One Day, One Job » leadership development

Revolution Prep

Willy Franzen — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 17:37:24 +0000

I actually kind of liked taking standardized tests during my high school years, but now I’m glad that they’re 10 years in my past. While I imagine that the tests haven’t changed all that much in the past decade (beyond the SAT adding a section), test prep has. There are a ton of companies that have developed technology and systems for improving student performance on standardized tests. One of the big ones is Revolution Prep. They’re based in Santa Monica, CA, and they’ve grown at a 211% rate over the past three-years to $18.8 million in revenue. This growth has been fueled by a “vision to transform education and provide the highest quality instruction to all students regardless of their ability to pay.” It’s pretty clear that Revolution Prep isn’t just about teaching students how to beat the test–they want to turn their students into better learners and thinkers.

Join the Revolution

From what I can tell, Revolution Prep has three core product areas: Academic Tutoring, Test Prep, and Ivy Insiders. Within these product lines there are a wide range of different offerings, so it seems that they are able to serve all kinds of different learning needs. Revolution Prep must be doing a good job too–94% of their grads recommend them. What I like most about Revolution Prep is that they put current students and recent grads to work helping students. They don’t have a unified Careers page, so it’s kind of hard to get your head around what kind of opportunities they offer. The one you’ll probably want to find is the Revolution Prep College Careers Programs page. This is where you can learn about their Entrepreneurial Management Program, Campus Recruitment Leader positions, Summer Management Program, and Instructor/Tutor Positions. If you’re looking for something a little more corporate, then you can take a look at their other job listings.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Did you use Revolution Prep?

Morningstar

Willy Franzen — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:01:41 +0000

Want to land a job and save the world at the same time? This week’s sponsor is Samaritan’s Purse, a non-profit organization with some amazing entry level career opportunities.

Sometimes during your job search a company name will keep popping up. You’ll ignore them because of assumptions that you’ve already made about them. Eventually you’ll give them a look, and you’ll realize that you didn’t know as much as you thought about them. That’s kind of how I’ve been with Morningstar. I knew of them well before I started this site. I have a friend who worked for them. They’re headquartered here in Chicago, IL, and they’re big supporters of the local startup and technology scene. They’re one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For, and I’ve even had multiple people tell me to write about them. I guess it’s time to take a closer look at Morningstar, which is “a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia.” They serve all investors from individuals to financial advisors to institutions, and they do so with a wide range of products that includes services, software, online publications, and print publications.

Good Morning!

Morningstar is a big company. They have thousands of employees, and work all across the world–26 countries to be exact. They provide “data on approximately 380,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 5 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets.” In other words, there are all kinds of job opportunities at Morningstar. Luckily, they do a great job with their Careers site. You should probably start with the Morningstar Story, and then read up on what it’s like to work at Morningstar (you may also want to check out their Employee Testimonials).

From there you will have two options. The first is to look at Morningstar’s Development Program, which is their formal entry level recruiting program. They’re actually having a Meet and Greet at their headquarters on August 4th for people interested in the program (you must register by e-mailing mdpresumes@morningstar.com before July 29th). The second option is to go straight to their Job postings. You can narrow it down to only Morningstar’s entry level listings, where you’ll see positions like Associate Municipal Credit Analyst, Data Analyst, Private Funds – Custom Software (Chicago, IL),
Data Management Analyst (Chicago, IL), Data Management Analyst (Oakland, MD), IFA Journalist (Australia), Investment Analyst – Morningstar Investment Management (Chicago, IL),
Operations Associate, Morningstar Investment Services (Chicago, IL), Product Consultant (United Kingdom), Product Consultant for Institutional Software (France), Product Support Specialist (Austin, TX), Quality Assurance Analyst – Custom Solutions (Chicago, IL), Research Analyst (Chicago, IL), and Sales Associate – Inside Sales (Chicago, IL). There’s a ton of opportunity at Morningstar, so don’t overlook them like I did.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What company have you been ignoring?

Reader’s Digest Association

Willy Franzen — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 16:48:21 +0000

I must admit that I’ve never known anyone under the age of 60 to subscribe to Reader’s Digest, but I’m sure that there’s at least one college student out there with a subscription. I mean it was the top circulating consumer magazine for a long time up until 2009. They also can claim “more readers with household incomes of $100,000+ than Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week and Inc. combined. That means that they have some serious advertising power. Now Reader’s Digest is just one of the publications owned and operated by New York, NY based Reader’s Digest Association, which is “a global multi-brand media and marketing company that educates, entertains and connects audiences around the world.” They also have AllRecipes, Every Day with Rachel Ray, The Family Handyman, and quite a few other brands.

Make Your Grandma Proud

We typically like to look at growing companies because they tend to offer the most exciting job opportunities. But sometimes larger companies that are struggling with environmental changes that affect how they do business can offer similarly interesting opportunities. Reader’s Digest Association is in a tough spot. Their big brand, Reader’s Digest, has a dying (sorry to be morbid) subscriber base and increasing competition from web based publishers. That’s why it’s no big surprise that Reader’s Digest Association went through Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009 after five straight years of reporting losses. Still, Reader’s Digest Association has vast resources and significant brand equity. There are certainly some bright spots in Reader’s Digest Association’s numbers. They have 90 magazine titles, worldwide readership over 100 million, 83 branded websites, and annual book, music, and video sales of more than 30 million units. Another bright spot is Reader’s Digest Association’s Jobs page–they have a lot of opportunities posted including quite a few that seem suitable for new or recent grads:

Advertising Sales Assistant – Home & Garden Group (New York, NY)
Marketing Coordinator, Reader’s Digest Ad Sales & Sponsorship Marketing (New York, NY)
Digital Coordinator / Project Management Team (Greendale, WI)
Online Food Editor – Australia Site (Seattle, WA)
Finance Leadership Development Associate (White Plains, NY)
Marketing Coordinator (Greendale, WI)
Account Manager – Home & Garden (New York, NY)

It’s hard to say what the future holds for Reader’s Digest Association, but I think that there’s a big opportunity for entry level talent to help them ensure that their brands are just as popular (or even more popular) when we become grandparents.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you know anyone under the age of 60 who subscribes to Reader’s Digest.

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?

Macy’s

Willy Franzen — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 15:37:20 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving! In past years we’ve taken a look at jobs at Pilgrim’s Pride, Jennie-O, and Plimoth Plantation and Colonial Williamsburg. This year we’ve been influenced by the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, so we’re going to take a look at entry level jobs at Macy’s. They’re headquartered in both New York City and Cincinnati, and they are “one of the nation’s premier retailers, with fiscal 2009 sales of $23.5 billion.” The company operates more than 810 stores across 45 states. Over the past decade or so they’ve absorbed a number of other retailers, but the Macy’s brand has reigned supreme—and I bet the popularity of today’s parade has had at least a little something to do with it.

A Parade of Job Opportunities

Obviously with a company as large as Macy’s, there are a lot of different places and ways that you can find information about them. I’m going to leave most of that up to you since I have a football game to get to, but once you start thinking about a job, you’ll want to skip over MacysJobs.com and go straight to MacysCollege.com for the company’s entry level opportunities. They offer Executive Development Programs in Store Management, Merchant, Product Development, Finance/Accounting, Human Resources, Logistics Management, Information Technology, Credit Operations, and Food Management. It looks like most of their on campus recruiting events are over; however, you can still apply for a multitude of positions all across the country by following the instructions here. So take a look at Macy’s, and then go stuff your face.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you shop at Macy’s?

Global Visionaries

Willy Franzen — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 14:41:08 +0000

I don’t know if you’ve been watching much tv lately, but here in Chicago every commercial seems to be for a political candidate. These people keep claiming that they’re going to make the world a better place, but I’m not very optimistic. Politicians are a necessary evil, I guess, but what we really need more of is social entrepreneurs—people who truly put everything that they have into solving some of the world’s problems. Global Visionaries is a Seattle, WA based non-profit that “empowers youth from diverse socio-economic, ethnic, racial, and geographic backgrounds to become active leaders and global citizens who promote justice.” Young people (like you and me) are our best hope for social change, and Global Visionaries is all about providing even younger people (high schoolers) with opportunities to start making a difference through a variety of community development projects.

Are You a Global Visionary?

Global Visionaries’ programs combine localized leadership training with “a cultural immersion trip to Guatemala, and local and international service projects focused on social justice and environmental conservation.” And one of the interesting things that Global Visionaries does with their programs is that they intentionally “bring together 50% of [their] participants from low-income families and 50% from middle/upper income families.” Beyond their headquarters in Seattle, WA and Antigua, Guatemala, they also have satellite offices in San Francisco and Northern Colorado. Right now they only have one job posted in their Seattle office, but it seems perfect for a new grad. Global Visionaries is looking for a Development and Executive Assistant. Check it out and see if it sounds like something that you want to do.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Global Visionaries?

Achievement First

Willy Franzen — Sat, 29 May 2010 16:15:01 +0000

I have a good friend from Cornell who has been working in the world of education since he graduated with me in 2006. He often sends me recommendations of companies that I should feature, and I’ve actually covered quite a few of them. Earlier this week he sent me a note about Achievement First, a New Haven, CT based non-profit organization that manages charter schools across Connecticut and New York. (Sidenote: Having a friend like mine who is super-connected and aware in a particular industry or area can be huge for your job search.) Achievement First got its start in 1998 when a group of founders got together with the goal of creating a public charter school. They succeeded, and the result was Amistad Academy—and it’s been an amazing result. Over the past 7 years, Amistad Academy students have beat state averages in reading and math on the Connecticut Mastery Tests. In 2003 they built on this success by making Achievement First a separate entity to take the lessons learned from Amistad Academy and spread them throughout the region. Since then Achievement First “has grown into a network that includes 17 academies under nine charters in four cities.”

What Can You Achieve?

The success of Achievement First’s schools has proven that “demographics aren’t destiny.” Urban students can achieve at the same levels as affluent suburban students given the right environment. Achievement First is all about providing these environments. I think that the results speak for themselves. If you’re passionate about education and want to be a part of what Achievement First is doing, then you need to check out their Jobs page. They have a ton of opportunities available, and they make a really nice case for why you should join their team. Current openings that might be suitable for new or recent grads include IT Associate (New Haven), Leadership Development Team Assistant (Brooklyn), Recruitment Assistant (Brooklyn), Assistant to the COO (Brooklyn), Office Coordinator (Brooklyn or New Haven), Operations Associate (Brooklyn), and Operations Associate (New Haven). Additionally, Achievement First also lists jobs at all of their schools, so there are even more options to browse through if you’re so inclined.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of Achievement First?

ALDI

Willy Franzen — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:58:50 +0000

Sweet 16! And if I’m going to find a way to get to the game, I’m going to need to start shopping at ALDI, because flights to Syracuse aren’t cheap. Luckily, the groceries at ALDI are. I’ve never stepped foot in an ALDI store, but I’ve heard plenty about them from friends and articles. They are unlike all other grocery stores. They almost never stock name brands—they have their own private labels. They don’t have shelves—they use pallets. They charge for reusable bags, and taking a shopping cart requires a 25 cent deposit. ALDI also doesn’t take credit cards, and they stock far fewer items than your typical supermarket. ALDI may not offer a luxurious shopping experience like Wegmans does, but they make up for it by offering insane value. If you’re pinching pennies, you have no excuse not to shop at ALDI. Even with their limited selection of products, they’ve found that most of their customers “can do as much as 90% of their weekly shopping at ALDI.”

Find Value at ALDI

ALDI isn’t only different in the customer experience that they offer, they also run their business in a unique way. They’re a German company, and they have a huge presence in Europe. Their U.S. headquarters is in Batavia, IL, but that’s not where most of their entry level jobs are. That’s because another interesting thing about ALDI is the fact that they hire their District Managers straight out of college, and they pay them exceedingly well ($70k per year well). They offer these opportunities across a large portion of the country, and they’re growing at a rate of 100 stores per year. You can find all of the details on ALDI’s Careers site, and you should be sure to check out their employee profiles and the details of their training program (they wouldn’t throw a new grad into a management role without a ton of training). Another cool thing is that after 2 years as a District Manager, ALDI offers the opportunity to work abroad for another 2 years through their International Expatriate Program. It’s pretty obvious that ALDI’s cheap philosophy does not apply to how they treat talent. If you’re interested in working for them, you can find out all of the information on how to apply here.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you shop at ALDI?

Public Allies

Willy Franzen — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 14:30:23 +0000

I happen to work with someone who knows a thing or two about leadership development. We’ve already developed one product to help future leaders land a job, and we have more in the pipeline. That’s why Public Allies caught my interest when a friend recently told me that they are hiring. They’re a Milwaukee, WI based non-profit that aims to “advance new leadership to strengthen communities, nonprofits and civic participation.” They do this in three ways: putting diverse young adults through a paid full-time nonprofit apprenticeships, engaging and growing an alumni network of diverse leaders, and helping leaders and organizations better harness the assets of diverse teams and communities through training and consulting programs.

Join the Allies

By holding “the conviction that everyone leads,” Public Allies is creating a permanent network of leaders who are committed to a concerted effort to initiate positive change. They’re doing this where they’re headquarted in Milwaukee as well as in Phoenix, AZ; Chicago, IL, Cincinnati, OH; Bridgeport, CT; Wilmington, DE; Estes Park, CO; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; Albuquerque, NM; New York, NY; Durham, NC; Pittsburgh, PA; San Antonio, TX; and Milpitas, CA. Their Ally Program is the first thing that may interest you. It’s a 10-month full-time Americorps apprenticeship that puts you to work at a non-profit in your community. You can check out the application and eligibility requirements here. Beyond this program, Public Allies also has a number of job openings. They’re not necessarily entry level, but the following positions (all located in Chicago, IL) might be worth looking at: Program Support Coordinator, Program Director, and Program Manager / Leadership Series Coordinator. You can find specific application information on the individual job postings.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever heard of Public Allies?

Dreyer’s

Willy Franzen — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:52:37 +0000

Today’s jobs are going to be especially sweet, but before we tell you about them, we want to remind you about two sweet deals that we’re offering. The first is a free copy of an awesome book called How to Self-Destruct written by career coach and management consultant Jason Seiden (who is partnering with us for our job search training course), and the second is the HP Magic Giveaway, where we and 49 other sites are each giving away $6,000 HP packages to our readers. Now that we’ve reminded you, let’s talk about some sweet jobs that might also be recession proof. A couple weeks ago we told you about Blizzard Entertainment’s jobs because the video game industry is thriving as people who are unemployed flock to gaming. Well what else do you do when you’re unemployed and sitting on the couch? Eat ice cream, of course. So instead of sitting there with a wiimote in one hand and a spoon in the other, why don’t you think about a job with Dreyer’s? They’re a $2 billion company with more than 7,000 employees, and they’re all about ice cream.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Entry Level Jobs with Dreyer’s

Dreyer’s makes ice cream under four brands – Dreyer’s, Edy’s, Nestle, and Häagen-Dazs. They offer tons of delicious flavors, and also make Dibs which are an extremely dangerous thing to have around the house when you’re looking for a job – I know from experience. They also offer the best job in the world, which, unfortunately, is not entry level. That’s ok, because Dreyer’s has jobs for new college grads too. Their campus recruiting schedule seems to be over, but they still have job openings listed on their website. Their Operations Leadership Development Program has openings in Houston, TX; Bakersfield, CA; Fort Wayne, IN; and Tulare, CA. These jobs are specifically tailored to new grads; however, you may also find some interesting opportunities on Dreyer’s main job listings pages. These jobs are in areas like Accounting / Finance, Administration Support Services, Engineering, Environment – Health and Safety, Facilities Maintenance – Production/Warehouse, Information Technologies, Manufacturing – Operations/Production, Quality Assurance, Retail Sales & Services, Supply Chain/Logistics, and Warehouse. They’re not geared towards new college grads, but they’re probably worth looking at. You can apply for all of the jobs directly from the job descriptions, and you’ll also want to check out The Grooves before you apply (they’re Dreyer’s guiding principles).

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your favorite Dreyer’s ice cream product?

Rolls-Royce

Willy Franzen — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:18:34 +0000

Let’s be honest – the closest that you’ve ever come to a Rolls-Royce was when you were watching MTV Cribs and saw one in a rapper/athlete/actor’s garage. I’ve seen some college students with some really nice cars, but never a Rolls. With that said, you can finally get close to Rolls-Royce through the college recruiting process. In fact, your lack of familiarity with Rolls-Royce automobiles won’t even matter, because Rolls-Royce plc (the company that we’re talking about today) doesn’t even make cars anymore. That business was sold to BMW in 1998. Rolls-Royce focuses on four global markets – Civil Aerospace, Defense Aerospace, Marine, and Energy – and two vital teams – Services and Research & Development. Although that may not be consistent with the brand image that you’ve associated with Rolls-Royce for a long time, you’re going to have to get used to it – especially if Rolls-Royce sounds like a company that you’d want to work for.

Think High Tech Engineering, Not Luxury

As a “high technology engineering company,” Rolls-Royce is obviously always looking for top engineering talent, but they also need talent in other business areas. They rely heavily on college recruiting to fill these needs, and now is the time to get involved in the recruiting process. In fact, Rolls-Royce is already more than halfway through their campus recruiting schedule. They still have a few campuses to visit, but most of you are going to have to initiate the process online. Before we get into how you do that, let’s see what kind of entry level job opportunities Rolls-Royce offers.

Rolls-Royce has two entry level programs for new graduates – Leadership Development and Professional Excellence. To figure out which of the programs is right for you, you can look at the descriptions that we just linked to you, but you should probably first take Rolls-Royce’s Which Programme (they’re British) assessment. From here, you will hopefully find that your program of choice is open in your area of interest. Rolls-Royce provides a grid that shows which programs they offer in which areas by location (US, UK, and Germany). For the 2008-2009 recruiting season they are looking for people in Customer Management, Engineering, Finance, and Human Resources for the Leadership Development program and Engineering, Supply Chain Planning and Control, and Project Management for the Professional Excellence program. There’s actually a third program called Controls Fast Track for Engineering grads who are interested in becoming a Controls Engineer, but this only seems to be available in the UK.

Getting in the (RR)ecruiting Process

First of all, Rolls-Royce’s Careers site is filled with information. It’s a huge improvement from their old site, and should answer almost every question that you’ll have. The only problem is that it seems to make the assumption that you’ll be making your first contact with Rolls-Royce through campus recruiting. They don’t clearly state how applicants from schools that they don’t visit should apply. There is an online job application process that you can use; however, the Student and Graduate Programmes section only links to internships. The Other Job Opportunities section seems more promising in terms of listings, but it has a note that says “If you are a college student and you are interested in a co-op, intern, leadership program or entry level position, please click here to apply.” Unfortunately, the “click here” links to a page that redirects to Rolls-Royce’s main Careers site. This is a pretty big screw up considering that Rolls-Royce works so hard to sell college students on its jobs. We think that your best bet is to e-mail collegerecruiting@rolls-royce.com and ask them how you should apply (you may even want to include your cover letter and resume). If you figure out what works, please share it with the rest of our readers in the comments.

From what we understand, the Rolls-Royce recruiting process closes in December, so you still have time. They have 64 facilities in 26 states, and we’re not sure where they locate most of their entry-level hires, so that’s another question that you may want to direct towards collegerecruiting@rolls-royce.com. You’ve probably noticed that we’ve focused almost entirely on jobs in the US, but Rolls-Royce also offers opportunities for new grads in Germany and the UK. If those are something that you’re interested in, you can find all of the corresponding information on their Careers site.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Did you know that Rolls-Royce wasn’t in the automobile business anymore?

Ruder Finn

Willy Franzen — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:00:47 +0000

Despite what their name might make you think, Ruder Finn was not founded by someone from Finland with bad manners. They are actually a family-owned public relations firm that was founded in 1948 by David Finn and Wlliam Ruder. Ruder Finn has four specialties – Health & Wellness, Global Connectivity, Corporate & Public Trust, and Life & Style – with many areas of focus within those specialties. The firm’s first client was Perry Como, who was followed by a list of other celebrities; however, Ruder Finn represents more than just celebrities. They work with many major corporations, the United Nations, and they even represented the Bosniaks and the Croats in the Yugoslav Wars. Yes, warring nations choose Ruder Finn to manage their PR – that’s impressive, albeit a bit strange.

Not Quite an Entry-Level Job, Not Quite an Internship

Ruder Finn is obviously well know for their public relations work, but they’re also known for their Public Relations Executive Trainee Program. They run this program thrice annually, and the application deadline for the Fall program was August 1st, but it has been extended (they don’t have a set limit on the number of applicants accepted into the program). We’re not sure how much longer they are accepting applications, so you should probably get your application together as quickly as possible. Before you do that, though, let us tell you a little bit more about the Ruder Finn Public Relations Executive Trainee Program.

This program is not quite an entry-level job, and it’s not quite an internship – that’s why we’re posting it here and on One Day, One Internship. It’s intended for new college graduates, and it’s located in New York City. The program has been running for 30 years, and each session runs for approximately 4 months. Participants are expected to work 35 hours per week and to attend weekly training classes. Ruder Finn pays participants a prorated annual salary of $24,000 (so that should be about $8,000 for 4 months), but does not provide benefits. Participants who excel in the Executive Trainee Program are often hired full-time as Assistant Account Executives. We’d guess that participants who don’t end up getting full-time offers probably go on to work for other great public relations firms.

If you’re a new grad who is looking for a job in public relations and wants to gain experience in writing, media monitoring, media relations, electronic media, special event planning, new business presentation, and more, then the Ruder Finn Executive Trainee Program is a great opportunity. If you can get your act together quickly, apply for the Fall term. If you can’t, don’t fret – they offer this program every spring and summer too. Ruder Finn is very particular about how you apply for this program, so be sure to follow the instructions on their How to Apply page carefully.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you know anything about this program? Leave a comment.

Brunswick

Willy Franzen — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:18:33 +0000

Bowling, billiards, and boating – sounds more like plans for retirement than what you’ll be doing after you graduate, right? Not if you end up working for Brunswick. They’re a company that has been in a lot of businesses since John Brunswick started the Cincinnati Carriage Making Company in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1854. They’ve added and dropped many product lines, even over the last 10 or 15 years, but recently they’ve settled on marine engines, pleasure boats, fitness equipment, bowling, and billiards. These groups of products aren’t necessarily related, but they’ve proved to be the most profitable for Brunswick over the years.

Not Quite Early Retirement

Brunswick may be in the business of producing great leisure products, but that it’s all fun and games. Brunswick has to work hard to be the best in the industries that they have stuck with, and they’re looking for lots of college students to help keep up the tradition. The Brunswick website is very easy to navigate, so you should have no problem finding all the relevant information that you need for your job search.

The first thing that you might notice when you look at Brunswick’s Careers page is their Financial Leadership Development Program. It’s a rotational program for new college grads who have a background in accounting, finance, business administration or other quantitative fields of study. Participants get to work in General Accounting and Reporting, Manufacturing and Product Cost Accounting, Financial Planning and Analysis, Financial Information Systems, Treasury, and Audit and Corporate Governance. Assignments can be at Brunswick Bowling & Billiards (Lake Forest, IL; Bristol, WI; Muskegon, MI), Brunswick Corporate (Lake Forest, IL); Brunswick Boat Group (Knoxville, TN; New Bern, NC; Lowell, MI; and Various Florida Locations), Life Fitness (Chicago, IL); Mercury Marine (Fond du Lac, WI; Charleston, SC; Stillwater, OK), Sea Ray (Knoxville, TN and Various Florida Locations), and US Marine (Seattle, WA). The online application for the Financial Leadership Development Program doesn’t seem to be working, so we recommend that you send your cover letter, resume, and transcript to:

Brunswick Corporation
Attn: Human Resources – FLDP
1 North Field Court
Lake Forest, Illinois 60045

That’s the first option for new grads at Brunswick, and it offers quite a bit of variety, but there are more entry-level jobs available for those who don’t have the Finance background.

More Options for New Grads at Brunswick

The rest of Brunswick’s job opportunities for new grads can be found by searching their Open Salaried Positions. If you leave the search box blank, you’ll get a listing of all current job opportunities. From here you can browse the listings that include job title, location, and brand. Any job that doesn’t have “Senior,” “Supervisor,” or “Manager” in its title has a high likelihood of being a good fit for entry-level candidates, so take a look and see what you come up with. The jobs tend to be in the same locations and with the same brands that we mentioned when talking about the Financial Leadership Development Program; however, most of the jobs are for grads with a background in Engineering. There are a few exceptions, so students with all backgrounds who are interested in Brunswick’s core businesses should take a look at what’s available.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Which of Brunswick’s brands is your favorite?

GEICO

Willy Franzen — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 12:00:26 +0000

Normally on One Day, One Job, we try to focus on jobs that are below the radar. We know you’re visiting the big job boards, going to on-campus recruiting events, and hopefully using google to find jobs. Every day we like to show you career opportunities that you haven’t seen before, but today we’re going to talk about a company that you’re likely familiar with. GEICO has their online entry-level recruiting down to a science. Researching careers at GEICO may be so easy a caveman could do it, but we still want to put them in the spotlight as an example for other companies to aspire towards.

GEICO is in the insurance business and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. That means you can expect a company that focuses on the customer, has a superb management team, and keeps a long-term perspective. They do things the right way. It’s part of their culture. Even better, they have funny commercials (but that Cavemen show on ABC sucks).

There’s not much more we need to say. The GEICO Careers site speaks for itself. Their job listings even have little green EL icons next to entry-level positions (so simple, yet so helpful). GEICO is hiring for careers in Leadership Development, Insurance, Auto Damage, Analytical, and Technology.

Note: On April 21st we revisited entry-level jobs at GEICO.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about working at GEICO? Tell us in the comments.