One Day, One Job » California

buildOn

Willy Franzen — Sat, 19 May 2012 14:49:24 +0000

It’s easy to think of the developing world as having completely different problems from the ones we have in the U.S. But when you look more closely, you start to realize that the link between poverty and a lack of good education is consistent across the world–our inner cities and the developing world have similar problems that require similar solutions. buildOn is a non-profit organization based in Stamford, CT that aims to break “the cycle of poverty, illiteracy, and low expectations through service and education” by “putting youth in service and building schools in developing countries.” Most non-profits either focus on education abroad or domestically, buildOn is unique in that they believe that they can better solve both problems by working on them at the same time.

Build Something

You’ll probably want to start your research on buildOn by reading Founder Jim Ziolkowski’s story. After that you’ll want to dive into the “buildOn Is a Movement” video:

buildOn’s domestic programs are based in Chicago, IL; Detroit, MI; New York, NY; Oakland/San Francisco, CA; Philadelphia, PA; and Stamford, CT. The goal is to engage 100,000 U.S. based students every week by 2031. In the same time period, they want more than 1 million students to be attending schools built by buildOn. It sounds like an amazing movement, so if you want to get involved, head over to buildOn’s Careers page. Right now there are a few positions posted worth checking out:

Program Coordinator (San Francisco, CA)
Program Coordinator (Stamford, CT)
Program Coordinator (Philadelphia, PA)

These look like amazing job opportunities, so give them a close look.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about buildOn?

Sparkpr

Willy Franzen — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:03:52 +0000

I get a ton of PR pitches every day (I just got another one while I was writing this). They typically range from very bad to downright terrible, so I either ignore them or send a nasty reply asking the person to remove me from their list. I checked my e-mail archives, and I’ve never received a pitch from anyone at Sparkpr, but my guess based on their reputation is that they’d actually take the time to send me a decent pitch if it was appropriate. They’re a San Francisco, CA PR firm that was started in the late 90s “at the height of the Internet explosion in Silicon Valley.” They’ve maintained their close ties to the tech scene through the ups and downs, and they’ve won a ton of awards along the way.

Spark Something

You’ll probably recognize the names of some of the companies that Sparkpr has done work for: Bing Travel, Electronic Arts, The Economist, Flickr, Mozilla.org, Nielsen, Nokia, NVIDIA, Sony PSP, Skype and Yahoo! (Etsy, Good, Twilio, and Acquia are just a few Sparkpr clients who have also been featured on One Day One Job at some point.) What I really like about Sparkpr’s approach to PR is that they align their program with business objectives. General good PR is fine, but PR is at its best when its targeted at generating a specific outcome. If you’d like the sound of this, check out Sparkpr’s Careers page. Their job postings show Associate and Account Manager positions in both San Francisco, CA and New York, NY. It seems that most people come in at Account Coordinator before landing one of these positions, so you may want to consider using Sparkpr’s general application to reach out instead. (No links because they use Jobvite, and Jobvite doesn’t make it easy to link to job postings.)

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Sparkpr?

FindTheBest

Willy Franzen — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:38:30 +0000

I know some people who research their purchases to death. They end up never buying anything because new versions of the products come out before they can make a decision. It’s a never-ending process. I’m all for doing my due diligence before buying something expensive, but I try to make it as quick as possible. FindTheBest is a site that makes comparing anything super easy. They’re a Santa Barbara, CA company that offers “a powerful tool for making quick and informed decisions.” Whether you’re looking for the best breed of dog for your lifestyle or the best financial advisor in your area, FindTheBest offers you just the facts “stripped of any marketing influence.”

AreYouTheBest?

FindTheBest calls itself “an unbiased, data-driven comparison engine.” They rely on three sources for all of their data: public databases, primary sources (manufacturer websites) and expert sources. They pull it all together and put into an easily digestible format that is sortable and allows head to head comparisons. FindTheBest also offers what are called “SmartRatings”–one overall score compiled from a multitude of ratings. They give you all of the information you need to make a decision, no matter how deep you want to dive into the details. While FindTheBest does offer advertising (there’s the business model), they are very clear that they will not make it “difficult and time consuming to distinguish objective information from paid placements.” If you think FindTheBest might want to list you as one of their best, take a look at their Careers page. Right now they’re looking for a Software Developer/Engineer and a Front End Web Developer/Engineer. They also have paid internships in Business Development and Product Management, so those could be decent alternatives for non-techies.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you tried FindTheBest?

Chloe + Isabel

Willy Franzen — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:59:07 +0000

There are essentially two completely different jewelry businesses. There’s the high-end business that is centered around gold, platinum, diamonds, and other gemstones (I know all about that having recently bought an engagement ring). Then there’s the fashion focused business that is more about completing an outfit. The latter is where Chloe + Isabel is focusing. They are a New York, NY based startup that targets 18 to 28 year old women with jewelry in the $18 to $200 price range. That’s not all that unique. What is unique is that Chloe + Isabel is approaching this market by combining direct selling with web-based social technology. Essentially they’re bringing affiliate marketing to a group of people who may not even know what affiliate marketing is.

You + Chloe + Isabel

I tend to be skeptical of direct selling “opportunities,” but I know that they can be great for developing entrepreneurial skills. I think Chloe + Isabel really gets it right with their online platform. You don’t need to make an initial investment in inventory to sell for them–you can just use their “personalized online dashboard” to put together your “own boutique shopping experience.” To get a better sense of Chloe + Isabel’s style, I recommend that you take some time to browse their jewelry. Then you probably want to read up on their Merchandiser opportunity and watch this video about it:

Even if direct selling isn’t for you, it will help you better understand how the Chloe + Isabel works. Once you start to get it, you can take a look at Chloe + Isabel’s Jobs page, where they list their non direct selling opportunities including:

Customer Care Representative (San Francisco, CA)
Sales Development Manager (San Francisco Bay Area, Utah, Florida, Texas, and Michigan/Illinois)
Graphic Designer
Web Designer
Ruby Developer
User Interface Designer

Whether you’re interested in a full-time job or want to do some direct selling, Chloe + Isabel has some great opportunities for new and recent grads.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you purchased anything from Chloe + Isabel?

Pop Labs

Willy Franzen — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:18:18 +0000

These days it seems that just about everyone claims to be an expert on things like social media and SEO, but very few people have a track record that shows a repeated ability to deliver results. Why is that? Because online marketing is really hard. We see stupid things go viral and think that anyone can do it, but we overlook the fact that getting someone to look at something is very different from getting someone to buy something. Pop Labs is an interactive marketing agency in Houston, TX that is known for getting results. I’m not just talking about for their clients either. Pop Labs nearly tripled their revenue between 2007 and 2010, which shows that what they’re doing works for them as well as for their clients.

Make It Pop

Pop Labs’ main focuses are SEO, Social Media, Conversion Optimization, and Advertising, but it’s really all about ROI. That’s why Pop Labs’ Case Stuides talk about numbers that can be directly tied to revenue. Pop Labs doesn’t have a long list of client names on their website (which is often how I judge big agencies), but that’s ok. It’s a lot harder to do good work for a “Consumer Services Retailer in Nevada” or a “National Marketing Information Provider,” than some big brand who already has resources that you can leverage. If you want to dig in and really learn about online marketing, then you should take a look at Pop Labs’ Jobs page. Right now they have some great positions for new or recent grads including:

Sales Executive
Business Development (San Francisco, CA)
Project Coordinator
Web Designer
Production Specialist
Marketing Specialist

These look like great opportunities to learn, so give them a good long look.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Pop Labs?

Spongecell

Willy Franzen — Tue, 01 May 2012 12:45:52 +0000

Ads make the Internet go ’round. Most of the content that you consume (including what you’re reading right now) wouldn’t be possible without advertising. The problem is that most ads are annoying–they interrupt you from doing what you want to do–so you start to ignore them. As you ignore more and more ads, advertisers are forced to find new ways to catch your attention. Sometimes that leads to ads that are actually interesting, and sometimes it leads to ads that are more interruptive. Spongecell is a New York, NY based company that allows advertisers to “transform standard banner ads into dynamic flash ads with rich media-like functionality.” That may sound more interruptive, but the ads that Spongecell enables are no bigger than a typical banner ad–they just come to life when you hover over them with your cursor.

Be a Sponge

I’m really impressed with the different types of functionality that Spongecell offers in a standard ad unit. There are video, maps, social feeds, coupons, carousels, lead generation, and more. These ads allow you interact with them before you leave the page that you’re on, which immediately makes them more effective. You can see what the ads look like in Spongecell’s extensive gallery. They’ve worked with all kinds of big names to develop rich media ads that target a specific behavior, whether it’s watching a video or getting you to find a bank’s nearest location. If you don’t mind ads and you’re intrigued by what Spongecell is doing, then head over to their Jobs page. Right now they have some interesting positions open including:

Recruiting and HR Coordinator
Marketing Designer
Rails or HTML5 Developer (San Francisco, CA)
Interactive Production Designer
Interactive Production Designer (London, UK)
Sales Associate
Advertising Operations Analyst (London, UK)

These look like great jobs, so check them out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you mind online ads?

Peer Health Exchange

Willy Franzen — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 12:54:44 +0000

When I was in 9th grade I had to take a Health class. One day our teacher had us write letters to our future selves. She told us that she’d send them to us when we graduated high school. I never saw that letter again. I guess I’ll never know how I’m stacking up against the expectations of my 14 year old self. While many lessons from health class seem trite at the time, they can have life-long beneficial effects. Unfortunately, many public schools can’t afford to offer health education. This is a big problem because “teenagers today are engaging in risky behavior at alarming rates, harming their bodies and their futures.” Peer Health Exchange is a San Francisco, CA based non-profit organization (but they’re working across the country) that fixes this problem by recruiting, selecting, and training “college student volunteers to teach high school students a comprehensive health curriculum.” My sister is one of these volunteers, and she’s had a wonderful experience so far (which is why she has been bugging me to feature PHE).

To Your Health

Peer Health Exchange explains the need for their services with some simple statistics:

One in four teenagers is a binge-drinker.

One in four teenagers smokes cigarettes.

One in three teen girls becomes pregnant.

One in five teenagers experiences violence in a relationship.

One in six teenagers is overweight or obese.

There are significant long-term consequences for our society associated with each of those stats. Peer Health Exchange offers a curriculum that leaves 96% of students saying that “they will use something they learned from PHE workshops to make a healthy decision in the future.” Although it’s hard to quantify what that actually means, it’s certainly a step in the right direction. If you’d like to get involved with Peer Health Exchange, check out their Jobs page. Right now they have quite a few positions avialable including:

Finance Analyst
Program Associate (Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Los Angeles, CA; New York, NY; San Francisco, CA)
Program Associate (Washington, DC)

These are great opportunities to join an organization that is having a significant impact, so check them out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your favorite memory from Health class?

CityGrid Media

Willy Franzen — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:35:13 +0000

Local businesses are about as old school as you can get–many of them have continued to succeed doing the same thing that they’ve done for decades or even centuries. There have certainly been advances that have changed that–refrigeration, digital cash registers, and the Yellow Pages are just a few, but nothing even compares to the Internet–especially the mobile Internet. Local businesses are now able to reach and interact with customers and potential customers in a way that they only could have dreamed of a few years ago. CityGrid Media is a West Hollywood, CA based “leading media company connecting consumers and businesses everywhere local happens.” You’re probably familiar with at least one of their properties which include Citysearch, Insider Pages, and Urbanspoon.

Fit into the Grid

Beyond CityGrid Media’s own sites, they run a local ad network that reaches more than 140 million people across more than 250 sites. By having a few significant content properties (they have listings on 18 million businesses), CityGrid Media put itself in the position to own the advertiser relationships. Those relationships enable CityGrid Media to partner with other publishers and reach a much broader audience. This page will give you a much better sense of what the ads and the content network look like. Beyond looking at that, you definitely need to browse Citysearch, Insider Pages, and Urbanspoon to get a better understanding for how CiyGrid Media operates. If you like what you see, then head over to their Careers page. Right now they have some great opportunities posted including:

Reseller Account Manager
Configuration Management Engineer
Financial Analyst
Ruby on Rails Engineer (Seattle, WA)
Big Thinking Software and QA Engineers
Critical Thinking Software Engineers (New Grad)

There are also a variety of Account Executive and Inside Sales positions in New York, NY; Atlanta, GA; San Francisco, CA; and West Hollywood, CA. They all require prior sales experience, but they may be worth checking out if that’s something you have.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your favorite local business?

Slavery Footprint

Willy Franzen — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:06:50 +0000

SinglePlatform is hiring 50 new grads in New York City to help local businesses get discovered. Learn how you can be one of them.

If I told you that I had 52 slaves working for me, you’d either think that I was making an offensive joke about unpaid internships or just being offensive. Unfortunately, it’s the truth. It’s nearly impossible for anyone living in our society not to benefit from modern slavery. So what do we do about it? Before you can take responsibility for your consumption, you have to understand your “slavery footprint.” Slavery Footprint is an Oakland, CA based non-profit organization that aims “to generate awareness and action for the issues of forced labor, slavery, and human trafficking.” They’ve done this through a film called Call + Response, a documentary with CNN, and an online survey that helps you calculate your slavery footprint based on what you consume and own.

Leave No Footprint

Slavery Footprint’s standout feature is its design. They’ve built an extremely intuitive way for you to get a basic understanding of how slavery is part of supply chains that end with you. Most slavery happens at the raw materials level–well before manufacturers and brands act as intermediaries, so it’s easy to be blind to it. Slavery Footprint helps you spread the word to friends and identify where you can be more responsible with your consumption. In my opinion, Slavery Footprint’s best feature is also its biggest flaw. Because you can causally enter information into their app and calculate your “slavery footprint,” it’s easy to not take the results seriously and fail to take action. Still, it’s better than a PSA or other non-personalized message. If your slavery footprint results really hit you hard, one of the best ways that you can respond is to consider a job with Slavery Footprint. Right now they have a Executive Administrator/Office Manager posted on Idealist, that looks really well suited to a new or recent grad. Give it a look and see if it’s a good fit for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your Slavery Footprint?

Amy’s Kitchen

Willy Franzen — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:57:13 +0000

Considering a job in Sales but lacking experience? SinglePlatform is hiring and training 50 new grads.

I don’t think that I’ve had a frozen dinner since I forced my mom to buy me Kid Cuisine in the early 90s. If I’m going to eat something unhealthy, it should at least taste good, right? Clearly I’m biased against frozen meals (maybe because I consider myself a pretty good cook), but I shouldn’t write them all off as unhealthy and unpalatable. That’s especially true because one the nation’s leading frozen food brands is all vegetarian and mostly organic. Amy’s Kitchen was founded in 1987 by a couple looking for a way to provide for a new baby. They started in their home with a vegetable pot pie, and since then the Petaluma, CA based business has grown to hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.

Get in the Kitchen!

The variety of meals offered by Amy’s Kitchen is pretty astounding. You can have Asian Noodle Stir-Fry, Roasted Vegetable Pizzas, Breakfast Burritos, and even All American Veggie Burgers. I can’t vouch for how they taste, but there’s no doubt that they’re all nutritious and convenient. That’s a hard combo to do right, which is why Amy’s Kitchen is so successful (my guess is that they do the taste thing pretty well too). They may be a huge operation, but the brand still gives you the feeling that they’re running things out of their barn. That’s important for the market they serve. If you’d like to be part of the Amy’s Kitchen story, then go take a look at their Careers page. Right now they have a few jobs that could be interesting including:

Food Technologist – Microbiology Program (Santa Rosa, CA)
Food Technologist – Quality Assurance Raw Materials (Santa Rosa, CA)
Ag Field Representative (Santa Rosa, CA)
Territory Sales Representative (Portland, OR)

If you love organic vegetarian food, then you might like the smell of what they’re cooking at Amy’s Kitchen.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you tried Amy’s Kitchen?

Coursera

Willy Franzen — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:11:48 +0000

Do you love local businesses? Help them get discovered with an Inside Sales job at SinglePlatform.

You’re not going to like this. You’ve paid a lot of money for a fancy education, and now some of the best universities in the world are giving it away for free. You still have to pay to get the piece of paper, but if you’re just looking for the knowledge, then you need to check out Coursera. They’re a Mountain View, CA based startup that is “partnering with the top universities in the world to offer courses online for anyone to take, for free.” So far they’re working with Princeton, Stanford, Berkeley, Michigan, and UPenn. It doesn’t get much better than that. What makes Coursera unique from things like MIT’s OpenCourseWare is that these classes are specifically created to be consumed online.

Stay the Coursera

On Coursera class size is only limited by demand. Coursera is designed to scale education to the point where hundreds of thousands of people can take the same course at the same time. Although there is some self-direction, the courses on Coursera are just like college course. They’re only given during a specific timeframe, and you get video lectures, course materials, homework, graded exercises, and even exams. It’s not intended to be casual learning. The one big question about Coursera is: What’s their business model? Despite their .org domain name, they are a for-profit company that just closed a $16 million round of venture capital funding. I’m not too worried as Coursera already has the platform and partnerships for success, but I’m certainly curious. If you want to be part of growing the business, take a look at Coursera’s Careers page. Right now they have some great opportunities for new or recent grads including:

Coursera has the potential really big, so grab this opportunity to get in while it’s still in its early stages.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Which course on Coursera do you want to take?

Driscoll’s

Willy Franzen — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:16:09 +0000

In my fiancée’s mind there is no better dessert than fresh berries and whipped cream. I’d probably add a piece of chocolate cake to that, but the biggest variable in the equation is almost always the berries. Good berries, whether they’re strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, or snozberries, taste better than candy, while bad berries often taste like dirt. Since I share Jerry Seinfeld’s feeling that fruit is a gamble, I’m not particularly brand conscious, but checking my refrigerator tells me that my most recently purchased strawberries are from Driscoll’s. They’re a Watsonville, CA based berry purveyor that has been family owned and operated for more than 100 years.

It’s the Berries!

The fruit business is tough. Many people see fruit as a commodity, but it most certainly isn’t. We often attribute especially good or bad fruit to randomness, but the truth is that there are a lot of inputs that determine quality. While Driscoll’s doesn’t actually farm the berries that they sell (they partner with independent farmers to do so), they do everything they can to ensure quality and maintain their position as a premium berry purveyor. It’s a surprisingly complicated process to get delicious berries into the hands of consumers all across the world, which means that you’ll find all kinds of jobs on Driscoll’s Careers page. Some opportunities that look well suited for new or recent grads include:

Category Development Specialist (Olathe, KS)
Blueberry Production Specialist (Oregon)
Administrative Specialist (Watsonville, CA)
Production Specialist (Santa Maria, CA)
Business Analyst (Watsonville, CA)
Organic Extension & Grower Support (Camarillo, CA)
Production Specialist I (Camarillo, CA)
Production Specialist (Camarillo, CA)
Organic Specialist (Watsonville, CA)

If you love berries, then Driscoll’s would be a wonderful place to start your career.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your favorite kind of berry?

Dwell

Willy Franzen — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:02:15 +0000

I hate stock photography–especially the kind that you find on many career related sites. It’s usually a group of moderately attractive, racially diverse people who are smiling while dressed in business suits and holding folios. It’s not real. These photos create an unrealistic view of what a work environment looks like. In the world of home design, the analog is the fruit bowl. Whether you’re looking through real estate listings or a home decor magazine, chances are that you’ll see lots of fruit bowls–and they’ll be in odd places like bathrooms and bedrooms. Dwell is a magazine that defines itself by focusing on real life, something that “has been conspicuous by its absence in most design and architecture magazines.” Fruit bowls are ok, but only if the owners eat fruit. And so are other things you may not see in similar magazines–things that “demonstrate that a home is truly livable” by showing “it as it is lived in.” Dwell is based in New York, NY and San Francisco, CA, and although they consider themselves Modernists, they’re “nice Modernists.”

Dwell on This

You can get a feel for Dwell’s take on Modernism through their Fruit Bowl Manifesto on their About page, but to really understand it you should pick up a copy of their magazine or at least check out their website. While the focus is on homes, they cover everything that can be part of the context of a home–products, places, people, events, ideas, and more. It’s usually pretty hard to get a grasp of the business behind a magazine, so I highly recommend that you take a look at Dwell’s Media Kit–it will give you some serious insight into how the business operates. Once you’ve done that, head over to Dwell’s Jobs page. Right now they have mostly internships posted, but there’s a Brand Specialist (they don’t say where it’s located) position that looks like it could be a good fit for new or recent grads. It’s more about ad sales/account management than branding from what I can tell, but there’s nothing wrong with that.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you read Dwell?

Millward Brown

Willy Franzen — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:39:07 +0000

If you’ve watched Mad Men from the beginning, you’ve probably noticed that research goes from completely irrelevant to getting marginal respect over just a few years. The progression has continued, and research has become a huge part of marketing and advertising. While Millward Brown hasn’t been around since the Mad Men days, the New York, NY based research agency has been “specializing in advertising, marketing communications, media and brand equity research” for the last 35 years. All of Millward Brown’s research is focused on building stronger brands, which is why their 82 offices across 52 countries are able to work with 90% of the world’s top 100 brands (not sure whose list they’re using).

Head Millward Brownward

The thing I love about advertising is that it’s truly a combination of art and science. The best research in the world can be more effectively applied with wonderful creative, and the best creative in the world can be made even better with research. To get a better understanding of how that works, you need to check out Millward Brown’s Case Studies. You can learn about things like how neuroscience can be used to improve direct mailings and how a South American country used research to promote wine consumption. It’s fascinating stuff, so if it convinced you to look into a career in research, then take a look at Millward Brown’s Jobs page. Right now they have a few opportunities for new or recent grads including:

Account Manager (San Francisco, CA)
Account Manager (New York, NY)
Associate Client Analyst (Chicago, IL)
Market Research Executive (Lisle, IL)
Part Time Client Service Support (Fairfield, CT)
Part Time Client Service Support (Detroit, MI)
Presentation Specialist (Santa Monica, CA)

They also have a ton of international opportunities, so you may also want to take a look at those.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Millward Brown?

GiftRocket

Willy Franzen — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:59:00 +0000

Whether you’re giving or receiving, there’s nothing better than a unique, well thought out gift. Gift cards have a reputation for being the antithesis of that. But let’s be honest, it’s often better to be able to buy what you want than to be in a situation where you’re repeating the name of the gift just given to you (Seinfeld pointed this out, and it’s so true). GiftRocket is a San Francisco, CA based company that has made the gift card more flexible while also making it more personal. I know that seems impossible, but here’s how it works. When you buy someone a gift on GiftRocket, you can choose from a massive number of merchants. You can pick a specific one like your favorite neighborhood pizza joint, or you can leave it up to your recipient to choose where he or she wants to spend the money.

Rock It at GiftRocket

The best part about GiftRocket is that there are no gift cards. You don’t need to actually go somewhere to buy one or wait to have it shipped to you. Everything happens online. It’s the ultimate tool for the last-minute gift give–and even then you can still show a lot of thought. What’s even better is that there’s no risk of expiration or having a partial gift card that’s hard to spend after an initial purchase. How is that? GiftRocket gift certificates aren’t really gift certificates. When the recipient redeems them, they get real money to spend via bank transfer, PayPal, or a check. It’s a little weird, but it’s really not any weirder than a gift certificate when you think about it. Right now it seems the only value that GiftRocket adds is the delivery mechanism. They charge $1 plus 5% of the gift amount for that, and it’s basically just an online notification and the money transfer. PayPal alone can do that a lot cheaper, but GiftRocket makes the idea of essentially giving cash a bit more palatable. If you’re interested in how GiftRocket’s business model is going to continue to evolve, you should check out their Jobs page. Right now they’re looking for a Community Manager–it’s a great opportunity for a new or recent grad, so check it out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Would you try GiftRocket?

Inkling

Willy Franzen — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 15:22:38 +0000

Today’s kids better be smarter and taller than our generation. Why? iPads. They’re amazing educational tools, and now they’re replacing textbooks. That means that today’s students not only should learn more quickly, but they can carry around a single device that weighs less than a pound and a half instead of a 40+ pound backpack filled with textbooks (and finally get back to standing upright). Inkling is a company that is making this beautiful future happen more quickly. They’re based in San Francisco, CA, and they’re building “a better textbook: one that [is] interactive and engaging, one that [takes] advantage of the opportunities afforded by new media like iPad.” They’re tearing away the assumptions that people make about books and moving in many different directions–literally. Even though Inkling calls what they do “interactive textbooks” to take advantage of familiar language, they really are building something completely new.

Do You Have an Inkling?

An earth shattering moment for me during high school was when I found online versions of some of the books I was reading in English class. I realized that I could now search these books for text, which made it infinitely easier to go back to specific passages I wanted to focus on while studying for a test. Inkling’s textbooks have search, and a whole lot more. You really need to check out their Features page and the videos on it to see how different the Inkling experience is from a dead tree book. If you want to dig deeper, you can go to the Inkling Store and download a free chapter from any of their books. I think you’ll be amazed. And if you are, then continue on to Inkling’s Jobs page. Right now they have some great positions for new or recent grads including Customer Support Analyst, Editorial Assistant, iOS Engineer, Javascript Engineer, and Platform Engineer – Cloud. These look like great opportunities, so check them out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you used any iPad based textbooks?

Drchrono

Willy Franzen — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:26:37 +0000

Reasoning Mind is an education focused non-profit that uses the web to teach kids math, and they’re hiring 30 new grads as Program Coordinators. Learn more about these amazing entry level opportunities.

The health care situation in the United States is a mess. It’s hard to disagree with that, but it’s easy to disagree about how we can fix it. I think that technology is a big part of the answer. I don’t mean medical technology (though that will certainly help)–I’m talking about administrative technology. I know it’s not nearly as exciting, but if doctors can run their practices more efficiently, they’ll be able to deliver better care at a lower costs. That’s a big deal. Drchrono is a Mountain View, CA based company that is using the power of the iPad to change how medical practices are run. They’ve developed a software-based patient care platform that does everything from patient check-in to managing electronic health records to billing. It may not sound like it’s going to turn around the health care situation, but it’s a start.

What’s App Doc?

While I have to guess that most people use their iPads for Angry Birds and not much else, it’s really cool to see how this device is enabling industry changing software to be built. The problem used to be finding a way to deliver the software. Apple solved it. Now it’s just about making the software work in the context of how most medical practices operate. That’s exactly what Drchrono is doing. You can read about the platform here, and you read about its benefits here. Another key to Drchrono’s success is that it helps physicians qualify for the HITECH Act, which offers “$44,000 or more in economic stimulus incentives for adopting a Certified EHR.” That’s a big incentive. If you’re excited about what Drchrono is doing, then take a look at their Jobs page. Right now they have quite a few opportunities posted including:

There are lots of cool jobs available, so take a look at the job descriptions and consider applying.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of Drchrono?

Emanate

Willy Franzen — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:19:18 +0000

Public relations is a funny game. A former intern recently published an interview with me on a pretty major blog. I got the coverage because of who I knew. But then an even bigger blog called Lifehacker blogged about the article. I got the coverage because of where I had been previously covered. A few days later One Day One Job was mentioned in another Lifehacker article on Top 10 Ways to Get a Better Job (this was just a short mention, but it sent by far the most traffic). I got this coverage because the author was familiar with me and my site. It takes a ton of hard work to run into this kind of luck, which is why most major companies hire PR firms that have solid reputations and great relationships with journalists. But it takes more than that–it takes a focus on action and results, which is exactly what Emanate offers. They’re a New York, NY and Los Angeles, CA based PR firm that focuses on consumer marketing, corporate communications, digital & social media, and health & wellness. They’ve only been around five years, but they’ve accomplished a lot and have big plans for the next five years.

Emanataion

While Emanate puts a huge emphasis on being action and results oriented, they also call themselves irreverent. Humor is a part of who they are, and the best way to get a feel for it is probably by meeting their team. The next thing you’ll want to do is take a look at their client list and read through some of their case studies (in the right hand sidebar of their client list). You’ll recognize names like Burger King, Embassy Suites, Sonicare, Bank of America, and Mattel. If you like Emanate’s approach and want to work with those kinds of clients, then head over to Emanate’s Jobs page. Right now they have Associate positions in Los Angeles and New York City. These look like great opportunities for new grads where you’ll be “charged with learning and becoming proficient in core categories of public relations, focused on Account Administration and Tactical Execution,” so check them out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Emanate?

Constitutional Rights Foundation

Willy Franzen — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 15:14:59 +0000

Think back to your favorite 90s sitcom. Odds are that there was an episode where your favorite main character was bored to death by some teacher trying to teach him or her about the Constitution. Your favorite character was completely unengaged until some major life event (usually artificially created by the brilliant teacher) came up that made the Constitution super relevant. I can already picture the specific Boy Meets World and Saved by the Bell episodes. Since those tv shows don’t actually teach much about the Constitution, we need our kids to have similar real life experiences. That’s what Constitutional Rights Foundation provides. They’re a Los Angeles, CA based non-profit that aims “to instill in our nation’s youth a deeper understanding of citizenship through values expressed in our Constitution and its Bill of Rights and to educate young people to become active and responsible participants in our society.” This is really important stuff–we can’t just expect future generations to learn it from watching reruns on tv.

Be on the Rights Side

As we learned from tv, you can’t just teach kids that civic participation is important. You need to show them the why and how. That’s what Constitutional Rights Foundation’s Programs are all about. One of the cooler things that CRF does is the Expanding Horizons Internships program. It takes Los Angeles high school students and puts them to work on constitutionally relevant projects at the city’s “most prestigious law firms, corporations, and non-profit organizations.” This just one of many great programs, so I highly recommend that you browse through them all to get a more complete understanding of how CRF goes about pursuing its mission. If you’re a Constitution lover and you want to pass it along to a younger generation, check out Constitutional Rights Foundation’s jobs on Idealist. Right now they’re looking for an Administrative Assistant/Office Manager. It looks like it could be a great fit for a new or recent grad.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your favorite Constitutional Amendment?

Total Beauty Media Group

Willy Franzen — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 15:49:03 +0000

Beauty isn’t usually one of my top priorities, but I do know that I look better when I’m tan (which is why working outside in the sun yesterday was so awesome). That’s about the only beauty tip that I can offer, so if you want more, you’ll have to look somewhere else… like one of the sites run by Total Beauty Media Group. They’re a Santa Monica, CA based company that runs TotalBeauty.com, BeautyRiot.com, LimeLife.com, and ModernMan.com. These four brands combine to help Total Beauty Media Group achieve their mission of inspiring “all consumers to live beautiful lives.” The company was founded in 2007 and it now gets 12 million unique visits a month across its network of sites.

Show Your Beauty

Beauty marketing is a great area for content businesses because advertising is so effective and valuable. If you really want to dig into how Total Beauty Media Group’s content model works, I highly recommend that you check out their Insights/Research page and their section for advertisers. The next step is obviously visiting each of their properties and getting a feel for the actually content. If you like what you see, then you’ll want to check out Total Beauty Media Group’s Jobs page (which is on TotalBeauty.com). Right now they’re looking for an Associate Online Editor, an Associate Online Beauty Editor, and a Front-End Developer. If you’re interested in beauty and online content businesses, then Total Beauty Media Group might be the perfect place for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your best beauty tip?

Entercom

Willy Franzen — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:29:17 +0000

The next car I get will definitely have some sort of iPhone integration. Right now I still rely on one of those tape to AUX thingies, which means that I usually just listen to the radio. I couldn’t find any good stats on the topic, but I have to think that listeners in cars are what’s keeping radio going. But according to Entercom, radio is still going strong. You would expect them to say that though, considering that they’re “one of the five largest radio broadcasting companies in the United States.” Entercom is headquartered in Bala Cynwyd, PA, but they operate more than “100 stations in 23 markets, including San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, Denver, Portland, Sacramento and Kansas City.”

Enter Entercom

While Entercom’s stock performance over the past ten years doesn’t paint a pretty picture for the future of radio, it’s hard to write off a business that reaches so many people. The best way to get a better understanding of Entercom’s business is to read up on their markets and the stations that serve them. To me the most noteworthy point is that Entercom stations are the broadcast partners of the Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics, Memphis Grizzlies, Oakland A’s, Kansas City Royals, New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres, and San Jose Sharks. Sports is huge, and online delivery of radio broadcasts is becoming a big deal (I love listening to baseball games on my iPhone). If you’re thinking about a career in radio, Entercom would be a great place to start. Their Jobs page shows a ton of positions in locations all across the country. Whether you’re interested in working in Sales/Account Management, On-Air, Promotions, Copywriting, Production, Journalism, Marketing, or something else, there’s probably something for you at Entercom or one of their stations.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your favorite radio station?

HealthTap

Willy Franzen — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:23:46 +0000

Admit it! You’ve used the Internet to self-diagnose a medical problem, and you probably used WebMD. For some of you it was to convince yourself that you’re not going to die tomorrow, and for some of you it was probably the opposite. It’s great having access to so much information, but it’s kind of dangerous when you a) can’t verify its accuracy and b) have no idea how to use it properly. Running to the doctor for every little issue is ridiculous, so there needs to be a better way to get medical information online. Luckily my little sister (who is awesome because she went to art school and then decided she wanted to go to med school, so she’s doing a postbac now) let me know about HealthTap. They’re a Palo Alto, CA based company that provides “free online and mobile answers from thousands of the best physicians in the U.S.” It’s kind of like Yahoo! Answers for medicine, but the people responding to your questions aren’t complete morons.

Get Tapped

There’s no doubt that there’s a demand for free medical advice online. But would doctors actually be willing to answer questions for free? HealthTap has proven that the answer is a resounding yes. Humans want to share their knowledge–just look at the endless reviews on sites like Yelp and Amazon–but professionals are usually more hesitant to give away their expertise for free. That’s why HealthTap sweetens the deal for docs. Their software helps “physicians better serve existing patients, find new ones, and build their reputation by demonstrating their expertise online.” If you were looking for a dermatologist, wouldn’t you consider the one who gave you great answers to your questions about a rash on HealthTap? I would (if I had a rash). Beyond helping doctors reach new people, HealthTap also provides a platform for doctors to provide something like a FAQ. That means that they spend less time answering the same simple questions over and over.

If you’re interested in the intersection of health care and technology, then a job at HealthTap would be an awesome fit. Here’s their video on why you should work for them:

The available positions most suitable for new or recent grads at HealthTap are pretty technical right now as they include Frontend Software Engineer, Backend Software Engineer, Mobile App Developer, and IT and Operations Engineer. The Interactive Writer / Copy Writer / Editor position looks pretty cool, but it seems like they want pretty significant experience. If you’re not a techie, you may want to try reaching out to jobs@healthtap.com to see if there’s any way you could fit in.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Would you use HealthTap?

CoverHound

Willy Franzen — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 14:00:42 +0000

I have to admit that I’m feeling a little left out these days. There’s something that I’ve never done that it seems like other Americans are doing a lot of. I’m constantly seeing advertisements for it–on tv, on the web, on billboards, and even on banners pulled behind planes during the summer. I know it’s embarrassing, but I’ve never purchased car insurance. These poor companies have spent so much money trying to reach me, and I haven’t even looked into buying what they’re hawking. But if I was, I might try using CoverHound (if their service was available in Illinois). They’re a San Francisco, CA based company that is building the “technology and brand behind the future of insurance comparison shopping.” Why let commercials about cavemen, a guy with a deep voice, or “doing the right thing” sway you when you can base your decision on real data?

Got It Covered?

Considering that CoverHound’s comparison platform isn’t available in their home zip code, I’m going to guess that it’s not available anywhere yet. That means you can’t get hands-on experience with their software yet, but you can learn more about their services here. You can also read their info for agents if you want to get a sense for how they’ll be making their money. Since that’s pretty much all the information that’s available on their website, you should probably cheek out their press coverage too. I usually don’t profile companies that haven’t launched their product yet, but a guy from CoverHound has been hounding me to do a write up, so I figured I’d throw him a bone. Right now their Jobs page shows that they’re looking for a Software Engineer. They’re also looking for interns in social media, business development, analytics, engineering, community/customer management, and content creation, so if you’re looking for a job in one of those areas, it’s definitely worth reaching out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What insurance commercials do you find most annoying?

Ancestry.com

Willy Franzen — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 17:01:11 +0000

Since we celebrated National Pancake Day yesterday, we’re not going to make a big deal about Leap Day, but if you’re looking for a leapy post, you may want to read our profiles on LeapFrog and TicketLeap. Instead of the calendar, we’re going to talk about family history. I’m lucky in that my family has done a great job of documenting our history. One of the best stories from my family’s past is about William Ker Muir (my Great Great Great Grandfather), who at 24 left his homeland of Scotland to take a job in Canada’s burgeoning railroad industry. Four years later in 1859, he was riding in the last seat of the last car on a train from Toronto to Hamilton. He heard a crash at the front of the train and jumped out the back door. He landed safely on the track as the Desjardins Bridge collapsed and the train fell into an icy gorge killing or injuring most of the passengers and crew. Without those quick reflexes, I wouldn’t be here. It’s stories like those that make investigating genealogy worthwhile, and if you’re going to do that, online tools like those provided by Provo, UT based Ancestry.com can be a huge help. It’s “the world’s largest online resource for family history, with more than 1.7 million paying subscribers around the world.”

Know Your History

Because of its name, you may think of Ancestry.com as some tech startup. While they have certainly taken their business in that direction (Software as a Service), they were actually founded in 1983 as Ancestry Publishing with a “focus on publishing genealogical book and magazine titles.” They’ve obviously used what they’ve learned by studying genealogy to help them adapt their business to changing times. Having been around for nearly three decades is a huge advantage for Ancestry.com in that they have compiled a ton of information (over 8 billion historical records), but what’s even more important is the network effect that they’ve created. As more and more users submit information to the site, it becomes more useful for everyone. This encourages more people to join, and the network effect keeps growing in a virtuous cycle. That’s why Ancestry.com has more than “31 million family trees and [has] added over 4 billion profiles.” They’re working on adding DNA tests, and I have to imagine that will be a huge step forward for the product. If you’re loving what Ancestry.com is all about, then head over to their Jobs page. Right now they have some great opportunities for new grads including:

Assistant Genealogist (Salt Lake City, UT)
Associate Software Engineer (Provo, UT or San Francisco, CA)
Document Preservation – Contractor (Swarthmore, PA)
Document Preservation – Contractor (Worcester, MA)
iOS Developer
Marketing Coordinator (Provo, UT or San Francisco, CA)
Inside Sales & Account Specialist (Salt Lake City, UT)
AppOps Engineer (Provo, UT)

If history is important to you, then a job with Ancestry.com might be just what you’re looking for.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you tried Ancestry.com?

GREE

Willy Franzen — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:29:06 +0000

There’s no doubt that Japanese companies have been and continue to be leaders in the gaming industry. Nintendo, Sega, and Sony are some of the names that you’re most likely to recognize, but it’s very clear that the old guard of gaming is facing stiff competition from upstarts like Zynga and ngmoco that are focusing on mobile and social gaming. While Japan has historically been big on console gaming, they’re not missing out on this trend. GREE is a Japanese that is fervently entering the U.S. market in order to grow a business that generated $1.7 billion in revenue last year. GREE is unique in that their U.S. based branding has been more about hiring than games. They’ve opened a San Francisco, CA office that they’re promoting heavily with billboards, referral bonuses, and even Google AdWords campaigns. They also acquired a company called OpenFeint to speed along the growth.

They’re Huge in Japan

While I love it when companies put a big emphasis on employment branding and recruiting, I’m a little annoyed by how difficult it is to dig into GREE’s business. Their website’s header includes some cool looking game characters, but there’s absolutely no information available about the company’s games. All the site really says is that their goal ” is to make mobile social gaming meaningful by building the best mobile social gaming ecosystem for users and developers worldwide.” The only tidbits of information come from GREE’s News page which mentions that they’re teaming up with Ubisoft for a new Assassin’s Creed mobile game and working with Gameloft on a “Gang Domination” game. You can also head over to OpenFeint’s site to learn more about their games. If you like what you see, then you’ll be thrilled about how many positions are posted on GREE’s Careers Page. Here are the jobs that seem best suited for new or recent grads:

Art, 2D Game Artist
Junior Web/Graphic Designera
UI/UX Designer, Mobile Games
Business Operations Associate
Strategy Associate
Android Engineer
IT Service Delivery Specialist
Software Engineer – Front End
Software Engineer, Game Backend
Software Engineer, Mobile Device Porting
Software Engineer, Mobile Games
Software Engineer, Mobile Integration
Software Engineer, Platform
Web Developer
Recruiting Coordinator
Junior Copywriter
Marketing Coordinator, Platform
Bilingual Executive Assistant (Japanese)
Customer & Community Specialist
Game Integration Engineer
Production Coordinator/Assistant
Executive Assistant

Like I said, GREE is extremely serious about expansion in the U.S., and that’s why they’re hiring so many people right now. There are a lot of jobs to wade through, but the variety of options is pretty wide.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you play any GREE games?

comScore

Willy Franzen — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:41:26 +0000

Because I’m a tech savvy kind of guy, I often get asked a lot of computer and Internet related questions. One of the most common questions that I get is: “How do I see how much traffic a website gets?” This is useful information whether you want to check to see if a startup is really as popular as they claim or if you want to size a market, but it’s not easy information to come by. The best answer is get the login and password to the site’s Google Analytics account. Considering that’s difficult and likely illegal, your next best bet is to you use some of the competitive research tools that are available. The free ones include Alexa, Compete, Quantcast, and Google Trends for Websites. Unfortunately, none of these are particularly reliable or accurate, and they’re especially bad for sites that get less than hundreds of thousands of visitors a month. The gold standard for this kind of information is offered comScore, but it comes with a hefty subscription fee. The Reston, VA calls itself “a global leader in measuring the digital world and the preferred source of digital marketing intelligence,” so paying those fees will get you a lot more than just traffic estimates for websites.

Score One for comScore

Some of comScore’s offerings include “online audience measurement, e-commerce, advertising, search, video and mobile and offers dedicated analysts with digital marketing and vertical-specific industry expertise.” If you’d like to look at more detailed descriptions, you’ll probably want to take a look at comScore’s Products & Services page. These are clearly out of most individuals’ price ranges, but advertising and marketing agencies, financial analysts, researchers, and all kinds of other people put huge value on the data provided by comScore, so they’re willing to pay big bucks to ensure that they’re getting accurate numbers. comScore’s high level of data quality comes from their methodology, which you can read more about here. If you’re fascinated by the world of data analytics, then you should head over to comScore’s Careers page. They have a special section for Campus Recruiting, so you can read up on their Training Program, watch video testimonials, and look at job postings tailored to new grads. Their ATS is kind of goofy, so I won’t link directly to the jobs, but here’s what they have available:

Client Service Analyst (Reston, VA; New York, NY; Chicago, IL; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA)
Data Analyst (Reston, VA)
Database Developer (Chicago, IL)
Marketing Coordinator – Online Marketing (Reston, VA)
Product Management Analyst (Reston, VA)
Software Engineer (Reston, VA)

comScore has a lot more opportunities posted on their job pages for North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia, so check those out by finding the links on comScore’s Careers page if you’re looking for something a little more advanced.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What site’s traffic do you want to look up?

H.BLOOM

Willy Franzen — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:28:03 +0000

I’m in the doghouse. I’m the guy who forgot Valentine’s Day. Luckily, it’s not with my fiancée–I took good care of her yesterday. It’s with you. I didn’t give you a Valentine’s Day post after in past years telling you about jobs at places like eHarmony, Tiffany & Co., OpenTable, ProFlowers, Necco, Vosges, and even the American Heart Association. Flowers are the tried and true way of getting out of the doghouse, but a beautiful bouquet isn’t going to do it when that’s the status quo for Valentine’s Day. How about a flower arrangement every week? That might do it, and that’s exactly what New York, NY based H.BLOOM offers. They are a “flower service.” If you don’t know what that is, you can learn more here. Essentially it’s a subscription to flowers. Subscription based business models are all the rage these days, so it’s no surprise that someone is applying it to the floral industry.

Let Your Career Bloom

H.BLOOM is one of the few companies that I’ve come across without an About page. That’s a little odd, but I wouldn’t worry too much about it. It just means that you have to work a little harder to understand how their business works. The best way to start is pretend that you’re buying one of their collections. You’ll see that the process is pretty simple and it offers a ton of options–you can even order custom arrangements if you’re willing to spend more than $150 per delivery (flowers are expensive!). Right now H.BLOOM delivers in a few major metro areas: San Francisco; Washington, DC; Chicago, IL; and New York, NY, but I’m sure that their list of zip codes will continue to expand. H.BLOOM also appears to offer jobs in all of these markets. Right now their Jobs page shows these postings:

Account Executive (San Francisco, CA)
Account Executive (Chicago, IL)
Account Executive (New York, NY)
Part-Time Floral Designer (Washington, DC)
Part-Time Floral Designer (New York, NY)

All of the positions are listed as mid-level, but I could see a new grad with the right background being a good fit for any of them. There’s also a ton of potential for H.BLOOM to offer more positions in different areas, so keep your eyes on them. Am I out of the doghouse yet?

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Would you sign up for a flower delivery subscription?

Urban Science

Willy Franzen — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:26:44 +0000

I’ve only purchased a car once in my life. It was in 2001, and it was my first car–a ’97 Ford Explorer. I definitely did some online research, but most of my time was spent going to dealers and actually looking at cars. It seems that more than a decade later, the car buying process hasn’t changed all that much, even though so many other business models have been upended by the Internet. That’s not to say technology isn’t becoming a tremendous asset in the automotive retail business. Managing dealer networks and marketing cars can get extremely complicated for auto manufacturers, and that’s where Urban Science steps in. Though they may sound like a non-profit that teaches inner-city kids science, they’re actually a Detroit, MI based “consulting and software solutions” provider that helps “automotive clients increase market share and boost profitability through high performing retail networks.” It all started in 1977 with a Wayne State University professor named Jim Anderson, who was disappointed to hear that Cadillac was told one of their marketing problems “couldn’t be solved.”

Are You an Urban Scientist?

Since its founding Urban Science has grown from one guy to 750+ employees, and they serve all of the biggest names in the auto world. Just look at their Client Showcase. Every name you could ever want to see on there is: Audi, Bentley, Ford, GM, Land Rover, Toyota, Volkswagen, Mercedes, Chrysler, Honda, and it keeps on going. It’s hard to understand what it is that Urban Science does if you’re not in the automotive industry, but you can start to understand by looking at their four step process for clients:

I highly recommend that you read through those pages, as they dig into the exact value that Urban Science provides to clients (and understanding that will help you understand how you can offer value to Urban Science). After you do that, check out Urban Science’s Careers page. They have quite a few jobs posted, and a bunch are “Recent College Graduate,” and they include:

Client Services Associate
QA Associate
Analytical Services Associate
Associate Developer
Information Technology Operations Associate
Analytical Services Associate (Long Beach, CA)
IT Associate (Long Beach, CA)
Client Team Associate (Long Beach, CA)
Associate (Herndon, VA)

Urban Science looks like a fascinating company, so look over these positions and see if any of them make sense for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

When was the last time that you bought a car?

Urban Sprouts

Willy Franzen — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:54:06 +0000

My parents are big gardeners, so when I go home in the summer there’s always something fresh to eat. I never appreciated this as a kid (except for the wild berries in the backyard), but now I think it’s pretty awesome. Gardening is not only a great source of healthy food, but it can also be an extraordinary education tool. That’s why Urban Sprouts, which is based in San Francisco, CA, is using gardening to grow “healthy schools and communities.” It started as “a doctoral thesis project conducted at Luther Burbank Middle School during the 2003-04 school year,” but it was so successful that the school begged them to continue and expand the program.

Sprout Your Career

Since it started, Urban Sprouts has served nearly 4,000 kids, while also getting their families involved. This is important because the kids that participate in Urban Sprouts programs stand to gain a lot. 60% come from low-income families, and “90% failed to reach physical fitness standards in 2006.” Now Urban Sprouts offers three distinct programs including School Gardens and Nutrition Education, Family Involvement Program, and Summer Sprouts Program. If you really want to learn more about these programs and how Urban Sprouts is delivering positive results, you should read the organization’s five year report. There’s a ton of information in there, and it’s a must read if you want to consider a job with Urban Sprouts. Right now they have a Garden Educator position posted on Idealist. It’s only part-time, but the pay looks to be pretty decent. Take a look and see if it’s something you can grow into.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you have a garden?

Nasty Gal

Willy Franzen — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:30:24 +0000

One of the coolest things about the time that we live in is that the barrier to starting a business is essentially nonexistent. You can test your ideas on someone else’s platform, and if it works, then you build your own. Nasty Gal is a perfect example of this. The Los Angeles, CA based company began in 2006 when Sophia Amoruso “started an eBay store selling a highly curated selection of vintage pieces.” After finding success on eBay and validating the business, she started her own site where she could control the entire customer experience (and not pay eBay’s crazy fees). A lot of Nasty Gal’s stuff is pretty far out there–their home page has a huge picture of studded platforms that look like a medieval torture device–but it’s hard to argue with a brand that has nearly a quarter million Facebook likes.

Are You Nasty?

The key to Nasty Gal’s success is curation. Even though they’re in the business of selling and not editorial, they’re seen by many customers as a guide to what to buy. If it’s on Nasty Gal, it has to be cool–and that begs the question: What is a Nasty Gal? She’s “the coolest girl in the room‚ pulling off whatever wildly unique piece that suits the mood.” I’m certainly not a Nasty Gal, but maybe you are. And if you are, you’d be a great fit for a job at Nasty Gal. Right now they have a few opportunities that seem like they could be perfect for a new or recent grad. These include Accounting Clerk, Production Coordinator, Software Engineer, PR Coordinator, and Planning Analyst. Hope you’re nasty enough.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of Nasty Gal?