One Day, One Job » research

Forbes

Willy Franzen — Tue, 22 May 2012 16:36:53 +0000

I’m a big fan of magazine lists. They can be a great tool for your job search, and I’m not just talking about the “Best Place to Work” lists. One list that you may not think to use but you should is the Forbes list of The World’s Billionaires. Take a look at what the world’s most successful people have done to get where they are today–it might just lead you in some interesting directions. Forbes is a company that is best known for its lists. The New York, NY based publisher goes by the motto “The Capitalist Tool,” though that sounds like something a NATO protester called me this weekend (just kidding). But seriously, when you hear the name Forbes, you think money, right?

Start Your Way to the Forbes List

Forbes made their name with their magazine Forbes, but they also have Forbes Asia, ForbesLife, The Forbes Investors Advisory Institute, and The Forbes Newsletter Group. But my favorite Forbes business has to be the Social Register Association, which “is considered by many to be the only reliable, and the most trusted, arbiter of Society in the United States.” In other words, it’s a directory (complete with addresses and phone numbers) of the country’s elite. I bet getting your hands on one of those could really help your job search (too bad you can only get one if you’re listed in it). Obviously, a big part of Forbes’ business has moved online. You’ve probably tried to read an article on Forbes.com, but decided against it after being hit with an interstitial ad. Forbes also owns and operates ForbesWoman.com; RealClearPolitics.com; RealClearMarkets.com; RealClearSports.com and RealClearWorld.com.

If you want to join an old media name that is trying to make it work in the digital age, then take a look at Forbes’ Careers page. Right now they’re hiring for the following positions:

Forbes has some great opportunities for new grads, so check them out and get started on making that billionaires list.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you read Forbes?

GNC

Willy Franzen — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:30:38 +0000

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

Lifting weights is one of the best things that you can do for physical fitness. Strength training can have amazing effects on its own, but you can get extraordinary results when you combine your training with proper nutrition. There’s a next step if you really want to get serious: supplementation. There seems to be a supplement for everything, from gaining muscle to improving brain function. And if there’s a name that you think of when you think of supplements, it has to be GNC. They’re a Pittsburgh, PA based worldwide retailer of health and nutrition products that include vitamins, supplements, minerals, herbs, and more. If you’re looking to get more out of your body, there’s something at GNC that will at least claim to help you do it.

Supplement Your Job Search

The only thing that I’ve ever bought from GNC is whey protein powder. I’ll barely ever even taken an aspirin, so the idea of taking all kinds of pills, powders, and extracts doesn’t really appeal to me. However, if you’re going to do it, GNC is a good brand to trust. They’ve set “the standard in the nutritional supplement industry by demanding truth in labeling, ingredient safety and product potency, all while remaining on the cutting-edge of nutritional science.” That’s a big deal when you hear about things like pro athletes testing positive for banned substance because they took supplements from a shady supplier. There’s absolutely no doubt that GNC is a world leader with more than 7,000 locations (they use a franchising model) and billions in revenue. GNC is exactly the kind of company that most people know about but never consider working for. Now is your chance. If you take a look at GNC’s Careers page, you’ll see that they have a few positions suitable for a new or recent grad including:

There are also opportunities at the retail/store level listed separately, so you may want to check those out too.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you use any supplements?

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Willy Franzen — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 13:47:01 +0000

100 years ago today the Titanic sank. It wasn’t the world’s first transportation disaster, nor was it the last, but it’s the one that continues to captivate people. As a kid I was absolutely fascinated by the story of the Titanic–the unsinkable ship that sank. I had a few books on the topic that I read over and over again. I learned about Alvin, the deep sea submersible, and Jason Jr., the underwater robot, and how they were used to explore the Titanic once it was discovered in 1985 (by essentially dragging video cameras just above the ocean floor). The discovery and expeditions were partially done by teams from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, which is a Woods Hole, MA based “non-profit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of all aspects of marine science and engineering and to the education of marine researchers.” If it has to do with ocean science and exploration, there’s an extremely good chance that the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is on top of it.

Under the Sea!

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution focuses its research on a number of areas including Climate & Ocean, Coastal Science, Hazards, Ocean Chemistry, Ocean Circulation, Ocean Life, Ocean Resources & Policy, Polar Research, Pollution, Seafloor & Below, Tools & Technology, and Underwater Archaeology. They employ all kinds of scientists to work on a vast array of programs and projects. If you have any interest at all in oceanography, you need to take some to browse the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution website. It’s well designed and packed with information. After that, the next step is to check out their Jobs page. While they don’t have anything that is tailor made for a new grad, the Engineering Assistant positions are worth checking out. There’s also a Information Systems Associate II/III position that could be a fit. Finally, they have Scientist and Postdoc positions that might interest you if you’ve gone well beyond undergrad in terms of education.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Are you fascinated by the Titanic?

Millward Brown

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

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

Head Millward Brownward

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

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

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

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Millward Brown?

International Food Policy Research Institute

Willy Franzen — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 12:12:35 +0000

Have you ever bought Easter candy after Easter? They’re usually giving it away at about 90% off. We live in a country where food is so plentiful that it becomes undesirable if it’s not the right color or in the right packaging for the time of year. Those egg shaped Reese’s instantly won’t sell, even though they have a better peanut butter to chocolate ratio than the normal cups. It’s easy to forget how lucky we are to live in a society where one of our biggest problems is an overabundance of calories. The International Food Policy Research Institute is a Washington, DC based non-profit organization that serves those who aren’t so lucky. The IFPRI envisions “a world where every person has secure access to sufficient and safe food to sustain a healthy and productive life and where food-related policy decisions are made transparently, including the participation of consumers and producers.”

What’s Your Food Policy?

When you start to think about food policy, you realize it’s tied into nearly every part of human life. Whether it’s trade, the environment, energy, or gender equality, nearly everything either affects or is affected by food. That’s why the International Food Policy Research Institute’s work stretches across so many areas. Just take a look at their Project Portfolio–it includes everything from Rebuilding after Emergencies and Crises to Social Protection, Livelihoods and Asset Building. There’s a lot to learn about the IFPRI and what they do, so I highly recommend that you dig into their site and start learning more about them. If you like what you see, then you should check out their Jobs page. Right now they have a few positions that may interest new or recent grads including:

They also have Research Positions for people with more advanced education and experience.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about the International Food Policy Research Institute?

MathWorks

Willy Franzen — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:48:59 +0000

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

Just a few days ago I mentioned that computers are better than humans at math. That’s true for many math operations, but the ultimate combination is a smart human working with a fast computer and great software. MathWorks is a Natick, MA based company that makes this possible, as they are “is the leading developer of mathematical computing software for engineers and scientists.” They’ve been around for nearly 30 years, which is a seriously long time in the software business. MathWorks is probably best known for MATLAB, which is “a programming environment for algorithm development, data analysis, visualization, and numeric computation.” It’s used everywhere from research in top universities to designing industrial machines. If advanced math is involved, there’s a good chance that MATLAB will be used.

Work at MathWorks

It’s easy to forget how important math is to our everyday life, even if our teachers reminded us time after time when we were in grade school. I’m not talking about calculating a tip or even understanding a newspaper article about poll numbers. I’m talking about the fact that nearly everything we interact with on a daily basis has been inspired by math, which means there’s a very significant chance that MathWorks’ software tangentially affects your life almost every day. That’s why they’ve been able to build a business $600 million in annual revenue and more than 2,000 employees. If you’re inspired by math and would like to join the ranks, then check out MathWorks’ Careers page. They have a special section for new grads and students, and you can use this search to identify only entry level jobs and internships. How luxurious! You can even sort the postings by Title, Job Function, Location, and Type. I’m going to leave it to you to browse through the postings, which are mostly math/engineering/software development focused, though there are a couple of accounting positions.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you used MATLAB?

ForeSee Results

Willy Franzen — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:30:19 +0000

Yesterday we looked at a company with a terrible applicant tracking system (that’s the software that they use to post their jobs on their web site). If you’ve been job searching for any time at all, you’ve been frustrated to tears by how unusable some ATSs are. The companies that develop these terrible products obviously don’t use “customer experience analytics.” Or if they do, they’re focusing on the customers who are paying the bills (HR) and not the customers who are using the product. For companies that care a little bit more about how they interact with customers, there’s ForeSee Results, an Ann Arbor, MI based company that helps “clients deliver even greater satisfaction to their customers.” They do this by collecting “millions of satisfaction survey responses annually, quantifying voice of customer and putting it in context to support strategic and tactical decisions.”

ForeSee Yourself in a New Job

I don’t think I’ve ever heard from a new grad who wants to work in customer service. Yet we constantly hear about companies that are successful because of their amazing customer service. Where’s the disconnect? It seems to me that an ambitious young person who developed really strong expertise in customer service could build a pretty remarkable career. Or you could build a remarkable business. That’s what ForeSee Results has done. By developing a platform to continuously measure customer satisfaction “across channels and customer touch points, including websites, call centers, brick-and-mortar locations, mobile sites and apps, and social media initiatives”, ForeSee Results is able to deliver actionable information to their clients–information that can drive sales, decrease refund, and otherwise materially affect the business. If you’re excited by what ForeSee Results is doing in customer experience analytics, check out ForeSee Results’ Jobs page. Right now they have a few positions that you should make note of: Administrative Coordinator, Product Manager, Satisfaction Research Analyst, and Marketing Representative. Not all of the jobs can be considered “entry level,” but check them out and think about how customer service can play into your career plans.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about ForeSee Results?

HY Connect

Willy Franzen — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:38:34 +0000

One of the best ways to land a job is to show an employer what you’ve done. That’s hard when you don’t have any experience, and that’s why I recommend that every job seeker pick up some sort of project to put who they are into product form. Getting a job is a lot like landing an account for an agency, which is why HY Connect leads with their work. When you get on the Milwaukee, WI and Chicago, IL based company’s home page, you see the best of what they do best. While looking at an advertising campaign can tell you a lot, it doesn’t tell the whole story. HY Connect offers “integrated advertising, public relations and media solutions,” which means that their Services page includes a remarkably long list of things that they do well.

Say HY

Although you get a good taste of HY Connect’s work on their home page, it’s important that you really dig in and get a feel for how they work and how they’re different from other agencies. You can start by looking at all of their work and continue by going through their case studies. You’ll see that they’ve worked with names like Yamaha, Peapod, Comcast, and The Museum of Science and Industry (my favorite Chicago museum). Once you really have a feel for HY Connect’s work, you’ll probably want to read up on their process. All of this information should help you better understand your value proposition to them. Once you have an idea of where you could fit in, then it’s time to check out HY Connect’s Jobs page. (I know it feels backwards, but it works. I promise.) HY Connect has some great job opportunities for new and recent grads including:

Research Analyst – SEO/SEM (Milwaukee, WI)
Web Developer (Chicago, IL)
UX Planner (Chicago, IL)
UX Planner (Milwaukee, WI)
Media Associate (Chicago, IL or Milwaukee, WI)

These look like awesome positions so look them over and figure out which ones make the most sense for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of HY Connect’s work?

MediaMath

Willy Franzen — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 15:51:42 +0000

I’m extremely excited for the season premiere of Mad Men on March 25th. It’s one of the best shows on tv, and you can actually learn some meaningful business lessons from watching it. One of the downsides of the show is that it overglamorizes the idea. Maybe it’s because the show is set in the 60s and things were easier then, but an idea isn’t enough for success today whether you’re talking about a startup or an advertisement. MediaMath is a New York, NY based company that has “built the tools that enable and empower [a] new breed of marketing professional”–the Math Men and Women. Ideas will always be important in advertising, but data and analytics are how you turn ideas into successes. MediaMath’s “TerminalOne platform allows agencies and advertisers to plan, execute, optimize, and analyze marketing programs across the digital landscape.”

Do Your Math

Mad Men wouldn’t be nearly as popular if Don Draper looked like the guy on the Math Men site. Data insights aren’t sexy, but they sure as heck work. Just look at MediaMath’s Case Studies. These case studies are short and sweet. They don’t tell you all about who their client is and try to impress you with big names. They simply state the problem, the solution, and the result with a bar graph–it’s the Math Men way. If you like that approach, then dive into the TerminalOne Platform and learn more about MediaMath’s technology, then head over to their Careers page. Right now they have a few positions you may want to consider including User Experience Designer, Yield Analyst, Software Engineer in Test, UI Developer, and Account Planner. Let me know if you become a Math Man or Math Woman.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you watch Mad Men?

Consumer Electronics Association

Willy Franzen — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 16:49:31 +0000

In case you haven’t noticed, we always feature non-profits on weekend. The vast majority of the non-profits that we profile are 501(c)(3)–organizations defined as “Religious, Educational, Charitable, Scientific, Literary, Testing for Public Safety, to Foster National or International Amateur Sports Competition, or Prevention of Cruelty to Children or Animals.” But there are actually 28 types of 501(c) tax-exempt non-profit organizations. Today we’re going to look at the Consumer Electronics Association, which is 501(c)(6) “business league” based in Arlington, VA. They have a simple mission of working with their 2,000+ industry members to “grow the consumer electronics industry.”

Do You Consume Electronics?

You’ve probably heard of the Consumer Electronics Show (if not, it’s a massive electronics show), it’s put on by the CEA. It’s a way for all of their members (pretty much every major brand in the industry) to show off the latest and greatest. The show is probably the most public thing that the CEA does, but they also have a number of other initiatives. These include Market Research, Networking Events, Policy Advocacy, Technical Training, Technology Standards, and Member to Member Promotion. It’s interesting to see many of the CEA’s members fighting tooth and nail against each other in the marketplace, and then seeing them work together for the betterment of the industry. There’s obviously a careful balance. If you love consumer electronics and want to work for the CEA, check out their Jobs page. Right now they’re looking for a Research Coordinator, Coordinator – Office of the President, and an Industry Communications Coordinator. These look like pretty cool positions for a new or recent grad, so give them a look.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your favorite consumer electronic?

YipIt

Willy Franzen — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:35:50 +0000

I did an interview with The 99% (they have nothing to do with Occupy Wall Street) on job search and entrepreneurship that was published today. Read it, share it, Facebook it, Tweet it.

How can you not love daily deals? Great stuff at a great price. Unfortunately, everybody and their brother thought it was a good idea to knock off Groupon and start a daily deals site. This irritated merchants who were getting pitched incessantly, and it overwhelmed consumers with all of the options. While many of the copycats have died off, one company avoided a similar fate by taking a very different approach to riding the daily deal wave. YipIt is based in New York, NY, and they’re a daily deal aggregator. Every month they gather more than 30,000 deals from more than 800 sites and share them with their audience. They make money through advertising and affiliate fees paid by the daily deal sites, but there’s more to the story.

Get the Yips

We’re all familiar with aggregators. They pull together interesting stuff, and make it easy to consume in one place. YipIt does this, but there’s far more value in aggregation than most people realize. By scraping all of the daily deal sites for information like who the merchant is, what is being sold, and how many have been sold, YipIt has collected a gold mine of data. They know more about the daily deals market than just about anyone, and with publicly traded companies like Groupon, Yelp, Google, and Amazon participating in this market, this data is extremely valuable to the financial community–and also to the companies that operate in the daily deals space. It’s pretty brilliant that YipIt has been able to build essentially one product and market and monetize it in two very different ways. If you’d like to be a part of this and you have some serious quantitative/analytical chops, then check out YipIt’s Data Product Analyst position which is posted on their Jobs page. It looks like a really cool opportunity. Their other positions are in Web Development and User Interaction Design, but they require more experience.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about YipIt?

HealthTap

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

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

Get Tapped

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

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

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

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Would you use HealthTap?

Ancestry.com

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

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

Know Your History

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

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

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

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you tried Ancestry.com?

The Humane Society of the United States

Willy Franzen — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 18:00:23 +0000

Amy and I are going to the International Kennel Club of Chicago Dog Show today. We’re not thinking about getting a dog yet, but we’re thinking about thinking about it. Since dogs are on my mind today, I figured I’d look for an animal friendly non-profit. You’d be hard pressed to find an organization more animal friendly than The Humane Society of the United States. They are “the nation’s largest and most effective animal protection organization” with support from more than 11 million people in the U.S. Their national headquarters is based in Washington, DC, but you’re probably familiar with local humane societies. While the local societies are not directly connected with The Humane Society of the United States, they do get support from it.

Be Humane

The Humane Society of the United States is different from local shelters in that they typically focus on bigger picture issues. They do this “by advocating for better laws to protect animals; conducting campaigns to reform industries; providing animal rescue and emergency response; investigating cases of animal cruelty; and caring for animals through our sanctuaries and wildlife rehabilitation centers, emergency shelters and clinics.” You can read much more on the organization’s work here. There’s a lot more to explore on The Humane Society of the United States’ website, so I highly recommend that you take some to learn more about how they operate and what they’re working on right now. If you’re inspired by what you see, then take a look at Careers at The Humane Society of the United States. Right now they have a few opportunities that you may want to consider including:

If you love animals, one of these jobs could be perfect for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you have a pet?

Qcue

Willy Franzen — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:13:27 +0000

As of today pitchers and catchers have reported to Spring Training for every team except for the White Sox, Marlins, and Rangers. Baseball is here, and I couldn’t be happier. Last year I went to games at Wrigley, U.S. Cellular, and Yankee Stadium, and every time I paid under face value for my tickets. How’d I do that? I use StubHub and wait until 3-4 hours before the game starts and buy while people are trying to dump tickets that will soon be worth nothing. Markets work best when you have many buyers and sellers, and that’s why I’m able to get such good deals. The big loser in all this is the original ticketing agent. Because their prices are set many months in advance, they can’t react to market conditions. Usually they end up sitting on a ton of unsold tickets, but even when an event sells out, they lose. If they had priced properly, they could have extracted much more value out of the tickets (instead the scalpers get the surplus value). Yesterday, I read an article about how a company called Qcue is changing all of this. They’re based in Austin, TX, and they’ve developed technology that helps teams price their tickets dynamically.

Be Dynamic

After reading the article about how the Cubs have decided to use Qcue, I wasn’t sure if this was good news or bad news for me. Considering that Qcue’s home page advertises the stat that 50% of tickets never get sold while 10% sell for twice face value, I think it’s good news (but I could be very wrong). Qcue’s software should make it so that you are more likely to get cheap tickets directly from the box office. And even when you do pay more for hot events, all of the money is going to the team instead of to some scalper. More revenue for the team means more money to spend on free agents. Right? Let’s hope so. While nothing will ever beat a market in terms of pricing properly, Qcue does its best by pulling in tons of data points and adjusting prices on the fly. It really lets teams make the most of their monopoly power (I know that sounds kind of scary). You can learn more about the nuts and bolts of Qcue’s technology by reading their What Is It? and How It Works pages. This is fascinating stuff, which is why I highly recommend that you check out Jobs at Qcue. Right now they’re looking for a Research Analyst. It looks like it could be a great position for a new or recent grad.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

How do you buy tickets?

comScore

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

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

Score One for comScore

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

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

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

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

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

Solazyme

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

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

Squeaky Wheel Gets the Oil

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

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Solazyme?

Environmental Law Institute

Willy Franzen — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 18:17:04 +0000

It’s amazing how a good snowfall can quiet a city down. It may not be as serene as a natural landscape, but it reminds you that nature still exists in a setting that has been almost completely altered by man. It’s easy to forget about the environment when you live in a city, but I’m sure that’s not a problem for the people at the Environmental Law Institute. It’s a Washington, DC based non-profit organization that “makes law work for people, places, and the planet.” That’s an important role because environmental health is a public good that can be ruined by the actions of a few. Environmental changes can have all kinds of externalities, so it’s important that our legal system is set up in a way that promotes “a healthy environment, prosperous economies, and vibrant communities.”

A Good Environment for You

The Environmental Law Institute was founded in 1969, and since then they have been providing “insightful and impartial analysis to opinion makers, including government officials, environmental and business leaders, academics, members of the environmental bar, and journalists.” They do this with a focus on six program areas: Freshwater & Oceans, Land & Biodiversity, Environmental Governance, International Programs, Climate & Energy, and Environmental Health. One of the organization’s major accomplishments is training “over 50,000 lawyers and managers as well as 1000 judges from 16 countries in basic and advanced environmental law and practice,” and that has led to some of the success stories you’ll find on this page. If you’d like to be part of future successes, then you should take a look at the ELI’s Careers page. Right now they’re looking for a Research Associate and a Graphic Designer. There are also postings for some Law Clerk positions and a Public Interest Environmental Law Fellowship, but the application deadlines have passed.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about the Environmental Law Institute?

Association of Public Health Laboratories

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

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

Check the Labs

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

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

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

The Nature Conservancy

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

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

Nature Over Nurture

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

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

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

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about The Nature Conservancy?

Bluefin Labs

Willy Franzen — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:58:16 +0000

When I first learned about Google Trends, I was shocked to see how much Internet search traffic is driven by television. It’s pretty clear that browsing the web and watching the tube go hand in hand, which is great news for both marketers and tv content producers. Since its inception tv’s biggest problem has been that it is a one way medium with no real feedback loop. That’s changed, and Bluefin Labs “has accomplished a breakthrough in this field by applying cognitive science research combined with large scale computing techniques to successfully and automatically link TV to social media.” If all goes as planned, the Cambridge, MA will make traditional tv ratings obsolete. Who cares how many people are watching when you can know who’s watching and what they’re saying?

Hook a Bluefin

While there’s no doubt about what Bluefin Labs does, they don’t really emphasize their business on the website. You have to scroll down on their home page to learn that their “clients span TV networks, advertising agencies, and brand advertisers” and include AMC Networks, CBS, MTV Networks, Mars, PepsiCo, MediaCom, and lots more. The solution that they sell to these clients is called Bluefin Signals, and you can read about the science behind it here. If you want to get a very basic sense of the kind of data that Bluefin Labs offers, you can check out their sample dashboard. Last night’s hottest show was the Heat vs. Hawks game, which was closely followed up by Jersey Shore (I know which one I would have preferred to watch). I found out about Bluefin Labs from a reader who landed a job there recently. They don’t post specific positions on their Jobs page, but it mentions that they’re looking for people in the following areas:

Machine learning
Natural language processing
Computer vision
Social network analysis
Data analysis
Information visualization
Interaction design
Large scale data storage and analytics
Sales
Account management
Marketing
Product development

That covers a wide range of interests, so don’t be afraid to reach out to careers@bluefinlabs.com and apply for a position in one of those areas.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Bluefin Labs?

Lumosity

Willy Franzen — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:25:20 +0000

I don’t know about you, but some days I feel sharper than others. Whether I’m trying to spike a volleyball or write a piece of code for this site, I have my good days and my bad days. There are a ton of factors that can affect how you perform on a given task from day to day, and many of them are hard to control. But the best way to overcome these fluctuations is to improve your overall skill through practice. This is pretty straightforward when you’re talking about specific tasks, but what if you are just aiming to improve your mental sharpness? As I’ve learned from reading Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything memory is a skill that can be trained just like any other skill. That’s why I was intrigued when I saw a commercial for Lumosity. They’re a San Francisco, CA based company that has used cutting edge science to develop “the most effective online tool for cognitive enhancement.” I’m skeptical of a lot of the claims in favor of brain teaser games, but Lumosity has actually built their products based on research from top neuroscientists at places like Stanford, UCSF, Harvard, and Columbia. It’s hard to argue with that.

Lumos!

People who compete in memory competitions often train in basements with ear plugs and blinders on. That’s what you have to do if you want to memorize the order of a deck of cards in under a minute. But what if you just want to use your downtime to have fun and improve mental performance a little bit? That’s what Lumosity offers. You can play their brain games on your computer or any mobile device. The exercises will help you sharpen memory, focus attention, reach peak performance, and enhance creativity. Lumosity tracks your progress and tailors your training to suit your cognitive goals. They have a ton of success stories, so it seems that a lot of people are finding the games useful. I’m not sure Lumosity accomplishments would be very helpful on your résumé, but maybe their games could help you remember names and more effectively answer questions in interviews. That would be cool–especially if you were interviewing with Lumosity. If that sounds like something that you’d want to do, then take a look at Lumosity’s Jobs page. Right now they have a number of positions posted that might interest you including Customer Care Representative, UI/UX Designer, Interactive Designer, Front-End Engineer, iOS Engineer, Software Engineer, and Technical Support Engineer. If none of those opportunities catch your eye, don’t be afraid to reach to jobs@lumoslabs.com about opportunities on the Marketing or Research side.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you tried Lumosity?

IMMCO Diagnostics

Willy Franzen — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:43:16 +0000

Yesterday, I was watching a tv news segment on holiday etiquette, and a viewer e-mailed in a question about how to deal with throwing a party when nearly every guest has submitted “dietary restrictions.” The “expert” responded that the host should just serve what she wants to serve considering that none of her friends are likely at risk for starvation. My guess is that a lot of the guests don’t really have dietary restrictions but dietary preferences; however, there seems to be an increasing number of people whose health is significantly affected by eating certain things. A lot of these reactions are caused by autoimmune diseases, which are caused by “an overactive immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body.” I’m not sure if autoimmune diseases are becoming more prevalent or if they’re just getting more attention, but IMMCO Diagnostics based in Buffalo, NY has built its business on battling autoimmune diseases. They incorporate “innovative medical devices, diagnostic laboratory testing expertise and pioneering research for a comprehensive solution to autoimmune disease diagnostics.”

A Diagnosis for Your Job Search

One might think that IMMCO Diagnostics would be a relatively new company as the awareness surrounding autoimmune diseases has exploded, but they’ve actually been working in the field since 1971. I wish I could really dig into what they do, but autoimmune diagnostics comes with a lot of big words that I don’t understand. If your medical/scientific vocabulary is a bit bigger than mine, you may want to look over IMMCO Diagnostics’ Products to get a better feel for what they’re working on. If you want to work to help people overcome autoimmune diseases, check out IMMCO Diagnostics’ Jobs page. Right now they have two positions that may interest you: Research Associate/Technician and Marketing Assistant. Check them both out and see if they’re worth applying for.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about IMMCO Diagnostics?

4-H

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

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

Head, Heart, Hands, and Health

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

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Did you do 4-H?

Travelzoo

Willy Franzen — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:15:38 +0000

On Saturday I’m heading to Aruba for two weeks! (Don’t worry, you’ll still get your daily e-mails–even on Christmas Day.) I booked well in advance, so I got a decent fare, but it’s still about four times more expensive than traveling at a different time of year. If you want to travel during the holidays, you’re probably going to have to pay through the nose. Still, it’s worth looking for a deal, and there’s no better place to do that than Travelzoo. They’re a New York, NY based company (with 23 other offices all across the world) that has perfected the art of the travel deal. They don’t just go out and find low rates–they actually “research, evaluate, and test thousands of deals to find those with true value.” Although it’s not exactly the same, they kind of do for travel deals what I do for jobs: curate. Though they have 250 experts working on it, which is 249 more than we have.

Take a Trip to the Zoo

Travelzoo’s site is about as basic looking as it gets. It’s simple, clean, and uncluttered. It may not look like the site of a publicly traded company, but it certainly stands out from other travel sites that seem to bombard you with useless offers. I guess that’s why they have 24 million members, though the fact that they require you to be a member to see their deals has to help with that too. Beyond travel, Travelzoo has also moved into entertainment deals and local deals, but travel is definitely their bread and butter. What’s so unique about Travelzoo’s model is that they’re not for sale. Yes, they accept payment from advertisers, but they only publish deals that they are confident will make their members happy. There’s no way to get on Travelzoo except offering a high quality deal. If you’re liking what Travelzoo is all about, then take a look at their Jobs page. They have a ton of openings, and a few look perfect for new or recent grads including: Associate Producer (Chicago, IL), Producer (Chicago, IL) Assistant Producer (Miami, FL), Producer (New York, NY), Assistant Producer – SuperSearch (San Francisco, CA), and Producer (Toronto, ON). Travelzoo’s Producers are “top-notch journalists whose commercial acumen would impress the Donald himself.” In other words they take on a role that includes researching, writing, producing, account managing, sales, and a lot more–they find the deals and get them live on the site. It sounds like an extremely cool role, so check all the positions out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you used Travelzoo?

Public Health Solutions

Willy Franzen — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:03:54 +0000

For most people health is a deeply personal issue that is only to be talked about with close friends, family, and medical professionals, yet “public health” is a term that you hear used more and more. It’s because health isn’t an independent outcome–it’s closely tied to the health of others in your community. You’re better off if your peers are healthy, which is why governments and non-profits direct so many resources to improving public health. One of the organizations that does this work in New York, NY is Public Health Solutions. They are an “organization that develops, implements and advocates dynamic solutions to prevent disease and improve community health.” They were founded in 1957, and since then they’ve been building upon a “foundation of rigorous scientific research to link research and practice in dynamic ways to improve the health of communities.”

What’s Your Solution?

Public Health Solutions’ programs focus on addressing “critical public health needs such as maternal and child health, nutrition, access to health insurance, HIV prevention and care, and smoking cessation.” You can read up on their current programs here. All together the programs serve more than 200,000 low-income New Yorkers every year. Remember that everything that Public Health Solutions does is based on rigorous research, so you may want to read over some of their their publications to get a better feel for their work. If you find yourself lost in the research, then you may want to consider a job with Public Health Solutions. Their Jobs page has some positions posted, but I think you’ll find the jobs they have posted on Idealist more interesting–the most suitable position for a new or recent grad is Data Coordinator. Check that one out as well as Public Health Solutions’ other positions, and see what works for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Public Health Solutions?

Josephson Institute for Ethics

Willy Franzen — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 16:51:54 +0000

The job search is a vulnerable time for most people, and that results in a lot of people trying to take advantage of those who are looking for work. This makes me very angry, which is why I always do my best to stick my neck out for job seekers. I won’t hesitate to turn down sponsors who seem even a little sketchy, and I’ve put a lot of effort into exposing job scams and pushing for employers to pay their interns. I guess you could call these the ethical duties of my job, and I take them extremely seriously. Josephson Institute for Ethics is a Los Angeles, CA based non-profit organization that also takes ethics extremely seriously (in case you couldn’t tell by their name). Their mission is to “improve the ethical quality of society by changing personal and organizational decision making and behavior.”

An Ethical Choice

Josephson Institute for Ethics focuses on five core areas: Youth, Sports, Business, Public Service, and Policing. The Institute was founded by a lawyer named Michael Josephson in 1987 in honor of his parents, and it does its work by developing and delivering “services and materials to increase ethical commitment, competence, and practice in all segments of society.” Josephson Institute is a bit unique as a non-profit in that they raise money by actually selling stuff (the aforementioned services and materials). Of course they also take donations and grants to allow them to work much more broadly than for their clients (it’s kind of weird to see a non-profit’s client list, right?). One of the projects from Josephson Institute that I find most interesting is the Ethics of American Youth Survey, which shows widespread problems with “lying, cheating, bullying, and other high-risk behavior in high school students.” If you find project like this one interesting, then you should definitely take a look at Josephson Institute for Ethics’ Jobs page on Idealist (it’s way more up to date than their actual Jobs page). Right now they’re looking for a Research Assistant, an Associate Web Producer/Writer, a Program Assistant – Character Counts, and a Marketing Project Manager. These look like really interesting jobs, so check them out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you had any ethical dilemmas in your job search?

Liquidia Technologies

Willy Franzen — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 16:49:06 +0000

When I was a kid, there were two kinds of visits to the doctor’s office: ones where I had to get a shot and ones where I didn’t. Children will never be able to understand how lucky they are to have the opportunity to get poked in the arm with a needle so that they can be vaccinated. Tomorrow’s kids will be even luckier to get poked if Liquidia Technologies keeps innovating. They’re a Research Triangle Park, NC based company that is “developing engineered particle-based vaccines and therapeutics that have the potential to dramatically improve the quality of human life.” Liquidia Technologies was founded in 2004 based on discoveries made by a Professor Joseph DeSimone of UNC, and since then they’ve raised a ton of financing.

There’s No Vaccine for Unemployment

I was in over my head as soon as I landed on Liquidia Technologies’ website, but maybe that’s because my Biology education ended after 9th grade. Luckily, I found the company’s corporate video, which does a great job of explaining what they’re all about:

If you’re yearning for more information on the science behind what Liquidia does, you should be able to find a good amount of info on their website. If all the biotechnology lingo makes sense to you without a need for translation, then you might be a good fit for a job at Liquidia Technologies. Right now they’re hiring Associate Scientists in Biology, Drug Delivery, Bio Conjugate Chemistry and Materials Science. They’re looking for people with 0-4 years of experience, so these jobs can be considered entry level. Liquidia also accepts general applications, so that’s an option if you think you could be a good fit in a different role.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Did you hate getting shots as a kid?

Chemical Heritage Foundation

Willy Franzen — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 14:06:43 +0000

When I was a kid, I had my own chemistry set. It was pretty cool–I could do things like change the color of a liquid by mixing a few different powders. Ok, so it wasn’t that exciting, especially after I learned that my Dad would make his own gunpowder and blow stuff up when he was a kid. After having a watered down chemistry set as a kid, I ended up having a completely inept chemistry teacher in high school. It should be no surprise that my interest in chemistry fizzled out, but if I wanted to get the reaction going again, I might look to the Chemical Heritage Foundation. They’re a Philadelphia, PA based non-profit organization that “fosters an understanding of chemistry’s impact on society” by “inspiring a passion for chemistry; highlighting chemistry’s role in meeting current social challenges; and preserving the story of chemistry and its technologies and industries across centuries.”

Show Your Chemical Heritage

The Chemical Heritage Foundation has four key program areas. The first is The Donald F. and Mildred Topp Othmer Library of Chemical History, which is exactly what it sounds like. The second is The Roy Eddleman Institute for Interpretation and Education, which is focused on bringing chemistry to a broader audience and includes the Museum at CHF. The third is The Center for Contemporary History and Policy, and it’s all about promoting chemistry’s current and future role in society. Finally, there’s The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for the History of Chemistry, which “hosts a community of visiting fellows.” As you can see, the CHF is working in every area that it can to connect society with the wonders of chemistry. You can explore CHF’s work much more deeply by browsing their website, so I highly recommend that. And if you really like what you see, you can go to their Jobs page. Oddly enough, the job that they have posted doesn’t require a background in science, as it’s a Project Development Assistant position. It looks like a great opportunity for a new or recent grad, so check it out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Did you have a chemistry set as a kid?

Crain Communications

Willy Franzen — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 17:35:49 +0000

Now that I’ve lived in Chicago for three years, I’m starting to feel more like a part of the Chicago business community. And a big piece of being a part of a community is keeping up on your local news. I rely a lot of sources, but I’ve found that Crain’s Chicago Business consistently does great reporting on the Chicago business scene. Crain’s Chicago Business is published by Crain Communications, which is “one of the largest privately owned business publishers in the U.S., with more than 27 leading business, trade and consumer publications and related websites in North America, Europe and Asia.” Crain is headquartered in Detroit, MI, but their publications are headquartered in a variety of places. Crain was founded in 1916 by GD Crain Jr., and it remains a family owned business to this day despite a few bumps in the road that would be expected for any company in the publishing industry (like layoffs a couple of years ago).

Crain Your Neck

What I really like about Crain Communications is that their lineup of brands serves a lot of different interests. They cover broader business news in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, and New York, and they cover the Advertising and Media Industry with titles like Advertising Age and TelevisionWeek. They publish Waste & Recycling News, and they have 7 publications focused on the Plastics and Rubber industries. High quality publications that target specific niches are great for advertisers, which is why Crain has an advantage over more general business publications. If you’re digging Crain’s approach to niches and you like their “Readers First” mentality, then you should definitely give their Jobs page a look. Right now they have a variety of great opportunities for new or recent grads including:

Assistant Web Producer – Ad Age (New York, NY)
Digital Assistant Managing Editor – Investment News (New York, NY)
Digital Media Analyst – Pensions & Investments (New York, NY)
Digital Reporter – Ad Age (San Francisco, CA)
Editorial Assistant – Pensions & Investments (Chicago, IL)
Editorial Assistant – Business Insurance (Chicago, IL)
Freelance Reporter – Ad Age (Washington, DC)
Marketing Database Administrator (Detroit, MI)
Part-time Editorial Researcher – Tire Business (Akron, OH)
Research Analyst – Staffing Industry Analysts (Mountain View, CA)
Staff Reporter – Plastics News (Akron, OH)
Video Editor – Crain’s Chicago Business (Chicago, IL)
Web Developer – Ad Age (New York, NY)

There are all kinds of cool opportunities at Crain, so hopefully one of them will appeal to you. Ad Age may be a sexy name because you heard about it in Mad Men, but don’t overlook writing for Plastics News or Tire Business–sometimes things that seem mundane are actually pretty interesting.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you read any of Crain’s publications?