helpful lists like these can be to your job search. Almost as helpful as Rainforest Alliance is to saving the rainforest. They’re a non-profit organization that “works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior.” How do they do this? By working directly with farmers, workers, business leaders, NGO’s, governments, scientists and local communities to change the way that they do agriculture to make land use more socially and environmentally responsible while maintaining its economic viability.

You Know That You Always Wanted to Save the Rainforest

Were you one of those kids who had a “Save the Rainforest” sticker on you Trapper Keeper? Have you always loved tree frogs and jaguars? Have you always wanted to take a job that will make the world a better place? You know what we’re going to tell you if you answered yes to any of those question, but here’s what you may not have considered. There are a lot of environmental organizations that take an anti-business approach to conservation. There are also a lot of non-profits that won’t help you build the business skills that you’ll need if you want to transition into a for-profit career. Rainforest Alliance works directly with businesses to certify their practices in Agriculture, Forestry, and Tourism and to help them take a greener approach. This business mindedness isn’t just relevant to how Rainforest Alliance pursues their mission of sustainability, it’s also part of how they develop their people – they have a strong focus on career development according to the WSJ article.

So you had one of those stickers on your Trapper Keeper, huh? Well if you’re interested in Jobs with Rainforest Alliance, you’re in luck, because there are a lot of them. Most of their jobs require 3-5 years of experience, but we’ve picked out the ones that seem doable for new college grads. In New York City they’re looking for a Finance Assistant, an Associate, Office of the President, and a Web Associate, and a Marketing Coordinator (US and Canada), Sustainable Tourism Division (This last one requires 3-5 years of experience, but it sounds so cool that we had to include. Consider it something to look forward to.) In Bolivia, they’re looking for a Certification Administrative Assistant, SmartWood Program, Sustainable Forestry Division and a Forestry Technical Assistant, Initiative for Conservation in the Andean Amazon (ICAA) Project. In Costa Rica Rainforest Alliance is hiring a Technical Assistant, Sustainable Tourism Division, a Program Assistant, Sustainable Tourism Division, and an Evaluation and Research Associate. Finally, in Guatemala they need a Project Associate, Environmental Services Payment Project, TREES Program and in Nicaragua they’re looking for a Technical Associate, Sustainable Agriculture Division. Each job description goes into depth about what you will be doing in the job, and Rainforest Alliance’s Careers site is simple to navigate if you want to browse through all of their listings. To apply for any of the jobs, you can use the online application form found at the bottom of each job description or you can e-mail your cover letter and resume to personnel@ra.org.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Just think, by reading today’s post and sharing it with your rainforest loving friends you can help save the rainforest and win an iPod Touch.

Decagon Devices

Willy Franzen — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:49:52 +0000

I love the Wall Street Journal’s list of Top Small Workplaces 2008, but I wish it was longer. It always alerts me to companies that I never would have found no matter how hard I look every day. For instance, Decagon Devices is a “is a small manufacturer of biophysical instrumentation for food and consumer goods manufacturers, agronomic scientists and soils scientists.” I can’t imagine how I would have found them without the WSJ’s list. Decagon Devices does appear to hire new college graduates, but the jobs that they are hiring for have very specific academic requirements. Maybe in the future they’ll have some jobs that don’t require a scientific background, but until then, those of you who aren’t scientifically inclined should spend time that you would have spent researching today’s employer telling your friends about us. That’s all that you need to do to win the iPod Touch that we’re giving away in 4 days. So far the number of entries is pathetic, so take advantage of everyone else’s laziness and go with that iPod.

10 Sided Jobs

Now that we’ve weeded out all the people who think that biophysical instrumentation is a fancy word for the phenomenon of hearing music inside your head when you use an iPod, let’s take a look at what Decagon Devices actually does. They make devices for markets that include Food Science, Pharmaceuticals, Thermal Properties, Geotechnical Civil Engineering, Environmental Research, and Commercial Irrigation. When it comes down to it, Decagon Devices is all about measurement. Most of what they do is way over my head, so I’m going to hope that you can figure out if their jobs are a good fit for you. Right now they’re looking for a Food Physicist/Engineer and an Environmental Instrumentation Application Specialist. Both are geared towards new college grads, but they’d prefer someone who graduated with a Ph.D. in a relevant field for the Food Physicist position; whereas, the Environmental Instrumentation Application Specialist should be a good fit for someone with a B.S. in soil or plant sciences. The company is located in Pullman, WA, and if the WSJ thinks that they’re a good place to work, then they are. You should definitely check out the section about them in the article for more details. To apply for the Food Physicist job, send a cover letter and resume to laura@decagon.com. To apply for the Environmental Instrumentation Application Specialist position, send your cover letter and resume to gtvanek@decagon.com by November 14th.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

World Cocoa Foundation

Willy Franzen — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:21:26 +0000

Back in the earlier days of One Day, One Job, we used to occasionally feature companies that didn’t even have any entry level jobs posted. We always made sure to pick really cool companies, and then we would encourage you to do a little extra research and give cold calling a try. We’re going to bring back that practice for today, because we found a non-profit organization that many of you would be totally pumped to work for. It’s the World Cocoa Foundation, a non-profit that “encourages sustainable, responsible cocoa growing.” Investment bankers and consultants can drop the names of their employers all they want, but they’ll never top saying “Oh yeah, I work for the World Cocoa Foundation.” That’s an instant conversation starter.

Working at the World Cocoa Foundation?

Like I said, there’s no indication that the World Cocoa Foundation is hiring at the entry level, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t ask (or even try to convince them that they need to hire you). They are currently looking for a Finance Manager with 4+ years of experience, but that’s probably out of the league of even the most qualified and experienced new grads. So that you can cold call competently, let’s take a deeper look at what the World Cocoa Foundation actually does.

The Foundation’s mission is to “a sustainable cocoa economy through economic and social development and environmental conservation in cocoa growing communities.” They do this by “eveloping and managing effective, on-the-ground programs, raising funds and acting as a forum for broad discussion of the cocoa farming sector’s needs.” According to the WCF there are 40-50 million people who depend on cocoa for their livelihood. That’s a stunning number, and I think that most people who depend on chocolate for their happiness would want to ensure that those who provide them with the raw materials for their delicious treats are well compensated for their work. Whether sustainable agriculture is your passion, you’re all about fair trade, or you just love chocolate a job with the World Cocoa Foundation could be a dream come true. They may not have a job for you now, but you won’t know if you don’t ask. The World Cocoa Foundation is based in Vienna, VA (just outside of Washington, DC), and the best way to reach out to them about the possibility of entry level employment is to use the contact information on their Contact page. Don’t cold call without having done your research, so be sure to use the links below to get a good sense of what the organization is all about.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think about the World Cocoa Foundation? Do you like posts like this or would you prefer that we stick to organizations that definitely have entry level jobs?

Organic Valley

Willy Franzen — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 13:00:57 +0000

Organic food is back. First it was for hippies. Then it was for wealthy foodies. Now it’s hitting the mainstream with many every day supermarkets having an organic aisle. In just a few short centuries, we’ve come full circle from all organic farming (there were no other options), to chemically dependent factory farming, back to organic. Organics may be a little more expensive, but there is a growing population that is willing to pay a premium for food that they consider healthier, more humane, and better tasting. Organic Valley is a cooperative between 1201 farmer-owners that allows small organic farmers to combine their growing power and sell products on a scale that is usually reserved for industrialized farming operations. Yes, it’s true. One Day, One Job finally has a post for the aggies out there (although Organic Valley also has plenty of opportunities for people with a non-agricultural background).

“At Organic Valley, our philosophy and decisions are based on the health and welfare of people, animals and the earth. In today’s world, in order to make a difference, companies need to think differently. Since our first seven farmers started working together in 1988, we’ve been doing just that.” That pretty much sums up why we think Organic Valley is a great place to start your career. If you want more detailed information on their products, organic farming, or how they started, you can visit their web site. A google search will also turn up myriad articles and websites that go into more detail about Organic Valley and their accomplishments. Wikipedia also has an entry on Organic Valley.

As good as Organic Valley’s general website is, their employment site is hindered by the applicant tracking system that it is built on. Not only is the site slow, but it’s a bit confusing (and sometimes stops working). It also doesn’t let us link to individual jobs. We don’t want you to go through the pain that we did going through Organic Valley’s job listings, so we’ve picked out the jobs that appear to be the most appropriate for entry-level applicants. The exciting news is that there are a lot of them. New college grads should be well qualified for any of the following positions: Inventory Associate II, ERP Setup Associate, Sustainability Program Manager, Logistics Support Specialist, Sales Services Coordinator, Graphics Designer, California Hauling and Quality Coordinator, Regional Farmer Relations Representative, Farmer Communications Coordinator, and Product Development Technologist.

Almost all of these positions are based out of La Farge, Wisconsin, and there’s a wide range of fields represented – from accounting to marketing to agriculture. We did our best to make sense of the job descriptions, but they were a little unclear, so give them a good look before you apply.

We don’t want to end this post on a sour (like non-organic milk) note, because Organic Valley truly does look like an awesome place to work, so we’ll highlight a few of the perks that come with working for them. Organic Valley employees get to participate in the Kickapoo (yes, that’s the real name) County Fair. Blue jeans and t-shirts are appropriate attire. And shoes are optional, yes, optional, in the Summer.

Note: On April 24th we revisited entry-level jobs at Organic Valley.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you eat organic?

US Forest Service

Willy Franzen — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:00:17 +0000

“I was young, and I thought I was tough and I knew it was beautiful and I was a little bit crazy but hadn’t noticed it yet.” Those are the words of Norman Maclean, from his collection of autobiographical fictional works entitled A River Runs Through It and Other Stories (the “other stories” are “USFS 1919: The Ranger, the Cook, and a Hole in the Sky” and “Logging and Pimping and ‘Your Pal, Jim’”). If Maclean’s words speak to you, a career in the Forest Service might be just the right move for you after graduation.

The US Forest Service is legally charged to “achieve quality land management under the sustainable multiple-use management concept to meet the diverse needs of people.” The United States has amazingly abundant natural resources, and the USFS ensures that they are preserved for our enjoyment. USFS employees have a wide range of day to day activities that promote the Service’s mission. If you love the outdoors, want to promote conservation, and have education in a relevant field, the Forest Service will offer you an extremely broad array of intriguing entry-level job opportunities.

About those job opportunities. We have some good news and some bad news. Bad news first. We’re not going to list individual entry-level positions for you today. The good news is that we’re leaving the research to you because the USFS has way too many entry-level openings for us to list (something like 600 this year). Just to give you a taste – USFS entry-level opportunities include jobs such as Biological Scientist, Landscape Architect, Archaeologist, and Hydrologist.

Finding jobs on their site is a little confusing (what else would you expect from the Federal Government), so we’ll guide you through the process. You can either start at their Job Openings page or you can jump straight to a search of all permanent positions. From here you can do a keyword search. If you’re looking for something specific like a location or field, feel free to choose your own keywords. We typed in “entry” and found 53 positions (many with multiple openings) that all appeared to be appropriate for someone graduating with a four-year degree.

So once you get your search results, you will get a list of positions with some basic meta information. You can click through these links to the position’s page, which then has a link to another site (we told you it’s confusing). The first time we went through their site, we thought you had to click that link to find more information on the job (so don’t click it!). We were stupid and overlooked the tabs above the job description. The tabs link to very detailed information about the openings, including a full job description, list of qualifications, salary range, other relevant information, and most importantly how to apply. If you do choose to apply for a position at the USFS, you may need to register on another website (the one with the link that you hopefully didn’t click like we did).

The USFS’s Jobs website can be pretty confusing if you haven’t used it before. Still, there is nowhere else to find this many high quality jobs in such a wide range of outdoor-related fields. If you want to work for the USFS, you might be in for some serious research and browsing around their site. That’s why we said you need to be like Norman Maclean – young, tough, and a little bit crazy.

Note: On April 22nd we revisited entry-level jobs at the US Forest Service.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have we told you that we’re giving away a Wii?