One Day, One Job » Texas

Vertive

Willy Franzen — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:54:07 +0000

Having written profiles on more than 1,500 companies, I start to see the same stories over and over again. Some business models are just better than others, and those are the ones that seem to keep popping up. One of the most effective models these days is based on providing a free online resource to help save people money and using affiliate programs to monetize the traffic. Sites like Slickdeals, Fatwallet, Savings.com, ShopAtHome.com, CouponCabin, and WhaleShark Media have all taken that approach and succeeded. Vertive is another. They’re based in Austin, TX, and they were founded “to provide search engine marketing consulting and affiliate marketing services.” They eventually started building their own web properties, and that turned out to be way more profitable than consulting. Vertive’s biggest property is Offers.com, but other properties include DailyDeals.com, CouponCodes.com, and Subscription.com.

Get an Offer from Vertive

Because their properties are separate brands, the Vertive.com website is solely dedicated to providing information about the company. Luckily, the information is by no means generic. Vertive actually offers a pretty good look at how their business works. The section title How We Do It is especially good at describing Vertives’ approach to performance marketing. They also provide some good information on what it’s like to work at Vertive. If you like what you see, then you’ll want to check out Vertive’s Jobs page. Right now they have a good number of opportunities that are suitable for new or recent grads including:

Even if Vertive isn’t a good fit for you, it’s worth spending the time to learn about their business. The performance marketing model is… performing extremely well lately. It’s time that you understand how it works.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Vertive?

Boy Scouts of America

Willy Franzen — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 14:37:46 +0000

Despite my outdoorsiness, I was never a boy scout. I’ll admit that I was a little jealous of the other kids when they came into school with their uniforms covered in patches, but I’m sure I earned plenty of patches as a kid–even if I never actually got patches (now I can buy them from Best Made Company). Still, I have a ton of respect for Boy Scouts of America. They’re an organization that has lasted more than a century by staying focused on a core set of values. They believe “that helping youth is a key to building a more conscientious, responsible, and productive society,” and they’ve continuously adapted the way that they’ve helped you to keep current. Boy Scouts of America is headquartered in Irving, TX, but they operate (and have job opportunities) all across the country.

Always Be Prepared

The best way to get a sense of the scale that Boy Scouts of America operates on is to look at the numbers. In 2010 they had “more than 2.7 million youth members and more than 1.1 million volunteers.” Combined these people gave 28,335,249 hours worth of time with an estimated value of $605,240,919. Service is a huge part of scouting, but what I think is more impressive is how far reaching Boy Scouts of America has become. The organization’s goal is to build character, and the fact that 57.4% of astronauts were scouts and 206 members of the 112th Congress participated in Scouting indicates that they’ve done a good job. (Ok, the Congress one not so much). Still, Boy Scouts of America prepares kids for success. So as you prepare yourself for success, you may want to look to the Boy Scouts of America Careers page. They divide opportunities into a few different sections: National Office, Scout Camp, Supply, High Adventure Bases, and Regional Locations. While the National Office positions are probably most attractive, there aren’t any great fits for new grads at this point; however, the Regional Locations includes a ton of District Executive positions. The are clearly stated to be entry level positions, and they’re offered all across the country. The employer is the local council, so you have to do some legwork to find their contact information, but there are dozens of these opportunities. The other links above also lead to some interesting opportunities, so do some exploring and remember to always be prepared.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Were you a Boy Scout?

RaceTrac

Willy Franzen — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:58:16 +0000

I don’t know about you, but I love the smell of gasoline–at least in limited doses. Oddly enough, I absolutely hate the smell of coffee, so I’m not sure how I’d do if I had to work at a RaceTrac. They’re an Atlanta, GA based chain of more than 525 gas stations and convenience stores that stretch across twelve southeastern states. The odd thing about them is that their home page puts more emphasis on their coffee than on the gas. I guess gas is pretty much the same at every gas station, but good coffee will actually bring people through the doors. Besides the coffee RaceTrac differentiates itself with its size–their stores are typically over 5,000 square feet with more than 4,000 items and 20-24 pumps. If I owned a chain of gas stations, I’d probably use clean bathrooms as a point of differentiation. I think it would be a goldmine, but RaceTrac’s $8 billion in annual revenue makes them the third largest private company in Atlanta, so maybe coffee is the right choice.

Start Your Engine

As I mentioned before, RaceTrac’s home page doesn’t make it very clear that they’re a gas station, but there is a huge emphasis on different forms of transportation. They’re obviously trying to sell themselves as a part of an on the go lifestyle. This makes a lot of sense considering that it’s often the convenience items that drive the profits for retail gas stations. I’m sure there’s a lot of interesting stuff going on behind the scenes at RaceTrac, which is why you should check out their Careers page. They have page for Associate and Manager positions, but my guess is that you’ll be most interested in the positions at their Store Support Centers (Corporate). Right now they have some great opportunities for new or recent grads including:

Real Estate Analyst (Atlanta, GA)
Fuel Pricing Coordinator (Atlanta, GA)
Engineering Coordinator (Atlanta, GA)
Recruitment and Engagement Specialist (Atlanta, GA)
Recruitment and Engagement Specialist (Baton Rouge, LA)
HR Business Analyst (Atlanta, GA)
Software Developer (Atlanta, GA)

There are some really interesting look positions at RaceTrac, so check them out and see if any of them make sense for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever stopped at a RaceTrac?

The Nature Conservancy

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

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

Nature Over Nurture

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

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

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

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about The Nature Conservancy?

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Willy Franzen — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:24:10 +0000

New Year’s Eve is a wonderful holiday for celebrating a great year past and the prospects of a great future. It’s a time that we spend with family and friends and think about how we can better ourselves. Yet for many alcohol plays a prominent role in the celebration, and the new year begins with a hangover. That’s not my style, but you’re free to have a great night however you want. Just make sure that your alcohol use doesn’t negatively affect anyone else. Most importantly, that means don’t drink and drive. That’s the message that Mothers Against Drunk Driving has been spreading since it was founded in 1980 by Candy Lightner “after her daughter, Cari, was killed by a repeat drunk driving offender.” Three decades later MADD, which has national offices in Irving, TX and Washington, DC and chapters all across the country, has made a lot of progress fighting drunk driving, but there’s a long way to go considering that there is an injury from an alcohol-related crash every minute.

Get MADD

MADD is best known for it’s work to stop drunk driving, but they also do a lot of work to prevent underage drinking and to provide victim services. The organization played an extremely prominent role in pushing for the .08 BAC limit in the U.S., and now they’re setting their sights on legislation that requires convicted drunk drivers to “blow before they go” by installing in car breathalyzers. Some criticize MADD for fudging their statistics and being part of the “alcohol prohibition lobby,” but they’re really just about saving lives. For 2012 their goal is to get U.S. drunk driving fatalities under 10,000. It’s hard to argue with that. If you like what MADD is doing, take a look at their Jobs page. Right now they’re looking for:

Court Monitoring Project Specialist (Chicago, IL)
Court Monitoring Project Specialist (St. Louis, MO)
Program Coordinator (San Diego, CA)
Program Coordinator (Los Angeles, CA)

All of these jobs require some prior experience, but they’re still worth checking out. Have a happy and safe new year!

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Drive safely!

Allegiant

Willy Franzen — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 16:52:56 +0000

I don’t mind flying; in fact, I kind of enjoy it–especially on smaller planes. Unfortunately, it’s not often that you can hop in a 6 seater and get a sweet view for the entire flight. Usually you are crammed into a 150-seater and spend most of the time looking at clouds. I guess most people are more comfortable with that, but not me. When I’m flying I’m not particularly brand conscious, so I mostly choose my airline by who has the cheapest fare. That means that I end up on flying all different airlines, but I’ve never flown Allegiant. They’re a low-cost carrier and travel company based in Enterprise, NV. They travel to 75 destinations with a fleet of 75 MD-83s and MD-87s. All of Allegiant’s routes begin or end in one of 9 hubs: Bellingham, WA; Los Angeles, CA; Las Vegas, NV; Phoenix, AZ; Myrtle Beach, SC; Orlando, FL; Tampa Bay, FL; Fort Myers, FL; and Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Show Your Allegiance

Allegiant doesn’t cover a ton of destinations, but if you want to fly to one of the 9 places mentioned above, there’s a good chance that they’ll be offering a good fare. Allegiant is extremely focused on profitably (unlike some other airlines), so they’re constantly tweaking their routes and leaving airports that don’t perform well for them. They’re also constantly finding new ways to generate ancillary revenue. The average Allegiant passenger will spend nearly an extra $35 over the price of his or her ticket. Some of this is for baggage fees and in-flight food, but Allegiant also makes money by selling other travel products and services through their website. They seem willing to try anything, and they even are toying with the idea of variable pricing based on fuel costs at the time of the flight. All of this makes Allegiant sound like an airline that might be a little annoying to fly, but would be really cool to work for. That’s why you should check out their Careers page. Right now they’re hiring a Component Repairs Analyst, an A/C Structures Engineer, a number of Customer Service/Ground Operations Agents (Medford, OR; South Bend, IN; Peoria, IL; Des Moines, IA; Fort Collins, CO; and Laredo, TX), a Financial Analyst, a Materials Coordinator, a Revenue Management Analyst, and a few other positions. Give all the jobs a look and see what looks best for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you flown Allegiant?

WhaleShark Media

Willy Franzen — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:54:41 +0000

You probably should have already purchased and given all your gifts for the holiday season, but if you haven’t, it’s a wonderful time to get deals. Retailers are eager to grab a few more dollars from all of the people returning ugly sweaters and books they’ll never read, so they’re offering deals. And if you’re looking for deals, you’ll likely end up on some WhaleShark Media properties. They’re an Austin, TX based company that runs “the world’s leading marketplace for coupons and deals.” Their sites include RetailMeNot.com (one of my favorites), Deals.com, CheapStingyBargains.com, CouponShare.com, and a lot of others. I’m not exactly sure what separates these sites from each other, but they seem to do really well in search rankings and that is why they reach more than 265 million visitors every year.

A Whale of a Deal

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not brand loyal to RetailMeNot.com, but whenever I search for coupon codes, it seems one of their pages pops up. I can’t tell you how much money I have saved by taking 15 seconds to search for a coupon code when I’m making a purchase. This behavior is getting more and more common, and that bodes well for WhaleShark Media’s business model. If you’d like to learn more about that model and see how a profitable coupon business is built, check out WhaleShark Media’s Jobs page. Right now there are a number of opportunities or new and recent grads including:

Part-time Business Intelligence Analyst
Associate Software Engineer
Merchandiser – Deals2Buy.com
Accounts Coordinator
UX Designer
Visual Designer

There are a number of other interesting looking positions, but they all require more experience, so take a look at these and see if any of them make sense.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you use coupons?

Flavorpill

Willy Franzen — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:30:54 +0000

It often seems that I don’t hear about cool events until after they’ve happened. I’ll spend a Friday night reorganizing my fishing closet, and on Saturday I’ll realize that there’s something really fun that I missed out on. I’m sure you’ve faced the same problem. But how do you keep up with what’s going on in your city? Flavorpill is one answer. They provide an online culture guide, and they will send you personalized e-mails that cover both events and news. I first heard about Flavorpill because one of their writers was interviewing me (the story ended up being published elsewhere), but I think they were a bit more news focused then. They say that they cover “cultural events, art, books, music, and world news,” though it seems that Flavorpill, which is headquartered in New York, NY, now leans very strongly towards the events side.

Flavorpill in Your Ear

Flavorpill currently has editions in New York, Brooklyn, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, Miami, Las Vegas, Dallas, and Seattle. I don’t know if there are any new locations on the horizon, but you’d think that they’d continue to grow the brand by adding new editions. There isn’t much info on the business behind Flavorpill, but it’s pretty obviously ad-supported. The Flavorpill Media Kit is probably the best way to get an inside look at how the company makes money. If you consider yourself culturally literate and want to to help others be like you, then a job at Flavorpill might be worth considering. Right now they have two Jobs pages. One is linked to from their site and the other is the first Google result for “Flavorpill internships.” My guess is that the former is the one to go by, but it’s hard to say for sure. Flavorpill’s current postings on that page include Designer, Front-end Developer, Product Manager, and Web Developer, and on the other page they include Editorial Partner (Las Vegas) and Advertising Sales Manager. Take a look at the job postings and see which ones best suit you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you read Flavorpill?

AppSumo

Willy Franzen — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:05:26 +0000

Want to give AppSumo a try? Be sure to use this link to sign up.

I know that a lot of people are getting sick of daily deal sites, but I’m a huge Groupon fan (maybe because my fiancée works there); however, I must admit that the daily deal e-mail that I’m most excited for every day comes from AppSumo. They’re an Austin, TX based company that offers amazing bargains on software, online courses, and other tools that are extremely useful for entrepreneurs, web professionals, job seekers, and anyone who wants to use technology to a fuller extent. I’ve used AppSumo to buy things from Udemy (a PHP course), Tout (an e-mail management tool), StickerMule (awesome custom One Day One Job stickers), and a bunch of other cool companies. Each purchase has been valuable for building my business, and they’ve all come at unbelievably low prices.

Be a Sumo

AppSumo was founded by Noah Kagan just oner a year and a half ago. He’s a guy that I’ve had a chance to hang out with, and he’s super smart and extremely interesting. That’s why it’s no surprise that he’s built the company to more than half a million customers in that time. Unfortunately, you can’t get the AppSumo story for free on their website. Noah is a smart businessman, so he charges $79 for the behind the scenes story and charges $500 for an hour of one-on-one time (those are discounted prices). If I were you, I’d buy both of them and use them to try to land a job with AppSumo. They have a “For any reason anytime before you die” 100% money-back guarantee, so if you don’t get hired, you can totally get your money back. You can see all of AppSumo’s current and past openings on their Jobs page, so check that out. Right now they’re looking for a Python Developer and two Business Development Sumos, but they’ve had past jobs in Marketing, Design, Customer Support, Quality Assurance, Copywriting, and Taco Eating.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever bought something from AppSumo?

FlightAware

Willy Franzen — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:06:27 +0000

Whether you need something to wear for a job interview or a tropical vacation, Gilt is the place to get it at a good price. Here’s a link that will get you an additional 20% off.

In my previous life as the boyfriend of a management consultant, I would often spend my Thursday evenings using a flight tracking website to figure out when I’d be eating dinner. Those days are mostly over now that Amy is working at Groupon, but I had a bit of a flashback since she is traveling for work this week. My preferred flight tracking website is FlightAware, which tells me that she’s somewhere just south of the Great Salt Lake right now. I also know that she’s moving at 459 knots at an altitude of 35,000 feet. I can even see that the fares for her flight ranged from $50.03 to $3,365.92 with an average of $238.13. FlightAware is based in Houston, TX, and they provide “live flight data, airport information, weather maps, flight planning, and navigation charts, as well as aviation news and photos to over two million users a month.” I have no idea how they get all of their data, but it’s extremely useful and very easy to access.

Show Your Awareness

FlightAware’s free offerings are pretty robust. They offer everything that a typical frequent flyer might want access to; however, they also offer commercial level services to aviation businesses like “corporate flight departments, airlines, charter operators, aircraft and engine manufacturers, airport operators, government,” and more. These expanded services include: “data analysis, trending, outsourcing of data processing, and finding the answer to tomorrow’s aviation optimization and reliability problems.” Their customers include Cessna, NetJets, and Lufthansa, so they’re dealing with the biggest names in the industry. FlightAware is a company entirely made up of aviation geeks–they won’t hire you if you don’t have a passion for flight and flying, and more than half of their “employees hold an FAA pilots certificate (ranging from student to ATP).” If you think you’d fit in, then take a look at FlightAware’s Jobs page. Right now they’re looking for a Customer Service Specialist, a Web/Front-End Software Developer, and a Systems Engineer. FlightAware looks like a pretty cool place to work, so check them out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you use FlightAware?

Whole Foods Market

Willy Franzen — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:53:38 +0000

Even though I’m not a huge fan of turkey, I love Thanksgiving. It’s an all around great holiday for spending time with family and friends, and it gives me the opportunity to do some serious cooking. Some of my favorites are yams with marshmallows on top, brussels sprouts with bacon and onions, and apple pie. I’ve also been known to make a maple syrup slathered, bacon covered turkey, but I usually get overruled by people who inexplicably love bland, overcooked, dry white breast meat. I’m actually dying to try America Test Kitchen’s recipe, which includes brining and putting ice packs on the breasts so they cook slower than the rest of the bird. Anyway, I’ll likely be doing some shopping at Whole Foods Market this afternoon. I used to shop at normally priced supermarkets, but there’s one thing that keeps me coming back to bougie grocery stores like Whole Foods: bacon. You can’t get good quality bacon at a regular supermarket. And once you’re buying fancy bacon, you might as well get organic brussel sprouts and grass-fed beef and those awesome salted, chocolate-covered caramels that they sell.

Make Yourself Whole

Whole Foods Market isn’t just about being a higher end grocery store. They’re “the world’s leader in natural and organic foods,” and they “maintain the strictest quality standards in the industry, and have an unshakeable commitment to sustainable agriculture.” Some people are happy paying more at Whole Foods because they get to choose from five different kinds of bacon; others because they know the pigs the bacon came from were humanely and sustainably raised. Whole Foods Market got its start in Austin, TX in 1980, and because of their unique value proposition they’ve been able to grow to more than 310 stores. A key part of that massive growth has been how they treat their people. They’ve worked extremely hard to build a “decentralized, self-directed team culture and create a respectful workplace where people are treated fairly and are highly motivated to succeed.” That’s why you might notice that Whole Foods employees are more helpful and more pleasant than the average supermarket employee.

A typical college grad probably isn’t even considering a grocery store as an employment option, but Whole Foods has created an environment that attracts great talent. They’ve been named one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” by Fortune for the past 14 years, and they offer exceptional benefits. They generally do a great job with their Careers site, though they don’t make it easy to find Corporate positions. Before you dig into their job postings, I recommend that you read up on Whole Foods Market’s Career Paths and Hiring Process. You have to navigate Whole Foods’ job listings by geography, so if you want to find corporate positions you have to look at Texas. The company’s culture is big on hiring from within, so getting started in one of their stores is definitely a smart choice.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What are you cooking for Thanksgiving?

Ketchum

Willy Franzen — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:16:15 +0000

While we’ve featured a couple of companies located in Ketchum, ID (Smith Optics and SCOTTEVEST) and a company with a subsidiary called Ketchum (The Pursuant Group), we’ve never actually looked at Ketchum. They’re a global public relations agency that is headquartered in New York, NY and has more than 100 offices and affiliates in 65 countries. In other words, they’re pretty huge. Ketchum has five globe practices, which include Brand Marketing, Corporate, Healthcare, Food & Nutrition, and Technology, and 25 specialties, so they seem to cover almost everything. Some of their biggest clients are IKEA, Häägen-Dazs, and Diet Dr. Pepper, so that gives you an idea of the scale that they operate on. If you want the full rundown, Ketchum’s Quick Facts page is extremely helpful.

Ketchum If You Can

Some of the most interesting stuff I found about Ketchum isn’t on their website. That’s because they’ve been involved in a few scandals and slip-ups, and you can read up on them on the Ketchum Wikipedia page. PR is an industry where you often have to take risks, so I don’t think any of these issues reflect too poorly on the firm. Ketchum has won PRWeek’s “Campaign of the Year” award for the past three years, so some of that risk taking is certainly paying off. To see the work that Ketchum actually wants you to see, you should check out their Case Studies. There’s a lot more to see on Ketchum’s website, so you’ll probably want to do a little more exploring. If you like what you see, then take a look at Ketchum’s Careers section (which has a ton of content) and their current opportunities. Right now they’re looking for an Account Associate (New York, NY) and a Junior Project Manager (San Francisco, CA). Additionally, they have links where you can apply to future positions in New York, NY; Atlanta, GA; Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco, CA; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Pittsburgh, PA; and Washington, DC.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Ketchum?

Citizen Schools

Willy Franzen — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 16:31:53 +0000

Middle school is a big turning point in the lives of students. They generally enter still looking and acting like children, but by the time they leave they’re well on their way to adulthood. Middle school is also the point at which academics become much more rigorous–you have real tests, real grades, and real responsibility. That’s why Citizen Schools was founded in 1995 to re-imagine “the learning day to bring more time, more talented adults, and more relevant learning experiences to middle-school students in low-income neighborhoods.” They’re headquartered in Boston, MA, and they’re getting citizens off the sidelines and into schools in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, and Texas.

Be a Good Citizen

Citizen Schools’ focus is on “expanding the learning day.” To get a sense of what they mean by that, you should take a look at Citizen Schools’ Model and Growth Strategy. The story behind Citizen Schools is pretty neat, so I strongly recommend that you watch their Citizen Schools 101 video below (e-mail readers need to click through):

If you want to be part of that story as it continues to get better, then you need to take a look at Citizen Schools’ wide range of Career Opportunities. They offer a variety of paths including Teaching Fellowships (applications open later this month), Teaching Associate positions, Campus Director positions, and a variety of other openings. Browse through everything and see what makes the most sense for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Citizen Schools?

Yeti Coolers

Willy Franzen — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:33:33 +0000

I spend a ton of time outdoors between fly fishing and playing beach volleyball. You’d think I’d have a cooler to take along with me, but I don’t. If I did, it’d have to be one of the models made by Yeti Coolers. They’re an Austin, TX based company that builds coolers that are more durable and keep things colder than any other coolers on the market. Yeti Coolers are built for tough conditions, which is why some of the biggest names in outdoors sports endorse them and the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee has deemed them Grizzly Proof. You may think it’s cooler overkill, but the market for high quality coolers seems to be extremely strong. That’s why Yeti Coolers made the Inc. 5000 with 613% three-year growth to $13 million in revenue.

These Jobs Do Exist

Yeti Coolers’ business seems pretty simple. They build a superior product and market it to a demographic that appreciates the kind of quality that Yeti Coolers offers. It’s obviously been a bit more complicated than that considering how quickly Yeti has been able to grow. I’m sure their engineering and manufacturing is pretty high tech, and I’m sure that going up against entrenched cooler manufacturers is a big challenge for a relative upstart. Still, you have to love that there’s still a ton of room for Yeti to grow in the market. If you want to be a part of that growth, then you should check out Yeti Coolers’s Careers page. While they don’t have any openings posted there, they do have an Application Page where you can apply for positions in Account Management, Accounting/Finance, Administrative, Cusomter Service, Human Resources, IT, Marketing, Operations, Order Processing, R&D / Product Development, Sales, and Warehouse. Hopefully your search for these jobs will be more fruitful than the search for the Abominable Snowman.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you own a Yeti Cooler?

Spiceworks

Willy Franzen — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 10:46:57 +0000

I don’t know a lot about Information Technology despite my being pretty in touch with the tech world. According to Wikipedia it’s “the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications” and it includes “anything that renders data, information or perceived knowledge in any visual format whatsoever, via any multimedia distribution mechanism.” In other words, IT can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. What I do know about IT is that it can be a huge cost center for businesses of nearly any size. Once you slap the IT tag on something, the price shoots through the roof. That’s why I was shocked to come across a company that offer free IT tools. Spiceworks is based in Austin, TX, and they have built “an easy-to-use software app that simplifies the life of IT pros…kinda’ like an ‘iTunes for IT management.’” And all of you non-techies better not stop reading, they have jobs for you too.

Are You Spicy Enough?

It seems kind of wacky to offer a free product in an industry where the streets are paved with gold, but the people at Spiceworks certainly aren’t stupid–they were on to something. If your customer base has access to big budgets and is accustomed to making big spending decisions, you can try to sell something to them and be just like every other IT vendor out there, or you can earn their trust and make them like you with a killer free product. Then you can provide access to your huge audience of big spenders by selling advertising to other IT vendors who want to reach them. This is an extremely well thought out advertising model. If you want to go orange (Spiceworks orange) and be part of the “free IT revolution,” then take a look at Spiceworks’ Jobs page. Right now they are looking for Online Media Account Executives, Marketing Managers, Software Engineers, UI Application Developers, and User Experience Designers. If those positions don’t quite suit you, don’t be afraid to submit a general application. You can get an idea of the other roles they offer by checking out Spiceworks’ Team page.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Spiceworks?

C3 Presents

Willy Franzen — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:54:32 +0000

Today marks the beginning of the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago. Musical festivals definitely aren’t my thing, but it seems that everyone in the city is talking about Lolla. If you don’t know what Lollapalooza is, you can get the full story at Lollapalooza.com or on the Lollapalooza Wikipedia page. I was most interested in figuring out what company puts on the festival, because there’s a good chance that they might have some interesting job opportunities. It turns out that Lollapalooza is “presented” by C3 Presents, an Austin, TX based (I hear they also have locations in Los Angeles, CA and Chicago, IL) company that “creates, books, markets, and produces live experiences, concerts, events, and just about anything that makes people stand up and cheer.” They were formerly known as Capital Sports Entertainment, and in addition all of the live events that they do, they also offer artist/talent management services.

What Will You Present?

Beyond Lollapalooza C3 Presents puts on The Austin City Limits Music Festival and Wanderlust, has a publicity and marketing firm called Fresh and Clean Media, and manages a bunch of venues. You can check out all of their concerts at C3Concerts.com. Unfortunately, C3 Presents doesn’t offer much information about themselves on their website. They don’t even mention which artists they manage. You can get a few additional tidbits from their Wikipedia page, which mentions that they’re the third largest concert promoter in the United States behind Live Nation and AEG. C3 Presents does have a Careers page, but all it says is that “C3 Presents is not currently hiring.” So why am I writing about them? Companies in this industry are notoriously hard to get jobs with. If you think that waiting until they post a job on their Careers page is a good strategy, then you have a lot to learn. You’re going to have to find a way to contact them, and pitch yourself. LinkedIn tells me that their recent hires include a Festival Marketing Coordinator, a Talent Assistant, and a couple of interns. I also imagine that C3 Presents does a lot of event staff hiring, but I’m not sure how they do it (they probably contract it out).

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you been to any concerts put on by C3 Presents?

HotSchedules

Willy Franzen — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:17:24 +0000

We’re hiring! Need I say more?

Yesterday I was flipping through tv channels (to avoid seeing commercials that tell me that I’m stupid), and I stopped because CNN was running a piece on millennial friendly employers. Now this may surprise you, but a little piece of me dies every time I hear the terms “millennial” and “Gen-Y.” I think that viewing your career in terms of your generation is counterproductive. Anyway, a big part of the CNN segment was about how cool it is to work at an Austin, TX based company called HotSchedules. Yes, they have policies like unlimited paid vacation, but I think what they do is way more interesting. HotSchedules provides “intuitive, web-based scheduling, labor management and forecasting solutions” for restaurants. In other words they take the headaches out of managing workforces that have a lot of shift variability.

Are You Hot or Not?

If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant or other similar service-based business, you know how much time can get wasted on scheduling. Even if you haven’t worked in one of these environments, you’ve probably heard employees talking (complaining) about their shifts. HotSchedules uses the power of the web to erase a lot of these problems. They claim that their software can cut labor costs by 1.5%, cut time spent creating schedules by 75%, and even make employees happier. Here’s a good video that will walk you through how the software works:

Wondering if HotSchedules can actually live up to their promises? Check out their customer list, which includes names like Applebee’s, Chili’s, IHOP, Jamba Juice, Outback Steakhouse, Red Robin, and lots more. I know these names aren’t necessarily associated with the heights of the culinary arts, but they sure do employ a lot of people. If you’re digging what HotSchedules does (and you also want to check out all of their cool perks) head over to their Jobs page. While they don’t have anything specific posted, they do say “If there are no openings listed here, don’t let that stop you from sending us your resume. We’re always interested in people who take the initiative and know what they want to do.” Get to it.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

How do you fell about terms like Gen-Y and Millennial?

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?

Yodle

Willy Franzen — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 15:50:53 +0000

I keep finding myself talking about local marketing, and there’s a good reason for it. It’s an industry that has taken off in the last couple of years. Previously, the Yellow Pages and newspapers dominated local marketing. The web has eroded large parts of those businesses, but it has taken a while for new options to reach critical mass. Then businesses like Groupon and Yext realized that they could use the same sales strategy that the Yellow Pages and newspapers used, but sell marketing products and services that are results focused. Yodle is another one of these companies. They’re based in New York, NY (with offices across the country), and their mission is “to connect local businesses with consumers so simply and cost-effectively that business owners can’t imagine any other way to advertise.” They aim to achieve this by making online advertising a whole lot simpler for the average small business owner.

Can You Yodle?

Yodle got its start because a kid was helping his dad’s car dealership with online marketing. This kid, Nathaniel Stevens, realized that what he was doing could be applied to lots of different types of small businesses, so he came up with a plan to start a company that would work at a big enough scale to help all kinds of business owners attract new customers. Apparently Yodle is doing a good job, since they seem to keep growing. They do everything from building websites for businesses to running search advertising campaigns to setting up social media presences. You can learn more about their offerings here, and you can read some client case studies here. You’ll also want to be sure to check out Yodle.info, where they put the spotlight on some of their employees. If you like what you see, head over to Yodle’s Jobs page. They have a ton of opportunities for new or recent grads including: Sales Development Representative (Scottsdale, AZ), Sales Representative (Scottsdale, AZ; Boston, MA; Philadelphia, PA; Charlotte, NC; and New York, NY), IT Analyst (Austin, TX), Software Engineer (New York, NY), Marketing Associate (New York, NY; Boston, MA; and Scottsdale, AZ), Search Marketing Analyst (Boston, MA; New York, NY; and Scottsdale, AZ), Search Marketing Consultant (Boston, MA; New York, NY; Charlotte, NC; and Scottsdale, AZ), Customer Support Specialist – Temp to Perm (Scottsdale, AZ), Organic Associate – Temp to Perm (Scottsdale, AZ), and Executive Assistant/Office Manager (New York, NY). There are a lot of options here, so hopefully something will fit your interests.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Yodle?

Seilevel

Willy Franzen — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 16:15:53 +0000

I often hear from readers that I don’t cover jobs in their preferred location or in their area of interest. On a day to day basis that may be true, but over the past three and a half years I’ve written about a truly wide range of companies, industries, job types, and locations. Just check out our archives to see them all. (Remember, the goal of these daily profiles isn’t just to get you to look at the company we’re featuring–it’s supposed to be a jumping off point for you to generate new ideas for your job search.) However, the companies I cover are going to be skewed towards areas with job growth, both in terms of geography and industry. Sometimes you have to move where the action is to land a job. I find that readers get most frustrated by the plethora of available software development jobs that seem completely out of reach to grads without computer science degrees. Today we’re going to try to relieve some of that frustration by looking at Seilevel, an Austin, TX based company that is “exclusively focused on IT Product Management services for Fortune 1000 companies.” They’re working hard to change the way that companies write software requirements. You may not know what that means right now, but you can learn. Just like another One Day, One Job reader who told me about Seilevel after landing a job there with no background in software development.

Above or Below Seilevel?

When I learned what Seilevel does, I immediately thought of Tom Smykowski (video clip) from the movie Office Space. He’s the “people person” who invented the “Jump to Conclusions Mat.” He was also responsible for taking specifications from customers and bringing them to software engineers. At Initech this wasn’t a very important job (which is why Smykowski was being “downsized”), but when Seilevel does it they add a ton of value. They don’t just transfer the specs from one party to another, they actually write the software requirements to ensure that the project succeeds. Their website says:

Analysts report that as many as 71 percent of software projects that fail do so because of poor requirements management, making it the single biggest reason for project failure – bigger than bad technology, missed deadlines or change management fiascoes.

In other words the needs of the customer often aren’t adequately communicated to the people who are writing the software. When so much money is being invested into an IT project, it’s essential that all parties are on the same page and that expectations are clear. This is exactly what Seilevel does. Check out that link, it will make it a lot easier to understand what they do and how they do it. And since they’re experts at aiding communication between techies and non-techies, it also seems that they’re experts at training non-techies to be techies. That’s why their Jobs page says they’re “looking for disillusioned science majors who want to learn how to become software product managers” (I think they’d still like to hear from you even if you’re not a science major.) The job description sounds awesome, and so does the company culture. They’re also hiring Software Product Managers, so check that out if you do have the Computer Science/Software Development background.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Seilevel?

YuMe

Willy Franzen — Fri, 20 May 2011 14:26:48 +0000

Who would have thought that video advertising would be the new thing? It’s only been around for more than 50 years. But as consumption of video moves from watching what is broadcasted over air/cable/satellite to watching what you want when you want to over the Internet, advertising has to change with it. People will click away from a website in an instant if they’re annoyed by the ads, while tv viewers are much slower to change the channel (even if it’s one of those commercials where the volume is twice as high). Yet, there’s so much more potential online–you can actually get someone to take an action by clicking on the ad. Television doesn’t offer that. YuMe is a Redwood City, CA based company that was founded in 2004 to encourage the growth of online video content by making it easy to monetize. The founders recognized “that the nascent broadband video sector was going to need a strong ad model and technology platform to generate revenue,” so they built it.

You at YuMe

If you’re like me, you probably hate online video ads. There are ones that slow down your Hulu viewing There are ones that automatically run for 30 seconds before you watch a 15 second video of some guy getting hit in the crotch. There are even ones that cover an entire page and start playing as soon as you open a new web page. You can get as annoyed with online video ads as you want, but they’re the cost of watching free content. YuMe has built an exceptional platform for both advertisers and publishers, and that’s why they’re serving “millions of in-stream video ads per day” and working with top publishers like MSN, Hearst, and Fox News. If you’re fascinated by how advertising is fueling the growth of online video, then you should definitely check out YuMe’s Jobs page. While most of their jobs require some level of prior experience, you should still check out the following positions: Business Operations Analyst, Sales Development Account Executive (Redwood City and New York), Sales Planner (Chicago and New York), Support Engineer – Mobile, and Technical Support Engineer. You may also want to check out some of the internships they have listed, because a few seem to be tailored to grads. And if nothing looks like great fits for you, they also welcome applications for unlisted positions.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

How do you feel about online video ads?

Involver

Willy Franzen — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 16:10:07 +0000

Sponsored Jobs: Love restaurants and looking for an entry level job? SinglePlatform has a ton of positions that are perfect for you. They’re our sponsor this week, and you can check out all of their positions here.

These days it’s hard to find an advertisement where a brand isn’t encouraging you to Like them on Facebook or Follow them on Twitter. (And since I mentioned it, you should Like Us, Follow Me, and Join our LinkedIn Group.) I’m still not convinced that it’s a better idea to send traffic to your presence on someone else’s site than it is to send people to your own site, but everybody is doing it. And if you’re going to do it, you might as well do it right. Involver is a company that “provides marketers with everything they need to create rich experiences across the social web.” They’re based in San Francisco, CA, but they’re adding offices rapidly. So far they also have locations in New York, NY; Austin, TX; Los Angeles, CA; and Chicago, IL. To put it more simply, Involver has built a platform on top of the major social media platforms. By using Involver, you can more simply craft an exceptional user experience within the framework of sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Get Involved!

You know Involver is legit when you take a look at their success stories. They’ve already worked with names like The White House, Alicia Keys, Facebook, and Cisco. To get a fuller sense of the kind of work that Involver is doing for these clients, you need to take a look at their Applications. They’ve made it extremely simple to add high value functionality to a number of social media sites. They also have their Engagement Platform, which helps with managing the relationships that are forged through social media. It seems pretty certain that social media will continue to be a valuable marketing channel, but keeping up with all of the changes on the technology side is extremely difficult. Involver acts as an intermediary that simplifies the process of managing a presence. If you’re interested in the technology side of social media marketing, then you really should check out jobs at Involver. They have a number of opportunities including Interface Engineer (San Francisco, CA), Interface Engineer (Austin, TX), Sales Engineer (San Francisco, CA), Software Engineer (Austin, TX), Support Engineer (Austin, TX), Inside Sales Representative (New York, NY), and Inside Sales Representative (San Francisco, CA). You can also apply for an unlisted position if none of these seem like good fits for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of Involver?

Shecky’s

Willy Franzen — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 16:30:35 +0000

I like writing about companies that I find interesting, which isn’t hard because I have very broad interests. However, I occasionally come across a company that I know is interesting, but it just doesn’t resonate with me. That’s definitely the case with Shecky’s. They’re a New York, NY based company that makes it their “mission to create social experiences that empower and reward women to discover and socialize with their girlfriends.” I think you can understand why that doesn’t resonate with me, but you’ll impressed to learn that Shecky’s was actually founded in 1998 by a Wall Street executive named Chris Hoffman. Despite the potentially ambiguous first name, Chris is a man who is apparently very in touch with “what women want.” He started by publishing the 1st Shecky’s Bar, Club & Lounge Guide in 1998, and then moved on to hosting hosts the “1st Girls Night Out” in New York City in 2001. In 2002 Chris found Claudia Chan and made her president after merging her company into Shecky’s. The business has continued to grow with a focus on improving the interactions that women have with their girlfriends, and I’m sure having a woman at the helm who understands the market better than any man ever could is a big reason for that.

Who’s Shecky?

One of the biggest pieces of the Shecky’s business is Girls Night Out. They hold these events in cities across the country, and they provide an opportunity for women to “discover unique designers, sip our delectable drinks, and cap your night with some pretty pampering and glorious Goodie Bags.” It appears that Shecky’s has finally moved away from the guidebook business, and has instead decided to put far more focus on their digital properties. I’ll bet that is turning out to be a really smart move. With the events and the website, Shecky’s is a marketer’s dream. It should be no surprise that advertising and sponsorships are big parts of Shecky’s business. If Shecky’s resonates with you and you know the importance of having a strong group of girlfriends, then take a look at jobs at Shecky’s. Right now they’re looking for a Sales Account Executive and a Customer Service Rep. Additionally, they often hire freelancers for their events in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Hamptons, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Washington, DC. These positions include Photography, Event Staff, Writing/Reporting, and Administrative Assistant opportunities.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Are you familiar with Shecky’s?

Perkins+Will

Willy Franzen — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:25:29 +0000

Despite having a father who is an architect, I have to admit that my appreciation for architecture is quite basic. Except when my Dad drags me along, I don’t go out looking at buildings just for the fun of it, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t notice things that are architecturally interesting. When I came across a link to some positions at Perkins+Will, the first thing that I did was look at their work. I was surprised by how many of their projects I’ve noticed and enjoyed. Just a few of them include the San Francisco Ferry Building, Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, and The Contemporaine (which is only a couple of blocks from me). And that’s just a small sampling of the work that the firm has done. Perkins+Will was started in Chicago, IL in 1935, but since then they’ve expanded to 23 offices across the world (including locations in Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; Charlotte, NC; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Dubai, UAE; Hartford, CT; Houston, TX; Los Angeles, CA; London, UK; Miami, FL; Minneapolis, MN; New York, NY; Orlando, FL; Philadelphia, PA; Research Triangle Park, NC; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; Shanghai, China; Toronto, ON; Vancouver, BC; and Washington, DC.) I spent some time trying to figure out if they have an actual headquarters or main office, but I couldn’t come up with anything.

Where There’s a Will There’s a Way

Like I said before, I’m not much of an architectural critic. It definitely says something that Perkins+Will’s work caught my eye, but what’s more important is that they’re constantly getting recognition from big names in the industry. They’ve been ranked #1 Sustainable Design Firm and #2 overall in the “Architect 50″ by Architect magazine, #2 University Design Firm by Building Design+Construction, and #2 Interior Design Giant and one of the Most Admired firms by Interior Design. I’m even more impressed by the names that they’ve worked with, which include: Cornell University, Chicago O’ Hare International Airport, NASA, Mayo Clini, Stanford University, UCLA Medical Center, Perspectives Charter School, Crate & Barrel, and plenty more. If you want to get the full view of all of Perkins+Will’s noteworthy accomplishments, just check out their Press Kit. Anyway, if you love Perkins+Will’s work, then you have to check out their Careers page. Their current job listings include entry level positions like Architect I (Chicago, IL), Architect I (Seattle, WA), Graphic Designer (Dallas, TX), Interior Designer I (Glastonbury, CT), Interior Designer I (Washington, DC). That’s it for now, but I’m sure that they regularly have positions popping up all across the world.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Which of Perkins+Will’s projects is your favorite?

Nissan

Willy Franzen — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 16:52:28 +0000

If you haven’t already taken a look at our profile on MATCH Public Charter School, now is the time to do it. They’re changing the world of education, and they’re hiring a ton of new grads.

I don’t know about you, but my college never gave me Presidents’ Day off. At it’s core it’s an important holiday, but it’s pretty much become a reason for car dealerships and furniture stores to have sales. Since it’s a day for cars and I’ve been going through Fast Company’s list of The 2011 Most Innovative Companies, I decided it’s only appropriate that we take a look at Nissan USA, which came in at #4 on the list. While Nissan is headquartered in Japan, their US group is based in Franklin, TN with a number of other locations across North America. Now, the reason that Nissan is getting so much buzz is that they recently released the Nissan LEAF Electric Car, the “first mass-market all-electric car.” With the release of this automobile, Nissan went from an industry laggard to a leader in sustainability. It’s hard to say whether electric cars are truly the future, but you have to give Nissan props for going all out.

Plug In to Nissan

It’s really interesting to think about careers in the automotive industry. In some ways it seems super risky–there’s a ton of change going on. On the other hand it has to be a good bet–cars aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. The big question for car guys and girls is where do you go? Do you take a risk on a newcomer like Tesla Motors? Or do you play it safe (or not so safe) with one of the Big Three? Maybe somewhere in between? It’s really hard to say which car manufacturers will be on top in ten years, but you have to like Nissan’s chances. Their slogan is “SHIFT_the way you move,” and they say that they want to make “cars that are more efficient, more beautiful, more inspiring and more human than ever before.” If that gets you fired up, then you’ll want to check out Nissan.jobs. The site includes a section on Student Opportunities, but it really only tells you that they offer internships, entry level jobs, and an MBA rotation program. It’s completely unhelpful, and their job search function isn’t much better.

Despite Nissan’s claim that they “have many exciting opportunities for recent undergrads,” I don’t see them posted. My recommendation is that you take a look at their internship postings, and use the information in those to inform you on what might be available. Then send a general application from here. Nissan’s current internship offerings include (can’t link to them because of the way their site works): Communications Intern (Franklin, TN); Manufacturing Intern (Smyrna, TN); NTCNA Engineering Intern (Farmington Hills, MI); Production Control/SCM (Smyrna, TN); Parts, Service, & Accessores Intern (Mt. Juliet, TN); Purchasing Intern (Farmington Hills, MI); NMAC Dealer Review Coordinator Intern (Irving, TX); Sales & Marketing Intern (Franklin, TN); NMAC Collections Intern (Irving, TX); Infiniti Business Unit Intern (Franklin, TN); Finance Intern (Franklin, TN); Social Media Marketing Intern (Franklin, TN); and Engineering Intern (Canton, MS). I wish that I could be more helpful, but Nissan needs to get their campus and online recruiting acts together.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever driven a Nissan?

FactSet Research Systems

Willy Franzen — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 16:49:22 +0000

The world of high finance is mind-bending. Billions and even trillions of dollars are being exchanged, yet no paper money is actually changing hands. It gets even crazier when you realize that real people are behind all of these transactions. They’re constantly making decisions that affect more money than you’ll probably accrue in your lifetime—and it’s not even their money (some of it might even be yours). When it comes to finance, research is crucial to sound decision making, and as technology has evolved, research has become more and more plentiful. FactSet Research Systems is a Norwalk, CT based company that provides investment analytics tools. As they put it, “FactSet enhances productivity of the global investment professional by providing superior workflow solutions.” It does this by consolidating “all the tools you need to monitor global markets, public and private companies, and equity and fixed income portfolios in a single, intuitive interface.”

Get Your FactSet

FactSet puts most of their emphasis on two business areas: Consulting and Engineering. The former is all about providing excellent service to their clients, while the latter is directed towards constantly innovating and improving their product line. What makes FactSet’s offering stand out is that they combine “hundreds of databases from industry-leading suppliers and clients’ own proprietary data into a single, powerful information system.” This means that clients can use FactSet as “a one-stop source for financial information.” In addition to Consulting and Engineering, FactSet’s other departments include Sales, Product Development, Content Collection, Corporate Communications, Finance, Human Resources, Legal, and Training. However, FactSet seems to focus their College Recruiting on Consulting and Engineering (you can check out some Employee profiles here). They’re right in the thick of their on-campus schedule, so you should try to find them at your school if they’re visiting. If not, you may want to try to find a way to reach out to them (I couldn’t find an e-mail address except for internships@factset.com) or just apply through their Job Search function (there are nearly 100 jobs posted). Beyond their headquarters in Norwalk, CT, FactSet also has offices in Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; New York, NY; Newark, NJ; San Mateo, CA; Tuscaloosa, AL; and Austin, TX.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about FactSet?

Volunteers of America

Willy Franzen — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 15:22:13 +0000

When you’re job searching, volunteering is a great way to both put your skills to use and develop new skills. There are countless non-profit organization that put volunteers to work in situations where they can really make a difference. One of our country’s largest volunteer organizations is Volunteers of America, which is a faith-based non-profit headquartered in Alexandria, VA. With their staff of 16,000 paid employees and 70,000 volunteers, they’re able to help “more than 2 million people in over 400 communities in 48 states.” Since the organization was founded in 1896, they “have supported and empowered America’s most vulnerable groups, including at-risk youth, the frail elderly, men and women returning from prison, homeless individuals and families, people with disabilities, and those recovering from addictions.” An organization that has been around as long as Volunteers of America has must adapt to changes over the years. While they continue to remain focused on providing neighborly aid to all people, it looks like Volunteers of America is putting more emphasis on helping the growing population of aging Americans.

Volunteer for a Job

Volunteers of America has a nice video on their About page that goes more in-depth in describing how they work and what they do. I’ve embedded it below (e-mail readers need to click through).

Volunteers of America also has this Overview sheet that provides some really specific information about the organization’s work. If you’re moved by their mission, then you’ll want to check out Volunteers of America’s job opportunities. They separate these into three groups: National Office, Nationwide, and Health Services. The Nationwide section actually has over 200 positions posted, along with 25 entry level opportunities, so it probably makes the most sense to check out. They have a wide range of opportunities, and they’re in a variety of locations, so you should be able to find something that piques your interest.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Volunteers of America?

UrbanDaddy

Willy Franzen — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:45:08 +0000

You love free daily e-mails. Obviously. We’ve covered a lot of companies whose main products are daily e-mails, and not so surprisingly, most of the businesses are focused on helping you find new places to spend your money—these include DailyCandy, Thrillist, and TastingTable. Then there are the ones that make you smarter like The Daily Beast, DailyLit, and the one you’re reading right now (the one that is also trying to help you grow your bank account). UrbanDaddy definitely falls into the former category. They dub themselves “the free daily email devoted to bringing you the single thing you need to know every day about your city.” They’re based in New York, NY, but their daily editions cover Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, DC, Jetset, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, National, New York, San Francisco, and Ski & Board. Each edition covers topics like Nightlife, Food, Style, Gear, Leisure, and Weekends—all things that you should be withholding from yourself until you get a job (just kidding).

Who’s Your UrbanDaddy?

For all the hype that social media and social networking sites get, it’s amazing how many businesses are built on good, old-fashioned e-mail lists. UrbanDaddy has a cadre of writers who know the cities they cover and have an exceptional skill for uncovering what’s cool and new. If you live in a city covered by UrbanDaddy, you’ll never really have an excuse to be bored. They’re aiming to be that friend—the one “who knows everyone—the maitre d’s at all the right restaurants, the bouncers at all the right clubs, the addresses of all the great parties. And the kind of guy who lives to share the wealth.” They even have a Perks Program that gives subscribers exclusive access to special deals (hey, everyone has to jump on the Groupon bandwagon—it’s too profitable not to). If you are that friend, or you’ve played a supporting role to that friend, then you need to check out jobs at UrbanDaddy. They have a number of great opportunities posted right now, and a few look suitable for new or recent grads including Copy Editor, Los Angeles Editor, Senior Writer (yeah, I know it says Senior, but why not try to wow them), Quality Assurance Analyst, Advertising Sales Planner, Interactive Designer, and Senior LAMP/Front-End Engineer. Check out the job descriptions and sign up for UrbanDaddy’s daily e-mails to see if you’ll be a good fit.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you subscribe to UrbanDaddy?

Seeing Interactive

Willy Franzen — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 15:55:16 +0000

Ten years ago, who would have thought that both major and local newspapers would be losing money, and small no-name online publishers would be raking in millions of dollars? We all know that the Internet has changed the way that information is distributed and consumed, but far fewer people are aware of the economics behind it all. Newspaper advertising was all about offering the chance to be seen. The Internet came along and now you can know how many views, clicks, and purchases your advertising dollars delivering. There’s still a ton of value in the content that traditional newspapers are producing, but many of them have failed to figure out how to make producing that content profitable in the Internet age. Seeing Interactive is an Austin, TX based company that hopes to change that. They provide web-based products to publishers that cost nothing up-front while guaranteeing customers new revenue. It sounds a little crazy, but it sounds to me like Seeing Interactive has productized what a “web monetization consultant” (if such a thing exists) would do.

Seeing Is Believing

Seeing Interactive has built their business on four relatively simple principles:

We believe that local communities are under-served digitally and that using our software newspapers can be the online hub where communities come together.
Our services should always be available with fast and reliable hosting.
Your data security is a top priority and we will use the latest and best technology to protect it.
We understand the value of your brand and are committed to providing a white-label solution that upholds your reputation.

Right now they offer three distinct products. AdForge converts print ads into a web-friendly format, Marketplace provides a simple white-lable business directory, and Seeing Cars provides a platform for local car ads. If you take a look at each of the products, you’ll see that the Newspapers keep doing what they’re supposed to be doing—producing content that is relevant to the local community and selling ads to local businesses—and Seeing Interactive provides a platform for them to make these activities more profitable. If you want to help the newspaper industry stay viable and continue to be a part of local communities, then Seeing Interactive is the place for you. Right now they’re looking for an Operations Assistant, Account Executives, and Web/Software Developers. The job postings don’t say much about experience requirements, so use that as an entry to tell them why you’ll be a huge addition to their team. Please give it a thought, without local newspapers, I won’t be able to read the local Police Reports and see which of the kids I went to school with (or their parents) is in trouble.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you still read a newspaper?

Golin Harris

Willy Franzen — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:51:38 +0000

It’s been a while since we took a look at a full-fledge PR firm (we’ve covered a ton in the past, check our public relations and communications tags). It’s not that they don’t offer great entry level opportunities, it’s just that they’re kind of boring to write about. As an outsider it’s hard for me to tell what makes one PR firm better than the other—I usually focus on clients lists, but even that’s not enough. You really need to dig deep and do some serious research to get a read on a PR firm. You’re probably wondering what about Chicago, IL (with offices across the world) based Golin Harris made them stand out to me. Well, someone I follow tweeted about the company’s jobs, and then I saw that they were named 2010 “Large PR Agency of the Year” by PRWeek. They were also a 2009 Holmes Report “Best Agency to Work For,” and that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to honors and awards.

Golin or Go Home

Oddly enough, Golin Harris doesn’t seem to list their clients on their website; however, the company’s Wikipedia page mentions that they do work for Bristol-Myers Squibb, McDonald’s, Nintendo of America, Dow Chemical, Orange, Texas Instruments, and Toyota. Those are monster names, which makes sense for a company that was recently named Large PR Agency of the Year. The Golin Harris website is a bit lacking when it comes to providing information that can really give you a feel for a company, but their Capabilities section does give some insight into the kind of work they do and how they go about it. If you’re impressed with what you see at Golin Harris, then you’ll want to check out their Careers page. They have a number of entry level opportunities including Assistant Account Executive – Interactive Entertainment (Los Angeles, CA), Staff Writer – Interactive Entertainment (Los Angeles, CA), Assistant Account Executive – Healthcare (Chicago, IL), and Assistant Account Executive (Dallas, TX). Golin Harris’ locations U.S offices in Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Miami, FL; New York, NY; Orange County, CA; Richmond, VA; San Francisco, CA; San Juan, PR; and Washington, DC; along with plenty of international offices. So you may want to look out for opportunities in those offices too.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Golin Harris?