by Willy Franzen on October 21, 2008

Who builds brands? If you asked 10 people in marketing that question, you’d probably get 10 different answers. If you asked someone from MediaVest, he or she would say, “We do!” MediaVest is a marketing and communications firm that works with some of the world’s biggest brands – Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, Wal-Mart, Continental Airlines, and many more. MediaVest certainly can’t take all of the credit for building those brands, but they can take some of it. MediaVest has seven core competencies, and they are Research, Insights, and Analytics; Strategic Communications Planning; Investment and Activation; Brand-in Entertainment; Digital Connections, Print Investment; and Out of Home. These areas of expertise are all part of MediaVest’s unique process that delivers value to clients.
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by Willy Franzen on September 29, 2008

What happens when you cross a traditional consulting firm with the feel of a web startup? You get AnswerLab. Studying consumer behavior is essential to increasing profitability when you’re in the business of selling products. For years there have been consultancies that have focused on how shoppers act in supermarkets or department stores, but analyzing online behavior is a completely different ball game. AnswerLab is a company of experts who “develop customized research studies that uncover key findings about our clients’ web presence through several methods including online user experience evaluations, in-person usability sessions, surveys and traffic analysis.” Their knowledge base is completely different from what you’ll find at most consulting firms, and that must be why they have such an impressive client list. When a user experience consulting firm can boast having been hired by Yahoo!, eBay, and LinkedIn, you know that they’re good. When you can add Pizza Hut, FedEx, and Honda to that list, you know that they’re one of the best.
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by Willy Franzen on September 22, 2008

When we review companies, we always like to look at their client lists. It’s a good way to see what a company has done and what kind of reputation they have. Visde’s client list speaks for itself. It includes Apple, Boeing, Disney, Intel, Macromedia, and Yahoo!. If Visde were an accounting firm or a waste management company, you’d probably nod your head and say something like, “Oh, that’s nice.” The reason this client list is so impressive is that Visde is a product experience design firm. They help some of the biggest names in product design with… product design. Some of their latest projects include a personal hearing aid remote control and a national ethnographic study of parents, teachers, and school administrators for online standardized testing. These are just two types of things that you might end up doing at Visde. Their main areas of expertise are Innovation Strategy, Design Strategy, Conceptual Explorations, User Research, User Experience Design, Interaction Design, Information Architecture, Visual Design, Industrial Design, Package Design, Web + Software, and Kiosks.
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by Willy Franzen on September 16, 2008

Last week we featured FitBit, a company that was recently announced at the TechCrunch50. This week we’re looking at another startup that was announced at the conference. It’s called GoodGuide, and it’s aiming to be “the world’s largest and most reliable source of information on the health, environmental and social impacts of products and companies.” GoodGuide is pretty easy to use – you can input a product name to see all of the details of the product’s world impact, or you can look at a class of products to find the “goodest.” For instance you can look up Fantastik All Purpose Cleaner with Bleach specifically or you can just look at the ranking for household cleaners. It’s a great concept. They’re also apparently going to offer an iPhone application so that you can look up products as you shop for them in the grocery store; although, GoodGuide would probably prefer that you buy them online through their affiliate links.
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by Willy Franzen on September 14, 2008

Do you have trouble making up your mind when it comes to important moral, ethical, and political issues? Do you think that it’s hard to find an unbiased source of information to base your opinions on? Since it’s the time of year when making decisions on the issues is essential to picking the right candidate to vote for, you should check out ProCon.org. It’s a non-profit, public charity that has the goal of “promoting education, critical thinking, and informed citizenship by presenting controversial issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan primarily pro-con format.” Their response to any issue is quite simple – look at the pros and the cons and see which side comes out ahead.
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by Willy Franzen on August 22, 2008

Does job searching ever make you feel like a total idiot? You go to a company’s website. You look for their Careers page. You can’t find it. You look all over the place. You search Google. Finally, you find it. It doesn’t do you much good, though, because their job listings are difficult to navigate, the links that you bookmark don’t work when you try to come back, and you can’t figure out how to apply online for the jobs. This is a surprisingly common experience, and it’s representative of the complete ignorance to user experience that many companies and applicant tracking system providers show. Adaptive Path is a company that is all about user experience. They help other companies provide more usable products and services through consulting, training, workshops, and thought leadership. They also have a simple Jobs page that leaves no room for confusion (although it is a bit hard to find because they call it “Work with Us.”
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by Willy Franzen on August 7, 2008

Imagine getting a job as a MythBuster, except instead of debunking urban legend, you’re investigating real life problems that plague businesses and sometimes hurt people. That’s what you could be doing at Exponent. Founded in 1967 by five Ph.D.-level researchers, Exponent was originally known as Failure Analysis Associates. They started out in the energy industry studying stress and fracture mechanics, but very quickly they were “investigating and analyzing accidents and failures of all kinds.” They eventually became The Failure Group, and were listed on the NASDAQ with the ticker FAIL. In 1998 they realized that they had outgrown their name, and changed again to Exponent, because it means “one who expounds or interprets.” We don’t usually get so deep into how a company chooses it’s name, but with the popularity of the FAIL meme (see also: FAIL Blog), we thought that you might be amused.
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by Willy Franzen on July 27, 2008

A child’s first sign of teenage (pre-teenage?) rebellion often begins at the radio dial. The parent’s up-to-this-point unchallenged decision of what to listen to while in the car is called into question, and all hell breaks loose. If there are multiple kids in the family (or even just in the car), the negotiation can quickly becom more heated than a multi-lateral peace process in a war-torn nation. The parent will fight hard to maintain his or her right to National Public Radio, but the kid will persist in his or her challenge to hear something that feeds a suddenly “eclectic” taste in music. Often the parents cede this battle in hopes of winning in the future (bad idea!), which results in the parent’s driving the kids around the mini-van listening to rap music that would be a lot more offensive if the parent knew what some of the words meant. Eventually the rebellious tykes will grow up and realize that they too want to be more cultured, and they slowly, but surely come around to listening to NPR. Or maybe some kids just never speak up. They like NPR from the start. Maybe those are the ones who end up taking entry-level jobs at NPR.
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by Willy Franzen on July 13, 2008

Last month we wrote about the National Association of Railroad Passengers on One Day, One Internship. They are a non-profit organization that is all about promoting the growth of transportation by rail. Today we’re going to look at jobs at the Transportation Learning Center, which is a non-profit organization that promotes all kinds of public transportation. There seems to some overlap between the objectives of these organizations, although NARP appears to be passenger driven (no pun intended), while the Transportation Learning Center’s agenda seems to be driven by transportation workers (once again, no pun intended).
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by Willy Franzen on June 22, 2008

Almost every kid has experienced it: your parents yelling at you for something you didn’t do. They are absolutely sure that you did something wrong and there is no convincing them otherwise. It’s a horrible feeling. Now, imagine the legal system putting you in the same situation, but the consequence is a lengthy imprisonment for something you didn’t do. Tragically, this happens more often than we’d like to think. It’s likely impossible to have an effective judicial system that eliminates all false positives, but we can certainly do better. The Innocence Project is a non-profit organization that is putting DNA and forensic evidence to work to exonerate people who have been wrongly convicted.
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by Willy Franzen on June 17, 2008

We’ve said before that using magazine lists to find a job can be extremely helpful in terms of idea generation. Today we’re going to talk about the company that is behind two of the most helpful magazine lists for job searchers. The Great Place to Work Institute is responsible for compiling Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For and HR Magazine’s Best Small & Medium Companies to Work for in America. After more than 20 years of research, the Institute has found that “trust between managers and employees is the primary defining characteristic of the best workplaces.” If you’re looking for a job where you can trust your manager, why not consider the company that is known for identifying great places to work?
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by Willy Franzen on June 13, 2008

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.
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by Willy Franzen on June 12, 2008

When we’re researching companies and looking for great entry-level jobs, we love to look over client lists. You may never have heard of a company, but if brands that you respect are hiring the company, then you know they must be worth considering. For instance, if you saw that a company’s clients included Nike, American Express (we respect them even if their Careers site is horrendous), Volvo, Rolex, Ford, and Playstation, you’d probably be pretty interested in learning about the company’s employment opportunities, right? Well that’s just a small sampling of the companies that entrust their brand and media presence to MindShare.
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by Willy Franzen on June 1, 2008

With all the hubbub about the ridiculous price of gasoline, another, more pressing price increase has been overlooked by many people. World food prices have skyrocketed as of late. On average only 14% of an American’s spending is on food, which means that we aren’t typically price sensitive when it comes to how many calories we consume (how we consume those calories is much more price sensitive). Now imagine living in a nation where the average person spends the majority of his or her income on food. If food prices go up, you must eat less. Not a good situation to be in. Freedom from Hunger is a non-profit organization that “brings innovative and sustainable self-help solutions to the fight against chronic hunger and poverty” and will hopefully be able to help people across the world cope with the increasing price of food.
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by Willy Franzen on May 24, 2008

Although giving away money isn’t usually the first thing on people’s lists of things to do if they ever get rich, people who actually are rich seem to enjoy donating what they have. Since you’re reading a site about entry-level jobs, we’re going to guess that you don’t have vast financial resources to donate to charity. Still, it would be fun to give someone else’s money, now wouldn’t it? That’s what the Carnegie Corporation of New York does. The corporation was founded my Andrew Carnegie, himself, in 1911 with a $135 million. Since then the goal has been to put the money to use in ways that “promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding” for perpetuity. What is perpetuity? It’s forever. For many new college grads, making money last forever means until the next paycheck. At the Carnegie Corporation, they really mean forever. Their endowment was worth approximately $3.0 billion last year, and with a giving rate of “5.5 percent of the average market value of the endowment during the prior 12 quarters,” it’s not getting any smaller.
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by Willy Franzen on May 17, 2008

We’ve featured jobs at a botanical garden before, but we thought it was time to reach out to those plant science and botany majors again. It’s especially appropriate because spring is in full force at One Day, One Job Headquarters. Everything has bloomed, and not only is it beautiful here, but it also smells great. As soon as we open a door or window we’re hit with a fragrant burst of springtime. Since we hear from a lot of people that we focus too much on jobs in New York and California (hey, that’s where a lot of the jobs are), the addition of the Chicago Botanic Garden to our employer profiles should be welcome.
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by Willy Franzen on April 19, 2008

When I was in college, the only studying of proteins that I did was in a class called Intro to Meat Science. Don’t believe me? Here’s the course listing. Learning how meat proteins react to salt or heat is extremely useful (and delicious) but not at all relevant to the non-profit organization that we’re featuring today (or if it is, I’ll be shocked). Unfortunately, I know absolutely nothing about biomedical research or cell biophysics, so all I can do is tell you a little bit about the New York Structural Biology Center and the entry-level jobs that they’re offering for new grads.
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by Willy Franzen on April 16, 2008

We don’t like politics. We’re already sick of this election. We don’t care who made a verbal gaffe yesterday. And we certainly don’t understand how double-digit leads in the polls can evaporate and reappear based on a few words here or a few words there. We just don’t care (don’t confuse that with not caring about the direction of our country), but a lot of people do care. They want constant information, not only about what’s happening, but also how the American people are reacting to breaking news. The media provides the news on the mud slinging, but someone has to keep the pulse of the nation. Much of that responsibility falls on pollsters like Gallup. You can be sure that you’ll be hearing that name a lot over the next 6 months.
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by Willy Franzen on April 5, 2008

We’re going to try something a little different today. We want as many of our readers as possible to take a few minutes to take this test. After you’re done, report your score back to us in the comments section. This isn’t a competition to see who gets the highest score, so don’t be embarrassed if you don’t score very well. This test was administered to a large sample of American 17-year-olds, and the results, according to this report, weren’t too pretty. The results of the test tell a sad story about the state of cultural fluency in today’s youth. In fact, it looks to us as though the results are understated because respondents had a pretty good shot at guessing the correct answer due to the multiple choice format. This test and the report on the results were both put together by Common Core, a non-profit organization that wants every student to graduate high school with “an understanding of culture, the arts, history, literature, civics, and language.”
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by Willy Franzen on March 18, 2008

“May you live in interesting times.” It’s allegedly a translation of a Chinese proverb, but Wikipedia can’t even figure out who actually said it first. Regardless, a job at the Federal Reserve Board should be extremely “interesting” over the next year (at the very least). With Bear Stearns almost falling into bankruptcy, and a lot of other investment banks in trouble, a job in finance doesn’t look nearly as attractive as it did a year ago. Still, if you’re interested in economics, finance, or a related field, a job at the Federal Reserve Board is a great alternative. Although connected to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Federal Reserve Board is a different entity. If you don’t already know, the Fed, which is led by Chairman Ben Bernanke, is responsible for crafting the monetary policy that supports the American economy.
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by Willy Franzen on March 15, 2008

When we first decided to feature non-profit entry-level jobs on weekends, we saw it as a way to do some good while adding variety to the types of jobs we feature each day. We didn’t realize that an impending (possibly already happening) recession might change the outlook for college students who are in search of a first job. We can’t predict how the economy will affect entry-level hiring, but we do know that non-profit jobs can be more stable during downturns. We’re not saying that a job at a non-profit is recession proof, but the nature of a non-profit (at least a well funded one) makes them a little less sensitive to a short-term recession. One example of a well funded non-profit that is hiring aggressively at the entry-level despite the threat of recession is the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, “a private, nonpartisan, not-for-profit institution dedicated to research and education on issues of government, politics, economics, and social welfare.”
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by Willy Franzen on March 2, 2008

It’s sad, but it seems safe to say that almost everyone knows someone who has been victimized by cancer. The good news is that constantly advancing medical knowledge brings us ever closer to winning the battle with all cancers. By combining medical know-how with a focus on people and the psychiatric effects of cancer, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center has put itself at the forefront of the battle for almost 125 years. Whether you’re an aspiring doctor, looking to work in the healthcare industry, or have a personal vendetta against cancer, Sloan-Kettering has jobs that will help you pursue your passion.
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by Willy Franzen on February 21, 2008

We mentioned a couple weeks back that Facebook now has a valuation on par with that of the Ford Motor Company. In our post about Facebook, we focused on how impressive the growth has been of “Web 2.0″ companies, but didn’t mention the equally impressive decline of American auto manufacturers. It’s sad to say, but the reason for the decline has a lot to do with foreign auto companies making better products, and doing it with American talent! Honda is one of those companies that has been kicking the Big Three’s butts by putting out great cars, and a big part of it has been because of their research and development.
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by Willy Franzen on February 8, 2008

Usually our goal at One Day, One Job is to tell you about jobs at companies that you might not have considered working at before. We’re all about new ideas, but sometimes you just need help. You may be stuck researching a company that you’re dying to work for. Or you may be having a nightmare trying to navigate a corporate careers site. We’re here to help with today’s case study on ESPN.
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by Willy Franzen on December 5, 2007
The dollar may be going through a rough stretch right now, but that’s only another reason to be interested in monetary policy. If you’re a sucker for reading Milton Friedman and John Maynard Keynes, we think we’ve found a great career opportunity for you; however, if you’re supporting Ron Paul (and his abolish the Fed stance) in the Republican primaries, you can probably pass on this one.
The Federal Reserve, as the central bank of the US, directs the country’s monetary policy. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is one of 12 regional banks that acts as a fiscal agent of the United States Treasury. If you’re the kind of person who’d like to work at the Fed, we’re not telling you anything you don’t already know. If you aren’t, but you’d like to learn more, why not check out the Wikipedia entry on the Federal Reserve System? Many companies that are hiring at the entry-level are more concerned with raw talent than acquired knowledge, but jobs at the Fed appear to be quite knowledge intensive. Applicants probably should have majored in Accounting, Business, Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, Finance, Management, or a similar field. So, if you’re drawn to finance by your love of economics, but not looking for the investment banking lifestyle, take a look Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s job opportunities for new college graduates.
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by Willy Franzen on November 26, 2007
Say you and your college roommate are having a disagreement over whether Uncle Jesse from Full House’s last name was Cochran or Katsopolis. 10 years ago, resolving such an important dispute would require either endless hours of watching Full House reruns or the consultation of an astutely knowledgeable third party – maybe your brother who has no job and watches tv on the couch all day. Today a quick Google or Wikipedia search can resolve the dispute (the answer is both – John Stamos asked that his character’s name be changed after the first season from Cochran to Katsopolis to represent his Greek heritage).
When businesses, legislatures, arbitration panels, and regulatory boards have important disputes like your hypothetical dispute above, they can’t just use Google to find the expert opinions and advice that they need. LECG is a firm that provides experts in a wide variety of fields. LECG’s experts provide independent expert testimony and analysis, original authoritative studies, and strategic consulting services to a list of clients that includes Fortune Global 500 corporations, major law firms, and local, state, and federal governments and agencies.
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by Willy Franzen on November 13, 2007
Whether you set trends, follow them, or watch them, every day you have insights and experiences that have the potential to help companies increase their bottom lines. Iconoculture is a company that will allow you to put your daily observations to work, because it is in the business of providing cutting-edge consumer research to its clients. To get a better sense of Iconoculture as a company, check out this video or visit their home page. Iconoculture’s website is packed with information for those interested in consumer research. So what about jobs at Iconoculture?
If you are currently living abroad or plan to live abroad in the near future, are fluent in the native language and culture, and have a background in social science (Bachelors degree at least), Iconoculture may have an interesting job for you as a “Cultural Fluent.” Positions are currently available in Brazil, Russia, China, Korea, India, Australia, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Indonesia, and Canada. A “Cultural Fluent” is a contractor (6 month minimum commitment) hired by Iconoculture to keep his or her fingers on the pulse of the culture they live in. By learning and then applying Iconoculture’s proprietary observational methodology and framework to your daily interactions, you will be able to identify emerging consumer trends to help Iconoculture better serve its clients. Being a “Cultural Fluent” is not a full-time job, but it is an opportunity for a well-organized individual to set his or her own hours, get a start in consumer research, and deepen his or her cultural experiences.
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