One Day, One Job » Rhode Island

38 Studios

Willy Franzen — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:19:17 +0000

A few days ago I saw a retweet from Peter Gammons’ account about some job opportunities. That seemed a bit odd to me since Peter Gammons is a baseball reporter and analyst, and the jobs didn’t seem to have anything to do with baseball. I made a note of it and went back to what I was doing. Today I went to check out 38 Studios, and I realized that Gammons was retweeting Curt Schilling, the former Phillies and Diamondbacks pitcher (he may have also played for the evil Red Sox, which is probably why Gammons, the biggest Red Sox homer ever, was retweeting him). Anyway, Curt Schilling is the founder of 38 Studios, which is “an entertainment and IP creation company in development on a broad range of products, including online and console video games, toys, novels, comics, film, TV, and other forms of digital media.” I’m not sure how I’d describe the stuff that they’re putting out, but if I had to pick one word it would be fantasy. Like I said, nothing to do with baseball. 38 Studios was previously based in Boston, MA, but they’re in the process of moving to Providence, RI, and that’s where most of their jobs are now.

No Bloody Socks Here

38 Studios currently has two products: Copernicus and Kingdoms of Amalur. Both are games, but I assume that novels, comics, toys, etc. will be spun out of these games. Curt Schilling’s partners in 38 Studios are Todd McFarlane and R.A. Salvatore and the company bought out Big Huge Games, so they have a ton of creative firepower. If you want to learn more about 38 Studios, the best way to do that is to check out their products and get a feel for how they’re “combining the ages-old art of the story with 21st century interactive entertainment.” If you like what you see, then you’ll have to check out jobs at 38 Studios. Current opportunities that might be suitable for new grads include Administrative Assistant, Cinematics Illustrator, Content Designer, Front Desk Coordinator, Quality Assurance Tester (Baltimore, MD), Recruiting Coordinator, Software Engineer – Platform, Tools Software Engineer, and User Experience Designer. There’s lots of cool stuff here, so take a closer look. Also, this article mentions that they’re aiming to hire 280 people after they complete their move, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t see anything that suits you. There are more jobs coming soon.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you play any of 38 Studios’ games?

Plan

Willy Franzen — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 16:57:02 +0000

It’s hard to imagine anything more precious than childhood. It’s a period of life that is meant to be carefree and full of potential. Yet so many children across the world endure suffering and hardship, and even worse there is little or no hope for a brighter future. Plan is an international development non-profit organization that works “to promote child rights and lift millions of girls and boys out of poverty.” They do work in “48 developing countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas” while raising funds in 21 countries. In the 70 years that Plan has been operating, they’ve improved the lives of more than 1.5 million children in communities totaling 9 million people. That’s massive impact. Plan is headquartered in Warwick, RI, and they also have a presence in Washington, DC. By focusing on children, Plan is able to not only help those who are most vulnerable, but also to help build a future generation that is prepared to offer a better life for their children.

What’s Your Plan?

Plan’s programs focus on eight core areas: Education, Protection, Economic Security, Health, Sexual Health (including HIV), Emergencies, Water and Sanitation, and Child Participation. They’ve identified these as the most pressing needs for children across the world, and they’re working hard to ensure that both immediate and long-term needs are taken care of for the children of the world. The Plan website is really comprehensive, so you can learn all about the kind of work they do and how they do it. If you want a quick overview, you may want to check out the Plan FAQ. If you like what you see, then it’s time to take a look at jobs at Plan. Right now they only have one position that seems suitable for a new grads. It’s a Donor Services Representative position on their Finance team. Take a look, and if it’s not for you, keep your eye out for other jobs at Plan.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Plan?

Farsounder

Willy Franzen — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:50:55 +0000

I’m sure that you’ve all heard of sonar, but how many of you have actually used it? My first real experience with sonar was in college when I was part of a research team trying to find the Finger Lakes equivalent of the Loch Ness Monster. Ok, that’s an exaggeration. I was actually fishing on a friend’s boat, and he taught me how to use a sonar unit to catch Lake Trout. It’s pretty cool—you can actually watch your jig drop down to the bottom of the lake, and you can watch on the screen as little blobs of pixels occasionally chase it—these are fish. It’s half video game, half real life fishing. Obviously, there are far more serious and important uses of sonar, and that’s what Farsounder is all about. They’re a company based in Warwick, RI that “is one of the world leaders in the design, manufacture and marketing of 3D sonar systems for a variety of applications in the commercial, recreational, defense and homeland security markets, internationally as well as domestically.” Two-dimensions is great when you’re fishing, but if you’re navigating a large, expensive ship around underwater obstacles, three-dimensions is the way to go.

Add a New Dimension to Your Career

Farsounder has two key product lines: Navigation Sonars and Diver Detection Systems. Navigation Sonars are pretty self-explanatory—they help you see where you’re going from an underwater perspective. Diver Detection Systems are a bit different. They exist to detect threats while the ship is at anchor. Farsounder offers solutions that combine the two technologies, so ship crews can know what’s going on beneath the surface at all times. If you’re still not quite getting what Farsounder is all about (or you’re digging them and want to keep learning more), check out this PDF from NOAA on how Farsounder technology is used to protect whales from ship collisions—the leading cause of death of the northern right whale. If you want to save whales, protect ships, and work on really cool technology, check out Farsounder’s Jobs page. Right now they’re hiring Software Engineers, so check out the job description and see if it’s something that interests you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever used sonar?

Environment America

Willy Franzen — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 16:44:36 +0000

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Now, I’m not one to worry much about Global Warming, especially when I’m enjoying a snap of 60-plus degree weather in Chicago in mid-November, but that doesn’t mean I’m not concerned about the environment. There’s no doubt that our way of life has numerous negative impacts on the natural world around us, and we’re not doing enough to minimize those impacts. Environment America is a nationwide, non-profit “federation of state-based, citizen-funded environmental advocacy organizations” that is headquartered in Washington, DC. Their strategy is focused on combining “independent research, practical ideas and tough-minded advocacy to overcome the opposition of powerful special interests and win real results for the environment.” (Yes, they’re another special interest that is fighting special interests.) They’ve been around for 30 years, and I’m sure that they’re going to keep on going as long as mankind is harming the environment.

Try a New Environment

While much of Environment America’s work is focused at the state level, some of of the broader initiatives that they’re currently working on are Repower America (Green Energy), Stopping Global Warming, Our Rivers, Lakes & Streams, and Stop Toxic Pollution. As you can see, Environment America spreads their work across a lot of issues, which means that they have a ton of different job opportunities. You can find the full rundown here. For students and recent grads, their Fellowship Program is probably the best fit (and I believe potential locations include Mobile, AL; Little Rock and Fayetville, AR; Phoenix, AZ; Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco and Santa Barbara, CA; Denver, CO; Hartford, CT; Washington, DC; Miami and Tallahassee, FL; Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Des Moines, IA; New Orleans, LA; Portland, ME; Baltimore, MD; Boston, MA; Ann Arbor, MI; Minneapolis, MN; St. Louis, MO; Gulfport, MS; Missoula, MT; Las Vegas, NV; Concord, NH; Trenton, NJ; Albuquerque, NM; Albany and New York, NY; Raleigh, NC; Columbus, OH; Portland, OR; Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, PA; Providence, RI; Austin, TX; Richmond, VA; Seattle, WA; and Madison, WI), but you may also want to check out positions like Communication and Development – Grants Associate (Los Angeles, CA), Financial Assistant (Washington, DC), Executive Assistant (Boston, MA or Washington, DC), Communications Associate (Boston, MA or Philadelphia, PA), Web Associate (Boston, MA), and Online Organizing Software Developer (Denver, CO). There are all kinds of options, so give everything a good look.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What environmental issues are you most concerned with?

Alteris Renewables

Willy Franzen — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 13:00:26 +0000

Unfortunately, I can’t report on the election results because I’m writing this a day in advance because I will have flown to Munich last night. However, I can guarantee that regardless of how the people voted, green energy is still going to be a huge market. Renewables are big, and they’re becoming more and more accessible to average people. Alteris Renewables is a Wilton, CT based company that offers affordable renewable energy solutions to residential, commercial, and educational customers. They also have offices in Stonington, CT; Stamford, CT; New Bedford, MA; Albany, NY; Saratoga Springs, NY; New York, NY; Parsippany, NJ; Malvern, PA; Providence, RI; Waitsfield, VT; and Montpelier, VT. Yes, they pretty much have the Northeast covered. They also have the awesome growth rate covered, as they’re #417 on the Inc. 500 with 710% three-year growth to $56.4 million in revenue last year.

Renew Your Job Search

One of the requests I get more and more often from students is info on green jobs, specifically those jobs focused on energy. It’s a field that is certainly growing in popularity, but it often requires a background in Engineering. Luckily, Alteris Renewables is more consumer focused, so they have some options that aren’t quite as technical. Right now their Jobs page shows Renewable Energy Consultant positions in Northern New Jersey and an Operations Assistant position in Albany, NY. Both look suitable for new or recent grads, so check them out. And don’t be afraid to inquire about other opportunities.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Retail Solutions

Willy Franzen — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:52:21 +0000

Although I’m not big on shopping, I love shopping online. It makes everything easier—as long as the online store has free shipping and a generous return policy. E-commerce is also great for businesses because it reduces costs and makes data collection far easier. With that said, the retail experience can’t be replaced, and it isn’t going anywhere for a long time. That means that retail stores need to be able to collect data as effectively as online stores if they want to stay competitive. This can be a tough problem to conquer, but Retail Solutions, which is headquartered in Mountain View, CA, has an… er… solution. They “develop and deliver a comprehensive suite of award-winning software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions that turn downstream data, such as point-of-sale (POS), supply chain, merchandiser feedback and category data, into actionable visibility into the store and onto the shelf.” They work with both retailers and consumer packaged good companies to track sales and provide data, which enables both sides to operate more efficiently.

What’s Your Solution?

Retail Solutions is yet another Inc. 500 company that is lower down the list, but has significantly higher annual revenue than many of its peers. They grew at an 820.6% rate over the past three years to $13.6 million in revenue last year, which means that they are a market leader. You could also ascertain that by looking at their customer list, which includes names like Hershey’s, Crayola, Reckitt Benckiser, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, and quite a few more on the manufacturer side and Food Lion, Hannanford, and Walgreens on the retailer side. A lot of what Retail Solutions will seem a little complex if you don’t already know how retail management works, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have entry level positions. If you check out their Jobs page, you’ll see opportunities like Inside Sales Representative (Bentonville, AR), Customer Support Analyst (Cranston, RI), Analytic Consultant (Cranston, RI), and Data Operations Specialist (Cranston, RI). Oddly enough they don’t have anything posted at their headquarters right now. And don’t forget to read about Life at Retail Solutions.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you still do a lot of retail shopping?

MCG

Willy Franzen — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:20:12 +0000

Did you know that you can get Amazon Prime for free if you’re a college student? That means unlimited, free two-day shipping on everything you buy.

For the past couple of months we’ve been including more numbers than usual in our daily posts—things like three-year growth rates and annual revenues. Since we’ve been looking mostly at companies on the Inc. 500, we figure that it’s useful information. If simple numbers like those intimidate you, then today’s company is definitely not for you. However, if your response to our daily posts is to seek out more numbers and dig into annual reports and other similar documents, then you’re in luck. MCG is a Providence, RI based company that does mathematical, statistical, and strategic consulting. Their motto is “Nothing is too complex.” The first person listed on their Management Team page is their Chief Analytics Officer, so that should tell you a lot about MCG’s focus. And I almost forgot—MCG has grown at an 834.4% rate over the past three years to $2.2 million in revenue (they were only founded in 2006).

Quantify Your Worth at MCG

I’m not sure which is more interesting, the areas that MCG works in or the clients who use them. Apparently, they break their business up into ten defined areas: Business Consulting, Business Planning and Valuation, Trading Systems, Government Procurement Consulting, Dissertation Assistance, Medical and Biostat Research, Equal Employment Advisory & Litigation Support, Casino Gaming and Sports Analysis, Market Research Services, and Risk Management. With all that expertise, it should be no surprise that their clients include Starbucks, ESPN, Nielsen, Teach for America, Visa, Harvard Medical School, and quite a few other huge names. If you graduated with a degree from a top program in theoretical or applied statistics, pure or applied mathematics, physics, economics and econometrics, psychometrics, engineering, or computer science, then you may want to consider a Career at MCG. They don’t list specific positions, but you can reach out to them about their opportunities at careers@mcg-site.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Are you a quant?

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?

Swipely

Willy Franzen — Wed, 12 May 2010 15:35:22 +0000

Social networking sites have a serious TMI (too much information) problem. Never has it been easier for our friends to tell us stuff that we really didn’t want to know. And now it’s getting even easier with websites that share where we’ve most recently swiped our credit cards. Take for example my girlfriend, if she used Swipely, you’d know that the last place that she swiped her credit card was in the toilet of her office. No, she doesn’t work for Ryanair and have to pay to use the toilet. She just had a little a mishap when her credit card fell out of her back pocket. Yuck. Ok, that’s not exactly how Providence, RI based (yes, a startup based in Rhode Island) Swipely works, but it gives you an idea. We already discussed the idea of social networks for spending a few months ago when I wrote a post about Blippy, and now it’s a hot topic again because Swipely just launched in conjunction with securing a $7.5 million round of financing. We’re starting to see location based social networks take off, and it’s only a matter of time before we share our purchases too (although Blippy’s data leak from a few weeks ago might have set the timetable back a bit). Facebook is already abusing the hell out of your data, so you might as well give in and start sharing everything on your terms before Facebook does it without your permission.

Swipe This Job

Where Swipely differs from Blippy is in their approach. Blippy is all about sharing a feed of financial transactions; whereas, Swipely aims to enable you to share what you want to share. It’s not about how much you spent, but where you shopped and why you made the purchase. Apparently their goal is to “add value to every swipe,” although I don’t think that they’ve gone far enough with this yet. I see how powerful referral marketing has been for both Gilt Groupe and Bonobos, and I want to see Swipely take that idea and make it profitable for me to share my transactions with friends. That would be a serious value add. If you’re still not quite sure how Swipely works, you can watch the video below (RSS and e-mail readers click through to view).

Like what you see? You should check out jobs at Swipely. With the $7.5 million in financing they’re looking to add fresh talent to their team of industry veterans. Right now they’re looking for new college grads with a background in Computer Science. Additionally there’s a Front-End Developer position that might be suitable for new grads. For an early-ish stage startup, Swipely is extremely polished, and it shows on their Jobs page. They’re serious about recruiting top talent—even if they’re not located in Silicon Valley.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Are you going to use Swipely?

MITRE

Willy Franzen — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 12:28:19 +0000

Not many of the companies on Fast Company’s list of “The World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies” are non-profit, and not many non-profits generate over $1 billion in annual revenue, but MITRE fits both criteria. I know that many of you responded in our survey that you wanted to see fewer technical jobs, but I’ve also noticed that most of the non-profit jobs that we feature on weekends aren’t very technical. MITRE, which has headquarters in Bedford, MA and McLean, VA offers an exception. They are an “organization chartered to work in the public interest” through “expertise in systems engineering, information technology, operational concepts, and enterprise modernization.” They do this work through “four Federally Funded Research and Development Centers,” with one focused on the Department of Defense, one on the Federal Aviation Administration, one on the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, and one for the Department of Homeland Security.

Give MITRE a Try

MITRE serves each of these groups by providing “a unique combination of broad operational knowledge and in-depth technical skills” while also developing new technology that can be transferred when appropriate. What is really astonishing about MITRE is its size. They have over 7,000 employees, and more than 65% of them hold an advanced degree. The organization is a hotbed for technical knowhow and creativity, and it’s great to know that they have thousands of talented people working to ensure the future of our country. On that note MITRE is constantly looking to hire smart people for both technical and non-technical positions. They have a very strong college recruiting program, which you can find out about here. There are nearly 400 positions posted right now on MITRE’s Jobs site, so browsing through everything may be a little tough. It maybe a little hard to sniff out which jobs are considered entry level, so you may want to reach out to Jessica Yu using MITRE’s employee directory to get your questions answered (or you can use the chat box on the Student Opportunities page during working hours).

Job categories at MITRE include: Acquisitions, Artificial Intelligence, Business Analysis & Administration, Communications, Computer Operations, Contracts/Subcontracts, Database Technology Software, Defense & Space Systems, Desktop Support, Digital/Microprocessor Hardware, Domain Operation Analyst, Economics/Business, Electromagnetic & Nuclear Effects, Facilities Engineering, Financial Analysis, General Accounting, General Systems Engineer, Graphics, Human Resources Generalist, Human Factors Engineer, Industrial Security, Information Security, Information Systems Engineer, Integrated Electronics, Legal, Multi-Disciplinary Systems Development, Networking & Distributed Systems, Physical Security, Procurement, Sensor Systems, Signal Processing Engineer, Software Applications Development & Software Systems, Special Security, System Administrator, Technical Project Support, Telecommunications Specialist, and Treasury & Risk Management. There are also a variety of locations beyond MITRE’s headquarters, so you’ll have plenty of options.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about MITRE?

Triumvirate Environmental

Willy Franzen — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:35:37 +0000

In the environmentalist’s ideal world there would be no such thing as hazardous waste. Everything would be pure and natural and “green.” Unfortunately, that will never happen (partially because every living thing is its own little hazardous waste factory). How we deal with this hazardous waste is what truly determines the future of our environment. Triumvirate Environmental has figured this out, and they’ve spent the last 21 years building a business that provides “turnkey environmental and hazardous waste management services to clients across four niche sectors; Education, Healthcare, Industrial, and Life Sciences.” They’re based in Somerville, MA with locations across New England, New York, and the Mid-Atlantic, and they also appear to be masters of social media.

Join the Triumvirate

I’m surprised that I hadn’t heard of Triumvirate Environmental until today. They’re totally on top of employment branding and social media use, so you’d think they’d be on my radar screen (I actually have an entry level job radar that gives me ideas for posts). This is impressive because they’re doing a great job making hazardous waste management exciting for job seekers and customers alike. Triumvirate Environmental has 9 blogs on topics that include The Environment, Environmental Careers, Higher Education, Healthcare, Industrial and Manufacturing, Life Sciences and BioPharma, Engineering Blogs, National and International Environmental News, and Social Media. It almost seems like too much, but if blog readers turn into customers or employees, then it’s well worth it. Triumvirate is all over Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube as well.

Although I find Triumvirate’s social media use impressive, I’m more impressed with their customer service philosophy, which is built off of their mission to “build the most productive, long-term, customer-intimate, environmental services firm by WOWing! each employee, and each customer, every day.” It’s all about WOWs! I’ve found that companies that treat their customers well, also treat their employees well, and the same can be said for companies that have Career blogs. That’s why you should definitely check out Triumvirate’s Career Center. Right now they have 22 job openings, and a number of them are suitable for new grads. These include Environmental Specialist (Somerville, MA; Providence, RI; Portland, CT; and Astoria, NY), Help Desk Specialist (Somerville, MA), and Environmental Service Representative (Portland, CT). There are also a number of jobs that are more “hands on” that only require a High School degree and some certifications. You can apply for all of these positions online, but I’ll bet that using social media to reach out to some people at Triumvirate Environmental may be a more effective way to get noticed.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you heard of Triumvirate Environmental before?

Project HEALTH

Willy Franzen — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 15:05:25 +0000

It’s no secret that poverty and poor health are deeply related. Limited access to healthcare is part of the reason, but there’s a lot more to the story. Nearly everything that we do in our lives has some bearing on our health outcomes, and a life in poverty creates factor after factor that leads to poor health outcomes. Project HEALTH is a non-profit organization that works in Baltimore, MD; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; New York, NY; Providence, RI; and Washington, DC to break “the link between poverty and poor health.” Honestly, that doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I think that poverty and poor health will forever be intertwined, but battling poverty will be the key to creating better health outcomes for lower-income people. I guess it all depends on how you define poverty.

A Project for You

Despite my confusion with Project Health’s tagline, I think that they’ve put together two awesome programs that show that they really do get it. The first is Family Help Desk, which offers clinics where “physicians can ‘prescribe’ food, housing, health insurance, job training, fuel assistance, or other resources for their patients as routinely as they do medication.” I always thought it was kind of silly that our medical system focused mostly on prescribing medication and not on making recommendations about other areas patients’ lives, so I think that Project HEALTH has nailed it here. It should be so surprise that:

The Family Help Desk’s straightforward, preventative referrals to government and community resources – such as affordable housing, child care, employment, GED classes, and job training – enable families to avert crises and to access increased income and education, which have been documented to result in better long-term health outcomes

It sounds like an amazing program! Project HEALTH’s second program is called STRIVE and it’s “an afterschool intervention that provides low-income teens with sickle cell disease with the mentoring, peer support, academic assistance, and disease management education they need to manage their condition effectively and realize their full potential.” It also sounds like it’s doing some impressive work. Another part of the Project HEALTH story is that most of their projects are staffed by college volunteers. On that note, they do have jobs beyond the volunteer level for those of you who have graduated. Project HEALTH’s Jobs page has 6 openings posted right now. 5 are as Family Help Desk Program Managers (in Baltimore, Chicago, New York, Providence, and Washington, DC) which seem to require some prior work experience, while the other job is clearly entry level – Family Help Desk Program Assistant, Baltimore. You can find out how to apply from the job descriptions.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think about Project HEALTH?