One Day, One Job » communications

Coursekit

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

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

What’s in Your Kit?

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

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

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

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

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

Association of Public Health Laboratories

Willy Franzen — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 14:48:10 +0000

For the most part illness is an individual problem. You get sick, you go to a doctor if it’s serious enough, and it eventually gets better with or without treatment. But sometimes your illness can be a public health issue. If you get something like influenza or food poisoning, there’s a good chance that information about your illness could help lots of other people stay healthy. At times like these “when new health risks emerge or well-known problems re-emerge, it is public health laboratories that analyze the threat and provide the answers needed to mount an effective response.” The Association of Public Health Laboratories is a non-profit organization based in Silver Spring, MD that “works to strengthen laboratories serving the public’s health in the US and globally.” The organization’s membership spans across all kinds of laboratories ranging from the public health labs mentioned in their name to environmental and agricultural labs. Many are government labs, but there are also corporate and non-profit labs included.

Check the Labs

To get a full understanding of what the Association of Public Health Laboratories does, you really need to understand what public health labs do. Luckily, the APHL has put together an About Public Health Labs page. Once you’ve read that, you’ll be better able to make sense of their programs and policy positions. But the best way to get a feel for why the APHL is an organization that you may want to work for is to check out their success stories–they’re the reason that promoting public health labs is so important. If you’d like to help the APHL deliver more success stories, you should check out their Jobs page. Right now they have a few positions that seem well suited for new and recent grads including Associate Grants Management Specialist, Associate Communications Specialist. There are a few more science-y positions, but they typically require a few years of experience.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about the Association of Public Health Laboratories?

The Nature Conservancy

Willy Franzen — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:50:09 +0000

Last night I started watching Planet Earth and ended up staying awake later than I intended. This morning the same channel was on, and I ended up watching documentaries on Yellowstone. There aren’t many things that I find more fascinating than nature, so it’s easy for me to get caught up in these kinds of shows. It’s also why I think the work of The Nature Conservancy is so important. They’re an international non-profit organization based in Arlington, VA that is “the leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people.” The Nature Conservancy was founded in 1951, and since then they have grown their membership to more than 1 million people. The organization’s huge size gives it a ton of power and has enabled it to do some really amazing work.

Nature Over Nurture

Everything that The Nature Conservancy does is rooted in science. They gather facts first, and then they take action on a local and a global scale. That’s why they’ve been able to protect “more than 119 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide.” What strikes me most about The Nature Conservancy is that they take a “non-confrontational, pragmatic” approach that sets them apart from some other conservation organizations. This may occasionally limit their short-term effectiveness, but it ensures that in the long run The Nature Conservancy will have the respect and legitimacy to continue protecting ecologically important lands and waters. If you want to dig deeper into this topic, you should really check out The Nature Conservancy’s Why We’re An Effective Nonprofit page. There’s a ton more to check out on The Nature Conservancy’s website (like How They Work and Where They Work), but I’ll leave the rest of the research to you. If you like what the organization is all about, check out their Careers page. They have some great opportunities for new or recent grads including (sorry I can’t link to the postings, but it’s a bad applicant tracking system):

Burn Crew Technician (Glyndon, MN or Karlstad, MN or Center, ND or Clear Lake, SD)
Philanthropy Coordinator (San Francisco, CA)
Preserve Management Assistant – Prairie Forest Border Ecoregion (Cushing, MN)
Seasonal Field Representative (Keene Valley, NY)
Human Resources Coordinator (Austin, TX)
Stewardship Field Assistant (Brunswick, ME)
Prairie Recovery Specialist (Watson, MN)
Conservation Coordinator (Anchorage, AK)
Preserve Management / Bison Research Technician (Leola, SD)
Grassland Bird Technician (Minor, ND)
Digital Marketing Programmer Analyst (Arlington, VA)
Stewardship Assistant (Choteau, MT)
Communications Coordinator (Oklahoma City, OK)
Assistant Land Steward (Letts, IA)

If you love nature and want to work at a non-profit, it would be hard to beat a gig with The Nature Conservancy. So take a look at these positions, and see if any are a good fit.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about The Nature Conservancy?

VaynerMedia

Willy Franzen — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:31:45 +0000

It’s hard to be involved with social media without having heard Gary Vaynerchuk’s name. He made a name for himself with his daily wine video blog called Wine Library TV, and that led to his writing a best-selling book called Crush It!. He has consistently made social media work for him, which is why he started an agency called VaynerMedia to “help brands to best leverage online platforms to build engaged communities that support their online marketing endeavors.” There are a lot of buzzwords in there, but they’re at least put together in a way that makes sense. VaynerMedia is located in New York, NY, and I got the idea to feature them from a reader who landed a job there.

Every Day You’re Hustling

Gary Vaynerchuk is all about “hustling.” That means wanting something, and doing whatever it takes to get it. That must be why VaynerMedia’s clients include huge names like PepsiCo, the New York Jets, Cap’n Crunch, and the New Jersey Nets. Unfortunately, the VaynerMedia site doesn’t seem to include a portfolio, but they do cover what they do on their home page. VaynerMedia focuses on two areas: Community Management and Emerging Technology. Within Community Management, they do work in Customer Service, Communication Principles, Incentivized Advocacy, and Reporting, while in Emerging Technology they work on Identifying Relevant Platforms, First-Mover Advantages, Unique Opportunities, and Earned Media. If those sound like the kind of things that you’d like to work on, take a look at VaynerMedia’s Careers page. Right now they have a couple of opportunities that are suitable for new or recent grads including Account Executive, Associate Community Manager, and Junior Developer. If you do end up applying, you better make sure that you show them that you know how to hustle.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Were you aware of Gary Vaynerchuk before reading this post?

American Horticultural Society

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

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

Enter the Garden

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

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you have a garden?

Ketchum

Willy Franzen — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:16:15 +0000

While we’ve featured a couple of companies located in Ketchum, ID (Smith Optics and SCOTTEVEST) and a company with a subsidiary called Ketchum (The Pursuant Group), we’ve never actually looked at Ketchum. They’re a global public relations agency that is headquartered in New York, NY and has more than 100 offices and affiliates in 65 countries. In other words, they’re pretty huge. Ketchum has five globe practices, which include Brand Marketing, Corporate, Healthcare, Food & Nutrition, and Technology, and 25 specialties, so they seem to cover almost everything. Some of their biggest clients are IKEA, Häägen-Dazs, and Diet Dr. Pepper, so that gives you an idea of the scale that they operate on. If you want the full rundown, Ketchum’s Quick Facts page is extremely helpful.

Ketchum If You Can

Some of the most interesting stuff I found about Ketchum isn’t on their website. That’s because they’ve been involved in a few scandals and slip-ups, and you can read up on them on the Ketchum Wikipedia page. PR is an industry where you often have to take risks, so I don’t think any of these issues reflect too poorly on the firm. Ketchum has won PRWeek’s “Campaign of the Year” award for the past three years, so some of that risk taking is certainly paying off. To see the work that Ketchum actually wants you to see, you should check out their Case Studies. There’s a lot more to see on Ketchum’s website, so you’ll probably want to do a little more exploring. If you like what you see, then take a look at Ketchum’s Careers section (which has a ton of content) and their current opportunities. Right now they’re looking for an Account Associate (New York, NY) and a Junior Project Manager (San Francisco, CA). Additionally, they have links where you can apply to future positions in New York, NY; Atlanta, GA; Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco, CA; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Pittsburgh, PA; and Washington, DC.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Ketchum?

Institute for Transportation and Development Policy

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

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

Transport Yourself

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

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your favorite mode of transportation?

VOICES of September 11th

Willy Franzen — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 14:06:26 +0000

We all have our own September 11th stories. I shared mine last year when I wrote about the National September 11 Memorial Museum. These stories, whether they are from the front lines or from people thousands of miles away, are what will ensure that we continue to use the memory of those whose lives were lost 10 years ago today as a positive force. VOICES of September 11th is a non-profit organization that was founded by two women who lost loved ones in the attacks to serve as “an information clearinghouse for those affected by the attacks through the use of a Web site, electronic newsletter, direct mailings and media outreach.” They are based in New Canaan, CT with a satellite office in New Brunswick, NJ, and they have expanded their mission over the years to include “providing continuity of care to promote resiliency and address the long-term issues” of those who were directly affected by the attacks.

Share Your VOICE

VOICES of September 11th seems to continually adapt as the needs of people affected by September 11th change. They’ve been quite busy preparing for the 10th anniversary, and I’m sure that the coming years will mark another chapter in the evolution of the organization. To get a better sense of what exactly VOICES does, you should visit their website at VoicesOfSeptember11.org. You’ll be able to see exactly what they’ve been working on. If you like what you see, you may want to consider a job with them. Their Jobs page doesn’t show any openings right now, but they do have Internship and Volunteer Opportunities. And you can always reach out to them to see if they might be able to find a place for you to fit into the organization.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

How are you commemorating September 11th?

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Willy Franzen — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 15:09:04 +0000

I lived in the Northeast for most of my life, and now that I’m in the Midwest I miss out on the fun of repeated blizzards, an earthquake, and a hurricane. Ok, natural disasters usually aren’t fun, but I can’t help but be amazed by how powerful nature can be. I’m sure a lot of you will never read this (or read it late) since there are 4 million people without power because of Hurricane Irene, but that’s not going to stop us from taking a look at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. They are “a non-profit consortium of more than 75 universities offering Ph.D.s in the atmospheric and related sciences.” UCAR is based in Boulder, CO and they also work with the National Science Foundation to run the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

A Workplace with Atmosphere

The ability to predict and track Hurricane Irene is just one of the many reasons that atmospheric research is important. Now might be a good time to dig into UCAR’s online resources and read up on things like the background on the science, people, and issues involved in hurricane research. UCAR’s mission is three-fold, it is to:

support, enhance, and extend the capabilities of the university community, nationally and internationally
understand the behavior of the atmosphere and related systems and the global environment
foster the transfer of knowledge and technology for the betterment of life on Earth

You might get a better sense for what UCAR does by watching this video that they’ve put together:

If you’re all about atmosphere, then you should take a look at UCAR’s Jobs page. You can find all of their posted jobs here, which include Web Developer, Communication and Web Assistant (Washington, DC), Communications and Web Content Coordinator (Washington, DC), and a number of other positions and fellowships that require a PhD.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

How are you weathering the hurricane?

The Steppingstone Foundation

Willy Franzen — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 14:50:59 +0000

I can’t believe that it’s already back to school time. I’m not happy that summer is nearing its end, but I’m going to keep pretending it’s summer and playing beach volleyball until I’m forced to put on a hat and gloves. I don’t know for sure, but my guess is that the school kids who are involved with The Steppingstone Foundation aren’t nearly as bummed about going back as the average kid. The Steppingstone Foundation is a non-profit “organization that develops and implements programs which prepare urban schoolchildren for educational opportunities that lead to college success.” They’re located in and focused on Boston, MA, and they’ve been helping children achieve at higher levels since 1990.

A Steppingstone for Your Career

The Steppingstone Foundation has two major programs, The Steppingstone Academy and the College Success Academy. The former is focused on preparing “motivated urban schoolchildren for acceptance and success at top independent and public exam schools in the greater Boston area, while the latter is “designed especially for promising 4th graders in the Jackson/Mann and Edison K-8 Schools who want to go to college.” By focusing on creating college acceptance as a goal at an early age, The Steppingstone Foundation is trying to make sure that they get kids on the right track before it’s too late. If you don’t hate the term “back to school” and want to be part of what The Steppingstone Foundation is doing, you should check out their Jobs page. Right now they’re looking for a Program Assistant – College Success Academy, a Communications Associate, a Volunteer Coordinator, and a number of Teachers. It looks like an amazing organization, so give them look.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about The Steppingstone Foundation?

charity: water

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

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

charity: job

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

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about charity: water?

New Profit

Willy Franzen — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 15:57:53 +0000

Although getting money to fund a startup company isn’t what I called easy, there’s a pretty standard process for seeking investment. When it comes to starting up a non-profit, the process isn’t often so clear. This can make finding funding seem impossible. However, there are some smart people who have taken the venture capital model and adjusted it for the non-profit world. One of these organizations is New Profit, which is based in Cambridge, MA. They were founded in 1998 and they focus “on supporting innovative social entrepreneurs who have brought a pathbreaking, big idea to life in an innovative organization.” They do this through their philanthropy fund, which has funded a ton of non-profit organizations. (I’m having trouble determining whether New Profit is actually a non-profit, but philanthropy funds usually are.)

Make a New Profit

While New Profit does a lot of work behind the scenes, they’re really all about their portfolio organizations. You can take a look at both their current investments and their past investments. We’ve covered quite a few of the organizations that they’ve funded including Freelancers Union, Kickstart, Right To Play, and a few others. You’ll also want to read up on New Profit’s Model and Plan For Impact. If you like what you see, then you’ll want to take a look at New Profit’s Jobs page. Their offerings are a bit limited right now–there are two postings you might want to look at: Communications Fellow (which is really an internship) and a Staff Accountant (which requires a few years of experience). The other option is to check out jobs at New Profit’s portfolio organizations. You should be able to find some pretty interesting options.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of New Profit?

The Conference Board

Willy Franzen — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 15:00:14 +0000

Pretty much every non-profit organization exists to make the world a better place in one way or another. Most do it by helping specific groups of people. The Conference Board in New York, NY is a bit different. They’re still working in the public interest, but they’re doing it by serving businesses. The Conference Board “provides the world’s leading organizations with the practical knowledge they need to improve their performance and better serve society.” Strong businesses build strong communities (can you say jobs?), so it’s essential that businesses are able to “understand and deal with the most critical issues of our time.” It’s still doing good, even if it’s a bit removed from the kind of work that typical non-profit organizations do.

Join The Conference

The Conference Board was founded in 1916 and has been serving businesses ever since (I heard about them from a reader who took a Fellowship with them). They are a membership organization, so they rely on member organizations for funding, and in return they provide a range of products and services. The Conference Board maintain five core values (Relevance, Openness, Collaboration, Innovation, and Integrity) and focuses on four key topic areas (Corporate Leadership; Economies, Markets & Value Creation; High-Performing Organizations; and Human Capital). If you’re fascinated by the more academic side of business, then you should definitely check out The Conference Board’s Jobs. Right now they have a number of positions available for new and recent grads including Member Services Coordinator (and a 2nd posting), Webcast and Multi-Media Production Specialist, Experiential Programs Coordinator, Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability Researcher, and Public & Media Relations Manager. There are quite a few options, so check them out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about The Conference Board?

Yammer

Willy Franzen — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 16:40:57 +0000

Communication in the workplace can be a major hassle, especially considering the fact that a lot of people who work together are doing so from different locations these days. E-mail was an amazing step forward, but it still has a ton of flaws. (I’m dying for an e-mail client that is built for how I think and work–nothing comes close.) Now that I’m starting to consider hiring interns or part-timers (more on that soon!), I need to come up with a way to communicate with them and manage projects. Social networks like Twitter and Facebook are on to something with their interfaces, but they are most certainly not for communicating about work. I’ve played around with the the WordPress P2 Theme, which turns blogging software into something Twitter-like, but I’m not completely sold on it. I’ve also heard some good things about San Francisco, CA based Yammer, which seems to be a pretty sweet solution. Yammer enables “people to create private enterprise social networks.” It’s more collaborative than e-mail, and it allows you to open up conversations to a wider audience without annoying them.

Communicate Your Skills

Most major companies have Intranets. They’re moderately useful, but they are often completely lifeless. Yammer brings life to internal networks. They’re already working with major clients like Deloitte, Groupon, PayPal, and lots of other big names. The product looks like it’s super simple to use, and it has a ton of useful features. What may be the coolest thing about Yammer is that you only need an e-mail address to set up your own network. I put in my e-mail, and in a matter of a few seconds I had my own Yammer network set up (but nobody to Yammer with). There’s still a lot of progress to be made in the area of communication in the workplace, but Yammer has taken some major leaps. If you like what they’re doing, take a look at their Jobs page. They have great some great opportunities for new grads including:

Implementation Engineer (San Francisco, CA)
Implementation Engineer (United Kingdom)
Android Developer (San Francisco, CA)
Data/Analytics Engineer (San Francisco, CA)
iPhone Developer (San Francisco, CA)
Tools Engineer (San Francisco, CA)
Web Software Engineer (San Francisco, CA)
Technical Recruiter (San Francisco, CA)
IT and Corporate Applications Support Engineer (San Francisco, CA)
Associate Product Manager (San Francisco, CA)
Associate Product Marketing Manager (San Francisco, CA)
Quantitative Product Analyst (San Francisco, CA)
UX/Information Architect (San Francisco, CA)
Enterprise Business Representative (San Francisco, CA)
International Enterprise Business Representative – Spanish or Korean Language (San Francisco, CA)
Technical Support Representative (San Francisco, CA)

While most of the options are tech oriented, there are a few at Yammer for the not-so-technical. They’re doing some really cool stuff, so give them a nice long look.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever used Yammer?

Samaritan’s Purse

Willy Franzen — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 19:13:00 +0000

This is a sponsored post for Samaritan’s Purse.

We all have a Good Samaritan story–a time where we helped someone in need or were helped by someone when we were in need. These are the moments when people are at their best, yet they don’t seem to happen often enough. Samaritan’s Purse has spent the last 40 years working to ensure that the story of the Good Samaritan lives on and continues to inspire people to “go and do likewise.” Samaritan’s Purse is a non-profit “nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world.” They’re based out of Boone, NC, but they’re constantly repositioning their resources to react to world events. Samaritan’s Purse’s work can typically be separated into two categories: Emergency Relief Programs and Community Development and Vocational Programs. While these two Program groups serve very different situations, they share the goal of helping people in need wherever they may be.

Be a Good Samaritan

There’s no better way to get a feel for Samaritan’s Purse’s work (besides actually joining them and doing it) than taking a look at the In Pictures section of their website. It will give you a feel for what they do, how they do it, and whom they help. One of their major relief projects is focused on helping Japan and the Japanese people recover from the earthquake and tsunami that struck in March of 2011. Samaritan’s Purse was on the ground almost immediately (as you can see here, here, and here). The need for immediate relief supplies has obviously subsided, but now Samaritan’s Purse is leading a rebuilding effort. They are working in a number of communities to get the Japanese people back to a normal way of life before winter comes. This is a tall task when you consider that one community they’re working in “lost 70% of its physical structure” and another was hit by a wave as tall as a 12-story building, but Samaritan’s Purse has a history of excelling with this kind of work.

Right now Samaritan’s Purse is recruiting heavily for their Japan reconstruction effort. Right now their biggest need is for Japanese Interpreters and they think that recent college grads could be perfect fits (they’d also love to hear from people with more experience). This position is vital to the reconstruction effort, and it offers an amazing opportunity to get life-changing experience while doing amazing work. Christian values are an essential part of what Samaritan’s Purse does, so be sure to read their Statement of Faith and learn about their leader Franklin Graham before applying. And if you don’t speak Japanese, there are plenty of other job opportunities posted on Samaritan’s Purse’ Jobs page, and many are perfectly suited for new and recent grads. They include:

Japanese Interpreter (Japan)
Digital Video Producer (Boone, NC)
Marketing/Metrics Analyst (Boone, NC)
Network Administrator (Boone, NC)
Curriculum & Training Specialist (Boone, NC)
Bio-Med Technician (Boone, NC)
Field Accountant (Juba, South Sudan)
Social Media/Marketing Specialist / Communications (Boone, NC)

These look like amazing jobs that truly offer the opportunity to make the world a better place. Give them a look and see which positions fit you the best.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Samaritan’s Purse?

Hill Holliday

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

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

Another Holliday!

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

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Hill Holliday?

Arthritis Foundation

Willy Franzen — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 15:02:30 +0000

While I was fishing yesterday (in a winter hat during the month of June I might add), I was tying knots, casting, wading through the river, and catching and releasing lots of fish. Though I wouldn’t by any means call it a strenuous workout, I was certainly putting all of my joints to use–from my fingers to my ankles. Most young people take for granted that their bodies work like they were built to, but it’s not so easy for some people. We often associate arthritis with aging, and it’s definitely linked to that, but it’s a group of disorders that can affect people of all ages (2/3 of people with arthritis are under the age of 65 according to the CDC). There are more than 100 types of arthritis and related conditions, which is why theArthritis Foundation was founded in 1948. They’re an Atlanta, GA based non-profit organization that “helps people take control of arthritis by providing public health education; pursuing public policy and legislation; and conducting evidence-based programs to improve the quality of life for those living with arthritis.” Considering how debilitating arthritis can be for the more than 50 million people who suffer from it, it’s a good thing that the Arthritis Foundation is doing what they do.

Joint Their Team

In just over 60 years of existence, the Arthritis Foundation has invested more than $400 million through grants to researchers which has resulted “in major treatment advances for most arthritis diseases.” They continue to fund research at an extremely high level, and they’ll keep doing it as long as arthritis is a problem. In addition to the research, the Arthritis Foundation offers community-based services like self-help courses, water and land-based exercise classes, instructional videotapes, and more, while also advocating “to local and national governments on behalf of the 46 million Americans with arthritis and chronic joint symptoms.” They seem to be doing great work that really helps to make the lives of millions of people better. If you’d like to be a part of what the Arthritis Foundation is doing, check out their Jobs page. At their National Office they’re looking for a Community Outreach Coordinator, a Consumer Health Marketing Coordinator, and a Web Marketing Specialist. They also have positions with local chapter available like Special Events Coordinator (Cedar Rapids, IA). Take a look and see what appeals to you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you have arthritis?

Banyan Branch

Willy Franzen — Mon, 16 May 2011 18:14:40 +0000

I guess today’s post is going to be a case study on how social media can influence the decisions people make. Yesterday I was browsing Facebook and saw an ad for “The Ultimate Social Media Internship.” I’m not sure how that ad got targeted to me (since I’m not a current college student), but it did, and I clicked on it (who knew that people actually click on Facebook ads?). Anyway, I ended up here. I was intrigued by the fact that a social media agency successfully used social media to get my attention, so I decided to take a closer look at Banyan Branch. They’re based in Seattle, WA, and they are “pioneering the way brands, companies, and movements can harness the power of social media for their benefit.” It worked on me, so I guess they have to be good, right?

Branching Out

The first thing that you should do to learn more about Banyan Branch is check out their portfolio. You can see the work that they’ve done for Glee, Disney (Snow White), Univision, Microsoft, Parallels (I love this one), and more. Their work is really impressive, and it stands out from a lot of the other garbage that you see social media firms trying. Banyan Branch segments their offerings into five product areas: Social Strategy, Reputation, Banyan Interactive, Proactive Outreach, and Brand Champions. It’s all about understanding a client’s “business objectives across functions, including marketing, sales, communications, product, customer service, events, analyst relations and more” and then defining “the social media strategy that accomplishes those business objectives, the measurements of success in accomplishing those objectives, and the appropriate benchmarks.” If you like the sound of this, then you should take a look at jobs at Banyan Branch. They have a number of opportunities that look exciting including Social Media Analyst, Business Development, and Account Manager. Check out the jobs, and be sure to take a look inside their office and at Life at Banyan Branch.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Banyan Branch?

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

Willy Franzen — Wed, 04 May 2011 16:41:43 +0000

Ever consider a career in teaching? Here’s some info on how to get started.

There’s a long history of poking fun at Martha Stewart, and it started well before she went to prison. There’s just something funny about someone who takes perfection in domesticity as seriously as she does. My family even played an integral role in the satire of Martha with my little sister’s appearance in the parody magazine Martha Stuart’s Better Than You at Entertaining, which was a follow up to Is Martha Stuart Living? (here’s a picture my sister as young Martha Stewart in the parody). We can keep laughing at Martha Stewart, but she’ll always get the last laugh. She has an amazing track record of reaching the top in nearly everything that she has done–from babysitting for Mickey Mantle’s kids to starting a successful catering company in her basement to building a New York, NY based media empire in Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Martha Stewart is apparently now worth well over half a billion dollars, and has used her personal brand to build amazing print, television, online, and merchandise properties.

Are You Living?

Whether or not you’re a Martha Stewart fan, you have to be impressed by what she’s done throughout her career. She’s had an amazing ability to stay relevant, and a lot of that has to do with her media strategy. She easily could have settled with a successful catering business, or a popular magazine, or having her own television show, but she didn’t. It seems that she is obsessed with using every channel possible to reach people with her “unique lifestyle content.” That’s what Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia is all about. If you enjoy the Martha Stewart brand and want to work on the media or merchandise side, then you definitely need to take a look at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia’s Careers page. There are some great opportunities posted in their job listings, and a few seem suitable for new or recent grads including: Assistant Food Editor, PHP Application Developer – Internet Content Management Systems, Front-End Web Developer, Decorative Pillow and Bedding Accessory Designer, Executive Assistant, Freelance Recipe Taster, Retail Merchandising Assistant, Apparel Designer – Martha Stewart Pets and Quilt Designer. You can also apply for an unlisted position if you don’t see something that suits you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Are you a Martha Stewart fan?

The Case Foundation

Willy Franzen — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 15:17:51 +0000

Maybe I’m dating myself, but I was a big AOL user back in the day. It’s where I started learning about the Internet, so it wasn’t just about chat rooms and IMs for me. I remember getting monthly e-mails from Steve Case, who was the Founder and CEO of the company. Believe it or not, I think I actually read them. Anyway, AOL is a very different company these days, and Steve Case is no longer involved. A lot of what he does now along with his wife Jean Case is focused on The Case Foundation, a Washington, DC based non-profit organization that reflects “their family’s commitment to finding lasting solutions for complex social challenges.” That may sound a bit broad, but it’s really about investing some of the wealth that the Cases have accumulated in “people and ideas that can change the world” regardless of whether they fit into a specific category.

A Case for The Case Foundation

The Case Foundation identifies three core goals: Encouraging collaboration; Supporting successful leaders; and Fostering entrepreneurship in the nonprofit sector. They do this by putting capital work towards some of the world’s big ideas. While many non-profits play it safe and try to avoid failure, The Case Foundation is all about “swinging for the fences.” You can see exactly the kind of projects that they get involved with here. They’re working on curing brain cancer, training non-profits to use social media more effectively, and improving the safety and reliability of the world’s water supply. Throughout The Case Foundation’s work, there’s also a big focus on technology, which makes sense considering the Cases’ background. There’s a lot more to learn about The Case Foundation, and luckily their website is loaded with information. Once you spend some time learning more, you can check out their Jobs on Idealist. Right now they’re looking for a Communications Coordinator, and it looks like a perfect position for a new or recent grad.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Did you use AOL back in the day?

Octagon

Willy Franzen — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 16:19:11 +0000

Usually when readers recommend companies, I put them on my list and cover them soon after if they look interesting and have relevant opportunities. Lately I’ve had two readers mention that they applied to Octagon, but I somehow overlooked the company. My only excuse is that I’m often skeptical of sports and entertainment marketing companies because there are so many sports marketing hiring scams. But that’s very clearly not the case with Octagon, they’ve been around since 1983 and they have offices all across the world. As they put it, they’re “the recognized, global thought leader in passion-based, sports & entertainment marketing.” Some of people they represent are Chris Paul, Michael Phelps, Randy Johnson, John Elway, Elena Dementieva, Landry Fields, Michael Johnson, Anna Kournikova, Apolo Anton Ohno, and many more huge names.

Can You Compete Inside the Octagon?

From what I can tell, Octagon separates their business into four divisions. On their Octagon’s What We Do page, you’ll see links to: Marketing, Marketing North America, Athletes & Personalities, and Events. Within the Athletes & Personalities section you’ll find links to specific verticals like OctagoOly.com, OctagonHockey.com, OctagonBasketball.com. Additionally, there are separate sites for Octagon’s international businesses like OctagonBrazil.com, and Octagon-UK.com. It’s all a bit overwhelming, but it’s indicative of how big Octagon’s presence is in the field of sports and entertainment marketing. In fact, the best overview of what Octagon’s businesses actually do is on their Careers page. Once you read through that, then you can take a look at their current job postings. Right now they have a few positions that seem right for a new or recent grad including Account Executive – Telecom (Kansas City, KS), Non-Profit & Media Relations Coordinator (Portland, ME), Account Executive – Sales Assistant (Norwalk, CT), Associate Producer – Digital (Norwalk, CT), and Account Executive – Multicultural – Home Improvement (Atlanta, GA).

Octagon has offices in the following locations, so you may want to watch out for new postings in any of these places:

Atlanta, GA
Cary, NC
Charlotte, NC
Chicago, IL
Los Angels, CA
McLean, VA
Minneapolis, MN
Naples, FL
New York, NY
Norwalk, CT
Ormond Beach, FL
Portland, ME
Richmond, VA
Rogers, AR
San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Ottawa, Ontario
Waterlool, Ontario
Adelaide, South Australia
Hobart, Tasmania
Melbourne, Australia
Sydney, Australia
Beijing, China
Mumbai, India
Tokyo Japan
Singapore, Malaysia
Paris, France
Frankfurt, Germany
Doha, Qatar
Moscow, Russia
Cape Town, South Africa
Johannesburg, South Africa
Barcelona, Spain
Sevilla, Spain
Stockholm, Sweden
Istanbul, Turkey
London, United Kingdom

That’s a lot of locations, so keep an eye on Octagon’s job postings for opportunities closer to home (or further away if that’s what you’re looking for).

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about Octagon?

Transportation Alternatives

Willy Franzen — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 15:09:59 +0000

I must admit that I probably use my car more than I should to get around in Chicago. It’s often just so easy. I still walk and take public transportation when it makes the most sense, but I could definitely be convinced to do both of those things more often. That’s the job of Transportation Alternatives, although they do it in New York, NY. They’re a non-profit organization with a mission to “reclaim New York City’s streets from the automobile, and to advocate for bicycling, walking and public transit as the best transportation alternatives.” There are a ton of negative externalities with cars (pollution, danger to pedestrians, noise, etc.), and plenty of positive externalities (less congestion, healthier citizens, etc.) with alternative forms of transportation, so it makes sense for an organization like Transportation Alternatives to be so adamant about their position.

Transport Yourself

New York City has already made a ton of progress on the transportation front. Since 1973 there are five times more cyclists on the streets and there are half as many pedestrian fatalities, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement. Transportation Alternatives is all about the idea of “the livable street,” so they’re constantly “pushing city agencies and elected officials to introduce this innovation into the urban landscape.” To get a better sense for how Transportation Alternatives is approaching their mission, you should check out their Advocacy Campaigns and their Action Center. If you like what you see, then you’ll want to head over to the Transportation Alternatives Jobs page. Right now they’re looking for a New York City Bicycling Ambassador Program – Lead Organizer, New York City Bicycling Ambassadors, and a Press Secretary. All of the positions look great, so if you’re all about alternative transportation, then check them out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your favorite mode of transportation?

Room to Read

Willy Franzen — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 16:28:58 +0000

It’s hard to find a kid in the United States who doesn’t take school for granted. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I actually wanted to go to school in the morning, yet I had classrooms with computers, books, great teachers and more. In the developing world schools barely have any books or even decent structures to teach lessons in, yet the students are filled with enthusiasm. Room to Read is a San Francisco, CA based non-profit that “seeks to transform the lives of millions of children in developing countries by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education.” It all started in Nepal when a Microsoft executive named John Wood who was traveling in Nepal and invited into a school in a small village. He was alarmed by how little they had to work with, so he quit his job and decided to build “a global team to work with rural villages to build sustainable solutions to their educational challenges.”

Knowledge Is Power

While Room to Read started in Nepal, they’ve since expanded to Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, South Africa, and Zambia while also expanding their program offerings. These include four primary programs: Reading Rooms, Local Language Publishing, School Rooms, and Girls’ Education. While the basics of education are pretty simple, Room to Read is constantly struggling with the nuances of tailoring their program efforts to the communities that they’re working in. The best way to get a feel for the entirety of what Room to Read is doing is to take a look at their latest annual report. One of the most amazing facts in the report is that they’ve paved the way for four million children in nine countries to get access to schools and libraries (and that number appears to be updated to 5.1 million on their website). If Room to Read sounds like an organization that you could be a part of, take a look at their Jobs page. They have a number of positions that seem suitable for new or recent grads including East Coast Development Assistant – Individual & Family Foundations (New York) and possibly Communications/Marketing Associate. There are also positions abroad including Southern Africa Literary Specialist, Development Assistant (Tokyo), Schoolroom Program Associate (Laos), and Literacy Consultant (Vietnam). There are some really interesting opportunities here, though the requirements to do go a bit beyond typical entry level opportunities.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Did you like going to school?

FanBridge

Willy Franzen — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 16:56:37 +0000

E-mails not giving you what you’re looking for? Check out our archives of 1,200+ entry level employers.

My first online business was a music fan site. It wasn’t a huge success, but it was nice to get the occasional $100-$200 check for advertising as a high schooler. Back then the Internet was still kind of new. Most artists had websites, but they were usually static and rarely updated. The best fans sites were better than the official sites. Most fan sites died off as musicians, sports teams, comedians, and other fan-worthy acts started to get more serious about interacting with fans online. However, fans aren’t just for mega stars who have huge budgets to pay agencies to take care of managing fan relationships. Anyone can have fans, but it’s hard to be fan-worthy if you spend all of your time managing fan relationships. FanBridge is a New York, NY based company that has built a platform for managing and leveraging fan lists. FanBridge makes keeping fans engaged easy so that their customers can keep doing what they do best–whether it’s playing music, making jokes, or baking cupcakes.

Cross This Bridge

You’re nothing without your fans. If you can’t get people to consume what you’re creating, you’re not going to eat. Artists of all kinds need to be more serious about mobilizing their fan bases so that producing art (whatever it is) can continue to be a viable business. FanBridge makes this easy by offering an affordable way to collect fans’ information, excite fans, and keep fans engaged. The FanBridge platform focuses on three mediums: e-mail, SMS, and social networks. They’re already managing over 100,000,000 fan relationships, and they’re constantly working on new ways to make managing these relationships easier. One of the key focuses of FanBridge is increasing “Fan Lifetime Value.” This may sound really transactional, but it’s really all about increasing the opportunity for mutually beneficial exchanges. If you dig the idea of FanBridge, then you should check out their Jobs page. Right now they have a few opportunities that seem perfect for new grads including Music Industry Relationship Builder (New York, NY), Client Service Representative (New York, NY or San Francisco, CA), UI/UX Designer (San Francisco, CA), and Web Developer (Buenos Aires or New York, NY or San Francisco, CA). If you’re a fan of fans, then FanBridge is the place to be.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Whom are you a fan of?

American Greetings

Willy Franzen — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:36:40 +0000

I can’t remember the last time that I bought a greeting card, but I can remember the last time that I was part of the purchasing process. A good friend of mine was getting married, and he needed a card for his soon to be wife. Because of the dearth of cards for brides from their grooms, I made it my job to suggest alternatives. Trying to convince a stressed out groom to give his new wife a condolences card probably isn’t the nicest thing to do, but it’s certainly entertaining. Yes, greeting cards can be funny, but there’s more to them than that. That’s why American Greetings calls themselves the “leading manufacturer of innovative social expression products that assist consumers in enhancing their relationships.” The Cleveland, OH based company is the largest publicly-traded greeting card company in the world, and their brands include American Greetings, Carlton Cards, Gibson, Recycled Paper Greetings, and Papyrus along with a number of other paper products and online brands.

A Job for Every Occasion

Greeting cards may seem like a niche business, but American Greetings is a very large company with near $1.7 billion in annual revenue and 18,000 employees according to Wikipedia. The company was started in 1906 by a Polish immigrant named Jacob Sapirstein, and it’s been able to stick around through constant innovation. They’ve developed toy brands like Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears and digital properties like Webshots and Blue Mountain. If it can somehow be worked into “social expressions products,” then they’re on it. American Greetings seems to keep on growing, and that means lots of hiring. Their Careers page takes a little bit of navigating, but half a dozen clicks later you’ll find their job listings. There are a ton of jobs posted, but you should look out for the following opportunities: Artist Coordinator (Chicago, IL), Assistant Product Development Manager – Papyrus/Recycled Greetings (Fairfield, CA), Assistant Art Director (Cleveland, OH), Brand Analyst – Papyrus, Graphic Designer (Cleveland, OH), Graphic Line Designer – Derivative Planning (Cleveland, OH), Graphic Coordinator (Cleveland, OH), Marketing Product Assistant (Cleveland, OH), Merchandiser (Nationwide), Order Filler (Cleveland, OH), Programmer Analyst (Bardstown, KY), Receptionist – Papyrus/Recycled Greetings (Chicago, IL), Sourcing Coordinator (Cleveland, OH), and Supply Chain Leadership Rotation Program Associate (Cleveland, OH). That Leadership Rotation Program is the most intriguing, and makes me wonder if they have any other similar programs in different areas.

American Greetings’ Careers page also mentions the following business departments: Accounting, Business Intelligence, Creative, Communications, Engineering, Entertainment, Finance, Human Resources, Interactive, Information Technology, International Operations, Legal, Management, Manufacturing and Distribution, Marketing, Retail Merchandising, Sales, Supply Chain Management, Transportation/Logistics, and Writer/Editor. So if you are interested in any of those areas but don’t see a job that fits you, you might want to keep checking in (or apply for an unlisted position).

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s the last greeting card that you sent?

Uber

Willy Franzen — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 16:34:02 +0000

In Chicago getting a cab is easy. If you stand on the street looking even somewhat confused, taxi drivers will start honking at you to see if you need a ride. If you have luggage with you, they’ll nearly run you over trying to ensure that another cab doesn’t get the $42 fare to O’Hare. Apparently it’s not so easy in other cities. I’ve heard that it can be especially tough in San Francisco, CA, which is why Uber (formerly UberCab) is making so much noise. They offer a simple, relatively affordable black car service that harnesses the power of the mobile Internet. With a simple text message or touch of a button in an iPhone or Android app, you can have Uber schedule a car to come pick you up. You’ll get an estimated arrival time (usually within 5-10 minutes), and when they get there, you just hop in. Once you’re at your destination, you hop out and say thank you. They already have your credit card from when you signed up, so payment is covered and tip is included. It’s certainly a luxury, but it’s a luxury done right.

Uber Jobs

A lot of people hate “middle men,” but Uber is kind of making the middle man awesome again. They don’t own the cars or employ the drivers, they just act as an intermediary between drivers and customers. Rarely will a driver of a black car be busy all day–there will often be downtime. Uber fills in the downtime by offering these drivers jobs through a mobile app. Only drivers who maintain a certain level of customer satisfaction (Uber has a rating system) can continue to be part of Uber’s network. The pricing seems to be about double what I’d pay for a cab here in Chicago, but their flat rates to and from SFO and OAK look pretty decent. Uber only operates in San Francisco right now, but they’re expanding to New York City very soon. I love companies like Uber because they’re half web startup and half old school business. (Bonobos is another company that fits that profile.) If you’re excited about what Uber is doing, then you should head over to their Jobs page. Right now they have two entry level positions: Customer Support Associate and Engineer/Developer. There may be more jobs on the way as Uber expands, so keep an eye on them.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever used Uber?

Corporate Executive Board

Willy Franzen — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 17:15:02 +0000

As someone who started a bootstrapped business straight out of college, I’ve had to rely on free resources to learn the tricks of the trade. Sites like Hacker News, SEOmoz, Mixergy have been invaluable to me. But you can only get so much for free. Fortune 500 companies often spend many millions of dollars to ensure that their executives are well informed and well advised. One place that 80% of Fortune 500 companies go for advice is The Corporate Executive Board. They are an Arlington, VA based company that helps “senior executives at the world’s leading organizations… and their teams with actionable insights, analytic tools, and advisory support to quickly and confidently focus efforts on what they need to know, and do, next.” The Corporate Executive Board spun off from The Advisory Board Company (they focus only on healthcare and higher education) in 1997 and has since IPO’d.

Hop On Board

The Corporate Executive Board may sound like a consulting firm (and they do some consulting), but they have a somewhat unique model. Companies pay an annual membership fee to The Corporate Executive Board, and this allows them to access CEB’s resources. The beauty of this model is that member companies also share information with The Corporate Executive Board, so there’s a network effect–the advice that they provide gets better as more members join. The Corporate Executive Board’s services focus on a wide range of areas that include: Communications, Corporate Finance, Corporate Strategy, Customer Service, Human Resources, Information Technology, Legal and Compliance, and Sales and Marketing, with additional offerings tailored to the Financial Services, Government, and Midsized sectors. With an eye to these areas, CEB helps executives manage six key challenges:

Assessing Key Performance Trends and Risks
Organizing and Managing Critical Talent
Benchmarking Performance and Plans
Establishing Innovative Operating Approaches
Driving Alignment and Support for Change
Navigating Leadership Transitions

If you’re fascinated by large corporations and how they work, then The Corporate Executive Board would be an excellent place to start your career. I know that they do a lot of on-campus recruiting, but that all happened in the fall. Luckily, CEB has more than 100 jobs posted on their Careers page, and many of them can be considered entry level. Unfortunately, TheCorporate Executive Board’s Jobs site doesn’t allow me to link directly to specific postings. You should start looking at their undergraduate opportunities here, and then move on to their full job listings here. Their locations include Washington, DC; San Francisco, CA; Chicago, IL; Minneapolis, MN; Needham, MA; Rochester, NY; Scottsdale, AZ; West Chester, NY; Toronto, Canada; London, UK; New Delhi, India; Singapore; and Sydney, Australia.

The Corporate Executive Board has two heavy concentrations when it comes to job opportunities. One is positions that help them put out their products and services. The other is positions that help them sell memberships. Makes sense. You’ll want to look for job titles like Research Analyst, Sales Specialist, Web Designer, Member Support Associate, Meetings Associate, Market Research Specialist, Data and Tools Analyst, Business Development Associate, Business Analyst, Associate – Learning & Development Team, Analyst, Account Management Associate, Account Administrator, Quantitative Analyst, Online Community Specialist, Junior Sales Executive, and lots more. And if you’re looking for another way to catch the eye of the folks at The Corporate Executive Board, you may want to check out their Case Competition that just opened up. It looks like a great way to win a scholarship and possibly get a job.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about The Corporate Executive Board?

Twilio

Willy Franzen — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:18:04 +0000

The past few years have brought the Internet to our phones. It seems most of us have phones that can do more than what our laptops could do just a few years ago. But what about bringing the power of the telephone to the Internet? It doesn’t sound all that interesting at first, but after you take a look at Twilio you’ll change your tone. They’re a “cloud communications” startup located in San Francisco, CA, and they’ve been generating a ton of buzz lately. Why? Because they’ve built a platform that enables people to interact with web applications through the phone. For instance I could build an application that calls me if my site ever goes down. Or I could use someone else’s application to order pizza from any pizzeria in the U.S. Survey Monkey is using Twilio to automate phone surveys and StubHub is using it to confirm purchases instantly via SMS.

Calling for New Hires

At this point Twilio is all about creating tools that enable web developers to easily access telephony services. It sounds super complex, but it’s amazing how simple Twilio has made it. Even a non-developer can pretty easily understand how it works. The business is really simple too. Twilio charges 1 cent per minute for inbound calls to an app, 2 cents per minute for outbound calls, and 2 cents per SMS message. They may be generating revenue a penny at a time, but it’s going to be lots and lots of pennies. To get a better feel for how Twilio can be used, you should take a look at their gallery and their case studies. Most consumers will never realize that they’re using a Twilio-powered service, but that doesn’t matter–there are going to be a lots and lots of calls and text messages going through Twilio. The pennies will keep piling up. If you’re excited about making the telephone cool again, then check out jobs at Twilio. Right now they have a few options that could be appropriate for new grads including Customer Advocate, Software Engineer, Inside Sales Representative, and Developer Evangelist. Twilio is a company to watch, so might as well try to get in while it’s still early.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you used any Twilio-powered web applications?

Caring for Carcinoid Foundation

Willy Franzen — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 16:08:01 +0000

Cancer sucks. We’ve all dealt with the pain it causes at some point. But things are getting better. We’re constantly making progress towards more effective cancer treatments, and a big reason for this is that we’re starting to treat different types of cancer as individual diseases. This means that organizations focused on specific cancers are becoming increasingly important. Take for example the Caring for Carcinoid Foundation based in Boston, MA. They’re a non-profit that aims “to discover a cure for carcinoid and related neuroendocrine tumors” while also working “to eliminate the suffering of patients, families, and caregivers affected by neuroendocrine tumors.” The Caring for Carcinoid Foundation is extremely research focused, which is why they direct “100% of all individual donations to fund breakthrough scientific research of carcinoid and related neuroendocrine tumors.” They’ve already awarded more than $6 million in research grants, and that number is going to keep on growing.

Show How Much You Care

The Founder of the Caring for Carcinoid Foundation is named Nancy Lindholm. She’s currently living with Carcinoid cancer, which unfortunately has no cure. Here’s a part of her story:

A few days before my first wedding anniversary, at age 29, I collapsed on the subway in Boston. I was taken to the emergency room at Massachusetts General Hospital. There, I was diagnosed with extensive liver tumors that displace the majority of my liver, as well as with innumerable bony tumors. The doctors were grim and gave me a few months to live.

For years, I had experienced tremendous fatigue and abdominal pain and, eventually, intense flushing. My doctors always told me these symptoms resulted from the stress of working long hours as a tax attorney. In fact, these symptoms were caused by carcinoid cancer and its metastatic effects known as Carcinoid Syndrome. My diagnosis was confirmed several weeks later by a liver biopsy.

I founded the Caring for Carcinoid Foundation to support leading scientists whose research will lead to a cure for carcinoid. I know the lonely feeling of fighting an incurable cancer that receives little governmental research funding and little pharmaceutical company interest. I also know that greater insight into carcinoid cancer will result in greater insight into other cancers such as neuroendocrine, endocrine, gastrointestinal, and prostate.

If you’re moved by Nancy’s story, then you should check out the Caring for Carcinoid Foundation’s jobs on Idealist. Right now they’re looking for an Entry Level Executive Assistant / Communications Coordinator. It looks like a great opportunity to work with a great organization, so check it out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Had you heard of Carcinoid cancer before?

Nissan

Willy Franzen — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 16:52:28 +0000

If you haven’t already taken a look at our profile on MATCH Public Charter School, now is the time to do it. They’re changing the world of education, and they’re hiring a ton of new grads.

I don’t know about you, but my college never gave me Presidents’ Day off. At it’s core it’s an important holiday, but it’s pretty much become a reason for car dealerships and furniture stores to have sales. Since it’s a day for cars and I’ve been going through Fast Company’s list of The 2011 Most Innovative Companies, I decided it’s only appropriate that we take a look at Nissan USA, which came in at #4 on the list. While Nissan is headquartered in Japan, their US group is based in Franklin, TN with a number of other locations across North America. Now, the reason that Nissan is getting so much buzz is that they recently released the Nissan LEAF Electric Car, the “first mass-market all-electric car.” With the release of this automobile, Nissan went from an industry laggard to a leader in sustainability. It’s hard to say whether electric cars are truly the future, but you have to give Nissan props for going all out.

Plug In to Nissan

It’s really interesting to think about careers in the automotive industry. In some ways it seems super risky–there’s a ton of change going on. On the other hand it has to be a good bet–cars aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. The big question for car guys and girls is where do you go? Do you take a risk on a newcomer like Tesla Motors? Or do you play it safe (or not so safe) with one of the Big Three? Maybe somewhere in between? It’s really hard to say which car manufacturers will be on top in ten years, but you have to like Nissan’s chances. Their slogan is “SHIFT_the way you move,” and they say that they want to make “cars that are more efficient, more beautiful, more inspiring and more human than ever before.” If that gets you fired up, then you’ll want to check out Nissan.jobs. The site includes a section on Student Opportunities, but it really only tells you that they offer internships, entry level jobs, and an MBA rotation program. It’s completely unhelpful, and their job search function isn’t much better.

Despite Nissan’s claim that they “have many exciting opportunities for recent undergrads,” I don’t see them posted. My recommendation is that you take a look at their internship postings, and use the information in those to inform you on what might be available. Then send a general application from here. Nissan’s current internship offerings include (can’t link to them because of the way their site works): Communications Intern (Franklin, TN); Manufacturing Intern (Smyrna, TN); NTCNA Engineering Intern (Farmington Hills, MI); Production Control/SCM (Smyrna, TN); Parts, Service, & Accessores Intern (Mt. Juliet, TN); Purchasing Intern (Farmington Hills, MI); NMAC Dealer Review Coordinator Intern (Irving, TX); Sales & Marketing Intern (Franklin, TN); NMAC Collections Intern (Irving, TX); Infiniti Business Unit Intern (Franklin, TN); Finance Intern (Franklin, TN); Social Media Marketing Intern (Franklin, TN); and Engineering Intern (Canton, MS). I wish that I could be more helpful, but Nissan needs to get their campus and online recruiting acts together.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever driven a Nissan?