One Day, One Job » holiday

Weather Underground

Willy Franzen — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:53:43 +0000

It’s supposed to reach the 50s today in Chicago, but Phil says that we’re in for six more weeks of winter. That kind of prognostication makes me hungry of groundhog stew (it’s a great cold weather meal). Despite my anger at Phil, I’m a huge fan of Groundhog Day–even if I always seem to forget about it. I think it’s great that we have a holiday devoted to the weather, even if it puts most of the focus on a rodent. That’s why I thought today would be a good day to take a look at Weather Underground (groundhogs live underground and predict the weather). They’re “committed to delivering the most reliable, accurate weather information possible,” and they do that by “providing free, real-time online weather information to millions of Web users around the world.” They’re headquartered in Ann Arbor, MI, and they have an office in San Francisco, CA (and jobs in Chicago and NYC). Weather Underground got its start as a Telnet weather service provided by University of Michigan in 1991, and has evolved with the Internet since then.

Underground Opportunities

Everybody has his or her favorite source for weather info–and we all get frustrated by their seemingly poor accuracy. I like Wunderground because of it has a really simple interface and navigation is easy to navigate, yet it provides very detailed technical information. A lot of of other weather sites have too many bells and whistles (or advertising) that interferes with my finding the information that I want. Still, Wunderground does have ads–that’s how they make money in addition to providing premium data services. If you love Groundhog Day for the weather and not the furry critters, then check out the jobs at Weather Underground. Right now they have a few openings that look like good fits for new or recent grads including Marketing Assistant (San Francisco, CA), Junior Sales Planner (San Francisco, CA), Ad Ops Assistant (San Francisco, CA), and Associate Account Executive (Chicago, IL). Oddly enough there’s nothing in Ann Arbor right now, but my guess would be that those would be the meteorology type positions.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you think we’ll have 6 more weeks of winter?

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Willy Franzen — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:24:10 +0000

New Year’s Eve is a wonderful holiday for celebrating a great year past and the prospects of a great future. It’s a time that we spend with family and friends and think about how we can better ourselves. Yet for many alcohol plays a prominent role in the celebration, and the new year begins with a hangover. That’s not my style, but you’re free to have a great night however you want. Just make sure that your alcohol use doesn’t negatively affect anyone else. Most importantly, that means don’t drink and drive. That’s the message that Mothers Against Drunk Driving has been spreading since it was founded in 1980 by Candy Lightner “after her daughter, Cari, was killed by a repeat drunk driving offender.” Three decades later MADD, which has national offices in Irving, TX and Washington, DC and chapters all across the country, has made a lot of progress fighting drunk driving, but there’s a long way to go considering that there is an injury from an alcohol-related crash every minute.

Get MADD

MADD is best known for it’s work to stop drunk driving, but they also do a lot of work to prevent underage drinking and to provide victim services. The organization played an extremely prominent role in pushing for the .08 BAC limit in the U.S., and now they’re setting their sights on legislation that requires convicted drunk drivers to “blow before they go” by installing in car breathalyzers. Some criticize MADD for fudging their statistics and being part of the “alcohol prohibition lobby,” but they’re really just about saving lives. For 2012 their goal is to get U.S. drunk driving fatalities under 10,000. It’s hard to argue with that. If you like what MADD is doing, take a look at their Jobs page. Right now they’re looking for:

Court Monitoring Project Specialist (Chicago, IL)
Court Monitoring Project Specialist (St. Louis, MO)
Program Coordinator (San Diego, CA)
Program Coordinator (Los Angeles, CA)

All of these jobs require some prior experience, but they’re still worth checking out. Have a happy and safe new year!

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Drive safely!

The LEGO Group

Willy Franzen — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 15:04:25 +0000

Now that Christmas is over, it’s time to play with your toys! I may be an adult, but toys still make up a significant part of the gifts I get. I’m hoping that never changes. While LEGOs weren’t on my Christmas list, I’m sure that plenty of kids and adults were thrilled to get them yesterday. That’s why we’re going to take a look at The LEGO Group, a Billund, Denmark based family-owned company (with a number of U.S. locations) that has built a billion dollar business on little colored plastic blocks. Much to the dismay of some LEGO enthusiasts, the growth has come through increasingly more complex sets and lots of cross-branding, but the magic of a bucket full of random LEGO pieces and endless opportunities still exists.

It’s a Block Party

LEGOs are the perfect combination of fun and education. There are a lot of educational toys out there that kind of suck, and there are a lot of fun toys out there that can’t teach you anything. LEGOs bridge that gap and open up your imagination and spatial reasoning skills. We even used them in my 8th grade science class to learn about how things like gears work. What I think is most interesting about The LEGO Group is that they’ve been able to build a brand strong enough to allow them to keep centering their business around little pieces of plastic. Not many other toy companies can do that. I thought of The LEGO Group because a reader e-mailed me a few months ago to tell me that she landed a job with them. The LEGO Group Jobs site isn’t all that easy to use–there are a ton of job postings and no easy way to browse them. Your best bet is to use their Search by Location and Search by Category functions. I’ve still got some toys to play with, so I’m not going to list their entry level jobs for you today, but I’m sure you can find them on your own!

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What did you get for Christmas?

Marine Toys for Tots Foundation

Willy Franzen — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 14:22:51 +0000

I’ve already opened my presents, and once again Santa was good for me (though I still got some coal in my stocking). Merry Christmas! Unfortunately, there are a lot of kids who Santa passes over even though they’re on the “Nice List.” That’s where the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation comes in. They’re based in Triangle, VA, and they “collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.” I never realized that Toys for Tots program was run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve, but they’ve been doing it since 1947 with the goal of assisting youngsters “in becoming responsible, productive, patriotic citizens.” They’re another organization without a jobs page, but I have seen that some of the local programs have had job and internship opportunities in the past. Enjoy your Christmas, and use it to think about opportunities like Toys for Tots that help brighten the holidays for other people.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Merry Christmas!

National Christmas Tree Association

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

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

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What kind of Christmas tree do you have?

Claxton Fruit Cake

Willy Franzen — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:51:55 +0000

I’ve never even seen a fruit cake in person, let alone tasted one, but I know that they’re a part of Christmas tradition for lots of families. For some it’s more of a joke, but for others it’s a serious matter (there must be some fruit cake connoisseurs out there). I’m not sure that Claxton Fruit Cake in Claxton, GA is hiring these days (they may be slowing down in terms of production now), but they are one of the major fruit cake manufactures in the U.S. You could inquire about employment with them, but I think it’s more important that you look to other Christmas traditions that might lead to new ideas for your career search. Even though the holidays are usually a slow time for the job search, they can be a great time for idea generation. Make the most of it!

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

ClaxtonFruitCake.com

Do you eat fruit cake for Christmas?

O’Reilly Media

Willy Franzen — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:26:08 +0000

Is it just me or are Black Friday and Cyber Monday pretty much the same these days? Online retailers have big Black Friday sales and brick and mortar brands are offering tons of Cyber Monday deals online. Still, I figured it was worth browsing Cyber Monday deals to see if I could find some cool job opportunities. I lucked out as a deal for 60% off e-books from O’Reilly Media popped up in my Twitter feed almost immediately. This deal is doubly relevant for job seekers because in addition to having some cool jobs, O’Reilly Media is a Sebastopol, CA based company that “spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, research, and conferences.” In other words, they provide educational tools that can make you far more employable.

Oh, Really?

While I’ve never owned an O’Reilly book or attended one of their conferences, I know that they have an amazing reputation in the innovation community. O’Reilly Media was started by Tim O’Reilly in 1978 as “a technical writing and consulting company,” but in 1984 they started “retaining rights to manuals” they created and began offering them to the public. The business continued to grow, and now they’re at the point where they’re covering nearly everything important that relates to the web and technology in one way or another. You could spend hours just trying to figure out all of the topics the they cover, and I strongly recommend that you do that if you’re considering a job with O’Reilly Media. Right now they have a couple of positions that look like they might interest new or recent grads including Publishing Technology Engineer, Web Producer, and Sales & Marketing Coordinator. They also take on people for freelance work, so that may be another way to get your foot in the door.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you own any books published by O’Reilly Media?

CouponCabin

Willy Franzen — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 17:44:09 +0000

A successful job search is all about improving yourself. One of my favorite places for finding tools and courses to make me a better entrepreneur is AppSumo, and they’re offering amazing 50% off Black Friday deals on gift certificates to use for future AppSumo purchases.

As good as Thanksgiving is for coming up with interesting job search ideas, I prefer Black Friday because it’s centered around commerce and leads to more realistic ideas. Seriously, just open up the newspaper and look at all the ads–you’ll find seemingly endless possibilities. Some of the companies that we’ve featured in the past that are extra relevant today include Amazon, Ernst & Young (you know why they call it Black Friday, right?), Visa, Fatwallet, Slickdeals, Savings.com, LivingSocial, and Groupon. Today we’re going to stick with the discount theme and take a look at CouponCabin. They’re a Whiting, IN based company that searches “tens of thousands of consumer emails, online forums, blogs, and merchant sites each week and even the Sunday newspaper to create a true one-stop-shop for savings.” They were formerly based in Chicago, IL, but they had to move across state lines (they’re still close to Chicago) because of an idiotic tax law that the state of Illinois passed.

Stay at the CouponCabin

CouponCabin is more about everyday discounts than going big for Black Friday, but they did build a Coupon Detector that can help you “be a Black Friday Ninja.” CouponCabin’s key differentiator is their quality control. I’ve used a ton of coupon sites that have expired coupon codes. CouponCabin tests all of their offers at least three times a week to ensure that users aren’t frustrated by dead deals. Their average user saves $19, they’ve saved users $22,005,132 over the past 90 days, and they’ve had 231,597,756 deals clicked since they launched in 2003. It’s no wonder that CouponCabin has been growing at an exceptional rate; in fact, they just raised $54 million in funding last month. That’s why you shouldn’t be discouraged by the fact that their Jobs page doesn’t show any listings right now. I’ll bet that money spurs some hiring pretty soon, so take CouponCabin up on their suggestion that you send a general application. It’s a more worthwhile way to spend a little time on Black Friday than “saving money” by spending money.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Find any good Black Friday deals?

Victorinox Swiss Army

Willy Franzen — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 17:15:40 +0000

In case you haven’t noticed, I love using holidays themes to pick companies. Sometimes I get a little silly with companies or organizations that would never actually have jobs, but it’s really all about getting you to have a little fun and start thinking more creatively. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays to use for idea generation because you can take it in so many directions. In past years I’ve looked at Jennie-O, Plimoth Plantation and Colonial Williamsburg, Pilgrim’s Pride, Macy’s, Williams-Sonoma, National Wild Turkey Federation, and Food Bank for New York City. I’ve exhausted a lot of options, so I started racking my brain–I even looked up Thanksgiving bingo cards for ideas. Then I realized that Thanksgiving is nothing without a good carving knife. No matter how well you cook that turkey, if you can’t piece it out properly, you’ve failed. And who makes a top rated (by America’s Test Kitchen) kitchen knives? Victorinox Swiss Army does–and super affordable ones at that. You probably think of the Monroe, CT based company for the little red pocket knives that have a whole bunch of tools, but they make all kinds of cutlery in addition to watches, travel gear, and clothing.

Essential Equipment for Job Search Adventures

Victorinox Swiss Army is a super recognizable brand even though it’s one that you probably don’t think of all that often. The company got its start in 1884 in Ibach-Schwyz, Switzerland as a cutlery workshop, and since then “handcraftsmanship, quality and functionality has been the top priority for Victorinox Swiss Army.” Unfortunately, Victorinox Swiss Army doesn’t provide too much more information about themselves, so I guess looking at their products is the best way to get to know them better. If you like what you see, then you should consider Jobs at Victorinox Swiss Army. Right now they have a number of openings including Consumer Support Rep (Monroe, CT), Order Management Rep (Monroe, CT), and a few retail positions in New York.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you have a Swiss Army knife?

Whole Foods Market

Willy Franzen — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:53:38 +0000

Even though I’m not a huge fan of turkey, I love Thanksgiving. It’s an all around great holiday for spending time with family and friends, and it gives me the opportunity to do some serious cooking. Some of my favorites are yams with marshmallows on top, brussels sprouts with bacon and onions, and apple pie. I’ve also been known to make a maple syrup slathered, bacon covered turkey, but I usually get overruled by people who inexplicably love bland, overcooked, dry white breast meat. I’m actually dying to try America Test Kitchen’s recipe, which includes brining and putting ice packs on the breasts so they cook slower than the rest of the bird. Anyway, I’ll likely be doing some shopping at Whole Foods Market this afternoon. I used to shop at normally priced supermarkets, but there’s one thing that keeps me coming back to bougie grocery stores like Whole Foods: bacon. You can’t get good quality bacon at a regular supermarket. And once you’re buying fancy bacon, you might as well get organic brussel sprouts and grass-fed beef and those awesome salted, chocolate-covered caramels that they sell.

Make Yourself Whole

Whole Foods Market isn’t just about being a higher end grocery store. They’re “the world’s leader in natural and organic foods,” and they “maintain the strictest quality standards in the industry, and have an unshakeable commitment to sustainable agriculture.” Some people are happy paying more at Whole Foods because they get to choose from five different kinds of bacon; others because they know the pigs the bacon came from were humanely and sustainably raised. Whole Foods Market got its start in Austin, TX in 1980, and because of their unique value proposition they’ve been able to grow to more than 310 stores. A key part of that massive growth has been how they treat their people. They’ve worked extremely hard to build a “decentralized, self-directed team culture and create a respectful workplace where people are treated fairly and are highly motivated to succeed.” That’s why you might notice that Whole Foods employees are more helpful and more pleasant than the average supermarket employee.

A typical college grad probably isn’t even considering a grocery store as an employment option, but Whole Foods has created an environment that attracts great talent. They’ve been named one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” by Fortune for the past 14 years, and they offer exceptional benefits. They generally do a great job with their Careers site, though they don’t make it easy to find Corporate positions. Before you dig into their job postings, I recommend that you read up on Whole Foods Market’s Career Paths and Hiring Process. You have to navigate Whole Foods’ job listings by geography, so if you want to find corporate positions you have to look at Texas. The company’s culture is big on hiring from within, so getting started in one of their stores is definitely a smart choice.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What are you cooking for Thanksgiving?

Tootsie Roll Industries

Willy Franzen — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:01:21 +0000

I was a master Trick-or-Treater as a kid. I had a plan for Halloween, and it was all about maximizing my candy haul. I laughed at the kids who carried around those stupid pumpkin pails for candy. I had a backpack and an extra bag just in case. If I didn’t get double digit pounds of candy, I was disappointed. The best part was seeing all kinds of weird candy that you don’t see at other times of the year. One of my favorites was the tootsie rolls that came in flavors other than the traditional chocolate (which I hate). If you pay attention to the wrappers you realize not only that there are a ton of different candy companies out there, but also that a lot of the big ones are behind more brands than you’d ever think. One of the big names in the confections industry is Tootsie Roll Industries, which is based in Chicago, IL. They market and manufacture Andes, Charleston Chew, Charms Blow Pops, Dubble Bubble, Junior Mints, Razzles, Sugar Daddy, along with the obvious ones like Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Pops.

Let Me See You Tootsie Roll!

Before we jump in to talking about Tootsie Roll’s jobs, we’re going to go back to Trick-or-Treating and how it can actually help your job search. While going door to door asking for a job probably won’t work, sorting through a massive pile of different kinds of candy could. Effective job searching is all about idea generation, and a bucket of candy could probably introduce you to a dozen companies that you never even considered working for (or only one if you bought one of those grab bags from the store). You can do the same with cleaning supplies under your kitchen sink (CPG companies) or books on your shelf (publishers). Sometimes you just need to step away from looking for jobs, and start looking for interesting companies. Now, let’s get back to Tootsie Roll Industries. They’re a publicly traded company with half a billion dollars in annual revenue and thousands of employees, but their Jobs page doesn’t really answer any questions. It has the following information:

If you’re interested in applying to join the Tootsie team, you must meet the following criteria:

1. You’re eager to contribute to a long tradition of confectionary excellence;
2. You’re responding to a CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES posting
(Tootsie neither retains nor considers unsolicited resumes); and
3. You’re not averse to sharing your workspace with giant bowls of tasty, complimentary candy.

But then there aren’t any current opportunities posted. There isn’t even a message saying that they don’t have any openings right now. That’s pretty mean after getting us all excited with point #3–I guess it’s a trick and not a treat today. So you can either wait for a job to be posted, reach out to them against their wishes through their Contact page or LinkedIn, or look at some of the other candy companies that we’ve featured like: Russell Stover, Mars, The Hershey Company, NECCO, Charles Chocolates, Jelly Belly, Just Born Quality Confections, and Vosges. Or you could check out other Halloween related organizations like the Pennsylvania Manufacturing Confectioners’ Association, Trick or Vote, or Children’s Dental Health Project. I hope all those links didn’t scare you off.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Boo!

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

Willy Franzen — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 17:01:25 +0000

Columbus Day isn’t much of a holiday anymore–it’s become yet another regular work and school day for many. It makes sense considering Christopher Columbus wasn’t really the guy that my 1st grade teacher taught me that he was. Still, I’m amazed by the feats of guys like Columbus (which is why I’ve written about Garmin and Facet Technology on past Columbus Days). Getting in a boat with an uncertain route to a far away destination still seems crazy to me, and these guys did it in a time when navigation equipment was quite basic. Their minds would be blown if they knew what kind of information the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (formerly the National Imagery and Mapping Agency) has. The agency is headquartered in Springfield, VA and has major facilities in St. Louis, MO (I learned about them from one of my awesome interns whose boyfriend works for the NGA). They are part of the Department of Defense, and they are tasked with providing “timely, relevant, and accurate geospatial intelligence in support of national security.”

Do You Have Geospatial Intelligence?

If you want an example of what the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency does, you’re not going to get a full answer because a lot of what they do is classified. However, they have been identified as playing a “critical role” in Operation Neptune’s Spear, which was the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden. The agency’s employees operate in a number of areas including aeronautical analysis, cartography, geospatial analysis, imagery analysis, marine analysis, the physical sciences, geodesy, computer and telecommunication engineering, photogrammetry, and more. The NGA website is ok, but I highly recommend that you check out Wikipedia’s entry on the agency for a really good overview of the organization’s history and what it does.

If you like what you read, then you’ll want to take a look at the NGA’s Careers page. (Remember that we’re dealing with the federal government, so this isn’t going to be simple.) First, you’ll probably want to visit the Occupations page, where you’ll see that the NGA offers the following positions:

Accountants
Aeronautical Analyst
Bathymetrist
Contract Specialist
Counterintelligence Officers
Enterprise Account Managers
Geodetic Surveyors
Geospatial Data Stewards
Geospatial Intelligence Analysts
HD Consultants
Imagery Scientists
Imagery Intelligence Analysts
Information Assurance Officers
Maritime Analysts
Open Source Analysts
Police Officers
Political Geographers
Program Management Execution Officers
Project Scientists
Recruiters
Regional Geographers
Regional Source Analysts
Scientific and Technial Program Managers
Source Strategies Analysts
Systems Engineers

You won’t see most of these positions in the NGA’s Current Opportunities, so you may be better off meeting them at one of their On-Campus Recruiting Events or by reaching out to them at recruitment@nga.mil. You may also want to read through the NGA’s Recruitment FAQs and looking at their Application Process. It’s all complicated, but that’s to be expected with one of our country’s intelligence agencies.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Are you amazed by what the NGA does?

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?

National Hot Rod Association

Willy Franzen — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 15:46:56 +0000

I suffer from Labor Day cognitive dissonance. I love the idea of a long weekend dedicated to celebrating our productivity (even if it does mean the end of summer), but I feel that in a lot of ways that we’ve missed the mark. After spending four years studying Labor Relations in college and another four years devoted to helping college students make the most of their productive capacity, I’ve come to realize that we are going to have to radically change the way we look at work if we’re going to continue to succeed individually and as a nation. But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t appreciate Labor Day for what it has become, an awesome day off. In past years we’ve looked at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Department of Labor, and Stetson (read the post if you want to know what they have to do with Labor Day). Today we’re going to look at the National Hot Rod Association, which is “the world’s largest motorsports sanctioning body with 80,000 members, 140 member tracks, more than 35,000 licensed competitors, and more than 5,000 member-track events.” The Glendora, CA based NHRA has been around for 60 years now, and their races seem to keep getting faster.

Hot Roddin’

You’re probably wondering what the heck the National Hot Rod Association has to do with Labor Day. Well, I learned from the Wikipedia article on Labor day that the NHRA annually holds “their finals to the U.S. Nationals drag race” at Indy on Labor Day. I also think that cars that can go up to 330 MPH are a great way to showcase how productive labor can be. If you think that hot rods are awesome and would consider working for the NHRA, check out their Jobs page. While they mention openings in areas including Accounting and Finance, Administration/General Management, Communications/Community Relations, Competition/Officiating, Event Management, Facility Operations/Event Staff, Human Resources, Information Technology/Web Services, Legal, Sales & Marketing, and Technical Services, the only active posting they have is for Notification of Future Opportunities. It looks like you can apply for this “position,” so maybe they’ll contact you if they like what they see.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you watch the NHRA finals?

Nathan’s Famous

Willy Franzen — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 16:34:01 +0000

Today is all about celebrating America! In past years we’ve looked at Phantom Fireworks, the National Safety Council, and the Daughters of the American Revolution. Fireworks, fireworks safety, and the American Revolution are all great patriotic things, but nothing makes me love my country like watching grown human beings gorge themselves for the sake of gorging (I kind of feel awful for talking about this after featuring an anti-hunger non-profit yesterday). The Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest is especially patriotic this year, as it represents a huge step forward for women’s equality–yes, there was a women’s division of the contest this year. For a while the Japanese had more Fourth of July pride than we did, as Takeru Kobayashi won six consecutive contests from 2001 to 2006, but in 2007 an American named Joey Chestnut took the championship, and he’s held on to it ever since. He even holds the world record for eating 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes. While the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest is held on Coney Island, the Nathan’s Famous corporate office is actually located in Jericho, NY. According to Wikipedia, Nathan’s worldwide presence “consists of 24 company-owned units, 380 franchised or licensed units and more than 1,400 stores in 41 states, the District of Columbia and 17 foreign countries.”

Will You Be Famous

I don’t know how many of you have had a Nathan’s Hot Dog, but I think they’re pretty good. (My favorite hot dog comes from Rawley’s in Fairfield, CT.) If they weren’t, do you think Joey Chestnut would be able to eat 68 of them in 10 minutes? It’s hard to not think about the Hot Dog Eating Contest when you think about Nathan’s, but they’re a serious business. If you want all the details, check out their Investor Relations Page, which has a ton of info because Nathan’s Famous is a publicly traded company. If you like what you see and you love hot dogs, maybe you should check out the Nathan’s Famous Jobs page. They don’t list specific job opportunities, and not many of their employees are on LinkedIn, but you have to think that a company with 1,400+ stores has a decent-sized corporate office. And if this whole thing grosses you out, hopefully you can find another way to celebrate our freedom.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever had a Nathan’s hot dog?

Johnsonville Sausage

Willy Franzen — Mon, 30 May 2011 13:35:34 +0000

Memorial Day is one of my favorite holidays. Some think that it’s unfortunate that the day has taken on a dual meaning, but I really enjoy both parts of the holiday. That’s why we took a look at Hope for the Warriors and their potential job opportunities yesterday, and today we’re going to look at the lighter side of Memorial Day. In past years we’ve featured jobs at Weber-Stephen, The National Park Service, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway because all three have solid connections to the holiday. Today it’s all about Johnsonville Sausage, which is based in Sheboygan Falls, WI. I’m back to talking about grilling because it’s the first Memorial Day in three years that I’ll actually have a grill at my disposable. I’ll admit that Johnsonville products aren’t my first choice for grilling (I like steaks), but I do love brats.

Take a Trip to Johnsonville

Apparently Otto von Bismarck said, “Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made.” As someone who took a class called Meat Science in college and got an A+, I completely disagree. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the sausage making process, especially when you get to cook and eat it after the fact. Johnsonville Sausage is probably best known for their bratwurst, but they also offer Italian, Breakfast, Smoked, and Snack Sausage. Johnsonville also recently started offering three types of chicken sausage. If you’re excited about any of these types of sausage, then you need to check out jobs at Johnsonville Sausage. They have a pretty nice looking careers site (it makes me hungry) and some interesting jobs posted (though nothing immediately available that looks perfect for a new grad), so give them a look.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What are you grilling for Memorial Day?

Hope for the Warriors

Willy Franzen — Sun, 29 May 2011 14:31:54 +0000

I’m all about celebrating Memorial Day Weekend as the official kickoff of summer. It’s a great time to grill, go to the beach, spend time outdoors, and catch up with friends, but we should never forget what the holiday is really about–remembering and honoring those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country. I spent a good amount of time this morning looking at non-profits that server our servicemen and their families. There are a ton of them, but most are small and don’t really seem to have employment opportunities. One that I came across that is a little bigger is Hope for the Warriors. They’re based in Jacksonville, NC, and they aim to “enhance quality of life for U.S. service members and their families nationwide who have been adversely affected by injuries or death in the line of duty.” That’s a mission that all Americans should want to get behind, and maybe some of you can help by working for them.

Help Bring Hope

Hope for the Warriors was founded in 2006 by a group of military wives. They were on the front lines of a growing problem (the way war rips apart families), so they decided to do something about it. Hope for the Warriors now operates a variety of programs, all of which are focused on making life a little bit better for military families. Some of these programs include A Warrior’s Wish…, Above & Beyond, Warrior House, and Spouses Scholarships. To really get a feel for what Hope for the Warriors is all about, you need to get familiar with their programs. If you like what you see, you should check in on Idealist to see if they have any job opportunities posted. Right now there’s nothing posted, but they had a couple about a month ago. If you’re a go-getter, you may just want to reach out to them and see if you might be able to fit in somewhere in the organization.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

How are you observing Memorial Day?

Center for Environmental Health

Willy Franzen — Sun, 08 May 2011 13:00:27 +0000

Happy Mother’s Day! Thank you to all of the Moms out there, especially mine. Since Mother’s Day always falls on a Sunday, I always try to find a non-profit to feature that is at least tangentially connected to motherhood. In past year’s we’ve taken a look at Baby’s First Home, Family Health and Birth Center, and Crittenton Women’s Union (they often seem to have a lot of positions open). Today we’re going to look at the Center for Environmental Health based in Oakland, CA. Their name doesn’t quite fit in with the other three that I mentioned, but you’ll see how they fit in to the theme in a second. The Center for Environmental Health is a non-profit that “is working to eliminate the threat that chemicals pose to children, families, and communities.” They’re also the home of the MOMS (Making Our Milk Safe) Project, which is a group that has the mission of “protecting the health of our babies by eliminating the growing threat of toxic chemicals and industrial pollutants in human breast milk.”

MOMS to Keep Us Safe

Toxins are scary because we don’t really know where they’re coming from, whether we’re absorbing them, or how they’re affecting us. Where you eat, drink, breathe, and sleep can have huge affects on your longterm health, yet it’s difficult to know what environmental factors we need to worry most about. This gets even scarier when we consider that mothers can pass toxins on to their babies through breast milk. It’s hard to know how big of a deal this is, and there’s a good chance that the folks at the Center for Environmental Health and the MOMS Project are making too much of the issue, but we won’t know until they look into it deeper. There’s a lot of science that is yet to be done to determine what environmental factors are having the greatest negative effects on our longterm health. The Center for Environmental Health is constantly pushing their programs so that Moms and everyone else can make the right decisions for avoiding chemical threats. If you want to be a part of the Center for Environmental Health, then you should check out their Jobs page. Right now they’re looking for a Temporary Research Assistant. The listing does say that the application deadline has passed, but it’s still posted so I think it’s still worth applying. There’s also a Research Internship in New York posted on the CEH page, and on the Making Our Milk Safe page on Idealist. Check those out too.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

How are you celebrating Mother’s Day?

Goya Foods

Willy Franzen — Thu, 05 May 2011 14:35:11 +0000

Happy Cinco de Mayo! I haven’t done a celebratory post for today’s holiday since I featured Party City in 2008, so I think it’s about time. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is mostly a general celebration of Mexican culture (much like St. Patrick’s Day celebrates Irish culture). In my opinion there’s no better way to observe this kind of holiday than by enjoying the culture’s food (some may prefer imbibing the culture’s alcoholic beverage of choice). When I think of Mexican food, Secaucus, NJ based Goya Foods is one of the brands that comes to mind. They are the “the largest, Hispanic-owned food company in the United States,” and they consider themselves “the premier source for authentic Latino cuisine” (that also includes Spanish, Puerto Rican, Caribbean, and Central & South American foods). The company offers more than 1,500 products, and many of them are ingredients for home cooking, which is exactly what holidays like Cinco de Mayo should really be about.

The Goya Mystery

Goya Foods is a big company. They have more than 3,000 employees, and they were the 355th largest privately owned company in 2006 according to Forbes. Yet, there is absolutely no evidence that they have jobs. They don’t have a Careers page. There aren’t any job listings that I can find through Google. There’s nothing. The only thing that I could find were some jobs at Flightpath, an ad agency that serves Goya. You’re probably asking why I’m writing about them then. Occasionally, I like to give you a challenge. Goya clearly has jobs. With 3,000+ employees and a good number of them on LinkedIn, there have to be some opportunities available. There aren’t any articles about layoffs or hiring freezes. There’s nothing. That doesn’t mean you should give up your interest in potentially working for Goya. Do some research, and start reaching out to people. See what you can find. It may not lead anywhere, but if you do find an in, you probably won’t be dealing with much competition for the job. And if you solve the mystery, please let me know how you did it.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

How are you celebrating Cinco de Mayo?

Jaguar Land Rover

Willy Franzen — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 16:22:39 +0000

After driving for nearly 14 hours to get from Connecticut back to Chicago yesterday, I fell asleep well before my usual bedtime. As a result, I woke up extra early today–but not quite early enough to watch the Royal Wedding. Lucky for me, my girlfriend decided to DVR it. Despite my pretending to be disgruntled at having to watch a wedding on television, I actually found the whole thing to be somewhat interesting. I was especially intrigued by the fact that the whole thing kind of became a British car show. There were a bunch of Bentleys, a few Rolls Royces, and a Jaguar that carried Carole and James Middleton. Oddly enough, none of these car companies are still British owned. Bentley is owned by Volkswagen, Rolls-Royce Motors is owned by BMW (and the original Rolls-Royce company isn’t in the automobile business anymore), and Jaguar was owned by Ford and is now owned by an Indian company called Tata. Still, the Brits seem to be especially proud of their car brands, and that includes Jaguar Land Rover, which is based in Gaydon, UK but they also have a reasonable presence in the United States out of Mahwah, NJ.

Hear Jaguar Roar

We all know Jaguar as a luxury automobile brand, and that’s exactly what they are. Jaguar probably doesn’t have the most youthful image, but that makes sense since most people can’t afford fancy cars until later in life. Jaguar actually got its start as the Swallow Sidecar Company, which made sidecars for motorcycles, but they eventually moved on to manufacturing automobiles and changed their name after World War II. The company is now obviously very international; however, most of their operations still occur in the United Kingdom and they’re still very much a British company. Beyond the cameo in the Royal Wedding, Jaguar manufactures cars for the British Prime Minister and “holds Royal Warrants from HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Charles.” Jaguar doesn’t offer much information about their company or their careers on their website, but you can check out their jobs here. I got excited because they have a bunch of Analyst positions, but those all require 5 years of experience. The one seemingly entry level position that they have right now is Land Rover Parts Operations Coordinator. You can check that out, or wait to see what other positions they might post in the near future. And don’t be afraid to use the Royal Wedding for other job search ideas.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Did you watch the Royal Wedding?

ASPCA

Willy Franzen — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 15:19:37 +0000

Sponsored Jobs: Love restaurants and looking for an entry level job? SinglePlatform has a ton of positions that are perfect for you. They’re our sponsor this week, and you can check out all of their positions here.

As I mentioned on Friday in our post on Russell Stover, I get pretty excited about Easter candy. There’s nothing better than a basket full of jelly beans, peanut butter eggs, marshmallow eggs, and chocolate bunnies. Some people prefer a little more reality in their Easter baskets though. In the past it wasn’t uncommon for people to give real bunnies, chicks, ducklings, and even lambs to their kids as Easter gifts, and I’m sure there are still some people doing it. It’s really cute, but it’s not a good idea unless the family is actually prepared to care for the properly as they grow up. That means most people should leave their bunnies chocolate, their chicks marshmallow, and their lambs… well we’re having lamb for dinner tonight. The The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals typically agrees (maybe not with the lamb part)–they even have a page on Rabbits as Easter Gifts that links to a site called MakeMineChocolate.org. The ASPCA is a New York, NY based non-profit that has aimed “to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States” since it was founded in 1866.

Calling All Animal Lovers

While the ASPCA may deal with the occasional chick, duckling, or bunny, the majority of their work centers around dogs and cats. These are obviously the most popular and most broadly loved types of pets, but they also are extremely likely to end up as victims of cruelty. The ASPCA not only works to protect these animals in a variety of ways, but they were actually the “first humane organization to be granted legal authority to investigate and make arrests for crimes against animals.” The range of services offered by the ASPCA is quite broad, and your best bet for getting to know them is to browse around their site. Once you get a better feel for the ASPCA, you can check out their Jobs page. They have a number of positions available including Administrative Assistant – Anti-Cruetly Group, Graphic Designer, Humane Law Enforcement, Marketing Assistant, Part Time Animal Care Technician, Part Time Data Verification Assistant, Veterinary Assistant, and Special Event Assistant. It’s like an Easter Egg Hunt! Go find something good.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about the ASPCA?

Washington Wilderness Coalition

Willy Franzen — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 13:30:17 +0000

Yesterday I was too busy talking about candy to mention that it was Earth Day. Luckily, a good friend reminded me that I should probably cover an environmentally minded non-profit today. I did a quick search, and came across the Washington Wilderness Coalition. They’re based in Seattle, WA, and they aim to “to preserve and restore wild areas in Washington State through citizen empowerment, support for grassroots community groups, advocacy and public education.” That’s something that I can get behind since I’ve enjoyed Washington State’s wilderness. In 2007 I spent a day fly fishing the Klickitat River. I didn’t catch anything but one tiny rainbow trout/steelhead, but I got to enjoy the scenery and spot some cool wildlife. It’s just the kind of place that Washington Wilderness Coalition aims to protect, and it’s definitely worth protecting.

Join the Coalition

Washington Wilderness Coalition is over 30 years old and 10,000 members strong, and they keep working to idnetify new issues and put together new projects to achieve their mission of preserving Washington’s wildlife. Some of the issues that they’re currently concerned with include mining, logging, off-road vehicle access, and endangered species. One of the organization’s relatively early successes was raising “the public support necessary to pass the 1984 Washington Wilderness Act, which protected over a million acres of wilderness.” You can read about more recent successes here. If you like what you see, then you should check out Washington Wilderness Coalition’s Jobs page and their Idealist page. Right now they’re looking for a Volunteer Coordinator and a Telephone Outreach Organizer and Membership Assistant (part-time). The latter position is posted on the organization’s Jobs page, so give it a look.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about Washington Wilderness Coalition?

Russell Stover

Willy Franzen — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 11:15:58 +0000

I always like to tie in holidays to the companies that I feature, so when Easter comes around I usually go looking for candy companies. Last year I actually found a candy related non-profit in PMCA, but in previous years I’ve featured Jelly Belly and Just Born Quality Confections (Peeps!) on Good Friday. I’ve also used other holidays like Halloween and Valentine’s Day to look at even more candy companies including Mars, The Hershey Company, NECCO, Charles Chocolates, and Vosges. I guess you can tell that I have a sweet tooth. This year we’re going to take a look at Russell Stover, a Kansas City, MO based confectioner that also owns Whitman’s and Pangburn’s. They’re the nation’s third largest chocolate manufacturer behind Hershey’s and Mars, and they’re the leader when it comes to boxed chocolates.

Are You Sweet on These Jobs?

I have to admit that Russell Stover doesn’t always do it for me at Easter time. Their chocolate bunnies are pretty good, but I feel like I’m too old to be chomping on a chocolate bunny these days. I much prefer marshmallow and peanut butter eggs, and I think Hershey’s and Reese’s have Stover beat on the respective products. There must be a lot of people who disagree with me though, because Russell Stover candies seem to get a ton of shelf space. If you’re one of them, then maybe you’ll want to consider a career at Russell Stover. Their Jobs page offers some information, but it oddly doesn’t provide a listing of jobs. They do, however, invite interested applicants to apply to jobs@rstover.com. If you’d prefer to actually have a job to apply to, you can use our Indeed search function to get a better read on Russell Stover’s current job offerings. They’re a pretty big company, so there should be a relatively wide range of opportunities.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you enjoy Russell Stover candies?

StubHub

Willy Franzen — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 15:52:08 +0000

It’s Opening Day! (Check out all of our baseball related jobs.) For me it’s like Christmas in April…or late March (it just doesn’t feel right when the season starts in March).I try to watch as many Yankees games as I possibly can, so my daily routine will have to change for the next 7 months. When I first moved to Chicago, I religiously used the MLB At Bat app on my iPhone to listen to games. Then I got DirecTV with MLB Extra Innings so that I could watch all of the games in HD. Now I’m using MLB.tv for viewing games on my phone, laptop, and television through an AppleTV (I’ve already watched quite a few spring training games). However, none of these compare to actually catching a game in person. Unfortunately, when the Yankees come to Chicago to play the Cubs at Wrigley this year, I’m going to be out of town. But last year when they came to play the White Sox, I was able to easily get tickets through StubHub. They’re a San Francisco, CA based company that is owned by eBay and enables people to buy and sell tickets to all sorts of events.

Your Ticket to a New Job

Buying tickets on the secondary market is scary for a lot of people. I had a surprisingly good experience with a drugged out scalper in Denver (for $10 I ended up in the 3rd row, but I figured there was at least a 50% chance the ticket was counterfeit) and a terrible experience with a seemingly reputable ticket broker (my Dad bought me playoff tickets for my 13th birthday and when we showed up at the stadium the broker didn’t have them). StubHub eliminates all of the uncertainty with their FanProtect Guarantee. Even better, you can often get your tickets delivered electronically. I’ve also found that if you wait until about 3 hours before a game, you can often get tickets for well below face value (but don’t wait too long because they close ticket sales 2 hours before the game). This means that if a friend bails at the last minute, you can e-mail or text another friend the ticket. StubHub has really helped push ticketing into the 21st century. StubHub is a “middleman” that provides a ton of extra value, which is why you might want to take a look at their Careers page.

StubHub’s Jobs page dumps you into the eBay Careers site, which is a little annoying. It’s unclear whether eBay’s Campus Recruiting also covers StubHub, but you can just run a search with StubHub as the “subsidiary” to see all of the job postings at StubHub. Right now there are a few positions that seem suitable for new or recent grads including Seller Experience Associate and Sourcing Representative. (I can’t link directly to the postings because eBay uses BrassRing, which is another terrible Applicant Tracking System made by Kenexa.) The eBay Campus Recruiting page also mentions job opportunities in Information Security Engineering, Project Management, QA Engineering, Research, Software Engineering, Business Process Analysis, Business Development, and Trust and Marketing Management, but I don’t know how many (if any) of those titles would apply at StubHub.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

If you like what you see at StubHub, you may also want to check out jobs at SeatGeek.

Wolverine World Wide

Willy Franzen — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 15:04:01 +0000

Today’s a big day–not only is it St. Patrick’s Day (in past years we’ve taken a look at General Mills, Luck Stone, and Shamrock Boats) but it’s also the start of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. And what ties those two things together (besides being excuses for drinking during the day)? Shoes! It’s a little-known fact that all leprechauns are shoemakers, and we know that all basketball players are obsessed with shoes. That’s why we’re going to take a look at Wolverine World Wide, a multi-brand shoe company based in Rockford, MI. Their brands include Bates, Cat Footwear, Chaco, Cushe, Harley-Davidson Footwear, Hush Puppies, HyTest, Merrell, Patagonia Footwear, Sebago, Track ‘n Trail, and Wolverine, almost all of which are targeted towards rugged, outdoorsy customer bases. Most of the brands don’t offer great footwear for playing basketball, but they have plenty of shoes for leprechauns that wants to cause mischief and trek to and from the end of the rainbow.

Wolverines and Leprechauns

Wolverine World Wide was founded in 1883, and since then they’ve been making high quality leather products. At first it was pigskin work gloves, then horsehide shoes. Now their products have high-tech materials like those that come from Vibram. Wolverine World Wide has come a long way over the past 125 years, and I’m not just talking about their footwear. As they’ve added brands, they’ve been able to expand their reach to the point that they now have sold products in 190 countries. That’s no surprise considering the respect that Wolverine World Wide’s brands command in the world of footwear (Sebago is my favorite). If you love shoes, but more from a functional standpoint than a fashion standpoint, then check out careers at Wolverine World Wide. They don’t have a ton of positions that seem suitable for recent grads (they do offer a bunch of internships), but the following positions are worth taking a look at: Designer, Corporate Accounting Analyst, Global Web Content Producer, and Customer Service Representative. There are also a bunch of retail positions posted.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you own shoes from any of Wolverine World Wide’s brands?

Orbotix

Willy Franzen — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:53:40 +0000

I love Pi Day. It’s a geeky holiday that comes with an awesome way to celebrate (eating pie). I’ve never been able to find a pie company with solid entry level opportunities, but in past years we’ve looked at Pi Media and The Mathematical Association of America for pi-related jobs. I had forgotten that today was Pi Day, and I was already going to write about Orbotix, and then I realized that they couldn’t be more perfect for the holiday. They’re a Boulder, CO based company that I came across when I was reading Feld Thoughts, and they’ve revolutionized the simplest and best toy ever created–the ball. Their product is called Sphero, and it’s a robotic ball that you can control with your smartphone. I think it could be the next big Christmas blockbuster toy, but even if it’s just relegated to geeks and cat owners, it should sell a ton.

4/3 π r Cubed

There’s no better way to learn how Orbotix has harnessed the power of pi in Sphero than by watching a video of Sphero in action (e-mail readers should click through).

I’m sure some of you aren’t impressed by a video of a ball rolling around, but I am. It’s impressive technology, and it’s only the beginning for Orbotix. They say that they work “with consumer electronics companies and developers to bring phone controlled open devices to market,” so it looks like there will be plenty of other devices in the future–especially if Sphero is successful. Now, Sphero isn’t on the market yet, but they do have a reservation list. They expect to release Sphero in late 2011, and now it looks like they’re working on growing their team as they near launch. Their Jobs page lists some amazing perks along with some really great opportunities. These include Social Media & Marketing Manger, Electrical Engineer (Controls/Firmware), Game Designer, iPhone Game Developer, and Android Game Developer. Orbotix has some exciting times ahead, and they really look like a cool place to work, so give them a closer look if you’re excited about their balls. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the best part, Orbotix employees get to make balls jokes all day.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Would you buy a Sphero?

Necco

Willy Franzen — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 15:57:39 +0000

Want to be our Valentine? All you have to do is go to your career services office and declare your love for us. And if you’re really hot for us, why don’t you convince them to add a link to us from their website?

Happy Valentine’s Day! May you get many Justin Bieber valentines with “Love” crossed out and “From” written in. And if you’re really lucky, maybe there will be a few Sweethearts Conversation Hearts tucked into the envelope. I’ve never particularly enjoyed the taste of those little candies, but they’re still a lot of fun. You may or may not realize that these little hearts come from Necco, the company that also manufactures Necco Wafers, Mary Jane, Haviland, Clark, Skybar, Mighty Malts, Candy Buttons, Canada Mints, Squirrel Nut Zippers, and Slap Stix. The company is based in Revere, MA, and I didn’t realize that their name was an acronym for New England Confectionery Company until I drove by their factory in a cab from Boston Logan Airport.

Be Theirs

Necco is America’s “oldest multi-line candy company.” They were founded in the summer of 1847, and since then they’ve been behind some classic candy brands. One of the facts that I learned about Necco that fascinates me is that they Sweethearts Conversation Hearts are manufactured from late February through mid-January for the coming Valentine’s Day season. The company manufactures 100,000 pounds of the hearts every day, and stockpiles them for a six-week period in which they’ll sell out. That’s ridiculous. Luckily for Necco, most of their other products aren’t quite as seasonal. Anyway, Necco doesn’t have a Careers page, but I did find an Inventory Analyst position posted here. And if you’d like to inquire about other positions, you can try Necco’s Contact page. Now, the only question is whether you can craft your entire resume out of Conversation Hearts.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your favorite Conversation Heart saying?

Toro

Willy Franzen — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:33:23 +0000

I love going out in blizzards, and Groundhog Day is my favorite made up holiday. (On past Groundhog Days we’ve look at opportunities with The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, MyPunchBowl, and NOAA.) Unfortunately, I was up sick all night, so I’m not going to be able to enjoy either today. And even if I was feeling well, I probably wouldn’t be able to get anywhere without a serious snow blower. Since I’m taking a snow/sick day, it’s up to you to take a look at one of the leading manufacturers of snowblowers, Toro. They’re a Bloomington, MN based company that also makes lawnmowers, golf and grounds equipment, commercial landscaping equipment, and irrigation equipment.

Toro! Toro!

Since I’m under the weather in more ways than one, I’m going to let you do all of the research on Toro. There’s a lot to learn about them, but eventually you should end up on their Campus Relations page. It gives the full rundown on entry level jobs, internships, and co-ops. And if Toro’s not for you, think about other companies that might be relevant to today’s weather situation.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever used any Toro equipment?

Public Conversations Project

Willy Franzen — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 15:38:18 +0000

On past New Year’s Days we’ve taken a look at companies that help you achieve your resolutions like Moleskine and Mint, but since it’s a weekend we are going to look at a non-profit organization. Since I haven’t come across any charitable organizations that help people achieve their New Year’s Resolutions, we’re going to look at an organization that helps people come to resolutions when they have conflict. Public Conversations Project is based in Watertown, MA, and they believe “that better communication and relationships are critical to long-lasting amelioration of conflicts that involve identities, core values, and worldviews.” If you can take on a similar set of beliefs, you’ll be primed for a successful New Year.

Conversations for the New Year

Public Conversations Project “guides, trains, and inspires individuals, organizations, and communities to constructively address conflicts relating to values and worldviews.” These may not be skills that you’ve thought of developing, but learning how to affectively deal with conflict is essential to a successful personal life and a successful career. Beyond reading a general overview of Public Conversations Project, you’ll want to look at their Dialogue in Action, their Workshops, and their Resources. After you look through those, you should get a good idea for how Public Conversations Project works. Now, Public Conversations Project doesn’t have a Jobs page, but they do post positions on Idealist. There’s nothing entry level posted right now, but maybe you can convince them to add you for the New Year.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your New Year’s Resolution?

American Pyrotechnics Association

Willy Franzen — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 14:00:33 +0000

I know that a lot of you are buried under feet of snow and not excited to hear about my vacation in the sunshine, but you’re going to have to deal with it today. This is the 6th consecutive New Year’s Eve that I’ve spent in Aruba, and every year it’s celebrated with lots and lots of fireworks. Unless you’ve been here for New Year’s Eve, there is no way that you can understand the amount of fireworks that people shoot off. I heard somewhere that the average Arubian spends 10-15% of their annual income on fireworks. It’s ridiculous. There are big shows put on by hotels and resorts, and there are backyard shows. From sundown until the early morning, the sky will be filled with pyrotechnics, which is why we’re going to look at the Bethesda, MD based American Pyrotechnics Association. They were founded in 1948 as “premier trade association of the fireworks industry.”

Happy New Year

As far as I can tell, the fireworks industry is pretty tight-knit. There are few American companies that have been in the business forever, and there are also a lot of Chinese importers. The American Pyrotechnics Association “has set the agenda and determined the priorities that serve the common good of the companies and professionals in the fireworks industry.” It’s hard to say whether they have any job openings, but I did some looking on LinkedIn, and they do have a small staff. I’m really just having fun with this post, but use New Year’s Eve to come up with new ideas. Look at the traditions and celebrations around you, and see what you might come up with. Or look at our past posts on Waterford, Times Square Alliance, and Martinelli’s. And if you don’t feel like it, set a resolution for the New Year and start tomorrow.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Will you watch fireworks tonight?