One Day, One Job » sales

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?

Fareportal

Willy Franzen — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:48:35 +0000

It’s supposed to be in the 80s and sunny all weekend here in Chicago. This is the weather that we wait all year for, yet I”m starting to think this may have been a good weekend to get out of town. Why? The NATO Summit is in Chicago this weekend, and so are the protesters. If I was going to get out of town, I might try one of the services offered by Fareportal to book something. They’re a New York, NY based company that has a “technology platform which enables millions of travelers to book a myriad of travel products from almost every corner of the world.” They operate a number of consumer brands including CheapOair (I’ve used them at least once), CheapOstay, HotelPricer, and Clubmiles. Fareportal also has travel trade brands including Fare Buzz, Travelong, Fareportal Media Group, and Dukes Court Travel.

Fare Enough

The easiest way to describe Fareportal is travel + technology. They are the “7th largest online travel group in the US” and the “4th largest online travel agency.” When you add it all up, they get more than 30 million travel searches every month. That’s pretty impressive for a company that is just 10 years old, but what’s next? Fareportal’s home page proclaims that they are “one of the fastest growing travel companies in the world,” so clearly what they’re doing now isn’t enough. That’s why Fareportal is hiring big time–you can see their full Careers page here or you can go straight to the job listings for their New York City headquarters. Here are the current postings that look well suited to a new or recent gard:

If you love travel and technology, then it would be hard to find a better place to work than Fareportal.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you tried any of Fareportal’s brands?

Treehouse

Willy Franzen — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:38:42 +0000

What have you done in the past week to make yourself a better candidate for the jobs that you’re applying for? E-mail me at willy@onedayonejob.com and tell me. Seriously. Developing new skills isn’t just about being better qualified for a job–it’s also about showing employers that you’re constantly trying to better yourself and willing to invest time and money to do so. Companies love people who show a desire to grow into new roles. Luckily, there are more and more companies that offer online education with the purpose of actually teaching you applicable skills, not giving you a worthless piece of paper. One of these companies is Treehouse, which is based in Orlando, FL. Their “goal is to teach Web Design, Web Development and iOS, to everyone in the World who wants to learn.”

Climb Up to the Treehouse

I know this isn’t reassuring, but the stats say that most grads take many months to land a job. That’s more than enough time to learn some extremely valuable technical skills with Treehouse. Think you can’t afford it? Think again. Treehouse costs $25 a month (and they had a student plan at $9 a month, though I don’t see it on their Plans page). If you can’t scrounge that together, you’re not trying hard enough (and even then Treehouse offers a lot of their video content for free). I’ve actually used Treehouse to improve my coding skills, and it’s fantastic. The content is top notch, but it’s the code challenges that really help you make the most of it. There’s a reason that people pay for Treehouse when there are decent alternatives out there for free. Just like you (hopefully), Treehouse wants to keep getting better, which is why they’re hiring. Not all of their roles are a great fit for a new grad, but some are. Here’s what they’re looking for:

Video Teacher
Content Expert
Sales Rep
Lead Generator
Video Pro
Audio Pro

Whether you’re a good fit for these jobs or not, Treehouse could completely change your job search, so check them out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Would you try Treehouse?

Crate and Barrel

Willy Franzen — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:36:24 +0000

Furniture shopping brings out the worst in me. I tend to revert back to my childhood when my sister and I would team up (by fighting of course) to make our parents miserable so that we could leave the furniture store sooner. Luckily, my fiancée loves going furniture shopping with me. She’s found that if she creates conditions for success (making sure that I’m in a good mood and have recently had a meal), I can actually act like a human being at places like Crate and Barrel. In case you’ve never been to a Crate and Barrel, it’s a giant furniture and housewares store that is essentially my worst nightmare. It all started with one store in downtown Chicago, but now Crate and Barrel is headquartered in Northbrook, IL and has more than 170 stores including CB2 and The Land of Nod locations.

You Can’t Spell Crate and Barrel Without Career

It’s almost as if a trip to Crate and Barrel or CB2 (which is targeted towards a younger crowd) is a rite of passage after you land your first job and move out of your parents’ place. You may not end up buying anything, considering that an entry level salary won’t get you very far at Crate and Barrel, but it’s at least worth a look. If you’re not quite at that point in your life yet, you still may want to visit a Crate and Barrel to get an idea of how they operate and what their style is. Then you can go take a look at the Crate and Barrel Careers page. They separate out job listings between Crate and Barrel, CB2, and The Land of Nod, but the Crate and Barrel job listings seem to be where all of the corporate jobs are. Here’s what’s available:

There are also a variety of Sales and Management Trainee positions across the country. You’ll want to check those out if you’re not tied to working at the Corporate office.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you shop at Crate and Barrel?

Shoptiques

Willy Franzen — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:40:55 +0000

I do as much of my shopping online as possible, but that’s because I don’t really enjoy shopping. It’s all about minimizing my time doing something that I don’t want to do. For some people online shopping is great for the opposite reason–it allows them to spend even more time shopping (at work, on the train, walking down the street, on the couch, etc.). The big problem with online shopping is that the experience feels a bit homogenized–you’re typically buying from major retailers or e-commerce companies. Shoptiques is a New York, NY based company that is trying to make online shopping better by bringing boutiques to the web. Why boutiques? Boutiques offer the ultimate shopping experience: “beautiful hard-to-find hand-picked fashion and knowledgeable advice from the owners who know so much about style and how to make you look beautiful.” Boutiques are anything but homogenized, but their business models don’t translate well to the web–at least they didn’t until Shoptiques came along.

Go Career Shopping

Shoptiques may seem like another e-commerce site on the front end, but once you start browsing through their selection, you’ll notice a difference. The bigger difference is behind the scenes. Shoptiques doesn’t hold inventory–they just facilitate the sale between you and the boutique that you’re buying from. When you order, Shoptiques e-mails the store with a prepaid shipping label. You pay Shoptiques, they pay the boutique after taking a fee, and the boutique ships your purchase. If you want more details, you can check out Shoptiques’ How It Works page. If you love boutiques and can’t wait to see more of them online, you have to take aloof at Shoptiques’ Careers page. Right now they have some great opportunities for new and recent grads including:

Social Media / Community Manager
Graphic Designer
Sales Representative
Customer Service

If you love shopping online and at boutiques, it would be hard to beat a job at Shoptiques.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you shop at boutiques?

Chloe + Isabel

Willy Franzen — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:59:07 +0000

There are essentially two completely different jewelry businesses. There’s the high-end business that is centered around gold, platinum, diamonds, and other gemstones (I know all about that having recently bought an engagement ring). Then there’s the fashion focused business that is more about completing an outfit. The latter is where Chloe + Isabel is focusing. They are a New York, NY based startup that targets 18 to 28 year old women with jewelry in the $18 to $200 price range. That’s not all that unique. What is unique is that Chloe + Isabel is approaching this market by combining direct selling with web-based social technology. Essentially they’re bringing affiliate marketing to a group of people who may not even know what affiliate marketing is.

You + Chloe + Isabel

I tend to be skeptical of direct selling “opportunities,” but I know that they can be great for developing entrepreneurial skills. I think Chloe + Isabel really gets it right with their online platform. You don’t need to make an initial investment in inventory to sell for them–you can just use their “personalized online dashboard” to put together your “own boutique shopping experience.” To get a better sense of Chloe + Isabel’s style, I recommend that you take some time to browse their jewelry. Then you probably want to read up on their Merchandiser opportunity and watch this video about it:

Even if direct selling isn’t for you, it will help you better understand how the Chloe + Isabel works. Once you start to get it, you can take a look at Chloe + Isabel’s Jobs page, where they list their non direct selling opportunities including:

Customer Care Representative (San Francisco, CA)
Sales Development Manager (San Francisco Bay Area, Utah, Florida, Texas, and Michigan/Illinois)
Graphic Designer
Web Designer
Ruby Developer
User Interface Designer

Whether you’re interested in a full-time job or want to do some direct selling, Chloe + Isabel has some great opportunities for new and recent grads.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you purchased anything from Chloe + Isabel?

Pop Labs

Willy Franzen — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:18:18 +0000

These days it seems that just about everyone claims to be an expert on things like social media and SEO, but very few people have a track record that shows a repeated ability to deliver results. Why is that? Because online marketing is really hard. We see stupid things go viral and think that anyone can do it, but we overlook the fact that getting someone to look at something is very different from getting someone to buy something. Pop Labs is an interactive marketing agency in Houston, TX that is known for getting results. I’m not just talking about for their clients either. Pop Labs nearly tripled their revenue between 2007 and 2010, which shows that what they’re doing works for them as well as for their clients.

Make It Pop

Pop Labs’ main focuses are SEO, Social Media, Conversion Optimization, and Advertising, but it’s really all about ROI. That’s why Pop Labs’ Case Stuides talk about numbers that can be directly tied to revenue. Pop Labs doesn’t have a long list of client names on their website (which is often how I judge big agencies), but that’s ok. It’s a lot harder to do good work for a “Consumer Services Retailer in Nevada” or a “National Marketing Information Provider,” than some big brand who already has resources that you can leverage. If you want to dig in and really learn about online marketing, then you should take a look at Pop Labs’ Jobs page. Right now they have some great positions for new or recent grads including:

Sales Executive
Business Development (San Francisco, CA)
Project Coordinator
Web Designer
Production Specialist
Marketing Specialist

These look like great opportunities to learn, so give them a good long look.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Pop Labs?

Spongecell

Willy Franzen — Tue, 01 May 2012 12:45:52 +0000

Ads make the Internet go ’round. Most of the content that you consume (including what you’re reading right now) wouldn’t be possible without advertising. The problem is that most ads are annoying–they interrupt you from doing what you want to do–so you start to ignore them. As you ignore more and more ads, advertisers are forced to find new ways to catch your attention. Sometimes that leads to ads that are actually interesting, and sometimes it leads to ads that are more interruptive. Spongecell is a New York, NY based company that allows advertisers to “transform standard banner ads into dynamic flash ads with rich media-like functionality.” That may sound more interruptive, but the ads that Spongecell enables are no bigger than a typical banner ad–they just come to life when you hover over them with your cursor.

Be a Sponge

I’m really impressed with the different types of functionality that Spongecell offers in a standard ad unit. There are video, maps, social feeds, coupons, carousels, lead generation, and more. These ads allow you interact with them before you leave the page that you’re on, which immediately makes them more effective. You can see what the ads look like in Spongecell’s extensive gallery. They’ve worked with all kinds of big names to develop rich media ads that target a specific behavior, whether it’s watching a video or getting you to find a bank’s nearest location. If you don’t mind ads and you’re intrigued by what Spongecell is doing, then head over to their Jobs page. Right now they have some interesting positions open including:

Recruiting and HR Coordinator
Marketing Designer
Rails or HTML5 Developer (San Francisco, CA)
Interactive Production Designer
Interactive Production Designer (London, UK)
Sales Associate
Advertising Operations Analyst (London, UK)

These look like great jobs, so check them out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you mind online ads?

CityGrid Media

Willy Franzen — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:35:13 +0000

Local businesses are about as old school as you can get–many of them have continued to succeed doing the same thing that they’ve done for decades or even centuries. There have certainly been advances that have changed that–refrigeration, digital cash registers, and the Yellow Pages are just a few, but nothing even compares to the Internet–especially the mobile Internet. Local businesses are now able to reach and interact with customers and potential customers in a way that they only could have dreamed of a few years ago. CityGrid Media is a West Hollywood, CA based “leading media company connecting consumers and businesses everywhere local happens.” You’re probably familiar with at least one of their properties which include Citysearch, Insider Pages, and Urbanspoon.

Fit into the Grid

Beyond CityGrid Media’s own sites, they run a local ad network that reaches more than 140 million people across more than 250 sites. By having a few significant content properties (they have listings on 18 million businesses), CityGrid Media put itself in the position to own the advertiser relationships. Those relationships enable CityGrid Media to partner with other publishers and reach a much broader audience. This page will give you a much better sense of what the ads and the content network look like. Beyond looking at that, you definitely need to browse Citysearch, Insider Pages, and Urbanspoon to get a better understanding for how CiyGrid Media operates. If you like what you see, then head over to their Careers page. Right now they have some great opportunities posted including:

Reseller Account Manager
Configuration Management Engineer
Financial Analyst
Ruby on Rails Engineer (Seattle, WA)
Big Thinking Software and QA Engineers
Critical Thinking Software Engineers (New Grad)

There are also a variety of Account Executive and Inside Sales positions in New York, NY; Atlanta, GA; San Francisco, CA; and West Hollywood, CA. They all require prior sales experience, but they may be worth checking out if that’s something you have.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your favorite local business?

Royal Caribbean Cruises

Willy Franzen — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:54:31 +0000

I’ve never been on a cruise ship, and I’m not looking to change that any time soon. I realize that cruises are the ultimate vacation for some people, but they’re just not for me (especially after hearing about food poisoning outbreaks and the Costa Concordia disaster). Still, I respect the brilliance of the cruise ship. Travelers can sample a variety of destinations without having to think about logistics or anything else really. When you can combine hospitality, transportation, and gambling all in one, you have pretty good foundation for a business. The second largest cruise company in the world is Royal Caribbean Cruises, which is based in Miami, FL and owns the following cruise lines: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Pullmantur Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises and CDF Croisières de France. Those all contribute to nearly $7 billion in annual revenue.

Go Cruisin’

There’s no doubt that the cruise business is extremely complicated. There are massive fixed costs (namely cruise ships), and there are also massive marginal costs (fuel, staff, etc). Then there’s the fact that the market for travel is extremely sensitive to economic conditions. That’s not to mention that cruise companies have to maintain massive boats while providing an amazing vacation experience for thousands of people at a time. There are plenty of businesses that I have no trouble wrapping my head around, but Royal Caribbean Cruises is not one of them. If this excites you, then you have to take a look at Royal Caribbean Cruises’ Careers page. From here you can check out shipboard jobs with specific lines, seasonal jobs, internships, and corporate jobs. We’ll focus on the latter, which are posted here. There are a few opportunities that look well suited for a new or recent grad including (I’d link to them but their ATS won’t let me):

Marketing Campaign Analyst
Cruise Rep (Wichita, KS)
Cruise Rep (Miramar, FL)
Cruise Rep (Springfield, OR)
Care Team Specialist
Financial Hotel Operations Analyst
Software Engineer
Accounts Payable Coordinator
Business Analyst
Transportation Coordinator
Casino Database Specialist
Administrative Temporary

Those jobs are just the tip of the iceberg (I shouldn’t say that when talking about cruise ships, should I?), so look through all of Royal Caribbean Cruises’ offerings.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever been on a cruise?

Amy’s Kitchen

Willy Franzen — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:57:13 +0000

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

I don’t think that I’ve had a frozen dinner since I forced my mom to buy me Kid Cuisine in the early 90s. If I’m going to eat something unhealthy, it should at least taste good, right? Clearly I’m biased against frozen meals (maybe because I consider myself a pretty good cook), but I shouldn’t write them all off as unhealthy and unpalatable. That’s especially true because one the nation’s leading frozen food brands is all vegetarian and mostly organic. Amy’s Kitchen was founded in 1987 by a couple looking for a way to provide for a new baby. They started in their home with a vegetable pot pie, and since then the Petaluma, CA based business has grown to hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.

Get in the Kitchen!

The variety of meals offered by Amy’s Kitchen is pretty astounding. You can have Asian Noodle Stir-Fry, Roasted Vegetable Pizzas, Breakfast Burritos, and even All American Veggie Burgers. I can’t vouch for how they taste, but there’s no doubt that they’re all nutritious and convenient. That’s a hard combo to do right, which is why Amy’s Kitchen is so successful (my guess is that they do the taste thing pretty well too). They may be a huge operation, but the brand still gives you the feeling that they’re running things out of their barn. That’s important for the market they serve. If you’d like to be part of the Amy’s Kitchen story, then go take a look at their Careers page. Right now they have a few jobs that could be interesting including:

Food Technologist – Microbiology Program (Santa Rosa, CA)
Food Technologist – Quality Assurance Raw Materials (Santa Rosa, CA)
Ag Field Representative (Santa Rosa, CA)
Territory Sales Representative (Portland, OR)

If you love organic vegetarian food, then you might like the smell of what they’re cooking at Amy’s Kitchen.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you tried Amy’s Kitchen?

SinglePlatform

Willy Franzen — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:17:31 +0000

This is a sponsored post for SinglePlatform.

What’s your go to social media site? For me it’s Facebook. If something interesting happens in my life, that’s where I’ll post it first. I won’t post to any other sites unless it’s really a big deal. I don’t need to. It’s not important to me. Businesses can’t share this attitude. They need to participate everywhere that potential customers might be–and they need to ensure that their messaging is consistent across all sites. With the way that things like menus, hours, and prices change, keeping all of the relevant profiles and listings up to date can quickly become very costly. Why would a business pay someone to do that full-time when they can just sign up for SinglePlatform? SinglePlatform is a New York, NY based company that allows businesses “to showcase their storefronts everywhere online” simply by keeping their information up to date in a single online dashboard.

Get Discovered

SinglePlatform’s motto is “Get Discovered.” That’s why their free offering gained more than 60,000 business users last month and another 10,000 shelled out $495 for SinglePlatform’s premium service that posts these listings across a huge network of sties. $495 is peanuts when you consider the the value that SinglePlatform’s software provides. With a validated business model and a product that customers call “a no brainer,” SinglePlatform is growing at a ridiculous rate. That’s why they just moved from a 3,000 square foot office to a brand new 12,000 square foot office in Battery Park (with a view of the Statue of Liberty). They need room for you.

If you really want to dig in and learn more about the business (and if you’re serious about getting a job, then this is definitely something that you want to do), you have to check out this article on SinglePlatform Founder and CEO Wiley Cerilli and this article on how businesses use SinglePlatform to build a digital presence.

No Experience. No Problem.

SinglePlatform will be hiring 50 new grads this year to help them keep up with the growth.

The position is Inside Sales Consultant. You’ll be connecting with local businesses like restaurants, spas, and flower shops to get them using SinglePlatform. This is a sales jobs that requires excellent communication skills and a drive to crush sales targets. It does not require prior experience.

You can apply by sending your cover letter and résumé to careers@singleplatform.com. Be sure to mention that One Day One Job sent you.

See below for the full job description:

Inside Sales Consultant

What You Will Be Doing:

Identifying and calling local businesses to drive new client acquisition.

Managing the entire sales cycle, from prospecting to meeting and closing.

Performing market research; top performers will help test new products and services.

Acting a key player and contributor to the direction of this growing sales team.

Crushing sales targets on a weekly, monthly and quarterly basis.

Enjoying frequent company happy hours, nerf wars and good times!

About You:

You are a recent grad who wants to get into sales – no sales experience required!!!

You are coachable, flexible and self-motivated. You can hit the ground running, and your drive to succeed is off the charts!

You’ve always thought that sales is something you would be good at and wanted to try. In this position you will be selling all day, every day.

You are an excellent communicator with professional phone skills.

You are an achiever: if you participated in competitive sports, the Greek system, or school government, we want to hear from you.

Enthusiasm is your middle name; you’re the type of person that gets excited about anything and everything that interests you.

Thinking on your feet isn’t just something you’re good at, it’s something you love. When faced with new challenges, failure simply isn’t an option.

Why Work At SinglePlatform:

Too many reasons to list, but let’s start with five:

Awesome leadership: work for people you believe in, who believe in you.

We’re a meritocracy: this is a place where you will be recognized for your achievements. We’re are growing quickly, and anyone who comes in now will have a direct and measurable impact on the organization. Did we mention UNCAPPED commission?!

We have vision: this is a small team that really enjoys working together and is committed to the vision of changing how local businesses present themselves online.

You will get training and autonomy: we give you the tools and the framework, and you can synthesize it whichever way makes you the most successful.

It’s FUN!!: We’re exciting, fast paced, fun, AND located in the middle of it all — in the financial district in NYC.

Compensation:

$40k with on target earnings of $53-60k (uncapped!) plus full benefits – Health, Vision, Dental and participation in company 401k.

You can apply by sending your cover letter and résumé to careers@singleplatform.com. They love One Day One Job readers, so tell them where you found out about them.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Where do you go to find information about local businesses?

Metia

Willy Franzen — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:23:09 +0000

Many of the best businesses are built by targeting a smaller niche and then taking the lessons learned from serving that niche to expand into new markets. It’s also how many great careers are built. Metia is a digital marketing agency that got its start serving technology companies exclusively. This put them ahead of the curve and force them to take on digital while most marketing agencies were dragging their collective feet. Now digital is what it’s all about, and Metia has 20 years of industry experience. Not bad. While they’re based in London, they have U.S. offices in Kirkland, WA and New York, NY. This allows them to serve clients like Microsoft, Microsoft, and Microsoft. But seriously, while Microsoft is all over their portfolio, you’ll also see names like Dell, EA, Rough Guides, and SEAT.

Be a Member of the Metia

That portfolio that I just mentioned. You should check it out. It’s a great way to get a feel for what Metia does and how they serve clients. You’ll also want to visit their Consulting, Services, and Technology pages. They dive into the specifics of what Metia offers clients. It’s the technology part that really appears to set Metia apart from other agencies that play in similar spaces. If you’re interested in joining Metia, take a look at their Careers page. They have a number of positions that might interest a new or recent grad including (some require more experience than others):

E-mail Production Specialist (Seattle, WA)
Outbound Sales Representative (Seattle, WA)
Business Development Professional (Seattle, WA)
Freelance French Bi-lingual Technology Writers (London, UK)
E-mail Production Specialist (London, UK)

I especially like the E-mail Production Specialist job. Most people don’t realize how big of a business e-mail is. Learn how e-mail marketing works, and you will have no problem landing a job.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Metia?

Dwell

Willy Franzen — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:02:15 +0000

I hate stock photography–especially the kind that you find on many career related sites. It’s usually a group of moderately attractive, racially diverse people who are smiling while dressed in business suits and holding folios. It’s not real. These photos create an unrealistic view of what a work environment looks like. In the world of home design, the analog is the fruit bowl. Whether you’re looking through real estate listings or a home decor magazine, chances are that you’ll see lots of fruit bowls–and they’ll be in odd places like bathrooms and bedrooms. Dwell is a magazine that defines itself by focusing on real life, something that “has been conspicuous by its absence in most design and architecture magazines.” Fruit bowls are ok, but only if the owners eat fruit. And so are other things you may not see in similar magazines–things that “demonstrate that a home is truly livable” by showing “it as it is lived in.” Dwell is based in New York, NY and San Francisco, CA, and although they consider themselves Modernists, they’re “nice Modernists.”

Dwell on This

You can get a feel for Dwell’s take on Modernism through their Fruit Bowl Manifesto on their About page, but to really understand it you should pick up a copy of their magazine or at least check out their website. While the focus is on homes, they cover everything that can be part of the context of a home–products, places, people, events, ideas, and more. It’s usually pretty hard to get a grasp of the business behind a magazine, so I highly recommend that you take a look at Dwell’s Media Kit–it will give you some serious insight into how the business operates. Once you’ve done that, head over to Dwell’s Jobs page. Right now they have mostly internships posted, but there’s a Brand Specialist (they don’t say where it’s located) position that looks like it could be a good fit for new or recent grads. It’s more about ad sales/account management than branding from what I can tell, but there’s nothing wrong with that.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you read Dwell?

Everyday Health

Willy Franzen — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:39:06 +0000

Guys. If you’re going to land a job, you need pants. And shoes. And shirts. And maybe even a jacket and tie. Looking good is important, which is why you should outfit yourself in Bonobos like I do. Here’s $25 off your first order. My gift to you.

I have no idea where people went to ask embarrassing health questions before the Internet. I guess you could have gone to a doctor, but it’s really nice to pre-educate yourself before you ask a professional. That’s why there’s ridiculous demand for health-related information online. Everyday Health is a company that has been reacting to this demand since they started in 2002. They are a New York, NY based company that provides “consumers, healthcare professionals, and brands with content and advertising-based services across a broad portfolio of over 25 websites that span the health spectrum.” If you ask Google and embarrassing health question, there’s a really good chance that you’ll end up on one of their sites. In 2010 they were averaging 26.5 million monthly unique visitor, which is just a massive amount of traffic–especially in a niche as valuable as health related information.

Everyday Jobs

While Everyday Health calls their sites “partners,” I think it would be more accurate to call them properties. Some are generic like Prostate.net and TopDentists.com, while others are based on partnerships with recognizable brands like MayoClinic.com, DeniseAustin.com, and JoyBauer.com. Each site is obviously targeted at a very specific niche and monetized accordingly through advertising. If you’re interested in online publishing and health/medicine, then you need to take a look at Everyday Health’s Jobs page. Right now they have some great opportunities for new or recent grads including:

These look like great opportunities, so don’t pass them up.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you use the Internet to ask embarrassing health related questions?

PulsePoint

Willy Franzen — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:22:50 +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.

There are some things that computers are far better at than humans, like math. There are some things that humans are far better at than computers, like understanding nuance. Then there are a lot of things that fall somewhere in between, but we can be pretty certain that computers will do them better soon enough. One of these things is determining context. This is especially important in the world of advertising. Right now a human can do a much better job than a computer of determine which ads would fit best within the context of a website, but he or she will be much slower than a computer. PulsePoint is a New York, NY based company that is working to give the computer another win over humans with a technology platform that helps “marketers and publishers gain greater audience transparency and deeper engagement across digital channels at an unprecedented scale.”

Check Your Pulse

PulsePoint is a new company that is the product of a merger between two older companies. ContextWeb acquired/merged with Datran Media (a company we featured in the past) to form PulsePoint, which now offers “a spectrum of services, including data management and media mix optimization, content distribution, contextual ad exchange capabilities, RTB and crowd sourcing.” It’s hard to get a grasp of what all that means if you haven’t worked in the industry before, but the gist is that they are combining smart people with smart technology to make advertising more effective. You can see the technology side in their Contextualizer Demo. Put in any web address, and it will tell you what the page is about. I’m sure you’re not impressed–you can do that too. But can you do it 10,000 times in a minute? Didn’t think so. If you’re interested by what PulsePoint is doing, check out their Jobs page (I’ll warn you that they have one of the crappiest applicant tracking systems ever). Right now PulsePoint has a few jobs that may intrigue new or recent grads including Business Operations Analyst, Sales Planner, and Software Engineer. Check the jobs out and have fun slogging through their slow, hard to use ATS.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of PulsePoint?

Drchrono

Willy Franzen — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:26:37 +0000

The health care situation in the United States is a mess. It’s hard to disagree with that, but it’s easy to disagree about how we can fix it. I think that technology is a big part of the answer. I don’t mean medical technology (though that will certainly help)–I’m talking about administrative technology. I know it’s not nearly as exciting, but if doctors can run their practices more efficiently, they’ll be able to deliver better care at a lower costs. That’s a big deal. Drchrono is a Mountain View, CA based company that is using the power of the iPad to change how medical practices are run. They’ve developed a software-based patient care platform that does everything from patient check-in to managing electronic health records to billing. It may not sound like it’s going to turn around the health care situation, but it’s a start.

What’s App Doc?

While I have to guess that most people use their iPads for Angry Birds and not much else, it’s really cool to see how this device is enabling industry changing software to be built. The problem used to be finding a way to deliver the software. Apple solved it. Now it’s just about making the software work in the context of how most medical practices operate. That’s exactly what Drchrono is doing. You can read about the platform here, and you read about its benefits here. Another key to Drchrono’s success is that it helps physicians qualify for the HITECH Act, which offers “$44,000 or more in economic stimulus incentives for adopting a Certified EHR.” That’s a big incentive. If you’re excited about what Drchrono is doing, then take a look at their Jobs page. Right now they have quite a few opportunities posted including:

There are lots of cool jobs available, so take a look at the job descriptions and consider applying.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of Drchrono?

Buzz Referrals

Willy Franzen — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:38:30 +0000

Everybody wants their stuff to go viral on the Internet. The problem is that it’s way easier to do with funny pictures than it is with useful things like articles and products. If you can’t get the natural word of mouth flowing, you need to incentivize (bribe) people to spread the word. I’m sure that you’ve participated in some sort of referral program before (I love Gilt’s program), and hopefully earned some sort of reward. I’ve seen so many companies use referral bonuses to accelerate their growth, and it’s often amazingly effective. Surprisingly, most of these businesses build their own technology for referrals. Why do that when you can pay Chicago, IL based Buzz Referrals to do it for you? They’ve developed a platform that easily plugs into an existing site and creates “referral programs and buzz worthy promotions that drive new customer acquisition and increase engagement.” (Would any of you participate in an ODOJ referral program?)

Generate a Buzz

If you want to get a better feel for what Buzz Referrals offers, you should read their How It Works and FAQ pages. They’ll give you a better sense of how the product actually works. I was reminded of Buzz Referrals when I was writing about SitterCity yesterday (they use it to get new customers), but I’m sure I heard about them before considering they were part of Excelerate Labs’ Class of 2011 (it’s a Chicago startup incubator). This is all relevant because Buzz Referrals just raised $600k to grow their business. That may not sound a lot when you hear about companies closing rounds of funding in the double digit millions, but it should be enough to help Buzz Referrals get their product out to many more customers. And that’s exactly what their Jobs page shows they’re looking to spend money on. Right now they’re hiring an Inside Sales Representative, a Marketing Coordinator, and UX Designer. All of the positions look like they could be great for a new or recent grad, so check them out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

How many friends have you referred to One Day One Job?

Entercom

Willy Franzen — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:29:17 +0000

The next car I get will definitely have some sort of iPhone integration. Right now I still rely on one of those tape to AUX thingies, which means that I usually just listen to the radio. I couldn’t find any good stats on the topic, but I have to think that listeners in cars are what’s keeping radio going. But according to Entercom, radio is still going strong. You would expect them to say that though, considering that they’re “one of the five largest radio broadcasting companies in the United States.” Entercom is headquartered in Bala Cynwyd, PA, but they operate more than “100 stations in 23 markets, including San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, Denver, Portland, Sacramento and Kansas City.”

Enter Entercom

While Entercom’s stock performance over the past ten years doesn’t paint a pretty picture for the future of radio, it’s hard to write off a business that reaches so many people. The best way to get a better understanding of Entercom’s business is to read up on their markets and the stations that serve them. To me the most noteworthy point is that Entercom stations are the broadcast partners of the Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics, Memphis Grizzlies, Oakland A’s, Kansas City Royals, New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres, and San Jose Sharks. Sports is huge, and online delivery of radio broadcasts is becoming a big deal (I love listening to baseball games on my iPhone). If you’re thinking about a career in radio, Entercom would be a great place to start. Their Jobs page shows a ton of positions in locations all across the country. Whether you’re interested in working in Sales/Account Management, On-Air, Promotions, Copywriting, Production, Journalism, Marketing, or something else, there’s probably something for you at Entercom or one of their stations.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your favorite radio station?

CoverHound

Willy Franzen — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 14:00:42 +0000

I have to admit that I’m feeling a little left out these days. There’s something that I’ve never done that it seems like other Americans are doing a lot of. I’m constantly seeing advertisements for it–on tv, on the web, on billboards, and even on banners pulled behind planes during the summer. I know it’s embarrassing, but I’ve never purchased car insurance. These poor companies have spent so much money trying to reach me, and I haven’t even looked into buying what they’re hawking. But if I was, I might try using CoverHound (if their service was available in Illinois). They’re a San Francisco, CA based company that is building the “technology and brand behind the future of insurance comparison shopping.” Why let commercials about cavemen, a guy with a deep voice, or “doing the right thing” sway you when you can base your decision on real data?

Got It Covered?

Considering that CoverHound’s comparison platform isn’t available in their home zip code, I’m going to guess that it’s not available anywhere yet. That means you can’t get hands-on experience with their software yet, but you can learn more about their services here. You can also read their info for agents if you want to get a sense for how they’ll be making their money. Since that’s pretty much all the information that’s available on their website, you should probably cheek out their press coverage too. I usually don’t profile companies that haven’t launched their product yet, but a guy from CoverHound has been hounding me to do a write up, so I figured I’d throw him a bone. Right now their Jobs page shows that they’re looking for a Software Engineer. They’re also looking for interns in social media, business development, analytics, engineering, community/customer management, and content creation, so if you’re looking for a job in one of those areas, it’s definitely worth reaching out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What insurance commercials do you find most annoying?

Dannon

Willy Franzen — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:58:48 +0000

I’ve never been great about eating breakfast, but when I do eat breakfast, I try to get as much protein into the meal as I can. My problem is that I find eggs completely unpalatable. One can only eat so much sausage and bacon, so I’ve had to find some other protein sources. Sometimes it’s a glass of milk and a scoop of peanut butter, and other times it’a bowl of yogurt. Yogurt’s certainly nothing new (it’s essentially been around since bacteria and milk mixed, but humans have been producing it for millennia), but it’s experienced quite a spike in popularity lately. Probiotics and Greek yogurt are probably the two biggest trends in the industry right now, and they’re part of the reason that Dannon is “one of the fastest growing consumer products companies in the U.S.” While based in White Plains, NY, Dannon is a subsidiary of a multi-billion dollar French company called Groupe Danone). That shouldn’t matter all that much to you, though, as Dannon seems to operate mostly independently.

Yo Yo Yo

The name Dannon is indelibly tied to yogurt. They rank #2 on Google for the keyword “yogurt” just behind the Wikipedia entry on the topic. That’s actually an article you should read if you want to consider a job at Dannon. I can’t imagine working for them and not knowing the basics on their product. Dannon has been around since 1942 (only a tiny fraction of yogurt’s history), and in that time they’ve innovated a lot. Just take a look at Dannon’s product lines to get a sense of what’s possible with yogurt. What I find most interesting is that in every product there’s a purpose–a story that helps Dannon expand their market. If these stories appeal to you, then you may want to consider a job at Dannon. Their Careers site is called SomethingSpecialInside.com, and on it you’ll find some great opportunities including:

Assistant or Associate Brand Manager
Associate Marketing Manager – Innovation
Automation Engineer (Minster, OH)
HR Generalist (Minster, OH)
Key Account Associate (Bentonville, AR)
Quality Control Laboratory Technician (Portland, OR)
Revenue Specialist (Cottonwood Heights, UT)
Sales Analyst (Bentonville, AR)

There are some pretty interesting opportunities at Dannon, so browse through them and see if any get you excited.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Dannon.com
SomethingSpecialInside.com (Dannon’s Careers Site)
About Dannon
Dannon’s Products
Working at Dannon

What do you eat for breakfast?

Inspirato

Willy Franzen — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:48:21 +0000

Mid-February is a great time for a vacation. It’s typically still really cold, but it’s late enough in the winter that you can reasonably expect that it might feel like spring when you get back home. Unfortunately, I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, but if I was, I’d really like to use Inspirato. It’s a super high-end vacation club that offers members access to amazing residences in fantastic locations. The company is based in Denver, CO, but they have long-term leases on properties in places like St. Barts, Paris, Patagonia, Jackson Hole, Kenya, and Tuscany. For a meager $15,000 initiation fee and a $2,500 annual fee, you can access any of these properties. You still have to pay a nightly rate, but it’s well below what’d you pay if you were renting a similar property on your own (the average nightly rate is $650).

Choose Your Destination

I know this will shock you, but Inspirato’s initiation fee is way below most vacation clubs–like an order of magnitude. It’s still not a possibility for most people, but they’ve significantly expanded the market for these types of services, and that has allowed them to grow extremely quickly. They’re targeting people with net worths in the $800,000 to $10 million range–so it’s super rich, not super super rich people. Inspirato already has more than $50 million in funding, which means that they should be able to add more and more great destinations. Their membership has grown to over 1,200, and they expect sales to increase significantly in 2012. All those stats came from this WSJ article on Inspirato, which does a great job of explaining how the business works. If you aspire to one day be a member of Inspirato, you might want to start by working for them. They use Facebook for their Careers page, which is annoying because it breaks the back button. However, there are some great positions worth checking out including:

Technical Business Analyst
Social Media Coordinator
Business Intelligence & Database Support Specialist
Destination Concierge, Vail and Beaver Creek
Graphic Designer
Sales Analyst
Web Designer
Destination Concierge – South Beach, FL

These positions tend to have higher experience requirements than jobs I usually write about, but Inspirato looks awesome, so it’s worth taking a look at these positions and trying to figure out how you can fit in.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Which of Inspirato’s destinations would you chose?

Sleepy’s

Willy Franzen — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:35:04 +0000

I will never understand why Presidents’ Day is such a big retail holiday. I tried doing some research, and all I could find was that the Federal holiday is still known as Washington’s Birthday, but it’s commonly known as Presidents’ Day because so many retailers use the name. There’s no explanation for why the sales started happening in mid-February, and it’s even more puzzling that the sales are focused on durable goods like cars and mattresses. But that’s the way it is, and since we’re talking about mattresses, I think we should take a look at Sleepy’s. They are based in Hicksville, NY with 700+ showrooms across Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia. It all adds up to make them the “largest mattress retailer in the world.” Sleepy’s tv advertisements are ubiquitous, so it’s nearly impossible for me to think about mattresses with out thinking Sleepy’s (and hearing their jingle in my head).

Don’t Sleep on Sleepy’s

An average day for Sleepy’s means delivering more than 3,000 mattresses. Add that up over a year, and you get over a million mattresses. I wonder how many of them are sold during Presidents’ Day week. Sleepy’s doesn’t stray too far from the mattress business. They do sell some bedding and furniture, but those selections seem to be pretty limited. Sleepy’s appears to sell all of the major brands of mattresses, and they’re willing to stand behind the products they sell (even if they don’t make them) with their Comfort Exchange Policy and their 8 Year Comfort Guarantee. If all this talk about mattresses gets you excited instead of sleepy, then you should check out Sleepy’s Careers page. I’ll warn you that even though the Careers page looks ok despite all the stock photography, their job search function is barely usable. There’s no simple listing of all of their jobs, and when you run a search with all categories selected, you get results that aren’t that helpful. Despite all this, I’ve found a few positions that you might want to take a look at including:

Those are the jobs that seem most appropriate for new grads; however, there are also a ton of sales positions available at Sleepy’s retail locations. I’ve heard they have a pretty extensive training program, so you may want to check those out too.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What kind of mattress do you sleep on?

H.BLOOM

Willy Franzen — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:28:03 +0000

I’m in the doghouse. I’m the guy who forgot Valentine’s Day. Luckily, it’s not with my fiancée–I took good care of her yesterday. It’s with you. I didn’t give you a Valentine’s Day post after in past years telling you about jobs at places like eHarmony, Tiffany & Co., OpenTable, ProFlowers, Necco, Vosges, and even the American Heart Association. Flowers are the tried and true way of getting out of the doghouse, but a beautiful bouquet isn’t going to do it when that’s the status quo for Valentine’s Day. How about a flower arrangement every week? That might do it, and that’s exactly what New York, NY based H.BLOOM offers. They are a “flower service.” If you don’t know what that is, you can learn more here. Essentially it’s a subscription to flowers. Subscription based business models are all the rage these days, so it’s no surprise that someone is applying it to the floral industry.

Let Your Career Bloom

H.BLOOM is one of the few companies that I’ve come across without an About page. That’s a little odd, but I wouldn’t worry too much about it. It just means that you have to work a little harder to understand how their business works. The best way to start is pretend that you’re buying one of their collections. You’ll see that the process is pretty simple and it offers a ton of options–you can even order custom arrangements if you’re willing to spend more than $150 per delivery (flowers are expensive!). Right now H.BLOOM delivers in a few major metro areas: San Francisco; Washington, DC; Chicago, IL; and New York, NY, but I’m sure that their list of zip codes will continue to expand. H.BLOOM also appears to offer jobs in all of these markets. Right now their Jobs page shows these postings:

Account Executive (San Francisco, CA)
Account Executive (Chicago, IL)
Account Executive (New York, NY)
Part-Time Floral Designer (Washington, DC)
Part-Time Floral Designer (New York, NY)

All of the positions are listed as mid-level, but I could see a new grad with the right background being a good fit for any of them. There’s also a ton of potential for H.BLOOM to offer more positions in different areas, so keep your eyes on them. Am I out of the doghouse yet?

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Would you sign up for a flower delivery subscription?

Macmillan

Willy Franzen — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:51:45 +0000

Want your job to fit like a pair of the world’s best fitting pants? Bonobos will give you both. They’re one of my favorite companies that I’ve profiled, and they’re hiring an entry level Associate E-Commerce Coordinator. If you apply for the job, be sure to tell them that I sent you (they know me!).

There are some industries where company histories gets really confusing. Mergers, acquisitions, bankruptcies, name changes, and all kinds of other events make it hard to truly understand what parts of the story are meaningful. I’ve found this especially prevalent with financial institutions, advertising agencies, and publishers. We’re going to talk about the latter today. Macmillan is the New York, NY based face of a “group of publishing companies in the United States held by Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck” (a German company). As I read through their history, I got a bit overwhelmed. It starts in 1843 with two Scottish brothers, and includes the story about a completely different publisher named Macmillan. While understanding Macmillan’s history is important, it’s far more important to understand their future, which might include you.

I’m a Mac

Macmillan’s business is separated into three broad categories: Trade, College & Academic, and Magazines & Journals. That covers a ton of ground, so it’s helpful to dive into the publishers that make up Macmillan and their imprints, which include Farrar Straus and Giroux, Henry Holt & Company, W.H. Freeman and Worth Publishers, Palgrave Macmillan, Bedford/St. Martin’s, Picador, Roaring Brook Press, St. Martin’s Press, Tor Books, and Macmillan Higher Education. You get more info on each of these individual publishers here. A lot of them have their own prints, which just tells you how broad Macmillan’s reach is. You’ll have to dive in and figure out which areas of their business are most interesting to you, then you can check out their job postings. Right now they have a ton of entry level jobs posted including:

Inside Sales Assistant – HPHLP (Hamilton, NJ)
Graphic Designer – Palgrave Macmillan
Marketing Assistant – Palgrave Macmillan
Marketing Assistant – W. H. Freeman & Worth
Administrative Assistant
Associate Media Editor – Bedford, Freeman & Worth
Media Producer – Bedford, Freeman & Worth (Boston, MA)
Marketing Assistant – Bedford St. Martins (Boston, MA)
Associate Media Editor – Statistics and Mathematics – W. H. Freeman & Worth
Digital Production Associate
Human Resources Coordinator
Enforcement Assistant
Email Marketing Specialist
Publicist
Editorial Assistant – W. H. Freeman & Worth
Editorial Assistant – W. H. Freeman & Worth (slightly different from above)
Publisher Specialist
Online Content Specialist – Bedford St. Martins (Boston, MA)
High School Sales Representative -HPHLP (Hamilton, NJ)
Digital Marketing Associate

As you can see there’s quite a range of job opportunities at Macmillan. Be sure to read the job descriptions, as many of the jobs focus on specific publishing niches. Having subject matter expertise in those areas will be a big help in landing the jobs.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Which of Macmillan’s imprints is your favorite?

Grubwithus

Willy Franzen — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:00:58 +0000

Sharing a meal is a great way to get to know people. Eating provides enough of a distraction to cover up awkward pauses that might come up in other settings without completely killing the ability to have a conversation. Yet very rarely do people use eating as a way to meet new people. You either eat alone or you eat with people you already know. Grubwithus is a company that throws a little uncertainty into your dining experiences by pairing you with strangers who have common interests for a tasting menu at a local restaurant. Grubwithus is based out of Venice, CA, and they’ve built a ton of buzz. I know a bunch of people who have already tried it and had good experiences, and I’d totally host a One Day One Job/Internship focused Grubwithus meal in Chicago if there was enough interest (e-mail me at willy@onedayonejob.com).

Jobwithus

The idea of meeting strangers for dinner can be a little intimidating, but stepping out of your comfort zone is kind of the point. To get a better sense of how Grubwithus works, you should probably read through their FAQ and etiquette guidelines , and then watch this video (you may need to click through to view):

It’s a pretty simple idea, but I think it has the potential to be pretty powerful. I especially think it’s a good idea for job seekers to give Grubwithus a try. While it may not lead to a job–just getting out and interacting with new people is great practice for interviewing and networking. And if you want a job with Grubwithus, you should definitely give one of their meals a shot first. Then you can apply for one of the positions that looks well suited for new grads. These include:

There appear to be some great opportunities for techies and non-techies alike, so take a look at the jobs and give Grubwithus a try.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Would you try Grubwithus?

Wayfair

Willy Franzen — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:03:50 +0000

I’ve made a point of being more active in Cornell’s entrepreneurship community, so I like to think that I do a good job of keeping tabs on which other companies have been started by fellow alums. That’s why I was shocked to learn that the #2 online retailer of home furnishings and housewares was not only a company that I’d never heard of before, but a company founded by two Cornell grads. It’s called Wayfair–they’re based in Boston, MA and did $500 million in sales last year. The reason I hadn’t heard of them is that they were known as CSN Stores until last year (they were founded in 2002). CSN Stores was focused on building out 200+ product specific properties with generic domain names like Bedroomfurniture.com, Cookware.com, AirHockeyTables.com, and AllBarstools.com. Last year they decided to get serious about branding and started pulling all of their sites into the Wayfair brand.

Find Your Way

If you’d like to read a more in-depth version of the Wayfair story, check out this write up from GigaOm. It provides a lot of interesting details, but I actually think the Wayfair site is even better. Their About page is beautifully designed and packed with information, and the same can be said for the company’s Careers page. It’s also nice that they have a Campus Recruiting section that includes this video (you may need to click through to view it):

The campus recruiting page also includes four positions targeted towards 2012 grads: Business Analyst, Business Intelligence Analyst, Category Management Associate, and Software Engineer. Additionally, they have a ton of job postings for immediate hire:

Category Analyst / Entry Level Buyer (Sydney, Australia)
Jr. Designer/Web Production Artist
Customer Service Consultant (Sydney, Australia)
Bilingual Sales & Service Consultant (Galway, Ireland)
Customer Service Consultant (Ogden, UT)
Email Sales and Service Consultant (Ogden, UT)
Inbound Sales Consultant (Ogden, UT)
Sales Consultant (Ogden, UT)
Junior Web Operations Engineer
Software Engineer
Analyst, Email Marketing – Private Sale

There are a ton of great opportunities at Wayfair, which was named one of Glassdoor’s 2012 Best Places to Work, so browse through the postings and see if any of them are appropriate for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you purchased anything from Wayfair?

Urban Airship

Willy Franzen — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:41:44 +0000

I really like the idea of push notifications, but I find that they’re often inconsistent in terms of being delivered. I also hate it when apps try to trick me into accepting push notifications that I will find annoying. Still, it seems pretty clear that push notifications are going to become an increasingly important part of our life (as sad as that may sound). As more and more apps start pushing us information, more companies are going to need to solve the technical challenges associated with delivering push notifications. Urban Airship is a Portland, OR and San Francisco, CA based company that provides technology that powers “mobile engagement, monetization and reporting.” Beyond push notifications, they also do subscriptions, in-app purchasing, and reporting.

Push Your Luck

There’s no doubt that Urban Airship has developed a compelling line of products–just look at their list of customers. It’s loaded with big names like ESPN, Fox, Accenture, The White House, The New York Times, and plenty of others. There are also some great case studies on how clients have used Urban Airship’s technology to achieve business objectives. If you really want to dig into the nitty gritty of Urban Airship’s products, then you’ll want to take a look at their Resources page. Eventually you’ll want to head over to the Urban Airship Careers page to check out their opportunities. Right now they’re looking to fill a number of technical positions including Implementation Engineer (Portland, OR), Solutions Engineer (Portland, OR), API Engineer (Portland, OR or San Francisco, CA), JavaScript Engineer (Portland, OR), Messaging Engineer (Portland, OR), Systems Engineer (Portland, OR), and Engineer in Test (Portland, OR). They’re also looking for an Account Development Representative (Portland, OR), which looks like a great non-technical position for a new or recent grad.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you get push notifications?

Weather Underground

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

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

Underground Opportunities

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

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

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

Internet Brands

Willy Franzen — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:07:03 +0000

In case you missed our e-mail from last week, Kembrel loved the response from our post about them so they’re offering a free VIP card (usually 20 bucks) to all ODOJ readers and $5 in store credit. Sign up here.

On Monday we took a look at Vertive, a company that builds internet properties to help people save money. Today we’re going to look at a company with a similar model of building and buying websites, but a much broader approach. Internet Brands is based in El Segundo, CA and started as CarsDirect.com in 1998. It was a successful brand for them, but in 2005 they realized that the platform they had built could be applied to other verticals. Now Internet Brands operates more than 100 websites that reach over a billion visitors every year. Amazingly, they’ve been able to generate almost all of this traffic organically (without buying advertising). This is all because of the platform that they’ve developed and the ability to share resources across brands. Internet Brands is a case study of how economies of scale can work on the web.

Get Branded

The best way to get a better feel for Internet Brands is to explore their… brands. There are a lot of them, but they typically fit into one of nine verticals: Automotive, Careers, Health, Home, Legal, Licensing, Money, Shopping, and Travel. Chances are that most of the brands will be new to you, but I found a few that I was familiar with. Unlike Vertive, Internet Brands doesn’t shed much light on how they operate. Even the Internet Brands Careers page is filled with mostly generic stuff like “Do you have energy, drive and ambition?” and “Do you have a strong sense of where you are going and how to get there?” Would any job seeker answer no to those rhetorical questions? At least Internet Brands makes up for it with a ton of job postings. Here are the ones that look well suited for an entry level job seeker:

That’s a lot of jobs. Hopefully a few of them will catch your interest.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Internet Brands?