One Day, One Job » telecommunications

Tandberg

Willy Franzen — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:57:54 +0000

I think that I’ve mentioned before that my first experience with video chat was was with CU-SeeMe in an Internet cafe in the mid 90s. Back then the potential for social interaction over online video seemed pretty promising, but the potential for business uses (not that I thought about that when I was 13) was even greater. Real-time video has been slower to take hold on both the social and business fronts than I expected, but now that the quality is so good, we’re seeing more and more businesses embrace video conferencing. Tandberg is a company that is at the forefront of this movement. They have dual headquarters in Oslo, Norway and New York City, and they are both “the market share leader and the fastest growing company in the video conferencing industry.” Their 30% annualized revenue growth for the past 10 years may not be Inc. 5000 material, but it’s still hugely impressive.

I Wonder If They Use Video Interviews

While video conferencing can be as simple as opening up iChat and using the built-in iSight in your Mac, Tandberg offers a higher end experience. They offer products and services that offer superior a superior user experience with a focus on business uses. I remember using video conferencing in a class in college, and I was amazed at how effective it was for presenting to the company that we were working with on our project. It’s all about changing the way people communicate, and if that’s something that gets you excited, then you should check out Jobs at Tandberg. They have opportunities in the United States, Asia Pacific, and Europe. We’re going to focus on the US where they have entry level opportunities like Service Sales Account Manager – Western US, Service Sales Account Manager – Eastern US, Training Operations Supervisor (Reston, VA), Regional Support Specialist Chicago, IL or Reston, VA/Atlanta, GA, and Global Marketing Writer (Reston, VA). You can apply for any of the positions by sending a cover letter and résumé to hr@tandberg.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you ever use video conferencing?

Altman Vilandrie & Company

Willy Franzen — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:38:57 +0000

We’re just getting into the thick of campus recruiting season now, and that means that the most ambitious college seniors should be in full job search mode (so get to that career fair ASAP!). I know that it seems kind of ridiculous, but there are a lot of companies that are done with their hiring for next year by early January. These are usually some of the most selective companies out there, so if you’re looking or a prestigious job, you better get moving. Altman Vilandrie & Company is one of those companies that is already recruiting. They’re a Boston based boutique consulting firm that “focuses exclusively on the communications, media, and related technology and investor sectors.” As they put it, they’re “a unique, pure play communications and media strategy consulting group.” They won’t have the broad range of clients of a larger firm, but the projects that they work on are still going to be quite variable.

Get Your Consult On

Getting a job in consulting isn’t easy. If you haven’t already made the decision to aim for a career in consulting, then you have a lot of catching up to do. You should spend some serious time investigating the industry and getting familiar with all of the major players. It wouldn’t hurt to practice your case interview skills either. Landing an entry level jobs job in consulting is a seriously intense process, and I’d imagine that holds true at Altman Vilandrie too. Considering that they only do campus recruiting at Brown, Dartmouth, Harvard, MIT, and Wellesley, you can see the kind of talent they’re looking for. With that said, they are open to hearing from students at other schools. You’re probably going to have to blow them away to even get looked at, but it’s worth reaching out to them in hopes of an Analyst position.

They do a great job of describing what life at Altman Vilandrie is like on their Culture page, so be sure to give that a good look before applying. Despite Altman Vilandrie’s focus on Media and Communications, I’d imagine that they worry more about talent than industry knowledge when it comes to entry level recruiting. If you think that you have what it takes and Altman VIlandrie isn’t visiting your campus (or you missed them), reach out to them at recruiting@altvil.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about Altman Vilandrie & Company?

Skyhook Wireless

Willy Franzen — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:18:48 +0000

In my opinion one of the coolest features of the first generation iPhone was its ability to accurately give you your location despite its lacking a GPS chip. The technology is based on using Wi-Fi access points and cellular tower triangulation to determine your coordinates. Obviously a GPS chip is a better alternative (at least as long as you don’t have a roof blocking your satellite signal), but there are plenty of applications where Wi-Fi location comes in pretty handy. That’s why Boston based Skyhook Wireless is a growing company. They’re behind the technology that provides location to non-GPS equipped iPhones (as the New York Times covered quite well), and they’re also using their technology for geotagging, device recovery, social networking, and much more.

Locate Yourself at Skyhook Wireless

Now, it may sound to you as though GPS is a major threat to Skyhook Wireless’ business, but that’s not the case at all. If you take a look at the graph below, you’ll see that Skyhook’s XPS is a hybrid of GPS and Wi-Fi Positioning, and that it provides an amazing level of reliability in nearly all situations.

Beyond just being able to give people their locations, Skyhook Wireless also focuses on what people do with those locations on whatever device they’re getting them on. We’ve barely even touched the surface with using location data in our every day lives, so I think that Skyhook Wireless has a pretty bright future. If you want to be a part of that future, you should check out their Jobs page. A few of Skyhook’s job openings look like they might be suitable for new or recent grads: Wireless Product Manager, Web Product Manager, and Embedded Device Engineer. To apply for any of these positions (or maybe an unlisted one) send a cover letter and resume to careers@skyhookwireless.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Where are you?

kgb

Willy Franzen — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:47:46 +0000

Have you always wanted to be a secret agent? Well here’s a mission, if you choose to accept it: try to land a job with New York City based kgb. No, I’m not talking about Russia’s version of the CIA. I’m talking about “the world’s largest independent provider of directory assistance and enhanced information services.” Formerly known as INFONXX, kgb is in the business of making information easily available. If you’ve seen their commercials, then you’re probably most familiar with their “Ask Us Anything” service. I personally think it’s for lazy people, but that’s because I’m a huge advocate for developing your own research skills. If getting the answer to your question is worth 50 cents, then that’s cool, but I’m gonna Google it myself. The good news is that kgb’s business goes well beyond charging lazy people who need their stupid questions answered.

Join the kgb

Now, if you want to get a job with kgb, you’re going to have to do some serious sleuthing (or maybe you could just spend 50 cents to ask via text what kind of jobs they have available). It’s not that they’re all secretive, being the kgb and all, they’re just kind of disorganized with their recruitment message. On the main kgb.com site, the only prominent link is for their work at home opportunities (they title it “become an agent”). These jobs basically entail answering questions for a cut of the 50 cents, so that’s probably not what you’re looking to do with that college degree that you just got. Hidden in this section is a link to kgb_USA’s Careers page. Here you’ll find some more interesting opportunities. They’re sorted by location, so you’ll have to check each location to see all the jobs. They have Customer Service Representative positions in San Antonio, TX; Lubbock, TX; and Hawaii. Additionally, they have jobs in Database Administration and Accounts Receivable in Bethlehem, PA. That’s not it, though. There are also jobs with kgb web in New York City posted on Startuply. These include positions like Developer of Data, Master Ruby Developer, and Usability Expert. As you can see, jobs with kgb are kind of all over the place. How you apply will depend on which positions you’re applying for, so show off your research skills if you want to land a job with kgb.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever used kgb?

Ifbyphone

Willy Franzen — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:54:06 +0000

I never liked talking on the phone much. I’m not sure why, but as a kid I never felt comfortable calling people. I eventually got over that, but I’m certainly glad that running my business doesn’t require a ton of phone time – I can do a lot of stuff online. However, if I was running a more phone intensive business, I’d definitely consider using Ifbyphone, a “hosted voice application and platform” run by a Skokie, IL (near Chicago) based company with the same name. Most phone systems require a huge hardware investment, but Ifbyphone’s can do all of the following through their software solution: Hosted IVR, Voice Broadcasting, Toll-Free Numbers, Local Phone Numbers, Call Routing, Virtual Receptionist, Store Locator, Google® Integration, Call Tracking, Dynamic Numbers, Find, Me Call Forwarding, Lead Distributor, Click-to-Call, and Conference Calling. I don’t know what all of those things are, but they sure sound important. Anyway, Ifbyphone focuses on offering their platform to small and medium sized business, and they have $4.6 million in venture capital funding to do it.

A Call to Action

I still don’t fully understand everything that Ifbyphone does, but their demo videos do a pretty good job of describing exactly what some of their offerings do. (And I really don’t like the Voice Broadcasting one. I wouldn’t be happy to get one of those messages.) After looking more closely at what Ifbyphone is about, I can see how the product can add a ton of value to small and medium businesses. It’s pretty cool to see phones getting intertwined with the web, and Ifbyphone is leading that transition. If this is something that excites you, then a job with Ifbyphone is probably worth considering. Their blog has a post about three positions that they’re hiring for. Two are explicitly listed as entry level – Customer Success Specialist and Account Manager For Channel Sales Position. Both jobs offer a great opportunity to get in early at a growing startup, so check out the full descriptions and apply by sending a cover letter and resume to jobs@ifbyphone.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

How do you feel about talking on the phone?

Research In Motion

Willy Franzen — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:21:42 +0000

I’m an iPhone guy, so I tend to feel sorry for people who are constantly thumbing away on their BlackBerries. That’s just my being a smug Apple user though. I realize that a lot of people love their BlackBerries and for good reason. They’re pretty remarkable devices, and they’re perfectly tailored for business use. (Although not as perfectly tailored as my iPhone! Ok, I’m done.) That’s why Research In Motion, the company that makes BlackBerries, has a 16.6% share of the smartphone market. They seem to have hit a bit of a rough spot lately (at least their stock price makes it look like they have), but their market position is still very strong. That’s why it’s no surprise that they’re doing a good amount of entry level hiring; however, the real reason that I wanted to feature Research In Motion here is that they chose an unfortunate, yet inappropriately hilarious domain name for their Jobs site (it redirects now, but I think that you can figure it out).

Jobs at RIM

RIM’s description of what they do is pretty complex:

Through the development of integrated hardware, software and services that support multiple wireless network standards, RIM provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to time-sensitive information including email, phone, text messaging (SMS and MMS), Internet and intranet-based applications.

However, I think that you can put it pretty simply by saying that they make BlackBerries. I’m sure that there’s a lot more that they do on the technology side, but it seems that smartphones are their bread and butter. They’re a big company, so it’s no surprise that their Careers site has a special section for students. You can get all of the details on RIM’s Student Hiring Program here, and then you can search their job postings for positions specific to your interests. Their job search function is very flexible, and it allows you to select jobs specifically for new grads.

Right now there are 25 of those opportunities available in a variety of world locations and business areas. They include: Hardware Engineering Designer (Waterloo, Canada), Java Software Developer (Ottawa or Waterloo, Canada), Financial Analyst (Waterloo, Canada), Technical Writer (Waterloo, Canada), Embedded Systems Software Developer (Ft. Lauderdale, FL), Graphics Software Developer – Advanced Rendering Applications (Waterloo, Canada), Embedded Software Developer (Ft. Lauderdale, FL), Multimedia System Specialist (Ft. Lauderdale, FL), Communications Specialist (Ft. Lauderdale, FL), Mobile Phone Safety Test Specialist (Waterloo, Canada), 3GPP Compliance Specialist (Waterloo, Canada), Software Development Support Specialist (Waterloo and Mississauga, Canada), Database Developer – BlackBerry Infrastructure (Waterloo, CA), Project Coordinator (Waterloo, Canada), Software Test Specialist (Waterloo, Canada), Project Coordinator – Accessories (Waterloo, Canada), Carrier Technical Manager (Kansas City, KS), Systems Engineering Specialist – M&D (Mississauga, CA), Systems Engineering Specialist – Provisioning (Mississauga, CA), Protocol Stack Developer (Bochum, Germany), Systems Engineer (Irving, TX), Software Testing Specialist (Waterloo, Canada), Requirements Manager (Waterloo, Canada), and ISP Engineer (Waterloo, Canada).

You can apply for all of these jobs online from the job listings that you’ll find through the search function. Be wary though, because when you view a job listing and then hit the back button to get back to your search, you’ll have to reenter your search to get the results that you want.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you have a BlackBerry?

Vanu

Willy Franzen — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:02:11 +0000

Back before cell phones had color screens and GPS, digital service just meant that you were able to send and receive text messages. I was convinced that it was important to have a dual band phone – analog and digital. I was often off fishing in rural areas where digital cell service was nonexistent, so I figured that it was better to have crappy service than no service. We’ve certainly moved into the digital age of cell phones, but there are still all types of different cellular networks that require different frequencies and hardware to operate on. Vanu is a Cambridge, MA based company that is building a software based radio access network. What does that mean? Instead of requiring cellular providers to invest in new hardware for every network that they operate on, they can use a single reusable hardware platform to operate on multiple networks. Although the science behind what Vanu does goes right over our heads, we think that it sounds pretty slick. We featured Vanu’s internships yesterday on One Day, One Internship, and we realized that they also have some exciting entry-level job opportunities, so we’re talking about them today.

Can You Hire Me Now?

If you’re on the job market right now, Vanu has a ton of opportunities that are currently available. If you’re a college senior who is just starting to look, they are just about to begin their campus recruiting schedule. Let’s start with the jobs that Vanu is hiring for right now. Vanu has entry-level opportunities in Software Development, Engineering, Customer Service. They also offer jobs in Marketing and Finance / Accounting, but nothing that is listed right now appears to be geared towards new grads. The internships that they’re currently offering are in marketing, so an entry-level marketing job at Vanu could be a possibility. Applying jobs at Vanu is easy, just submit a cover letter and resume to jobs@vanu.com.

If you’re still in school, but looking towards the future, Vanu might be a great company to look at. They have recruiting events scheduled for this fall at Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, MIT, University of Michigan, UMass – Amherst, University of Texas – Austin, University of Wisconsin – Madison, and WPI, but if your campus isn’t on the list, you can contact them at jobs@vanu.com to apply for a job or even to convince them to visit your campus. We’d imagine that they are hiring in the same areas that we mentioned above.

If you scroll down on their Jobs page, you’ll find a lot more information about what it’s like to work at Vanu. They offer 15 days of vacation in the first year, and 20 days in the second year, which is pretty remarkable.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Are you as confused by software radio access networks as we are? We hope not if you’re applying for a job with them.

Pinch Media

Willy Franzen — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:00:49 +0000

Have you broken down and bought an iPhone yet? Ok, that’s an obnoxious question, but it’s getting less and less obnoxious as software developers continue to push out amazing applications. The iPhone is becoming a serious productivity (job search anyone?) tool, and it’s already “the best iPod that Apple has ever made.” We may even be reaching the point where you can call purchasing an iPhone making a capital investment without cracking a smile. Apple has been largely responsible for the iPhone’s success up until now, but 3rd party software developers have begun taking the iPhone’s popularity to the next level. Pinch Media is a company that helps these iPhone developers grow their businesses. They’re doing so through analytics and advertising software that they’ve created for iPhone developers, but Pinch Media is also sitting down with developers and helping them determine when advertising makes sense, and when it doesn’t. Pinch Media’s business is all about helping other people make the most out of what they do best – the development of great iPhone applications.

In a Pinch For Something to Do With Your Life?

Chad Pinkston from The Corporate Playbook (a great resource for college athletes who are job searching) sent me a link to a post on Fred Wilson’s Blog about Pinch Media’s internships. We featured Pinch Media’s Internships on One Day, One Internship today, and that led us to the fact that Pinch Media is looking for top notch software developers to join their team. They want people who have a background in:

Objective C / Cocoa development
iPhone SDK development
PHP/MySQL development
experience with advanced JavaScript frameworks
scaling web applications
familiarity with phpAdsNew / OpenAds / OpenX
experience developing for other mobile platforms

They don’t list any specific openings on their About page, but if you have the above skills, are a new grad, and want to be located in the New York City area, send Greg Yardley, Pinch Media’s Founder and CEO, your resume and cover letter at greg@pinchmedia.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Well, do you have an iPhone?

Grasshopper (formerly GotVMail)

Willy Franzen — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 13:00:42 +0000

There’s a significant chance that you, as a college student, don’t have a landline telephone number, and instead rely entirely on a cell phone. Besides being a recipe for irritating recruiters (they hate doing interviews with people on cell phones, but they don’t really have a choice, now do they?), this also means that you likely have no appreciation for the complexities of phone systems. Neither do we. Businesses spend boatloads of money on complex phone systems that include extensions, voicemail, paging, and other features. For large companies, such systems are a necessity, but for smaller businesses they are often a front to make the company appear more professional to its customers. ~~GotVMail~~ Grasshopper is a startup that has created web-based phone management software that is affordable, easy to manage, and extremely flexible. Whether you’re a consultant named Gary (GotVMail’s mascot) or a college student starting a business in your dorm room, GotVMail offers tools that allow you to manage your telephone needs easily while looking like a real business.

We’re not sure if most of our readers understand how onerous phone systems can be, but believe us, they create a lot of headaches for people. GotVMail’s solution is excellent, and as we expand, we’ll definitely look into using it to manage One Day, One Job’s telephone needs (we barely use the phone at this point). As great as their product is, GotVMail’s website is even more impressive. They do a nearly perfect job of telling their story. Whether you are a customer or a job searcher, you will find what you’re looking for; in fact, their Careers section is as good as it gets. Whoa! That’s two days in a row that we’ve absolutely loved the careers site of the company that we’ve featured. Maybe employers are finally starting to get it. Anyways, we’ve highlighted some links below as usual, and we’ll refer you to those, since GotVMail explains themselves so well.

As the 66th fastest growing private company in the U.S. according to Inc. Magazine, GotVMail is quickly adding to their team. As of now all of the entry-level hiring seems to be going on in software engineering and development, but keep an eye out for new job postings in other areas. Currently, GotVMail is hiring for three positions that appear to require no prior work experience: C# .NET Developer (Needham, MA); C# / ASP.NET Software Engineer (Needham, MA); and C# / ASP.NET Software Engineer (Austin, TX).

We think GotVMail is a startup with great potential for success. If you’ve got the coding skills, now is the time to join their team. Or you could always do your own startup and hire them for your telephone needs. Either way they’re someone that you want to do business with.

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

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

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