One Day, One Job » user experience

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?

Coursekit

Willy Franzen — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:42:34 +0000

I’ve been a devoted Apple fanboy since 1990, yet I didn’t watch the liveblogs for their Education Event yesterday. It’s hard to get excited about digital textbooks when you never intend to read a textbook again, but I have to say that I’m looking forward to seeing how much technology will change the ways that future generations learn. Apple pushed a lot of people forward yesterday, but there’s a lot more to education than the content. Communication between teachers and students is essential, and technology can play an amazing role in this relationship. Coursekit is a New York, NY based company that offers “instructors and students amazingly designed tools to manage their courses – calendaring, file management” while making “it unbelievably easy to interact with one another.” It may kill a lot of your excuses for why you didn’t do your homework, but I think that the benefits are pretty obvious.

What’s in Your Kit?

From what I can tell, Coursekit is currently focused on the college market. That probably makes sense, especially considering how terrible the Blackboard experience is for most students. To get a feel for what Coursekit looks like, check out this video (you may have to click through to see it):

There are already professors at top schools using Coursekit, so check out the company’s Case Studies to get a better feel for how the software fits into the education environment. The remaining question is how does Coursekit make money? The short answer is that they don’t–they’re still running on investor cash. As their FAQ explains, the platform is intended to always be free. How they monetize the platform is yet to be determined. If that doesn’t scare you off, then you may want to take a look at Coursekit’s Careers page. They have a number of opportunities that look great for a new or recent grad including:

If you want to help continue the convergence of technology and education, then it would be hard to find a better place to do it than Coursekit.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Were you frustrated by your professors’ lack of tech savvy?

Benzinga

Willy Franzen — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:20:45 +0000

I have a simple investment strategy: Buy AAPL. I’ve had a few other winners, but Apple is the reason that my portfolio is up over the past 5 years. I’m not much of a trader, so I typically buy a stock and hold it indefinitely. If I took a different approach to investing, I might want to spend time on Benzinga. It’s “an innovative news and analysis service that focuses on global markets” and is intended for developing “actionable trading ideas.” Benzinga has offices in Chicago, IL and Dover, DE, but it’s very clear from their Careers page that everything important happens in the Southfield, MI office… very clear. There’s something about Benzinga’s site that reminds me of a social gaming site, which I guess is appropriate since stock trading is the ultimate social game.

Zing!

Benzinga has its own editorial and research team, so they’re not just aggregating financial news and spitting it back to you. They actually focus on three key areas: real-time news, actionable trading ideas and insightful commentary.” It’s hard for me to judge how good the content is considering that I’m not a trader, but Benzinga seems to have generated a good amount of buzz in the finance community. I’m pretty sure that I had heard of Benzinga before, but yesterday someone from their team reached out to me to tell me about some of their positions for new grads. I took a look at their Careers page (which is all about Michigan), and saw some great entry level positions. Their current openings include:

Developer/Programmer Ninja
User Interface / User Experience Expert
News Desk
Talented Writers
Business Developer
Public Relations Guru

There are some great opportunities here to dive in deep early in your career. Take a look at the positions and see if Benzinga’s offer of Faygo (why not Vernors?), Bigby Coffee, Moosejaw tees, and U of M or MSU football tickets is enough to woo you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you checked out Benzinga?

Bluefin Labs

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

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

Hook a Bluefin

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

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

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

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Bluefin Labs?

Lumosity

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

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

Lumos!

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

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you tried Lumosity?

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?

OpticsPlanet

Willy Franzen — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:25:36 +0000

When I was a kid, I had eyes like a hawk. At my best I had 20/12 vision. Then in high school things started getting blurry, and I eventually had to get contact lenses. Luckily, humans have spent a ton of time and energy in developing technology that helps us see better. Whether you want to see something really small, far away, or in the dark, there’s optical equipment that can help you out. The thing is that microscopes, binoculars, night vision goggles, and even glasses aren’t something that you buy casually–you want to buy from someone who knows his or her stuff. OpticsPlanet is a Northbrook, IL based company that employs a whole bunch of those people. They are “one of the world’s leading online retailers of a wide selection of sport optics, tactical and military gear, scientific products, hunting gear, professional grade products and eyewear.” I get excited when I get a new contact lens prescription, so I bet getting to play with some of OptcisPlanet’s offerings would make me giddy.

Seeing Is Believing

When you end up on OpticsPlanet.com, it looks like a pretty generic e-commerce site. I would have never guessed that they generated $82.6 million last year, but thats’ what the numbers from the Inc. 5000 say. They’ve also been growing at a 113% rate over the past three-years, so they must be gaining a significant share in the optics market. I found a video on their About page that gives a pretty good intro to the company, so check it out below:

If you like what you see in the video and you also like the fact that OpticsPlanet was named one of “The Chicago Tribune’s Top Workplaces,” then you have to take a look at their Careers page. Right now they have some great opportunities for new or recent grads including:

User Interface Designer
Communications Designer
Content Project Manager
Junior Web Developer / JavaScript
Accounts Payable Specialist
Call Center Quality Assurance
Risk Management – Order Review Agent
Search Engine Optimization Specialist
Pay Per Click Marketing Specialist
Online Marketing Specialist
Copywriter
Vendor Services Account Coordinator

There are all kinds of opportunities at OpticsPlanet, so take a really close look and see if you like what you see.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What would you get from OpticsPlanet?

Say Media

Willy Franzen — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:05:27 +0000

When people ask me what I do, I tell them that “I run websites that help college students find jobs and internships.” About half the time, I get, “Oh, so you’re like a recruiter?” That’s pretty far off, so I try to provide an explanation that includes the term “online media.” That usually gets the point across. We live in a time where nearly anyone can build their own media property. Technology is so cheap and easy to use that the hardest problems in online media usually come down to content creation, marketing, and monetization. Say Media is a company that brings together the technology with the media savvy. They’re based in San Francisco, CA, and they’ve been built out of two companies that merged: Six Apart and VideoEgg. Six Apart worked mostly on the technology side, and VideoEgg was an advertising network. Together they’ve become a company that “empowers culturally relevant individuals with its publishing platform and media services designed to help them grow audience and earn a living.”

What Do You Say?

Say Media has built a network with massive reach–400 million monthly unique visitors. Not only do they provide services that bring together advertisers and publishers, but they also own Blogs.com and TypePad. It’s all about “passion-based media properties,” whether SayMedia owns them, provides the technology to run them, or helps monetize them. Say Media bases everything that they do on 7 principles:

Attention is scarce

Passion is abundant

Media is fluid

Advertising is content

Storytelling is vital

Influence is earned

Engagement is a science

If you want to learn how Say Media came up with those principles and how they put them to work, then take a look at their Careers page. Right now they have a few jobs that you may want to check out including Financial Analyst, UI Site Designer, Technical Account Manager, and Sales Executive (Toronto, Canada). There are a variety of interesting opportunities at Say Media, so give them a shot.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Say Media?

Proper Cloth

Willy Franzen — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:18:54 +0000

Want to try Proper Cloth? Use this link to get $25 off your first shirt. It’d probably help to have a shirt that fits when you’re interviewing.

I’m a big guy at 6’3. I typically enjoy the benefits of being tall, but there are disadvantages like having to knee myself in the face on airplanes and not being able to hear a single word that anyone under 5’8 says in a loud room. I’m not so tall that I need to shop at specialty stores for clothes, but I’m just at the point where clothes off the rack don’t fit all that well. I fixed my pants problem with Bonobos, but I have a ton of shirts (button downs, t-shirts, sweaters, and more) that fit beautifully until I start actually moving around–then they somehow bare my midriff like I’m a teenage girl. Nobody needs to see that, which is why I should probably start buying custom shirts from a place like Proper Cloth. They’re a New York, NY based company that makes it “super easy to buy stylish, quality dress shirts that fit.” I haven’t tried them yet, but it’s probably about time that I go custom.

Get a Proper Job

Proper Cloth has been around since 2008, but it seems that they’ve recently become more serious about growth. Maybe it’s because GQ named them “our new favorite online shirt maker.” Or maybe it’s because of their Perfect Fit Guarantee. They work with you to get the exact fit you want on your first shirt. After that they save your measurements so that all other shirts fit just as well. You really should read up on the guarantee, because it’s core to the business. Then you should take a look at Proper Cloth’s shirt designs to get a better sense of what they offer. But don’t be dismayed if you don’t like anything that they have to offer, as Proper Cloth allows you to design your own shirt. I wonder if they’ll let you design your own job? I don’t have any answers on that right now, but I did find their job postings on Startuply. Right now they’re looking for a User Interface Designer/Graphic Artist, a Customer Service and Operations Lead, and an Analytical Marketing Engineer. All of the positions look well suited to a new college grad, so check them out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you bought any shirts from Proper Cloth?

BookRenter.com

Willy Franzen — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:38:14 +0000

We’ll be wrapping up our survey soon, so speak now and help shape the future of ODOJ.

I’m convinced that textbook publishers are just really expensive money launderers. You spend an outrageous amount of money on some book that you probably won’t even open, and at the end of the semester you sell it back for 15% of what you paid for it. Your money is clean and you’re slightly more educated, yet there’s this sinking feeling that you’ve been had. Academic publishers have built monopolies title by title, and they’ve reaped the rewards for decades. It’s finally coming to an end. There are now open-source publishers like Flat World Knowledge and textbook rental services like Chegg and BookRenter.com that are digging into the publishers’ profits. Today we’re going to focus on San Mateo, CA based BookRenter.com which was founded in 2006 “to make education more affordable for everyone.” From what I can tell, they were the first textbook rental service, and they’ve been growing big time since they launched.

The End of Rent Seeking

You could make a pretty strong argument that textbook publishers are just rent seekers. They use their connections to professors to charge above market prices. Oddly enough, it’s the rental business that might just put an end to their monopoly power; though, I do wonder whether a move to digital publishing will tip the scales back towards the publishers. Anyway, BookRenter.com has built a remarkable business by making a capital investment in tons of textbooks and building out the logistics to get the books quickly to and from students. Now BookRenter.com just needs to get more and more students to try renting. That should be easy considering that they can easily save an average student more than $500 a year. If you’re liking what BookRenter.com is all about, then take a look at their Jobs page. They have a ton of open positions including:

There are all kinds of great options at BookRenter.com, so join their team and help put textbook publishers in their place.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your worst college textbook horror story?

Brunner

Willy Franzen — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:42:55 +0000

We want to do even more to help you land a job. Take our survey and let us know how we can better serve you as we start our fifth year.

Every day within a few minutes of when I press send to deliver our daily e-mails, I get at least a few out of office replies. The names start to become familiar, as it’s often the same people–most of them work in career services. Lately, I’ve been noticing out of office replies from someone with a brunnerworks.com e-mail address. I didn’t make much of it until I went through some results from our survey and noticed someone recommended Brunner as a company that we should feature. I took a look at the Pittsburgh, PA and Atlanta, GA advertising agency and quickly agreed. Brunner’s tagline is “Ideas for a Smarter, Faster World,” and they seem to be living up to that with a Top 75 ranking among U.S. based ad agencies.

It’s Funner at Brunner

Brunner does work in a variety of areas including Insight and Startegy, Creative, Digital, Communications Planning, Media Planning and Buying, Mobile, Public Relations, Social Media, Shopper Marketing, One-to-One, and Measurement and Analytics. And they do it for big names like Heinz, Bob Evans, GNC, GlaxoSmithKline, Zippo, and Huffy. You can take a look at their work to get a better sense of their approaches to different kinds of campaigns. I really like the print campaign they did for Case Knives, but I’m sure you’ll have your own favorite. Brunner also has a great People section on their website, so you can get to know more about some of the folks behind the work.

If you’re digging what Brunner is all about, then you’ll want to take a look at their Careers page. They currently have a few opportunities that could be suitable for new or recent grads including Interactive Designer, Interactive Media Planner/Buyer, and User Experience Designer in Pittsburgh. There’s also an Interactive Media Planner/Buyer position in Atlanta. Additionally, Brunner encourages job seekers to apply to future openings or to apply for freelance work. There’s also an internship program and a Career contact on their Contact page, so you have a number of options if you’re trying to get in at Brunner.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Brunner?

PerkSpot

Willy Franzen — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:23:02 +0000

Happy Veterans Day. Thank you to those of you who served or are serving our country. If you’d like to use today for job search inspiration, you may want to check out jobs at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Every job has its perks. Sometimes you have to look hard to find them, and sometimes they’re made apparent to you on your first day. A big part of the reason that I decided to intern at Orvis was that I knew I’d get a 50% discount off of everything they sold. It was awesome for someone as addicted to fly fishing as I am. As I proved, perks can be a huge recruiting tool for employers. Yet a lot of employers do a terrible job organizing, managing, and letting their employees know about perks. What’s the point in offering something if employees don’t even know it’s available to them? PerkSpot is a Chicago, IL based company that helps employers solve this problem. They have built a “proprietary technology platform” that provides “employees with a single point of access for specialty benefits, personal insurance products, and discounts on consumer goods and services.” It’s all online and in one place.

Perk Up!

I learned about PerkSpot when I met Chris Hill, the Founder & CEO, at a Chicago entrepreneurship event. We had a lot to talk about since we’re both working in the HR industry. What I liked about PerkSpot right off the bat is that they not only help employers organize the perks that they already offer, but they also help them find new perks to offer by linking them up with merchants. Although I haven’t seen PerkSpot’s software in action, it must be pretty good considering that Starbucks, DirecTV, AirTran, Williams-Sonoma, and CDW are all PerkSpot clients. If your ears perked up when you heard about what PerkSpot is doing, then you’ll probably want to check out their Jobs page. Right now they’re looking for a C# Web Developer and a Web Designer/UX Ninja. I know that they also have non-technical positions (just none that are open right now) because one of my other friends is a Marketing Coordinator there. So if you’re serious about getting in on the perks of working at PerkSpot’s perks, feel free to e-mail me at willy@onedayonejob.com and I can make an intro to Chris. He’s a busy guy (and so am I), so please make sure your intro e-mail is something that I’ll feel is worth passing along.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s the best perk that you’ve ever heard of?

Refinery29

Willy Franzen — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:38:05 +0000

Keeping up with fashion isn’t a priority for me, but I still like to dress well. That’s why I trust Bonobos and Gilt Groupe to do the curation for me, and then I just buy what I like from them (it also helps that I’ve accrued a lot of credits from both of them). I know that a lot of people are far more active in keeping up with fashion, which is probably why Refinery29 is growing so quickly. The New York, NY based company is aiming to be “the cornerstone of fashion, beauty, and shopping for a new generation” as they offer “the only 360-degree source for shopping, exclusive deals, trends, beauty news, local hot-spots, and at-home sneak-peeks of fashion’s finest.” That’s ridiculously ambitious, but the results so far indicate that they’re pretty much killing it.

Show Your Refinement

I learned about Refinery29 from a blog post by my friend Charlie O’Donnell. The post touches on something really cool that Refinery29 is doing that I think more companies should do. They started out by focusing on editorial and grabbing attention to sell to advertisers. That’s what most companies in this space do, and it works, but why not take the extra step? Refinery29 has built it’s own e-commerce product called Reserve, and it’s essentially built on the daily deal model. It’s smart because it allows Refinery29 to capture even more value from their users than they do by selling advertising. I think we’ll see more and more companies do this–build media products as channels to promote their own products (I guess it’s nothing new considering the same idea is where Soap Operas got their start). I highly recommend that you dig into Refinery29′s content and get a better feel for who they are. If you like what you see, then you should probably check out their Careers page. They have a bunch of cool opportunities that might appeal to new or recent grads including:

Account Manager
Miami Editor (Miami, FL)
Los Angeles Editor (Los Angeles, CA)
Marketing Data Analyst
UX + Interaction Designer

There are a bunch of other positions, but they generally have more significant experience requirements. Hopefully something at Refinery29 will catch your eye and be a great fit.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Refinery29?

W3i

Willy Franzen — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:19:57 +0000

Sponsored Job: PEAK6 is a Chicago, IL based proprietary trading firm that specializes in inventory and risk management, and they’re hiring a Junior Project Manager.

I recently discovered an awesome iPhone/iPad flight simulator/shooter game called MetalStorm: Wingman. It’s free, and it’s a lot of fun, but the publisher is constantly trying to eke revenue out of the game. There are ads, upsells to buy new planes and weapons, and suggestions of other apps to download. It’s that last one that caught my attention, and it led me to a company called W3i. They’re based in Sartell, MN, and they are in the business of “intelligently connecting people to apps.” They do this with both mobile and desktop apps, and they provide an opportunity for app developers to both expand the reach of their software and make money by promoting other apps.

Put the App in Apply

Believe it or not, W3i isn’t some startup. They’ve been in the business of promoting apps for over 10 years (and they’ve been profitable for most of the time!). That means that they’ve had to constantly adapt as the landscape of software downloading has changed. Some companies would get crushed by all of the changes in technology and app store rules (depending on Apple’s whims must be tough), but it sounds like W3i has responded by doubling sales since last year. If you want to really dig into what W3i does, you can read up on their offering for both desktop apps and mobile apps. You may also want to check out what they’ve done for some of their clients. If you like what you see, you’ll want to head over to W3i’s Careers page, which is beautifully done. You can learn about Life at W3i, browse careers by department, or head straight to a list of all of their current openings. The best positions for new grads include:

There are a ton of awesome opportunities at W3i, so hopefully one of them will be just what you’re looking for. If not, you can also apply for Future Opportunities. (I’m assuming that all of these positions are in the Sartell office because nothing states otherwise, but W3i also has offices in San Francisco, Berlin and Minneapolis.)

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What are your favorite apps?

TicketLeap

Willy Franzen — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:58:44 +0000

Last week we told you about Blue Chip Career, so here’s another reminder to check them out. They offer personalized guidance from seasoned executives to help you overcome your biggest job search challenges. Get paired with one of their experts and receive the inside scoop on how to land the job of your dreams.

Last September I went to see Seth Godin. I bought a ticket online and was pleasantly surprised a few days before the event to learn that it allowed me to bring a friend. The event was great–just what I would expect from Seth. Every detail went smoothly, even the ticketing process, which was done through TicketLeap. I barely noticed them when I originally registered for the event (which what you want from a ticketing provider), but when a reader e-mailed a few months ago to tell me that she landed an internship with TicketLeap I decided to take another look. They’re a Philadelphia, PA based company that was started in 2003 “to bring professional-grade ticketing to events too small to get the attention of the big ticketing companies.” They offer a great user experience, and their cost is pretty much unbeatable–$1 per ticket for events $10 and under, $2 per ticket for events over $10, and free for all free events.

Take a Leap

While I often like to tout a company’s client list, I’m not going to do that with TicketLeap. They’re not about serving the big names, they’re about serving the little guys with a product that would be suitable for many of the big guys. While I’ve been able to enjoy the TicketLeap from the attendee side, I haven’t tried it from the event organizer side, but it sounds great. TicketLeap thinks their product stands out for 7 reasons that range from great design to dedicated customer support to awesome analytics. What I think is most interesting about TicketLeap is that they have built a marketing platform into their ticketing solutions. It’s exactly what event organizers need if they want to sell out. If you’re digging what TicketLeap is doing, then you’ll want to head over to their Careers page. Right now they’re looking for Inside Sales Reps. I did a little more digging using our job search engine and also found positions for a User Interface Designer and an Energetic Assistant.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever used TicketLeap?

DoubleVerify

Willy Franzen — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:01:08 +0000

Advertising is all about targeting. The demographics of who sees an ad determine whether it costs $.50 or $50 to get it in front of 1,000 people (the cost to have an ad viewed by 1,000 people is called a CPM). But how do advertisers know that they’re actually getting what they paid for? They often have a hard enough time tracking whether or not a given campaign is successful, and tracking who the campaign reaches is even harder. That’s where DoubleVerify comes in. They’re a New York, NY based company that has built a system to ensure that “every ad impression is a quality impression, every impression is compliant, and every ad was served and displayed exactly as intended.” They can’t guarantee that an advertisers ads will have the desired effect, but they can verify that it’s reaching the people that it’s meant to reach.

They’ll DoubleVerify Your References

DoubleVerify’s verification is based on looking for six signals: Innapropriate Content, Geo-Targeting, Competitive Separation, Ad Placement, Fraud Detection, and Online Behavioral Advertising Compliance. They have technology that allows them to assess these areas so closely that they can identify problems with a single impression (ad view). It’s all part of their mission to “work tirelessly to keep brands safe, advertisers confident, and online advertising more accountable and trusted.” They must be doing a good job, as they’ve already worked with more than 200 Fortune 500 companies. If you want to learn more about how DoubleVerify is doing what they do, you should definitely read up on their Solutions and their Technology. If that piques your interest, then you should head over to DoubleVerify’s Careers page. Right now they have a number of openings including Product Support Engineer, UI Designer, and Technical Writer. They also have locations in Israel and the United Kingdom, so you may also want to check those out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about DoubleVerify?

Launchpad Toys

Willy Franzen — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:34:51 +0000

Make my birthday awesome. Help me help more people find awesome jobs. If you have a blog, website, Facebook account, or Twitter account, post a link to One Day, One Job today. If you really want to make my day special, call or e-mail your college’s Career Services office, tell them about what we do, and ask them to add a link to us from their website.

My girlfriend has been telling people that she finally figured out how to find birthday gifts for me. She claims that she goes to Amazon.com and uses the Preteen Boys Gift Guide (Ages 8-12), but I’m pretty sure that she’s fibbing. I’m way more interested in the toys for 12-15 year olds, which includes all kinds of remote control helicopters. I’m totally a kid at heart, which is why I wanted to write about Launchpad Toys on my birthday. They’re a San Francisco, CA based company that builds “digital toys and tools that empower kids to create, learn, and share their ideas through play.” These “toys” are actually software–only on the iPad for now–and they are apparently the modern day versions of things like LEGOs, Erectors Sets, Shrinky Dinks, and Play-Doh (all things that I would still play with if I had them in my house).

A Launchpad for Your Career

It’s fitting that I’m writing about Launchpad Toys today not only because it’s my birthday, but also because of Steve Jobs’ passing yesterday. They are a perfect example of how Steve’s vision has enabled all of us to do amazing things. And what’s so cool about Launchpad is that they’re making toys that empower young children to build things. There’s a good chance that the next great technological visionary will have been influenced by something like Launchpad Toys’ Toontastic. You can see what it looks like in action below (e-mail readers will have to click through):

I guess I’m still running with the “making stuff” theme. It’s just so important. I love what Launchpad Toys is doing, and I can’t wait to see where they go with their next product. If you want to be a part of their future, check out their Jobs page. They don’t list specific openings, but they’re mostly looking for Software Developers. However, don’t be afraid to reach out to them if you have other skills that you think might be useful at Launchpad Toys. And be sure to tell them your favorite flavor of ice cream.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you played with Toontastic?

Behance

Willy Franzen — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:36:12 +0000

Over the past two days I’ve been talking about how important it is for your career to be building something. This means generating new ideas and taking action on them. That’s what Behance is all about. They’re a New York, NY based company that “develops products and services that empower creative professinals to make ideas happen.” I’ve heard about Behance a lot before–probably because founder Scott Belsky is a fellow Cornellian, but it seems as though their name keeps coming up lately. I guess it’s easy to generate a buzz when you’ve developed a line of products that helps creatives overcome “inefficiency, disorganization, and careers at the mercy of bureaucracy.”

Be Behance

Behance’s flagship product is the Behance Network, which is a place for creative professionals to “create multi-media portfolios that showcase their work.” Instead of building a “social graph,” they’re building a “creative graph.” TechCrunch chronicles Behance’s growth to 1 million projects published here, and Behance has an awesome infographic that gives all kinds of stats on how the Behance community has grown. Behance’s other products include Prosite (personal portfolio sites), The 99 Percent (a think tank for research and best practices), and Action Method (a task management methodology). It all adds up into an awesome resource for creative people to manage and grow their careers. If you’re digging what Behance is doing, then you should take a look at their Jobs page. Right now they’re looking for a Community and Office Associate, a Backend Developer, an Interaction Designer, a Web Developer, and a Web Tester. These jobs sound great, so give them a good look.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Are you a member of the Behance Network?

SalesCrunch

Willy Franzen — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 16:42:55 +0000

Yesterday we talked about building stuff. I didn’t really dig into it, but I’m convinced that career success is often about being able to build a defined work product. It can be a real, tangible object that you make, but it can just as easily be a weekly analytics report, great writing, a superb customer experience, or something completely different. If you want to land a job and keep it, you need to be able to reliably deliver a quality product. And if you can’t (or would rather do something else), you better be able to sell the products that other people in your company are making. That’s what SalesCrunch is all about. They’re a New York, NY based company that “that takes sales from fuzzy art to repeatable process by capturing, measuring, tracking & training the sales process across the organization.” Most people (especially college students and recent grads) have no idea how important and valuable that really is.

Get Crunched

As far as I know, you can’t major in Sales in college, so it makes sense that I almost never get e-mails from new grads who want to work in sales. Oddly enough, it’s new and recent grads working in sales who are driving much of the amazing growth at companies like Groupon and Yext. There’s a huge disparity between interest in sales and a need for salespeople. That means that most companies end up with a few really good salespeople, and a whole bunch of mediocre or bad ones. SalesCrunch offers three products that can improve a company’s entire Sales function: CrunchConnect (a sales delivery and analytics platform), CrunchTrainer (an online training platform), and SalesSchool (a knowledge base and learning tool). SalesCrunch is attacking a huge market with these tools, so it looks like they might be a pretty cool place to be moving forward. Right now SalesCrunch’s Jobs page shows that they’re looking for Customer Success Specialists (this is a Sales position, I hope that’s not too meta for you), a Front-end Designer, and a Rails Engineer. Give these positions a look, and see if SalesCrunch might be a good fit for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about SalesCrunch?

Empathy Lab

Willy Franzen — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:53:10 +0000

When I land on a company’s website, I have a semi-routine. I check out the About page, the Careers page, and try to dig into what the company does and what they’re about. When I landed on the site for Empathy Lab, I was thrown off my routine. They have a huge image with a headline that links to a blog post about buying tennis shoes front and center on their home page. This may seem an odd choice for an advertising and marketing agency, but it works. It instantly frames the Conshohocken, PA based firm as a group of innovative thinkers, which is exactly what you want from a company that aims to “create strategies, experiences and programs for companies seeking success in the digital landscape.” That’s why I’m not surprised that they made the Inc. 5000 with 201% three-year growth to $11.5 million in annual revenue.

Are You Empathetic?

Empathy Lab isn’t just a name. It’s also a mindset. That’s why Empathy Lab is focused on “viewing the world from the users’ perspective” and generating “client solutions so dead-on and insightful and insidiously right that they seem guided by almost supernatural forces.” (Take note: empathy is also the secret to landing a job.) If you want to see what work looks like when it’s “guided by almost supernatural forces,” look no further than Empathy Lab’s Case Studies. They’ve done some cool stuff, and it’s just a sliver of the services that they offer. And after you take a look at those, you may want to dig into Empathy Lab’s Ideas. If you’re digging it all, then it’s time to head over to the Empathy Lab Careers page. They have a number of entry level positions including Junior Designer, Mobile Developer, HTML Developer, and Associate Project Manager. Hopefully one of them will be a good fit for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Empathy Lab?

Lynda.com

Willy Franzen — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 17:01:35 +0000

When I came across Lynda.com and their awesome job opportunities, I realized that their courses in things like Excel, Photoshop, Web Development and more could be a huge help to most job seekers. That’s why I signed up for their affiliate program to get you a 7-day free trial.

The biggest mistake that job seekers make is that they focus too much on trying to land a job and too little on improving their skills. If all you do is apply to jobs every day for 6 months, there’s a good chance that you’ll end up still unemployed and you’ll be even less attractive to employers than when you started. I know it’s counterintuitive, but most of you need to spend less time looking for jobs and more time making yourself a better candidate. There are lots of ways to do that, and one is by taking skill-specific courses. Lynda.com is a company that offers exactly that–”online software training videos that really work.” They’re based in Carpinteria, CA, and they’re yet an Inc. 500 company with 250% three-year growth to $49.9 million in annual revenue. And I’d bet that the amount that they’ve increased their users’ salaries is a lot bigger than that.

Who’s Lynda?

Lynda is a real person. Her last name is Weinman, and she’s “a Web graphics and design veteran” who co-founded Lynda.com with her husband, Bruce Heavin. Together (along with a lot of team members that had joined along the way) they’ve built Lynda.com with the goal “to make everything we know available to you to help reach your creative and career goals.” What I find interesting about the company’s business model is that they don’t charge by the course. If you sign up for a subscription to access one course, you can access all of the others for as long as you stay signed up. And these courses are good. I’ve never taken any, so I’m going on the fact that Lynda.com is used by huge names like Amazon, Google, Yale University, Apple, and Microsoft. If you like what Lynda.com is doing, then the next logical step is to check out their Careers page. They offer a number of opportunities that you might find interesting including:

Project Coordinator, Creative and Marketing
Account Services Representative
Training Production Coordinator
Video Compressionist
Video Editor
Software Engineer
UI Engineer

There are a ton of other positions posted, but Lynda.com has some pretty hefty experience requirements. You’d think that a company that is all about online learning might be more open to people who may not have 5-10 years of experience. They do allow you to submit a general application, so that may be worth a shot if none of the posted positions seem like a good fit.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you tried Lynda.com? If you want to, here’s a link for a 7-day free trial.

Phenomenon

Willy Franzen — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:35:14 +0000

When I look at creative, marketing, or design agencies, I usually like to check out their client lists and their work. I’m no expert, but it gives me a much better feel for the company. That’s why I was a bit surprised when I came across Phenomenon on the Inc. 5000–they don’t disclose their work or their clients. In fact, they promise anonymity to their sixteen clients (one of which is a country), and they mostly take on new clients who are referred to them by current or past clients. Phenomenon is based in Los Angeles, CA, and their approach is definitely different, but it does seem to be working. They’re growing like crazy with 1,274% three-year revenue growth to $15 million.

Are You a Phenomenon?

Phenomenon focuses on four key areas: Marketing Innovation, UX Innovation, Digital Innovation, and Cultural Innovation. I haven’t seen their work, but their model of anonymity is innovative, so I’ll trust that their work is too. If you do want to learn more about Phenomenon, you’ll probably want to read their Who We Are and What We Do pages, but it’s more important to read their Hiring Us page. It explains how they’re different and why they’re different. If you’re digging it, then you can just e-mail BecomeA@phenomenon.com and apply for a job (love that e-mail address). Or if you’re looking to apply for an actual position, you can check out Phenomenon’s Careers on LinkedIn. They’re looking for an Events Marketing Specialist and a Freelance Copywriter/Proofreader (Chicago, IL). I have no idea why they don’t also post these jobs on their site.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Phenomenon?

Lulu

Willy Franzen — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:56:17 +0000

I realize that a lot of you are looking for something specific. You’re want a certain type of job at a certain type of company in a certain type of industry in a certain geographic location. I know that on most days the company that I write about won’t check all of your boxes. Instead of closing out the e-mail when you see something that doesn’t fit your criteria, use our daily write ups as a jumping off point–something to get you thinking in new directions in your job search. For instance, last week I wrote about Author Solutions. In doing research on them, I came across a few of their competitors. One that stood out was Lulu (not to be confused with lululemon). They’re a Raleigh, NC based company that has built an open publishing platform “that empowers more creators to sell more content to more readers more profitably than ever before.” It’s different from AuthorHouse in that Lulu doesn’t charge any upfront fees–they only get a cut when you make sales.

Are You a Lulu?

What’s a lulu? According to Lulu’s About page the “dictionary defines a lulu as a remarkable person, object or idea.” Lulu chose the name because they aim “to help remarkable people create and share their remarkable ideas with the world.” They’ve been doing it since 2002, and it’s working. Just look at their Success Stories. They best way to get to know Lulu is to play around with their platform. Browse the books that they sell while also walking through their demo. It’ll show you just how easy it is to use Lulu to publish your works–you can even have them put your book on Amazon or create an ebook version. If you like what Lulu is doing, take a look at their Jobs page. Right now they have a few options for new or recent grads including Customer Voice Associate, Product Manager – eCommerce, and UI Designer/Developer. Be a lulu!

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever bought a book published by Lulu?

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?

Apparel Media

Willy Franzen — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 14:00:58 +0000

A lot of people hate all of the advertising in sports. They get irritated by NASCAR cars, billboards in center field, and logos on jerseys. I kind of think it’s cool that sports teams are maximizing their revenue potential. But if I ever saw ads on the Yankees’ uniforms… well that will never happen… right? Advertising on sports apparel has actually been happening for a long time. Local business have been sponsoring teams and plastering their names on jerseys forever. Apparel Media is a Chicago, IL based company that is working to forever change the custom apparel and sports marketing industries at the same time. By working out deals with national advertisers and local custom apparel print shops, Apparel Media is able to give teams access to significantly discounted (20-80% off) merchandise.

Be a Running/Kicking/Throwing Advertisement

The idea of using advertising to subsidize uniform purchases isn’t anything new. What’s new is the way Apparel Media is doing it. Not only are they linking up local teams with national advertisers, but they’ve built an infrastructure that enables them to create these links through the local custom apparel print shops that teams would typically go to get their jerseys. This is an interesting choice, because I could easily see Apparel Media’s trying to do all of the printing and delivery themselves. What’s also cool about Apparel Media is that they enable advertisers to get the exact kind of targeting that they want. If you want to reach ultimate frisbee players in Des Moines with your brand, IA, Apparel Media can help you do that. Or you can get your brand on thousands of little league jerseys. The opportunities are pretty much endless. Additionally, Apparel Media is building out an analytics platform so that advertisers can measure the success of their campaigns. If you’re excited about what Apparel Media is doing, check out their Jobs page. Right now they’re looking for people in UI Design/Development, Program Management, and Account Management. This looks like an amazing opportunity to get in early on something that could be really big.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of Apparel Media?

Skillshare

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

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

Share Your Skills

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

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

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What kind of class would you teach on Skillshare?

Admeld

Willy Franzen — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 15:24:55 +0000

A lot of people don’t realize that Google is an advertising company. Your main interactions with them are probably through their search product, Gmail, and maybe Google+ if you’re an early adopter, but all of those are just ways to deliver relevant advertising. Behind the scenes Google has been doing everything it can to become an even bigger player in the online advertising industry. That includes acquiring a New York, NY based advertising optimization startup called Admeld for $400 million. The acquisition hasn’t gone though yet because the Department of Justice is investigating whether Google’s buying Admeld should be considered anti-competitive. (This is stupid. Should a business not act in its own best interest so as to maintain a competitive market?) Regardless of the uncertainty caused by the investigation and the fact that Admeld employees will soon be Google employees, you have to be intrigued by the fact that the DOJ considers Google’s acquisition of Admeld such a big threat to competitors.

Melding Admeld

Why is Admeld so valuable? They have built a platform that helps publishers sell ads more efficiently in a market littered with middlemen. By helping customers optimize the ad sales process, Admeld is able to significantly increase the revenue that publishers generate. The way they do this is a little confusing for someone not in the advertising industry, but this video should help you better understand how their business works.

Until the acquisition gets approved, Admeld is going to continue to operate independently from Google. It’s hard to say how that will affect their hiring, but they continue to have jobs posted on their Jobs page. If you don’t mind a little uncertainty (and like the idea of ending up a Google employee), then you may want to consider a few positions they have like Demand Services Account Manager (London/Berlin/NYC), Client Services Account Coordinator (Berlin), UI Engineer (NYC and Toronto) and Software Engineer – Ad Serving (NYC). Even if Admeld isn’t right for you, you should think about how acquisition news might help you with your job search.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about Admeld?

FeeFighters

Willy Franzen — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:17:06 +0000

Today’s Sponsor: Need help getting job at a specific company? Blue Chip Career offers personalized job search help from veteran professionals that have worked and recruited at top companies. One Day, One Job readers will receive 30% off all mentoring services.

I had a great time at TechWeek yesterday. I saw some friends, met some people I’ve been meaning to meet, heard some interesting speakers (and one terrible one who is a “career expert”), and took a look at a lot of new companies. One company that has grown a ton since I saw them at last year’s event (and got a lot of love at this year’s event) is FeeFighters. They’re a Chicago, IL based business that offers “a comparison shopping website for credit card processing.” You probably don’t realize it, but credit card processing is expensive. That’s why some businesses offer discounts if you pay in cash. Fees vary pretty widely, but they can often be as much as 3% of the purchase price. That can be especially troublesome in a low-margin, high-volume business.

Are You a Fighter?

While it’s unlikely that you’d ever use FeeFighters, there’s a good chance that you’ve used some sort of travel search engine to find the best price on a flight or hotel. FeeFighters’ site works the same way–they just help you find a credit card processor with a lower fee. It’s a total no-brainer. It’s free, and if you use FeeFighters once and find a new payment processor, you save money on every transaction you make going forward. The payment processor who wins your business pays a referral fee to FeeFighters (yes, the fighters of fees collect fees). It’s pretty simple, yet it’s earth-shattering for both small businesses and payment processors. While FeeFighters doesn’t have a ton of jobs yet, they are definitely growing. Right now their Jobs page shows that they’re only actively looking for an Infographic Designer, but don’t let that discourage you from reaching out to them if you think you’d fit in somewhere else.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever dealt with payment fees?

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?

Yammer

Willy Franzen — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 16:40:57 +0000

Communication in the workplace can be a major hassle, especially considering the fact that a lot of people who work together are doing so from different locations these days. E-mail was an amazing step forward, but it still has a ton of flaws. (I’m dying for an e-mail client that is built for how I think and work–nothing comes close.) Now that I’m starting to consider hiring interns or part-timers (more on that soon!), I need to come up with a way to communicate with them and manage projects. Social networks like Twitter and Facebook are on to something with their interfaces, but they are most certainly not for communicating about work. I’ve played around with the the WordPress P2 Theme, which turns blogging software into something Twitter-like, but I’m not completely sold on it. I’ve also heard some good things about San Francisco, CA based Yammer, which seems to be a pretty sweet solution. Yammer enables “people to create private enterprise social networks.” It’s more collaborative than e-mail, and it allows you to open up conversations to a wider audience without annoying them.

Communicate Your Skills

Most major companies have Intranets. They’re moderately useful, but they are often completely lifeless. Yammer brings life to internal networks. They’re already working with major clients like Deloitte, Groupon, PayPal, and lots of other big names. The product looks like it’s super simple to use, and it has a ton of useful features. What may be the coolest thing about Yammer is that you only need an e-mail address to set up your own network. I put in my e-mail, and in a matter of a few seconds I had my own Yammer network set up (but nobody to Yammer with). There’s still a lot of progress to be made in the area of communication in the workplace, but Yammer has taken some major leaps. If you like what they’re doing, take a look at their Jobs page. They have great some great opportunities for new grads including:

Implementation Engineer (San Francisco, CA)
Implementation Engineer (United Kingdom)
Android Developer (San Francisco, CA)
Data/Analytics Engineer (San Francisco, CA)
iPhone Developer (San Francisco, CA)
Tools Engineer (San Francisco, CA)
Web Software Engineer (San Francisco, CA)
Technical Recruiter (San Francisco, CA)
IT and Corporate Applications Support Engineer (San Francisco, CA)
Associate Product Manager (San Francisco, CA)
Associate Product Marketing Manager (San Francisco, CA)
Quantitative Product Analyst (San Francisco, CA)
UX/Information Architect (San Francisco, CA)
Enterprise Business Representative (San Francisco, CA)
International Enterprise Business Representative – Spanish or Korean Language (San Francisco, CA)
Technical Support Representative (San Francisco, CA)

While most of the options are tech oriented, there are a few at Yammer for the not-so-technical. They’re doing some really cool stuff, so give them a nice long look.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever used Yammer?