One Day, One Job » Oregon

WebMD

Willy Franzen — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:03:02 +0000

This is your last chance. If you want your voice heard, please take 3 minutes (seriously, it’s short) to complete our One Day, One Job survey.

If you woke up this morning with a sore throat, what would you do? I bet many of you would get on the computer, type your symptoms into Google, and probably end up on WebMD trying to self-diagnose. I’m not sure whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing (maybe we should leave the diagnosing for the doctors), but it’s how most of us operate these days. We have a remarkable amount of medical information available at our fingertips, and WebMD, which is based in NYC with a significant presence in a number of other cities, is responsible for a lot of it. They consider themselves “the leading provider of health information services, serving consumers, physicians, other healthcare professionals, employers and health plans.” If you read that closely, you probably noticed that WebMD’s business goes well beyond their consumer facing website.

A Prescription for Your Job Search

From what I can tell, WebMD’s Consumer Network is ad supported, while they also offer paid Professional Networks, Private Portal Services, and Publishing Services that provide additional sources of revenue. I’d expect their business to continue to grow well because of their unique position. They are in the business of providing information, so they can grow as our consumption of healthcare increases, but they don’t have to worry about the threat of legislation killing their business model. One indication of this expectation for growth is the fact that they have 85 jobs posted right now. Some of the positions that seem best suited to new grads include Associate Project Manager (Montreal, Canada), Customer Service Representative (New York, NY), Health Educator (Indianapolis, IN), iPhone Application Developer (New York, NY), Onsite Health/Wellness Coordinator (Puerto Rico), Sales Planner/Account Specialist (New York, NY), and Web Designer (Portland, OR). It appears that WebMD was actually posting more jobs as I was writing this, so you’ll want to look for yourself and see what they have. There appears to be a good mix of jobs (tech, health, writing), so see if there’s a good fit for you and apply online.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

How often do you use WebMD?

Educational Testing Service

Willy Franzen — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 16:07:46 +0000

You thought that you were done with standardized tests. No more #2 pencils and filling in bubbles for you. Guess again. A career with the Princeton, NJ based Educational Testing Service would take you right back to Junior year in high school with all the standardized tests. They are “a private, nonprofit organization devoted to educational measurement and research, primarily through testing.” They’re behind AP Tests, the PSAT, the SAT, the TOEFL, the GRE, and plenty of other tests that you may have taken during your academic career. Their aim is to “advance quality and equity in education for people worldwide by creating assessments based on rigorous research,” and I’d say they’re doing a pretty good job. A lot of people have a strong distaste for standardized tests, but it seems that we are yet to find a better way to measure and compare achievement across groups. I was surprised to learn that the ETS is a non-profit organization, but it’s probably better for the people who take the 50 million tests that the organization administers annually.

Put Yourself to the Test

Few people realize how important assessment is, at least until they get into the job search process. Standardized tests are a great source of feedback for students—even though most student just seem them as a measurement of whether they’re good enough to get into this college or that program. I bet most job seekers would willingly take another standardized test if it gave them an idea of where they stood in comparison to other applicants. If you’re intrigued by what the ETS does, you should check out their Careers site. It has good information on a day in the the life at ETS, along with a ton of job openings. They have 86 positions posted right now, so you’ll have to search through those to find something that fits your skills. If you don’t come across something, you can always try their résumé submission form. Their locations in addition to Princeton, NJ include Ewing, NJ; Hato Rey, PR; Portland, OR; San Antonio, TX; Sacramento, CA; and Washington, DC.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What are your feelings on standardized tests?

SurveyMonkey

Willy Franzen — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:06:05 +0000

One of my goals with One Day, One Job is to get more interactive. I’d like to get more feedback from you, the readers, on what you want to see, and I’d also like to use the collective wisdom of thousands of college aged job seekers to develop better content. The best way to do that is through reader surveys, which is why I recently signed up with SurveyMonkey. They’re a Menlo Park, CA (formerly Portland, OR) based “startup” that has been helping people run online surveys for the last decade. While most Internet companies that started in 1999 have since flamed out and most companies started in the 2000s have relied on flashiness to bring in venture capital money, Survey Monkey and its outdated look have been laughing all the way to the bank. By providing a dead simple way for business owners (they’ve worked with more than 80% of the Fortune 100) to collect data, SuveyMonkey has built an insanely successful business.

SurveyMonkey Says…

As TechCrunch reported last month, SurveyMonkey has finally taken on some outside money and started to take growth seriously. They’ve more than doubled their staff over the last year, and they’ve revamped their management team. You won’t find a lot of information about SurveyMonkey online, but you will find a lot of people who have used their software. SurveyMonkey has never seemed to care much for flash or attention. Instead they have used the “Freemium Model” to bring in thousands of paying customers. If you’ve always wanted to work at a web startup, but were wary of the “scene,” then SurveyMonkey might be the right place for you. They have a number of job openings posted, and a few seem suitable for new grads. The most likely is Front-end Engineer, but they also have some positions in Marketing, Product Management, Technical Operations, and User Experience Design that might be work looking at. And if you don’t see anything that suits you, you can always use their online form to apply for an unlisted position.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever responded to a SurveyMonkey survey?

Fleishman-Hillard

Willy Franzen — Tue, 26 May 2009 13:57:25 +0000

This is a guest post by Heather R. Huhman. Heather is the media relations manager at a national health care professional association and entry-level careers columnist for Examiner.com.

When I was in college, I wanted nothing more than to work at Fleishman-Hillard. Renowned for their corporate culture, Fleishman-Hillard is headquartered in St. Louis, Mo., has 80 offices throughout the world, does business in more than 20 languages and has 29 practices areas. In 2008, the firm’s work and culture earned them the “Best Agency to Work For” by The Holmes Report. But their list of awards hardly stops there, including “103 Silver Anvil Awards, 90 CIPRA/SABRE Awards, and numerous other national and international awards.”

And Fleishman-Hillard doesn’t just win awards outside the organization, but also with its own employees. In 2007, 98 percent of Fleishman-Hillard employees called the firm an organization “of which they can be proud,” according to an employee satisfaction survey. Fleishman-Hillard rewards their employees in return, giving out two awards annually – the “team player” and John D. Graham – recognizing “individuals in various geographic regions for unparalleled commitment to the client, the agency and their team.” Managers also give awards at their discretion for “their heroic efforts.” I’ve known many individuals who’ve worked for Fleishman-Hillard over the years, including one of my college mentors, and I’ve heard nothing but good things.

Be Rewarded at an Award-Winning Agency

Fleishman-Hillard is currently seeking a Coordinator in its Boston office. (Fleishman-Hillard also has offices in Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Houston, TX; Kansas City, MO; London, England; Los Angeles, CA; Melbourne, Australia; Miami, FL; Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN; Montreal, Canada; New York, NY; Potland, OR; Raleigh-Durham, NC; Sacramento, CA; San Antonio, TX; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; St. Louis, MO; Sydney, Australia; Toronto, Canada, and Washington, D.C.) This position is a mix of “traditional” and “new” public relations in a large agency setting. Beyond administrative and office duties, the Account Assistant also conducts media relations, media monitoring and reporting, research and other junior-level account activities. The best way to land this position is to have had a prior agency internship while in college, preferably with Fleishman-Hillard itself or another large agency.

Interested? Apply for the job online here. Even though the position is in Boston, much of the recruitment process originates in the St. Louis office. I recommend reading their blog, Stand Out, and the biographies of some of the folks in charge of talent development.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Need help with your cover letter and résumé—or your entire job search? Heather offers low-cost coaching packages specifically for students and recent graduates seeking careers in public relations. Click here to learn more.

National Wild Turkey Federation

Willy Franzen — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 15:00:23 +0000

My thoughts about Thanksgiving are still lingering like leftovers in the fridge, so we’re going to look at some more turkey related jobs today. The National Wild Turkey Federation is a “non-profit conservation and education organization with a mission dedicated to conserving wild turkeys and preserving hunting traditions.” They’re not talking about the turkeys that you had for dinner (at least not most of you), these are the ones that you may have seen in your backyard. It wasn’t too long ago that seeing a wild turkey was a rare occurrence, but these days it seems like they’re all over the place. That doesn’t mean that the work of the National Wild Turkey Federation is done, though. In fact, their numbers are expanding faster than those of wild turkeys. Since the Federation was founded in 1973, wild turkey numbers have increased from 1.3 million to more than 7 million, in the same time the Federation has grown from 1,300 members to almost half a million. That’s called success.

Bringing a New Meaning to the Job Hunt

It may seem counterintuitive that hunters are the ones who are trying to save the animals that they hunt, but it makes sense when you think about it. The individuals who utilize a natural resource are also the most likely to want to protect it. I guess that analogy doesn’t work for job hunters though. I’m sure that you’ll be more than happy to take another job off the market, and that’s why you should check out jobs with the National Wild Turkey Federation. Their Jobs page shows a number of available opportunities, and a couple of them seem perfect for entry level candidates. There are seasonal positions in the NWTF’s Warehouse, Frame Shop, and Customer Service departments in Edgefield, SC, but those aren’t what caught our interest. The Regional Director positions in Wisconsin and Oregon are. They look like awesome opportunities for new grads who are ready to take on a lot of responsibility. If you love wild turkeys and want to do everything in your power to conserve the resource, then head over to the NWTF’s Jobs page, read the job descriptions, and apply online.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Any turkey hunters out there?

Garmin

Willy Franzen — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:43:43 +0000

Ok, it may be politically incorrect to celebrate Columbus Day, but it’s just about the only holiday that I had off in college. Maybe it just happened to be a convenient weekend for Fall Break, but I still can’t believe that I didn’t have class on Columbus Day, but did have class on Labor Day (when I went to a School of Industrial and Labor Relations). Anyway, Christopher Columbus wasn’t much of a navigator. He had no idea where he was going, and he tried to take the long way around the world. Still, his ineptitude was the reason that he “discovered” the Americas. Had Garmin been around in the 1490s, Columbus never would have ended up where he did. Then again, the existence of a company built on GPS technology would have changed a lot of things for famous explorers five centuries ago. (Much like the existence of iPods – like the one we’re giving away – would have changed the world for musicians back then.)

Find Your Way to Garmin

Since Garmin started in 1989, their goal has been to “create navigation and communication devices that can enrich their customers’ lives.” GPS has certainly enriched my life, and I’m sure it’s done the same for you. Getting lost is a thing of the past, right? Ok, maybe not yet, but we’re getting there. I can say with certainty that with a GPS system I never would have started my first drive home from college during Columbus Day Weekend by driving for 45 minutes in the wrong direction. Garmin keeps improving their navigation devices, and they rely heavily on new grads to help them do it.

Garmin has a great recruiting site for college students called GarminU, although it’s easy to miss when you visit their Careers site. It’s just a little link on the left side of the page, but it’s well worth visiting. It includes behind the scenes videos with Garmin’s entry level employees, interview preparation tips, internship testimonials, and info on why you should pick Garmin. There’s also a link to Garmin’s campus recruiting schedule. You should definitely check that before applying for a job online, since campus recruiting is usually a much more effective way to make your first contact.

If Garmin isn’t visiting your campus, or if you’ve already missed them, then you’ll have to browse Garmin’s online job listings to find the right opportunity for you. They don’t have specific listings just for entry level opportunities, but we’ve identified which jobs that we think will be good fits for new grads. The listings are easy enough to browse, but we can’t link specifically to the jobs. We’ll list the titles, but you’ll have to search for them yourselves. Most of Garmin’s job opportunities are at their Olathe, KS headquarters. These include Cartography Technician, Web Content Writer, Web/Interface Designer, Test Software Engineer, General Accountant, Component Engineer, Software Engineer – Development Tools, and Software Engineer. There are also opportunities in San Francisco, CA (Software Engineer – Web Services and Web Developer); Minneapolis, MN (Software Engineer – Information Services and Web Software Developer); Salem, OR (Aircraft Systems Engineer); Tempe, AZ (Software Quality Engineer – Applications); and Los Angeles, CA (Software Quality Engineer – Automotive OEM). Garmin accepts online applications, so you’ll have to find the jobs that interest you and apply from there.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do any of you have any embarrassing travel experiences that would have been prevented by having a Garmin GPS unit? Please share in the comments.

Chill

Willy Franzen — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 13:50:49 +0000

With the first day of fall just two days a way, you can definitely feel a chill in the air (at least if you’re in the Northeast like me). The leaves are already starting to change colors, and before you know it there will be snow on the ground. For many this is a depressing picture, but for those of you who love snowboarding, the coming of winter is filled with excitement. Snowboarding is all about seeing hope in the desolate bleakness of winter, and that’s the kind of attitude that Chill is looking for in Local Coordinators. The Chill program is a nonprofit learn–to-snowboard program for underserved youth run by Burton Snowboards.

Can I Chill?

Beyond sounding like a lot of fun, the Chill program seems to be doing a lot to enact positive change in the lives of young people.

From the Chill website:

Every year, we take over 100 youth from each of our sites to the slopes. We provide them with everything they need to learn to ride: lift tickets, lessons, transportation, and head-to-toe gear. Snowboarding is fun and a great activity for the youth we serve, but it takes several lessons and plenty of hard work to learn. We use board sports to motivate youth to accomplish goals they never thought they could, while teaching them some of the most important lessons in life about patience, persistence, responsibility, courage, respect, and pride. With positive adult role models, engaging activities, and incredible mountain environments we build self confidence and raise self esteem.

This is a truly unique

Am I Chill Enough?

Chill is currently looking for 2 Local Coordinators at 13 of their sites. That’s a lot of entry level jobs. These aren’t permanent, full-time positions, but they are a perfect way to transition from the student life to the working life. They’re looking for college graduates who have at least 3 years of snowboarding experience along with experience working with kids. Chill’s sites include Baltimore, Boston, Burlington, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, Portland, Prince George, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington D.C. The program runs from November through the end of March. You can find the job description for the Chicago Coordinator here (.doc) and the Chill Fact Sheet here (.doc). The pay scales, dates and hours very depending on location, so you’ll have to e-mail Jason Hirsch for more details. He’s also the person that you should apply to, so when you’re ready, send your cover letter and resume to jasonh@chill.org. The application deadline for the Chicago position is October 6th, but we’re not sure if the deadlines for other sites will vary as well. Your best bet is to apply as soon as possible.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you snowboard?

Shriners Hospitals for Children

Willy Franzen — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:37:00 +0000

We hope you had a safe 4th of July. Unfortunately, every year some people don’t. Fireworks are a lot of fun, but they can result in some really nasty burns and injuries. Since we encouraged you to blow stuff up yesterday, we thought we’d counter that by featuring a non-profit organization that helps children who endure severe burns. The Shriners Hospitals for Children do exactly that. Who are Shriners? They wear funny hats. They drive little cars in parades. They’re Freemasons. And most importantly, they help kids through their hospitals. That’s going to be our focus today, since new college grads probably aren’t too interested in being part of a fraternal organization that seems like it probably has an average age north of 60. Then again, you probably got all hot and bothered about your college’s greek organizations and secret societies.

What Do Red Fezzes Have to Do with Burn Treatment?

So a group of Freemasons decided to start a non-religious fraternal organization for fun and fellowship based on a Middle Eastern theme, what the heck does that have to do with kids and burns? Somewhere along the way the guys in the organization decided to do some serious philanthropy, so they started Shriners Hospitals for Children which “is a one-of-a-kind international health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing specialty pediatric care, innovative research and outstanding teaching programs.” Their three focuses are orthopedic care, burn care, and spinal cord injury rehabilitation. Over Shriners Hospitals for Childrens’ 86 years, they have provided free medical care to more than 865,000 children. Wow.

Do I Have to Wear a Funny Hat to Work There?

We don’t think wearing a red fez is a required part of the dress code, but we can’t make any promises. Shriners Hospitals for Children is headquartered in Tampa, FL and has hospitals in Boston, Canada, Chicago, Cincinnati, Erie, Galveston, Greenville, Honolulu, Houston, Salt Lake City, Lexington, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Northern California, Philadelphia, Portland, Shreveport, Spokane, Springfield, St Louis, Tampa, and Twin Cities. They have jobs available in just about every field imaginable, especially in medical related areas. Quite a few of these jobs are appropriate for entry-level candidates, but we’re not going to go through each of them. Shriners Hospitals for Children has a lot of job openings, and they do a nice job of organizing their Job Opportunities. Although their Careers site isn’t flashy, it should be easy to navigate. If helping children who are enduring seemingly unthinkable medical conditions is something that you could devote your life to (and you’re not going to Med school), there are few better places to begin a career then one of the Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever seen the Shriners drive their little cars around?

ReliableRemodeler.com

Willy Franzen — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:09:24 +0000

I’ve written before about how run down the house that I lived in during college was. It was in constant need of maintenance, which mostly consisted of quick fixes that would break within a week. The giant ball of mold that started growing out of the ceiling received a little more attention, but not much. The guys who did maintenance on our house were always nice (even if the landlord was a total jerk), but it made me a bit uneasy knowing that they had a key to my place – if you know what I mean. Since my roommates and I weren’t paying for the “maintenance,” we didn’t have any say in who was working in our house. If we did, we would have used a service like ReliableRemodeler.com, which connects quality contractors with homeowners.

Reliably Yours

ReliableRemodeler.com has “matched remodeling contractors to over 700,000 home improvement projects.” They’re located in Beaverton, Oregon and have a staff of over 70 people. Those 70 people must be doing a pretty good job since ReliableRemodeler.com was named by Inc. Magazine as the country’s 187th fastest growing private company with 1,109.7% 3-year growth to $6.8 million in revenue. ReliableRemodeler.com is in the construction business, and although they don’t actually do the construction, they need to know the business. Matching a contractor with a homeowner can be tough, as many factors go into the decision of whom to hire (here’s how it works). The company makes its money by charging contractors a monthly fee to be included on their site after going through a screening process. ReliableRemodeler.com also needs to know the Internet, because most of their business is done online. This makes for an interesting combination that should provide some exciting entry-level opportunities.

How Reliable Are You?

ReliableRemodler.com’s Jobs page is a bit sparse, and it fails to identify which of their jobs are geared towards new college grads. 3 positions are listed, all of which seem like real possibilities for entry-level candidates. Here they are with the descriptions from the site.

Affiliate Manager – Seeking an online marketing professional to recruit new partners and manage the day-to-day activities of our expanding affiliate program. In addition to recruiting and managing partners, this individual will participate in program development, and training.

Project Advisors – are responsible for answering incoming calls regarding remodeling jobs, making homeowner follow-up calls, performing windows-based data entry, and handling various customer service inquiries.

Area Managers – are the liaison between ReliableRemodeler.com and the member contractors. This position acts as the primary contact for all member contractors; responsibilities include approving new member contractors, matching contractors with remodeling jobs, and managing accounts receivables. Most importantly Area Managers are responsible for meeting sales goals on a weekly/monthly basis.

That’s all the information that ReliableRemodeler.com offers about careers. They invite interested applicants to send a cover letter and resume to rrjobs@reliableremodeler.com. We’d love to see them do a better job with their online recruiting presence. They look like a fantastic place for a young person to work, but it’s hard to find enough information to make you want to take the effort to apply.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Did your college housing have the same maintenance issues that mine did?

Jones Soda Co.

Willy Franzen — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:10:32 +0000

If you asked me during any week but this one, I’d tell you that I don’t drink soda. Every year during my weeklong fishing trip with my Dad to Michigan, I make an exception for Vernors ginger ale (which is called “pop” here). I love the taste, but the reason that I give up my health conscious ways is that it just wouldn’t be a trip to Michigan without Vernors. Occasionally during the other 51 weeks of the year I’m tempted to give in and try a new soda that I’ve never tried before (stuff like Coke isn’t tempting at all), and some of the main culprits are the sodas produced by Jones Soda Co. How can you not wonder what Turkey and Gravy or Berries and Cream sodas taste like?

Keeping Up with the Joneses

So why am I sitting here talking about a company whose soda I’ve never even tried? Because they have some great entry-level opportunities for new college grads, and they look like a really fun place to work. Just look at how in-depth their employee profiles are. Jones Soda Co. has 4 Retail Sales Representative positions listed on their Jobs page. These jobs are located in Southern California; Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; and Chicago, IL. There are no significant experience requirements for these jobs, but having a background in sales would be a huge plus. This is what you’d be doing in one of these jobs:

Retail Sales Representatives call on and sell to assigned retail stores to ensure store level conditions meet or exceed standards. This includes shelf conditions, distribution, display support, point-of-sale signage, rack/cooler management, retail pricing and secondary product location. They must be able to analyze sales, profit margin, and market share data to determine issues and opportunities at the retail level.Retail Sales Representatives call on and sell to assigned retail stores to ensure store level conditions meet or exceed standards. This includes shelf conditions, distribution, display support, point-of-sale signage, rack/cooler management, retail pricing and secondary product location. They must be able to analyze sales, profit margin, and market share data to determine issues and opportunities at the retail level.

If that sounds like a good time to you and you will be able to get yourself from store to store (aka you have a car), then send a cover letter and resume to jobs@jonessoda.com with the job title that you are applying for in the subject line.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your favorite flavor from Jones Soda Co.?

Wild Salmon Center

Willy Franzen — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 13:00:35 +0000

If you’ve been following us from the start, you know that the first non-profit organization whose jobs we featured was Save Our Wild Salmon. Today we’re going to look at jobs at the Wild Salmon Center, which has quite a few similarities to the aforementioned organization. I decided to do this for two reasons. First, I care deeply about wild salmon and like drawing attention to organizations that help them. Second, I’m leaving for a weeklong fishing trip today and it’s getting me in the mood for fishing (don’t worry, we’ll maintain our daily posting schedule). So let’s talk about how you can make a career out of protecting globally significant salmon ecosystems!

Why Salmon?

A lot of you might find it strange that fishermen are so concerned with protecting animals that they then impale on a hook. The truth is that few people other than fishermen have enough knowledge of salmon to fully appreciate them. The Wild Salmon Center is not a fishermen’s organization; however, you can be sure that fishermen are some of its most loyal supporters. Atlantic salmon stocks were once prolific, but are now barely holding on. The United States’ East coast used to have amazing runs of salmon as far south as the Connecticut River, but now there is not a single river in the country with a “good” run. Canadian stocks are in much better shape, but still a shadow of what they once were. Pacific salmon stock, on the other hand, are still thriving in comparison to their Atlantic brethren; although, that may not be the case for much longer. Wild salmon are important because they’re more beautiful, better tasting, more fun to catch, and native to our country. They are also key indicators of the health of our coastal watersheds – measures taken to protect salmon will have impacts on entire ecosystems. The Wild Salmon Center explains why they care about salmon in much greater detail here.

Working to Save Salmon

Whether you enjoy eating salmon or catching them, a job at the Wild Salmon Center will offer the experience to work towards protecting something that you care deeply about. The only active job listing on the Wild Salmon Center’s Jobs page is for a Development Associate. This isn’t a true entry-level position, but it may be a appropriate for a new grad who has had volunteer experience in fundraising. The Wild Salmon Center also has two new job listings on Idealist.org. They are looking for a Sustainable Fisheries and Markets Program Associate and a Conservation Finance Program Associate. The only experience that is required for these jobs is a familiarity with Russia – speaking Russian is a huge plus – and cross-cultural work. This is essential because so many of the most pristine remaining salmon rivers are located in Russia. All of the jobs at the Wild Salmon Center look fascinating (and that’s not just the fisherman in me saying so), and will offer wonderful opportunities for new college graduates who are conservation minded.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Any other fishermen out there? Leave a comment and say hello.

Ziba Design

Willy Franzen — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:38:25 +0000

Judging from the attention that our post about IDEO’s jobs received, a lot college students must be fascinated by process of innovation and its reliance on design. We certainly are. Whether it’s the way the office is laid out at your first entry-level job or the comfort of the chair at your first desk, design will have a huge effect on your productivity in life. In fact, good design is often what separates what you like from what you don’t like. Ziba Design is a Portland, OR based company that is obsessed with “understanding people, brands and technology.” That actually sound a lot like yesterday’s company MindShare’s mission statement, but don’t worry, Ziba is looking to do something very different with this understanding.

Ziba Means Beauty in Farsi

Ziba’s vision of beauty is “a moment in time when social, human, economic and technical considerations are resolved in a single expression.” Ziba uses this definition to guide everything they do: Environmental Design, Product Design, Interaction Design, Communication Design, and Research & Planning. Each of these areas of Ziba’s business is guided by 5 factors: Ideas, Design, Experiences, Education, and Inspiration. You can learn more about Ziba’s work processes by watching this YouTube video on research and innovation. Ziba’s website does a great job of explaining what the company is about and how they work. You should also take a look at their client list and project archive to get a better understanding of their approach.

Ziba’s Careers page says they’re always looking for great design talent, and they’re open to unsolicited resumes and portfolios. They do have two jobs listed now, but one is an internship and the other is for an Industrial Designer Level II, which requires 2-4 years experience. We’d imagine that they sometimes at the entry-level for the presumed Industrial Designer I position. Your best bet is to send a top-notch portfolio along with a cover letter and resume to Jobs@ziba.com. If “you’re interested in a culture sustained by original thought and a deep passion for creating design with meaning,” take a look at Ziba. They have offices in Portland, OR; San Diego, CA; Taipei, Taiwan; and Tokyo, Japan.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What design inspires you?

AngelVision Technologies

Willy Franzen — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:00:34 +0000

Sales is a field that is an odd mix of art and science. A lot of things that should work don’t, and a lot of things that shouldn’t work do. In fact, you’d probably be amazed at what tactics most effectively convert people from readers to buyers. Getting your online visitors to read is one way to get them to convert, but Portland, Oregon based AngelVision Technologies has found a much better way to help businesses make sales. They create “impact movies” that go beyond the normal text-based marketing that drives most online business. These animations are exceptional sales tools, and AngelVision has made a big business out of developing them – their revenue has increased 1,441.2% over the past three years.

To get a sense of what AngelVision Technologies does, you really need to look around their website. You can look at their list of testimonials, clients, and sample movies, or you can watch AngelVision’s own impact movie. You’ll quickly realize that these aren’t the most beautiful flash animations, nor are they the kinds of advertisements that will get you searching for them on YouTube. AngelVision’s animations are created with one goal in mind, and that’s converting sales, often in a business to business setting. Here’s why they work.

AngelVision is a bit quirky, from what we can tell, but they still look like a great place to work. First off, their website isn’t all that sharp looking for a company that is in the business of designing things. We’ll give them a break, since they’re the first to say that they’re not about being flashy (despite the fact that Adobe Flash is their preferred medium). What’s more interesting is that AngelVision Technologies Founder and President Michael Jingozian is running for President with hopes of securing the Green Party, Reform, and Libertarian nominations. We also are a bit befuddled by their careers page, which has great content, but also has a few items thrown in there that must have been added with the intent of checking to make sure that you’re paying attention.

For instance, AngelVision’s job openings include: Flash Developers, Telemarketers, Customer Service, Project Managers, Picture Hanger, Office/IT Support, and Messaging Experts. Or, you could look at their list of desired qualifications which include gems like “Must be able to kiss-up and say ‘yes’ to anyone, and then actually follow-through on those promises.” and “Knowledge of sprinkler system repair and sushi-making are a definite plus.” Obviously, having a good sense of humor is important if you’re going to apply for a job at Angelvision Technologies. Then again, having a good sense of humor is like being a self-starter – everyone thinks it applies to them.

We like this approach to a careers page because it gets the self-selection process started off early. Those of you who aren’t amused by AngelVision’s antics won’t apply, and those of you who are laughing through the job descriptions will send out a resume right away. This is smart, because it saves time for everyone. It also sounds like AngelVision’s interview process takes a similar approach to finding people who will be a good fit without investing a lot of time in the process. AngelVision doesn’t explicitly say that they have entry-level opportunities available, but the attitude of their careers page makes it pretty obvious that they’ll be open to anyone who is talented and has the right personality traits, regardless of experience.

AngelVision’s online recruiting message is in a lot of (good) ways a caricature of what we think most companies should adopt. AngelVision certainly goes over the top, but they’re honest and authentic about who they are and what they’re looking for. Instead of having to spend hours of research trying to find dirt on them, you can just visit their careers page to get a vision of their corporate culture. If more companies would be this upfront, they’d waste a lot less time and money (their own and the candidate’s) on candidates who aren’t good matches.

Note: On April 25th we revisited entry-level jobs at AngelVision Technologies.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

How do you feel about a company whose CEO is running for president?

Northwest Service Academy

Willy Franzen — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 13:00:05 +0000

There are many options after graduation – starting work right away, enjoying one last Summer off, or taking a short-term job while you think things over. Northwest Service Academy falls into that last category, and the best part is that you will get to enjoy working in the great outdoors while you reflect on your education and your future.

Northwest Service Academy is a non-profit organization that does “hands-on watershed restoration, environmental education, trail construction, resource conservation and volunteer mobilization projects throughout the beautiful Pacific Northwest.” They see themselves as a place for young people to develop leadership skills that will open up opportunities that require more experience than typical entry-level jobs.

Jobs at the Northwest Service Academy include: Trail Team Leader and Member, Wildfire Fuels Reduction Team Member, Wilderness Backcountry Ranger, and Stewardship Assistant (many of the links are now dead, so use the Northwest Service Academy’s jobs page to find current opportunities). Most of these jobs have multiple openings, and the start dates range throughout the year (for more informations see Northwest Service Academy’s recruitment timeline).

Most of the Academy’s jobs are in their Trout Lake, WA and Portland, OR centers, but there are also positions in Wisconsin and a few other places. Northwest Service Academy has done an impressive job of communicating their employment brand online, so you should be able to find a wealth of information about them through Google, including their Wikipedia entry (which we just linked to, so you won’t have to search for it).

We especially like Northwest Service Academy because their employment opportunities are so easily accessible online. All the information you could want to know about working for them is on their website and easy to find. That’s why we’re keeping it brief today.

Note: On April 27th we revisited entry-level jobs at Northwest Service Academy.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

We hope your last semester (if you’re Seniors) is starting off well, and don’t forget to use the special One Day, One Job discount at Better World Books when you buy your textbooks. Not only will you get 20% off, but the money from your purchase will help fund literacy programs.

Dogs for the Deaf

Willy Franzen — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 13:00:37 +0000

Today’s the last day of vacation for the One Day, One Job team, so we’re going to be pretty brief, but we still think this looks like an awesome job for our dog loving entry-level job searchers. If it’s not evident by their name, Dogs for the Deaf is a non-profit organization that rescues homeless dogs and professionally trains them to assist people who have hearing impairments. You’ve probably heard of “seeing eye dogs,” but there are so many more people than just blind people who can use the help of a canine friend. Sometimes the assistance that these dogs offer can even be life saving.

Beyond dogs for the deaf, Dogs for the Deaf also trains dogs for assisting seniors and other people with special needs. Dogs that are taken from shelters are never returned and always find a wonderful new home, even if they’re not cut out to be a working dog (they call these dogs career changers).

Dogs for the Deaf is currently hiring an Apprentice Instructor to take part in the training of dogs. This is a two-year program that culminates with significant knowledge of the training process for assistance animals. A college education is not necessary, but this job might be the right fit for a dog lover who has ambitions to make the world a better place.

Note: On April 27th we revisited entry-level jobs at Dogs for the Deaf.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Tell us about your dog in the comments section.

InsideTrack

Willy Franzen — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 12:00:32 +0000

You were always a great student. School always came easy to you. It was like a game, and you knew how to beat it every time. In fact, you kind of actually enjoyed long nights in the library. Exams were fun – you loved filling in those bubbles with your No. 2 pencil. You’ve been at it for 17 years (maybe a few less if you were really good) and now it’s almost over. You’re worried that your finely tuned school skills may not translate into a real world job. You’re thinking about grad school, but six figures is a lot to pay for an extra few years of security. Maybe you can get a PhD after that…

You need to leverage the skills you’ve built. If you’re good at school, why not help others be better students? Meeting graduation requirements may have been a breeze for you, but many college students don’t get the academic support that they need to make it to graduation. InsideTrack is a company that provides coaches who help to enhance the success of college students.

InsideTrack was recently named to Inc. Magazine’s 500 Fastest Growing Private Companies with a 3-year growth rate of 1,035.5%. That’s crazy. Clearly they need to keep hiring with growth like that (they only have 147 employees at the moment). InsideTrack (started by the founders of SCORE Educational Centers) has essentially created its own industry of providing private academic support after college admission. To learn more about the company, check out the Inc. 500 page or The San Francisco Chronicle’s article on InsideTrack.

To be an InsideTrack “Success Coach”, you clearly must have achieved in school with a strong academic record leading up to a Bachelors Degree or higher. You also need to have the emotional intelligence to help translate your skills to helping others build theirs. If you can’t motivate and inspire, forget about it. You also need to be a phenomenal time manager (if you were that student described in the first paragraph, you probably were), because a typical InsideTrack coach will work with 70 to 85 students – mostly via phone – on a weekly basis. That’s a lot of students, but that’s why this is a full-time position. There are currently openings as a “Success Coach” in San Francisco, Portland, OR, and Southern California.

In addition to InsideTrack’s “Success Coach” jobs, there is also the opportunity to become an “Enrollment Coach.” An “Enrollment Coach” helps students make the right decisions about whether to enroll at the client college (InsideTrack is hired by colleges to coach both admitted and matriculated students). This is a really important decision for both the students and the client college, and you will facilitate the creation of successful educational relationships. If you have all the skills mentioned earlier in this post along with a great phone personality, you might make a great InsideTrack “Enrollment Coach.” All currently open “Enrollment Coach” positions are located in Portland, OR.

InsideTrack looks like a great company and a perfect first full-time job for upcoming and recent college graduates. Now that we’ve brought it to your attention, go do some research and see if InsideTrack looks like somewhere you’d want to work. You might want to read our article on How to Use Google to Find a Job to get you started.

Note: On April 21st we revisited entry-level jobs at InsideTrack.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

If you’ve worked at InsideTrack, know someone who has, or have any other insights on the college coaching industry, please leave a note in the comments and share your information with our readers.