Most of our readers are high achievers, right? A lot has gone into getting you to this point. Hard work. Great parenting. Good genes. You can argue about it like Mortimer and Randolph Duke in Trading Places, but you’ll never know which of these (or other) factors is truly driving your personal successes – or will you? Today’s company hasn’t figured out the answer to that question yet, but they’re well on their way.

23andMe is a web-based biotechnology firm that specializes in providing personal genetic information. The name 23andMe refers to the 23 pairs of chromosomes that make up each individual’s genome. To clarify what they do: you spit in a cup, send it to them, and for one grand they tell you what your DNA says. That price is probably shocking to many of you – to some it’s an exorbitant amount, and for others it seems like a bargain. You also may be torn on whether this service is the kind of thing you’d ever be interested. Some people want to know all the answers, while others enjoy the mystery of life. Well, for those who don’t need mystery, 23andMe’s reports include four sections: Gene Journal, Ancestry , Family Inheritance, and Genome Labs.

23andMe is the type of company that could instantly blow up, or it might take 10 years for people to get it. If it’s any indication, Wired has named 23andMe one of 10 Startups Worth Watching in 2008. Maybe we’ll be hearing about celebs getting their genes mapped and everyone will have to follow the trend. Either way, getting in at the early stages of a company like this offers the opportunity for an unparalleled experience. If you’re in for the excitement, here’s 23andMe’s job offerings from the three areas of their company: Engineering, Science, and Operations.

Currently they have 2 openings that might intrigue new college grads. In Engineering they are hiring two Web Application Software Engineers. The job description says that they want 2-4 years experience, but then encourages new grads to apply (why would a company do that?). There is also a Science Writer job available that doesn’t require any previous experience. This position looks especially cool, because it requires both extensive technical knowledge and serious writing ability. It’s not for the average college grad, but like we said before, our readers are an especially talented group.

23andMe has a number of other positions that require 2-4 years experience, but those jobs don’t encourage new grads to apply, so we’d assume they’re not appropriate for entry-level job seekers. There are also some great positions for graduates of PhD programs. If you don’t have experience or a PhD, but want to work at 23andMe, do some more research and fill out their General Application.

Note: On April 23rd we revisited entry-level jobs at 23andMe.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

• The 23andMe Home Page
• Jobs at 23andMe
• Corporate Info About 23andMe
• About 23andMe’s Service
• Wired Magazine’s 10 Startups to Watch in 2008

Don’t worry, 23andMe won’t check your genes as part of the interview process.

We've identified 23andMe as having career opportunities in the following categories:

• all employers
• biology
• biotechnology
• California
• genetics
• software development
• writing

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