One Day, One Job » rotation program

Wolverine Trading

Willy Franzen — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:32:44 +0000

When I was a kid, I had a huge baseball card collection (actually, I still have it). I never seriously collected any other sports cards, but I did have a phase where I collected a Marvel cards. I haven’t thought about those cards for years, but when I came across the name Wolverine Trading, they instantly jumped back in mind. Unfortunately, Wolverine Trading, which is based in Chicago, IL, doesn’t have anything to do with superheroes–though they may consider themselves financial superheroes. They are a “diversified financial institution specializing in proprietary trading, asset management, order execution services, and technology solutions.” Those are all just big words for making money by combining technology with knowledge of the financial markets.

Be a Glutton

Beyond being the name of a superhero, a wolverine is also a carnivorous mammal known for a gluttonous appetite and strength beyond its size (and the mascot of the University of Michigan). What a perfect name for a trading firm! Most trading firms keep what they actually do pretty close to the chest. If details about their internal operations leak out, then they lose their edge and ability to make money. Still, you can get a pretty good intro to Wolverine Trading from their Careers page. Beyond having their job postings, you can learn about their Culture, Benefits, Top 10 Reasons to Join Them, and FAQs on Trading and Technology. Once you read through all of those, you’ll either want to look at the College Recruiting page where they list a Rotational Trading Program and a Software Engineering Program. You can also check out their normal job postings for positions like Applications Developer, Trading Technical Support, Trading Associate (London), Software Engineer, Database Administrator, Junior Accountant, and Trading Assistant. There appears to be a lot of entry level opportunity at Wolverine Trading, so give them a really close look.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Wolverine Trading?

Skillshare

Willy Franzen — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 15:57:47 +0000

The Internet is an amazing platform for learning, and we’re just touching the surface of its potential. However, there are still a ton of things that are much better learned offline. That’s why it should be no surprise that we’re seeing a number of companies pop up that create online marketplaces for classes in any topic you can imagine. One of the leaders in the space is Skillshare. They’re based in New York, NY, and they are helping “make the exchange of knowledge easy, enriching, collaborative, and fun.” You can pretty much learn anything from anyone, or you can teach people something and make some money on the side (a great way to pay the bills while you’re job searching and build your resume at the same time). It’s a simple idea, but Skillshare seems to have it right. By handling all of the logistics they allow their users to focus on what they’re best at–teaching and learning.

Share Your Skills

If you really want to get to know Skillshare, you should probably take a class. Right now you can learn how to Launch a Startup for Less Than $5,000 (I could probably teach this one, but Skillshare’s CEO is actually the teacher), Live Rent Free in NYC, Play with LEGOs, and Make Chinese Dumplings. The opportunities are pretty endless, but right now a lot of the topics are actually super useful for job seekers. To get a better sense of what Skillshare does, you may want to take a look at this quick video:

Besides having a really cool product, Skillshare boasts a great company culture. And it really shows in their Job postings. They have some more typical startup positions like UX Designer and Developer, but what really caught my eye was the Founder Apprentice position. It’s 3-month position where you work “with Skillshare CEO, Michael Karnjanaprakorn, on everything from product to marketing to operations to business development,” and it has the chance to turn into something permanent. There’s also a 2-month part-time Community Management/Operations position that looks really interesting. If I were trying to get a job at Skillshare, I’d probably try to figure out what classes their employees are teaching and take them.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What kind of class would you teach on Skillshare?

Morningstar

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

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

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

Good Morning!

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

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

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What company have you been ignoring?

Coyote Logistics

Willy Franzen — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:39:16 +0000

Did you know that there’s a wild coyote population that lives in downtown Chicago? I’ve heard plenty about suburban coyotes (my dog was attacked by one a while back), but you don’t hear much about urban coyotes. I even saw one running through the streets once, but I assumed it was someone’s German Shepherd that got loose until I learned about Chi-town’s coyotes and their affinity for eating vermin. Anyway, there are also coyotes on the North Shore–Lake Forest, IL to be specific, but I’m not talking about wild dogs. I’m talking about Coyote Logistics, a logistics firm that was referred to me by a reader and that came in at #6 on the Inc. 500 last year with 13,847% three-year growth to $249.8 million in revenue. Since many of you probably know less about logistics than you do about urban coyotes (now that I’ve told you all about them), I’m going to enlighten you with a definition straight from Wikipedia. Logistics is “the management of the flow of goods and services between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet the requirements of customers,” and it “involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and occasionally security.”

Howl for a Job

Logistics never seems to get a lot of buzz, but I’m constantly impressed by the rapid success that companies like Coyote Logistics are seeing. I don’t care what business you’re in–if you can grow your revenue by nearly 140 times in three years, there’s something exciting about what you’re doing. What I find even more exciting is that much of Coyote Logistics’ growth is fueled by the work of recent college graduates. The company does a ton of campus recruiting in the midwest, and they’ve built a reputation as a great place to work. The Chicago Tribune named them one of the Top Chicago Workplaces, and a big reason for that is because CEO Jeff Silver works in “the trenches” with his employees. It also helps that Coyote Logistics offers “a work hard/play hard atmosphere and the opportunity to earn six-figure incomes.” If you want to be part of Coyote Logistics and their continued growth (and eventual move downtown to become urban coyotes), then you should check out their Jobs page. Right now they’re recruiting new grads for their Account Management Training Program. It looks like a really cool opportunity, so check it out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Coyote Logistics?

American Greetings

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

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

A Job for Every Occasion

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

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

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s the last greeting card that you sent?

United Talent Agency

Willy Franzen — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 17:02:27 +0000

When I chose to pursue a degree in Labor Relations, a big part of my decision was based on the fact that I wanted to be a sports agent (me and every other 18 year old sports loving guy). I eventually realized that I wasn’t interested in that kind of lifestyle, but I’m still fascinated by the profession (I’d kill to read an in-depth biography of Scott Boras). If you’re like me, but haven’t given up the dream–and you’re more interested in Hollywood than professional sports, then you’ll want to check out United Talent Agency. They’re a Beverly Hills, CA based talent and literary agency. They were founded in 1991, and they have “more than 100 agents representing actors, writers, directors, producers, recording artists, below the line talent, IP rights holders, emerging technology companies and corporate brands in a variety of practice areas including film, television, music, digital media, intellectual property, computer and video games, commercials, voiceovers, endorsements, branding & licensing, corporate consulting and entertainment marketing” according to Wikipedia. Their clients include Johnny Depp, Harrison Ford, Owen Wilson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Lopez, Patrick Dempsey, Ice Cube, Tracy Morgan, and plenty of other huge names, so you know they’re for real.

Do You Have the Talent?

United Talent Agency doesn’t provide much information about anything on their site, but their About page does give a brief rundown of what each of their divisions do. The company’s Wikipedia page is a much better source of information. The most in-depth section on UTA’s website is actually focused on their Agent Training Program. It’s an entry level rotation program that can put you on the path to a career as a Talent Agent at one of the world’s top talent agencies. The idea of getting your start in the mailroom seems a little outdated, but apparently that’s how it still works at United Talent Agency and quite a few others in the industry. If you do a good job there, then you’ll get assigned to be the Assistant for one of UTA’s agents. If you keep excelling, there’s a good chance that you’ll get promoted to agent status. UTA accepts applications on an ongoing basis, so take a look at all of the details here.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you want to be a talent agent?

Simon & Schuster

Willy Franzen — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:46:23 +0000

It’s hard to think of an industry that hasn’t been affected by the Internet in some way, but when you think about those that have seen the most change, publishing has to be at the top of the list. Not only has technology changed the way that we read, but it’s also changed what we read. In fact, I bought a Kindle to force myself to read more books, and half of the reading that I do on it is stuff that I sent to it from the web. However, books are still huge business, and the major brands in the book publishing business still seem to be surviving, if not thriving, in a forever changed book selling environment. Simon & Schuster is a great example (and if you’re looking for other entry level jobs in publishing, you may also want to check out Hachette, Sterling, Penguin Group, and Random House). The New York, NY publisher was able to hit their profit targets last year even though they fell short of revenue targets. This article on a letter from Simon & Schuster’s CEO will give you insight into how the company is embracing digital publishing while also expanding its focus on high growth areas like Children’s publishing. The Internet may just be what keeps the big name publishers alive.

Book It

The most recent data that I can find (mid-2008) had Simon & Schuster as the fourth largest trade publisher in the United States. Back then they represented just under 10% of the market share, and there’s a good chance that they’ve grown it since they’ve really started to embrace digital formats and social media marketing. Now, 10% of the trade books in the United States aren’t labeled as being published by Simon & Schuster—they have a wide range of divisions and imprints that specialize in specific interest areas and markets. Each of these acts as “its own publisher with separate editorial and publicity departments,” but they do share “common sales and business departments.” If you’re intrigued by what Simon & Schuster is doing to maintain (or improve) their position in the trade publishing industry, then you should check out their Jobs page—specifically the section on their Associates Program, which is aimed at providing “opportunities for entry-level candidates to gain hands-on experience in different functional areas in order to broaden knowledge of publishing and fast forward careers.” It’s a rotational program that offers focuses in Adult, Children’s Publishing (including but not limited to Editorial, Publicity, Marketing, Subsidiary Rights, and Managing Editorial), Digital, or Corporate Communications. It looks great, and they expect candidates on a rolling basis, so you don’t have to worry about deadlines or being from a target campus. There also some other positions posted on Simon & Schuster’s Jobs site like Human Resources Coordinator, Editorial Assistant (Gallery Books) – Adult Trade, Inventory Analyst (NYC and Riverside, NJ), Logistics Coordinator (Riverside, NJ), and Business Intelligence Analyst, so the Associates Program isn’t the only option.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Which books from Simon & Schuster have you read lately?

Macy’s

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

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

A Parade of Job Opportunities

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

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you shop at Macy’s?

ExactTarget

Willy Franzen — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:53:54 +0000

I think that e-mail is still the king of social media. We have all of these fancy social networking accounts, but they all send their notifications to our inboxes. If you want someone’s attention, e-mail is the way to go (assuming your message doesn’t look like spam). Heck, you’re probably reading this in your e-mail. That’s why e-mail marketing continues to be a rapidly growing industry. We’ve already taken a look at jobs with Constant Contact, Aweber, and e-Dialog, and now we’re going to look at an industrial strength e-mail marketing company, ExactTarget. They’re based in Indianapolis, and since 2000 they’ve been focused on “providing the most powerful on-demand software for email communications and finding the best and brightest marketers on the planet to revolutionize the way people think about email.”

Target Your Job Search Exactly

ExactTarget offers a wide array of e-mail Products, Services, and Solutions that are used by clients like CarMax, Expedia, The Home Depot, and other huge brands. If you’d like to join ExactTarget at the forefront of e-mail marketing, then you should check out their entry level Catapult Rotational Program. Here’s an introductory video on the program (e-mail readers click through to watch):

If you like what you just saw, then there are two tracks that you can take. The ExactTarget Business Track will allow you to gain experience across departments like Marketing, Accounting, Solutions Consulting (SolCon), Account Management, Deliverability Services, Strategic Services, Training, SMB/Renewals, Partnerships, Human Resources, and Sales, while the ExactTarget Technical Track will have you working in Solutions Consulting (SolCon), Customer Support, Integration, Product, Quality Assurance, Deliverability Services, Training, Implementation, Design and Deployment. You may be able to meet up with ExactTarget recruiters on your campus, but if they’re not recruiting at your school you can get the run down on how to apply for the program here. ExactTarget has done a fantastic job with their entry level recruiting program, and I bet that reflects how much they value young talent.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of the Catapult Rotational Program?

Vans

Willy Franzen — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:40:08 +0000

Yeserday we talked about jobs at Vann’s, which made me think that we should talk about with jobs at Vans today. The two companies don’t have much in common beyond being homophones of each other, so let’s start talking about shoes. Cypress, CA based Vans was founded in 1966 as the Van Doren Rubber Company. They started out by producing shoes for sports like baseball, basketball, and wrestling, but that didn’t end up working out too well for them; in fact, it led to bankruptcy. They eventually came out of bankruptcy, and then Sean Penn’s character wore a pair of Vans checkerboard slip-ons in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. That changed everything.

Jobs with Sole

Since then Vans has really embraced the skater culture that first embraced them. It’s pretty much become an essential part of their brand. They don’t offer a ton of information about their company (there isn’t even an about page), but I do know that they are part of a larger company called VF Corporation. Since there’s no quick and easy way to “get to know” Vans, you’ll have to do some browsing around their website to get a better feel for what they’re all about. You might also want to check out their LinkedIn Company Profile. Once you feel like you have a good idea of what Vans is all about, you can check out their Jobs page. They give you the option of checking out jobs at Corporate, Retail, or their Distribution Center. For our purposes we’re going to focus on Corporate, where they have a Corporate Trainee Program. It is “a one-year cross-functional developmental program for a recent college graduate with a business or art degree who seeks a broad experience in key areas of Vans.” It sounds awesome, and you can apply online. It seems like nearly any career path at Vans should start with this program.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you wear Vans?

Wayne Hummer Wealth Management

Willy Franzen — Tue, 05 May 2009 14:03:39 +0000

Let’s be honest, as a new or recent college grad, you probably don’t have much wealth to manage. That’s why you’re looking for a job – so that you’ll be rich one day and have somebody else look after your finances. Wait! So, if wealthy people don’t manage their own money, then who does? Wealth management companies, of course. That means that you can get a job managing wealth without having any wealth of your own to manage. Ok, this is starting to sound like some too good to be true scam – my bad. Seriously, though, if you’re smart, have the drive, and are interested in all things financial, a career in wealth management could be worth a shot. Wealth managment is actually a pretty cool field – it pulls from a variety of disciplines that include banking, estate planning, tax advisory, investment management, legal advisory, and, of course, financial planning. If that sounds like something that you might like to do after graduation, then you should check out Wayne Hummer Wealth Management, a Chicago based firm that was founded in 1931.

Manage Your Way to Wealth

It’s hard to differentiate between wealth management firms when you don’t have much inside information to go on, so let’s jump right into entry level jobs with Wayne Hummer Wealth Management. Their Careers page includes a link to a PDF on their Wealth Manager Training and Development Program, which is targeted towards new grads. There’s a ton of information on what the program entails and what areas you’ll “rotate” into. There’s no need for me to repeat it, so check out their Training and Development Program, and if you like what you see, you can apply by sending a cover letter and resume to careers@whummer.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Wayne Hummer Wealth Management?

Brunswick

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

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

Not Quite Early Retirement

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

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

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

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

More Options for New Grads at Brunswick

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

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Which of Brunswick’s brands is your favorite?

Party City

Willy Franzen — Mon, 05 May 2008 12:13:32 +0000

Happy Cinco de Mayo! To be honest, today is the first time that I’m going to be celebrating the holiday, but I’m pretty excited about it. I did a little research (yes, those job search skills also help when you need to find semi-useful facts) and found that Cinco de Mayo is actually a very minor holiday in Mexico, but has become quite a celebration in many areas north of the border. This article from the Albuquerque Tribune does a nice job of telling the history, and includes this quote from Jeffrey Candelaria, vice president of membership and marketing at the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce: “From my perspective as a marketing professional, Cinco de Mayo has morphed into a national holiday designed by Fifth Avenue to sell alcohol and excite consumership around a party-type theme.” Well, party-type themes are fun, especially if classes are over for you, so we’re going to run with it and talk about jobs at Party City today.

Party On!

Party City is a party retailer that offers all the necessary accoutrements for a themed occasion. These are important because in college (and probably always after) themed parties are essential to justifying questionable behavior. Partying during the daytime is frowned upon even by some of the most hardcore partiers, but it suddenly becomes ok when you’ve purchased some of these Cinco de Mayo party favors. And don’t forget about how people dress on Halloween! A few touches from a Party City purchase can justify almost any costume idea. Yes, parties are fun, but themed parties are almost always more fun. Just remember, keep the pictures private if you put them on Facebook.

No Work Experience, 4 Years’ Partying Experience

Party City has realized that college students have this partying thing figured out, so they’ve put together a college recruiting program to attract those kids with 4 years of college partying experience. Ok, we might be overplaying the fact that partying habits have any relevance when it comes to getting a job at Party City, but it’s fun to run with the theme. There appear to be three career tracks for new graduates at Party City: choosing a Corporate Division and going to work, entering the Management Training Program and rotating through 3 divisions, or taking the Management Fast Track towards becoming a general manager of a retail store. Each of these options (all of which are located in Rockaway, NJ) looks pretty interesting, so follow the links and take a look at the additional information on the Party City website.

What we really like about Party City is that they don’t ask entry-level applicants to apply for a specific job, but instead ask them to choose a program. They understand that many new grads are unsure of what they want to do, so they provide open ended options. All you need to do to apply is send a cover letter and resume to jobs@partycity.com, but not until after you’ve enjoyed Cinco de Mayo.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

We know that our daily e-mail didn’t send yesterday, which is the 2nd time in two weeks. The process is automated, and we have no idea why it’s failing. We’re really sorry, and we’ll do our best to make sure that we fix the problem. If you’re one of those people who never gets our daily e-mail, you should stop missing out on the action and subscribe by e-mail now.

CarMax

Willy Franzen — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:00:16 +0000

Buying your first car and getting your first job have a lot in common. They’re both relatively uncomfortable and unfamiliar processes that are filled with false formality and lots of back and forth. To be successful at either, you need to put yourself in the driver’s seat (ugh, sorry for the pun) and take control of the situation by ensuring that you’ve done your research and that you know exactly what you want. If only recruiters and HR representatives would work as hard as a car salesman to sell you on why you should work for their company. CarMax, being in the auto sales business, has figured this out. Just like they make car buying easier and less stressful with “No-Haggle Pricing,” CarMax also makes finding your first job easy with an exceptional entry-level hiring program.

CarMax is the biggest used car dealer in the United States, and they’ve reached this point in only 15 years of operations. CarMax was started as a side project by Circuit City’s then-CEO Richard L. Sharp, but grew so rapidly that it was spun off from Circuit City in 2002. There are 80 CarMax used-car superstores across the country, and they all do business in a way that you might not expect from a used car dealer. Like we said before, there’s no haggling on price, and there’s also no negotiation on trade-in valuation. CarMax kind of kills the stereotype of the sleazy used car salesman.

We really like CarMax, not only because they’ve been named one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For 4 years in a row (most recently ranked #46), but also because they make their entry-level hiring program as clear as can be. Their college recruiting page is easily visible, and gets right down to business. CarMax has three career paths for new college graduates – a Finance and Accounting career development/rotation program, a Strategy Analyst position, and an Information Technology position. CarMax explains each of these positions in detail. We don’t need to elaborate much, because CarMax nails it on their Career site (yes, that’s 3 companies in a row with phenomenal careers sites). Now that hiring and car buying are out of the way, what awkward process can CarMax make easier next?

CarMax does a lot of on-campus recruiting, so check out their schedules (Finance and Accounting, IT, and Strategy) to see when they’re visiting your campus. If they’re not coming to your campus, you can apply by sending a resume and cover letter to college_recruiting@carmax.com. On the other hand, if you would prefer to get directly into auto sales and aren’t interested in corporate type jobs, you can take a look at the CarMax’s store positions. We wouldn’t recommend it though (kidding!). We just think that the corporate jobs sound way cooler, considering that the corporate office has a full basketball court, two racquet ball courts, a baseball field, and work out facilities.

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What makes you more uncomfortable? Buying a car or trying to find a job? Tell us in the comments.