One Day, One Job » writing

Seed Media Group

Willy Franzen — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:50:00 +0000

The magazine business is dying, right? A lot of people seem to think so, and for the most part I agree with them; however, we seem to be seeing a new breed of magazines cropping up. They’re web integrated, extremely well designed, and laser focused on a specific audience. They still sell advertising, but they offer advertisers access to a well-defined audience that general interest magazines can’t compete with. The company behind one of these magazines (Seed Magazine) is Seed Media Group. They’re based out of New York City, and they are a media and technology company built on the premise that science is culture. They’ve been offering a new take on science since 2005, and it seems to be working with them.

Seeding Your Career

Beyond Seed Magazine, Seed Media Group also runs ScienceBlogs.com. It’s a substantial web property, and it falls right in line with Seed Media Group’s belief that:

Science is transforming our global culture and conversation unlike ever before, shaping markets, informing policy, inspiring the arts and deepening our understanding of who we are, where we come from and where we’re heading.

It’s hard to say whether Seed Media Group and similar companies will be able to save the magazine industry, or if their success is just a temporary thing, but you have to like the fact that they’re more focused on a topic than the specific type of media that they deliver to their readers. If you’re intrigued by Seed Media Group, I recommend that you check out their websites listed below and pick up a copy of the magazine. That way you can get to know them and better understand if they might be somewhere you want to work. According to their company LinkedIn profile, they’re growing into a pretty sizable company. Although their Jobs page currently has just intern positions, they do encourage you to send a cover letter and résumé to careers@seedmediagroup.com for unlisted positions.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you read Seed Magazine or ScienceBlogs.com?

The Wrap

Willy Franzen — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:45:19 +0000

I’m going to be brutally honest with this one. When I landed on the The Wrap’s Home page, I immediately clicked the back button. I thought that I had landed on one of those Google Money Maker scam pages (it’s all because of the font choice). After processing what I had seen, I decided to take a second look. Despite their poor design choices, The Wrap is a legitimate site—if a site that covers entertainment industry analysis and breaking hollywood news can be considered legitimate (I kid). Now, The Wrap shouldn’t be confused with gossip sites like TMZ or Perez Hilton, this is actually an industry focused site that does primary source reporting. They’re venture funded and quite obviously located in Los Angeles. I don’t know a lot about the entertainment industry and how it’s covered by the press, but it looks like The Wrap is growing a solid audience with their web-based content.

Get Wrapped Up In It

Whether or not a job in entertainment journalism sounds interesting to you, you need to be reading The Wrap if you have any interest in the entertainment industry whatsoever. On the other hand, if you’re looking for an entry level journalism job covering Hollywood news, you’re in serious luck. The only job posted on The Wrap’s Jobs page is Entry-Level Reporter. They want someone with writing/reporting experience and a good business sense. The position starts as a contract job with the opportunity to join the staff full-time. It’s the perfect opportunity for a new journalism grad to prove his or her worth by diving into some real work. If you’re interested, send a résumé and clips to info@thewrap.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you read The Wrap?

College Prowler

Willy Franzen — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:00:10 +0000

Back when I was looking at colleges, I had to rely on traditional guidebooks to get relevant information like average SAT scores, whether freshmen are allowed to have cars, and what the food is like. Finding solid information online was pretty much out of the question, and none of the guidebooks that I looked at seemed to have a good read on what the campus was really like. Then along came College Prowler in 2002 (after I was already at Cornell, which turned out great). They’re a Pittsburgh, PA based company that aims “to be the most accurate, complete, and honest resource on colleges and universities across the United States.” Although those are their words, I think that a more accurate description of what they do (also in their words) is:

No university affiliations. No half-truths. No out-of-touch authors who haven’t been in school for decades. A class project turned company, College Prowler produces guidebooks that are written by actual college students and covers the things students really want to know.

College Prowler’s guides are what college guidebooks should have always been. Unfortunately, it took a long time for anyone to realize how big the need for “real” information was. Along with guidebooks, College Prowler has also built an awesome web resource to help high school students make informed college choices. The best part is that they’ve recently made all of their online content free.

Prowling for Jobs

The business side of College Prowler is an interesting story, as I recently learned in an Inc. Magazine article. The short of it is that College Prowler is doing a fantastic job of helping students make the right college decisions, but they’re not nearly as successful at monetizing the attention that they’re getting (I can sympathize completely). As publishing has become less necessary with user-generated content sites like Unigo.com delivering free content, College Prowler has had to reevaluate its strategy. They still have a great brand and a great idea, but there’s a reason that they’re an Inc. Magazine Case Study and not a member of the Inc. 5000. If you’re up for a challenge and want to help make a cool company become significantly profitable, you should check out College Prowler’s Jobs page. Although they only have specific internship positions posted, they do say that they “typically hire in sales, marketing, editing, and web development.” If you have skills in any of those areas, reach out to Mark Tressler at tressler@collegeprowler.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

CollegeProwler.com
Jobs at College Prowler
About College Prowler
CollegeJolt.com (College Prowler’s Blog)
College Prowler in the News

Did you use any College Prowler guides?

Care2

Willy Franzen — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:34:22 +0000

Social networking is a new thing, right? Not at all. Social networks have been around almost as long as the Internet. They’ve just become way more mainstream in recent years. Take Redwood City, CA based Care2 for example. They’re an online social network that aims “to help people make the world a better place,” and they’ve been doing it since 1998. That’s impressive, not only because it means that they were early to social networking, but also because it means that they survived the dot com bust of the early 2000s. “Making the world a better place” used to be strictly the territory of non-profits, but now we’re seeing more and more companies like Care2 that are choosing to be B Corporations. That means that they can do good and build a profitable businesses at the same time. That’s exactly what Care2 is doing with their “more than 50 employees, 11 million members, 400 nonprofit partners and hundreds of responsible advertisers making a difference.”

Care2 Work at Care2?

If you’ve ever read Seth Godin, you know how important it is to build a “tribe” of loyal fans. Bringing together people with similar interests is a great way to build a business, and that’s exactly what Care2 has done. The community that they’ve built not only encourages people to do good, but it also provides a fantastic platform for the right companies to market the right products. It’s hard to call a site with 11 million members niche, but its Care2’s focus on bringing together “do gooders” that has enabled them to build a social network that actually makes money. If Care2 sounds like something that you want to be a part of, then you should check out their Jobs page. Right now they’re looking for a PHP Developer and a Web Editor/Producer. Neither job is explicitly entry level, but they seem like they could be great fits for new grads with the right background.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you participate on any sites like Care2?

WWE (formerly WWF)

Willy Franzen — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:28:55 +0000

Yesterday I was amused by a friend’s Facebook status that said: “just had a revelation: Obama sounds like Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.” I instantly imagined Barack Obama shirtless, yelling into a microphone, “Do you smellllllllllll what Barack is cooking?” Apparently SNL had a similar idea. That got me thinking about WWE (formerly the WWF), where The Rock first became famous. I was never a huge fan of professional wrestling, but I must admit to having watched on occasion. My little sister, on the other hand, was a huge fan. At about six years old she decided to be Hulk Hogan for Halloween. It was priceless. Back then they were the WWF, but a spate with World Wide Fund for Nature in 2000 resulted in a lawsuit and eventually a name change. WWE is located in Stamford, CT, just 20 minutes or so from my home town, and is a billion dollar business. Unfortunately, they haven’t been immune to layoffs, but they seem to have some great job opportunities right now.

Body Slam Your Way into a New Job

One thing that surprised me when I started doing research on World Wrestling Entertainment was the fact that they aim for a PG rating with all of their content. They put a huge emphasis on being family friendly because kids are such a huge part of their fan base. This philosophy runs throughout WWE’s five business units: Live and Televised Entertainment, Consumer Products, Digital Media, WWE Studios, and Sales & Sponsorships. If you’ve always loved professional wrestling and think that a career with WWE would be action packed, then you need to check out WWE’s Careers site. There are a bunch of job openings that can be considered entry level including Business Analyst (Stamford, CT), Live Event Marketing Rep (based anywhere in the U.S.), Motion Graphic Designer (Stamford, CT), On-Air Talent (Stamford, CT), and Writer Assistant (Stamford, CT). You can apply for all of these jobs online, so start practicing your body slams and elbow drops.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Who is/was your favorite wrestler?

Slickdeals

Willy Franzen — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:43:02 +0000

We all learn at an early age that we can’t have our cake and eat it too. Everything has a trade off. You can have money or you can have stuff. You can’t have both. Right? Wrong. Since 1999 Las Vegas based Slickdeals has been proving that you can have your cake and eat it too. Or as they put it, “Slickdeals.net is a free, user-driven deal sharing site with a mission to provide consumers an avenue to collaborate and share information in order to make the best shopping decisions.” That’s a fancy way of saying that they are a community of people who help each other find the best deals, so you can buy stuff and have some money left over. In fact, a lot of Slickdeals users find deals so good that they get paid to buy something (after rebate). Seriously. It’s all about free and open sharing of information, and it’s amazingly powerful. The amount of money that people have saved through Slickdeals has to be staggering.

Are You Slick Enough?

Slickdeals doesn’t have a monopoly on “community driven bargain hunting,” but their “thousands of free discounts, promo codes, reviews and price comparisons” have resulted in an insanely successful website and business. From what I can tell, most of Slickdeals’ revenue comes through advertising and affiliate links. They’ve found that giving away a lot of high quality free content can be very profitable. Maybe newspapers could learn a thing or two from Slickdeals. Even though Slickdeals is all about being cheap and frugal, they appear to be willing to spend some of their profits on hiring top talent. Their Jobs page shows a number of listings that include potential entry level positions like Creative Web Developer, Community Relations Manager, Business Development Manager, and Blog Columnist. The application instructions vary, so be sure to check out the specific postings for all of the details. And be sure to enjoy the “employee discount” that is being allowed to read Slickdeals at work.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you used Slickdeals beore?

Girl Scouts of the USA

Willy Franzen — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 15:30:12 +0000

Last night I enjoyed one of my favorite Summer treats—a Dairy Queen Blizzard. Now, this wasn’t just any Blizzard. This was a Tagalong Blizzard. If you’re not familiar with Tagalongs, then you’re missing out. They are my favorite Girl Scout cookie. And that brings me to the Girl Scouts of the USA, which is a New York City non-profit organization that you probably know best for pushing cookies. Obviously, the cookies have little to do with what the Girl Scouts of the USA are all about, but the funds raised from selling the cookies enable the organization to continue to pursue its mission of being “the world’s preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls—all girls—where, in an accepting and nurturing environment, girls build character and skills for success in the real world.”

Scouting Out the Job Market

Since the Girl Scouts of the USA started in Savannah, GA in 1912, they have touched the lives of more than 50 million women and have sold billions of boxes of cookies. Those are some unbelievable numbers! Whether you are a Girl Scout alum or just someone who has enjoyed the cookies, a career with the Girl Scouts is definitely worth considering. They have quite a few jobs at their New York City headquarters, and they also have job listings for their regional chapters on their Careers site. Some positions at the corporate headquarters include Associate Web Producer, Web Developer, Writer/Editor, and Web Designer/Programmer. I’ll leave checking out the positions with the local chapters and regional offices up to you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Were you ever a Girl Scout?

The Chronicle of Higher Education

Willy Franzen — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:12:07 +0000

Once you get your undergraduate degree, you have a choice. You can continue with higher education, or you can get a job. You can start making money, or you can keep spending money. If you’re having trouble deciding between those two options, don’t worry. There’s a way to get a job without leaving the world of higher ed. That’s because The Chronicle of Higher Education, which is based in Washington, D.C., is hiring. As they put it, they are “the No. 1 source of news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty members and administrators.” Apparently 80,000 academics and 350,000 people in total subscribe to The Chronicle of Higher Education, while their website gets 12 million monthly pageviews. They were even “ranked in the top 10 of most credible news sources by Erdos & Morgan.” Clearly, The Chronicle is the place to go for information about higher education.

Chronicle Your Success

If you love the world of higher ed, but you’re not quite ready to invest in another degree to hang on your wall, then you might want to look into writing for The Chronicle of Higher Education. If you start browsing The Chronicle’s website looking for jobs, don’t be confused by the link to their Careers section on the left hand sidebar—it’s not what you’re looking for. A big part of The Chronicle’s business is posting ads for jobs in higher education, so that’s why that link is so prominent. To find jobs with the Chronicle, you need to use their Help page, or you could just use the following link to go directly to their Jobs page. They have 3 openings right now, but only one seems suitable for new or recent grads. It’s for a Community Colleges Reporter, and it does require “at least 2 years of writing/editing experience.” It may not be explicitly entry level, but I’m sure that some of you have built up a journalistic resume that will put you into consideration for this job. To apply, send a resume, cover letter, and 5 clips to ccsearch@chronicle.com and use “Job Applicant” as the subject line.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you read The Chronicle of Higher Education?

Ignighter

Willy Franzen — Fri, 22 May 2009 14:40:09 +0000

Online dating has come a long way – from picking people up in chat rooms to having a computer find your perfect match. Considering the reaction that many people still give when you talk about online dating, it has a long way to go yet. New York City’s Ignighter might be responsible for the next big step forward. They provide a free online dating service… for groups. That means that they’ll match you and your boys with someone and her girls and vice versa or however else you want to do it. You can all go out together and see what happens. Instead of worrying about ending up on a date with a psycho killer, you have to worry about going on a date with a bunch of psycho killers – and even if that happens, you have some friends to back you up. What a relief! This idea might just be crazy enough to work.

Ignight Your Job Search… or Your Love Life

Ignighter appears to be a pretty new startup, so there’s not all that much information out there about them. There are almost no links on their home page, but we’ve managed to dig up some more info on their site, which you’ll find below. You may also want to check out the coverage that Ignighter has received on TechCrunch and in The Wall Street Journal. They have $1.2 million in venture capital funding, and although they don’t appear to have gone on a hiring spree just yet, hopefully they will soon. Right now their Jobs page only has one opening for a part-time Professional Writer, but it looks like an awesome chance to work your way into a position that will grow to full-time. There’s also the opportunity to work your way into a full-time position through their PHP Development Internship. I see a lot of potential for growth here, so if you do too, send a resume and cover letter to dan@Ignighter.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Would you try Ignighter?

Wolfram Research

Willy Franzen — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:49:42 +0000

If you’re an Internet geek like me, then you’ve probably noticed all of the buzz around Wolfram|Alpha. Some have dubbed it a “Google killer,” but as far as I can tell, they’re way off the mark. They’re wrong because Wolfram|Alpha isn’t a search engine – it’s a knowledge engine. The goal is “to make all systematic knowledge immediately computable by anyone.” The concept is kind of hard to grasp until you try it, but once you see how it works, I think that you’ll be impressed. So, who is behind Wolfram|Alpha? Wolfram, of course! They’re based in Champaign, IL, and they’re “one of the world’s most respected software companies–as well as a powerhouse of scientific and technical innovation.” They’re the company behind Mathematica – a software package that excels in ” computation, modeling, simulation, visualization, development, documentation, and deployment.” I’ve never had the pleasure of using it, but I know math teachers who think it’s pretty awesome.

Join a Powerhouse

From what I can tell, Wolfram is about as academic as a company can get. They use their expertise in computer science to create amazing tools that help smart people do their jobs and research better. Yet, Wolfram’s ambitions go beyond that. This Wolfram|Alpha thing seems to be a well received attempt at going mainstream, and it’s only in its early stages. You have to love a company that is constantly working to make people smarter and more effective, which is why you should consider jobs with Wolfram Research. They don’t have specific job openings listed, but they are constantly looking for people in the following areas:

Algorithm Development
Software Engineering
Financial Engineering
Image and Signal Processing
Control Systems
Geospatial Information Systems
Instrument Control
Experimental Data Analysis
Statistics
User Interface Development
Applications Development
Software Quality Assurance
Technical Support
Technical Marketing
Business Development
Project Management
International Business Development
Special Projects
Mathematica Programming
Information Technology
Customer Relations
Educational Outreach
Technical Writing
Sales
Scientific Business Development
Technology Licensing

There’s a single online application form for all of these positions, and it’s really in-depth. So, if Wolfram Research already has you fascinated and “you’re clear-thinking, pragmatic, and energetic about getting things done well,” then go ahead and apply ASAP. Additionally, Wolfram Research has some Science and Technology R&D Fellowships that you may want to check out. Beyond Wolfram’s headquarters in Champaign, IL, they also have locations in Boston, MA; Oxford, United Kingdom; Paris, France; and Tokyo, Japan.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of Wolfram|Alpha’s capabilities?

Mono

Willy Franzen — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:40:38 +0000

I love simplicity. I also appreciate singularity. You know… One Day, One Job. There’s so much clutter these days that it can become really hard to focus. I’m sure that you’re seeing it in your job search, and you’re probably wondering why companies just keep layering on more complexity to what they do. If so, then you’re in good company. Mono is a Minneapolis, MN based branding, advertising, and design agency that is all about simplicity. They think that putting smart, innovative people on client projects is the key to great branding. That’s it. I like it. And so do their clients (it’s an impressive list).

Mono Day, Mono Job

I took a few minutes to browse through some of Mono’s client work, and it’s awesome. I’m not just saying that they work with really great brands (which they do), but I’m also saying that their stuff is out of this world. Just look at what they did for NBATV, Herman Miller, and PBS. Simple, but beautiful. Mono doesn’t offer a ton of information about themselves online, but they get the message across just fine. You can tell who they are by using their website. They don’t even have a Jobs page – just an e-mail address for employment inquiries. They do, however, have what looks to be a fantastic internship program, so they clearly have an interest in young talent. If you’d like to work for Mono or you just want to know whether the company was named after a disease or not, get in touch with them at employment@mono-1.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you appreciate Mono’s simplicity?

Aplia

Willy Franzen — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:45:32 +0000

Part of my daily routine is reading Greg Mankiw’s Economics Blog. When I saw his post announcing that the text book that he wrote will now be accompanied by an interactive learning tool, I was intrigued. I quickly read the Washington Post article that Dr. Mankiw linked to in the announcement to learn more about Aplia, the company that developed this educational tool. It turns out that Aplia, which is based in Belmont, CA, was developed by a Stanford economist named Paul Romer who was very successful in developing a theory to explain why different economies grow at different rates, but not so successful at engaging students. Since Dr. Romer is clearly a problem solver at heart, he developed a product (and company) called Applia that “offers high-quality, auto-graded assignments” and is “dedicated to improving learning by increasing student effort and engagement.”

Aplia for a Job

Paul Romer took $10 million in venture capital to spur the growth of the company, and he eventually sold out in 2007 to Cengage, a textbook publisher. Aplia is now “used by more than 1,000,000 students at over 950 institutions,” so I’ll wager that Cengage is pretty happy to have a successful interactive tool to bring some life to their slowly dying textbook business. Now, the real reason that I got so excited when I first heard about Aplia isn’t my interest in interactive educational tools (although I clearly have an interest there), it’s the fact that I thought they might have jobs. And they do. They still seem to operate separately from Cengage, so they have their own Jobs page (although it’s branded like it’s just for Cengage).

On that Jobs page, you’ll find quite a few jobs that appear to be suitable for new grads. We can’t link to the specific openings because of their crappy Applicant Tracking System, but you should be able to find their jobs easily. They have Content Writer positions in Accounting, US History, Psychology, Biology, and Economics that can be located in Belmont, CA; Boston, MA; or Cincinnati, OH. Additionally there are jobs for an Editorial Assistant, Flash Expert, and Customer Support Representative. The jobs look awesome, so give them a look and apply online if you’re interested.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Did any of your courses use Aplia?

America’s Test Kitchen

Willy Franzen — Wed, 06 May 2009 14:34:44 +0000

I love cooking, but I didn’t always. I went into college barely knowing how to make myself a bowl of pasta, but when I lived off campus Sophomore year, I was left with little choice but to learn how to cook. I’ve never been one to follow recipes strictly, though. I always like trying something new and getting creative with my cooking. That’s exactly the philosophy behind America’s Test Kitchen. It’s a real kitchen (all 2,500 square feet of it) in Brookline, MA that is used to “to develop the absolute best recipes for all of your favorite foods.” They do this by testing recipes anywhere from 30-70 times until they not only get it right, but get it right to the point that it’s dead simple for the people who are consuming the products that America’s Test Kitchen puts out – magazines, cookbooks, DVDs, tv shows, and websites. To me it sounds like one of the coolest places in the world, so if there’s no post tomorrow, it’s because I quit in hopes of a career at America’s Test Kitchen (just kidding!).

Cooking Up Some Great Jobs

Although I’ve been familiar with the America’s Test Kitchen tv show and their Cook’s Illustrated magazine for a while, I never thought to look at their jobs. Luckily, a loyal reader pointed out that they have a ton of openings in a variety of areas. Of those jobs, we’ve picked a few that seem best suited for new or recent college grads. They include Assistant Test Cook, Junior Software Developer, eCommerce Marketing Coordinator, Production and Traffic Coordinator, Web Production Assistant, and Graphic Designer. Some of the jobs require a couple years of experience, but if you’ve been interning and participating in activities that give you real world experience, landing these jobs shouldn’t be a problem. The applications instructions vary a little bit depending on the position that you’re applying for, so head over to the America’s Test Kitchen Jobs page to get all of the details on these delicious jobs.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Hungry yet?

POLITICO

Willy Franzen — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:31:10 +0000

I think that I’ve said it before here – I don’t like politics. I’m not talking about interpersonal politics, I mean government politics. I quickly get frustrated by the ineptitude of our elected officials (and often the media that covers them) and start yelling at the tv. I used to be what people call a “politics junkie,” but I just got sick of it. That was before political blogging took off (I’m not old!), but if I hadn’t tired of politics at a young age, I’m sure that I’d be an avid reader of POLITICO. Wikipedia says that POLITICO is “a political journalism organization based in Washington, D.C., that distributes its content via television, the Internet, newspaper, and radio.” They apparently have a newspaper that is circulated on Capitol Hill and a number of partnerships with major media outlets, but their website seems to have the widest reach.

Be a POLITICO

I wish that I could tell you more about POLITICO, but their About page consists of a list of names with links to bios. Much like a newspaper (which I guess is what they are), there’s very little meta-information and a whole bunch of content. That makes finding detailed information about what it’s like to work for POLITICO kind of difficult. All you can go by is their Jobs page, which has quite a few positions posted. It’s hard to discern which are most appropriate for new college grads, but we think that you might want to give the following positions a look: Designer, Web Producer, White House Reporter, Life Reporter, Photographer, Video Producer, and Media and Special Projects Assistant. The job descriptions are really sparse, so you may end up applying for a position that you’re not qualified for, but what do you have to lose? Also, make note of the dates that many of these jobs were posted – they’re all over the place. Some postings are 7 months old, and others are much more recent. I can’t say for sure that POLITICO is still hiring for these positions, but you should definitely give applying a shot by sending a resume and cover letter to employment@politico.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you read POLITICO?

Howcast

Willy Franzen — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:46:23 +0000

When you don’t know how to do something (like find a job), what do you do? You probably head straight to Google and look for an online resource to tell you how to do what you want to do. It didn’t used to be that easy. You’d either have to ask someone, or buy a book (if you could figure out which book to buy), or figure it out yourself. Answering “how to” questions wasn’t easy, but now it is because of websites like New York City’s Howcast. Whether you head straight to Howcast or you find their answer to your question through Google, you’ll be delighted to find what they call “the best how to videos on the web.” Howcast covers nearly every topic you can imagine – from How to Adopt a Child to How to Psyche Out the Competition and – more relevant for our purposes – from How to Deal with a Smelly Coworker to How to Dress for a Job Interview. Each topic has both a video and a Wiki with written instructions, and the content is either user submitted or Howcast produced (it’s generally very high quality content). Oh yeah, and Howcast was named one of Time’s 50 Best Websites of 2008. That’s pretty cool.

How Do I Get an Entry Level Job?

Howcast answers a lot of important questions, but they completely missed the boat on one. Why the heck don’t they have a howcast on how to get a job at Howcast? It would be an awesome employment branding move, and it would really liven up their Jobs page. Unfortunately, it looks like you’re going to have to figure out how to get a job with them the old fashioned way – by showing initiative. That means you should check out their job postings, and see what you like. You’ll probably be most interested in their Writer positions. They sound like awesome jobs, and although they’ll start out as full-time freelance positions, there’s potential to make the jobs permanent. The position sounds perfect for a new grad except for the “At least 5 years of experience editing” part at the end of the job description. The reason we’re still telling you about these jobs is that we saw them posted on an entry level job board, and there was no mention of the experience requirement there. You can apply by sending a cover letter and resume with a subject line of “Writer” to jobs+writer@howcast.com. Also, it appears that these positions are available in San Francisco as well as New York City. Additionally, there is a Manager of Search Engine Optimization & Research Analytics position that probably isn’t suitable for new grads, but it could be a good fit for the right recent grad. You can apply for this one by sending a resume with cover letter to jobs+seo@howcast.com. And if you do end up landing one of these jobs, your first order of business should be that How to Get a Job at Howcast video.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you use Howcast?

SEOmoz

Willy Franzen — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:46:47 +0000

While I find most of the entry level jobs and companies that I feature here to be interesting, occasionally I come across one that almost makes me want to quit what I’m doing and go work for someone else. There are just some companies and jobs that stand out from the rest. SEOmoz is one of them. They’re a Seattle based search engine optimization company, but they’re more than that. Instead of just taking on consulting work like most SEO companies, they’ve made their name by becoming the place to go for search engine optimization education and tools. I’ve been an on and off member of SEOmoz’s Pro service, and I love it. I’ve learned most of my SEO knowledge from SEOmoz, and SEO has been one of the driving forces behind the growth of One Day, One Job and One Day, One Internship. I’ve even adopted SEOmoz’s business model of offering premium educational content (in the form of a job search training course).

Putting the Search in Job Search

If you don’t know much about SEO, SEOmoz is the place to learn. Their Beginner’s Guide to Search Engine Optimization is a great place to start. SEO is a growing field that isn’t being hit nearly as hard by the economic downturn. That’s because SEO is a relatively cheap way (compared to most other forms of marketing) to get people to your website. In fact, there are quite a few people who are making millions of dollars a year just based on their knowledge of SEO. If you don’t know anything about SEO, a job at SEOmoz probably isn’t in the cards for you right now, but I still recommend that you spend a couple of hours checking them out. Knowing a thing or two about how the search engines work can be really useful in nearly any job – or for personal branding during your job search.

If you do have some SEO expertise, then this job at SEOmoz is probably a dream come true. You can find the full description on their SEO Expert Wanted post. The requirements are pretty steep, but there should be quite a few of you who can fit the bill. The vibe that I get from SEOmoz is that they’re an awesome place to work and that they have a lot of fun. I also get a sense that their people develop very rapidly – mostly because working at SEOmoz is full of educational opportunities. I have nothing but good things to say about my experiences with SEOmoz, so check out the full job description and make sure that you read the application instructions carefully. Also, this is the kind of job where there’s a lot of room to make yourself stand out in the application process, so do it!

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Are you familiar with SEO? Or is it a completely foreign subject to you?

Epic Systems

Willy Franzen — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 15:17:17 +0000

My Dad is an architect, and he often likes to send me suggestions on which companies I should feature next. Sometimes he finds some pretty cool stuff, and a month or so ago he sent me a link to the Winter 2009 online issue of HQ Magazine, which features an article called “Top 20 Places to Work.” Usually such lists focus on a range of reasons for a place’s being great to work at, but HQ is an architectural publication, so this list is all about office space (not the movie). The section of the article on Epic Systems says: “Epic’s campus fits into idyllic pastures and farmland, providing serene, relaxing views from within. Outside are hiking trails, playing fields, a treehouse. Meeting rooms have working fireplaces to further the sense of calmness.” It sounds amazing. Epic systems is a Wisconsin based, privately held, employee owned healthcare software provider.

Epicly Helpful

Epic Systems only has 170 clients, but “they are some of the most respected organizations in healthcare.” Epic’s software apparently makes the patient experience a lot better, but until it makes waiting rooms obsolete, I’m not quite sold. Basically, what Epic’s software does is that it records every touch that a patient has with a healthcare provider. The information is kept securely, but in a way that allows patients to access it when they need it. Epic Systems provides a product that keeps doctors, nurses, and patients fully informed about what’s going on. We all know that the healthcare industry is a mess, but it’s also growing rapidly. Epic Systems seems to be taking advantage of this environment by making a product that makes healthcare better for all parties involved.

Here’s a sample situation from Epic’s website:

Imagine this: you’re from Dallas, but you’re on vacation in Seattle. Shortly after trying some of the free samples at the fish market, you come down with something nasty and end up in the Emergency Room. You can’t remember the names of the medications you’re taking at home, but you mention to the doctor that you’re normally seen at Black Springs Clinic in the Dallas area. The doctor in the ER is able to access your chart from the clinic without the need to place a call or retrieve a fax. Your ER doctor sees not only the specific medications and doses you were last prescribed at home, but also that you’re allergic to Iodine, preventing a potentially severe reaction during your care.

You get back on your feet after a few hours in the ER and are given a couple medications and a recommendation to see your doctor at home once you’re back from vacation. While still in Seattle, you pull out your laptop and are able to send a secure message to your physician in Dallas, letting him know briefly what happened. You also sign up for a follow-up appointment for when you return. When you arrive, your doctor has access to your clinic chart, as well as the information documented during your visit to the ER in Seattle.

Sounds pretty great.

Do Something Epic

Epic may have only made the list of Top Places to Work because of their building, but they look like they belong on any general list of the best places to work. Their Careers site is loaded with information – especially the Life and Work section. We could go on and on about how cool it looks to work at Epic, but you’re better off checking it out on your own (start by taking a tour of their campus). Epic allows you to browse their jobs by both Career Type and Educational Background; however, I prefer to look at their listing of all available positions. The jobs are insanely easy to scan for entry level positions, so there’s no need for me to list them here, and you can apply online. Although they are a software company, they have job openings in areas that include Accounting, Biotechnology, Botany, Consulting, HR, IT, Project Management, Writing, and, of course, Software Development.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of Epic’s Campus.

MediaStorm

Willy Franzen — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:40:07 +0000

Here at One Day, One Job, we’re big on storytelling. The reason that we feature a new company every day is that a lot of companies aren’t very good at telling their own stories, and even if they are, there’s a good chance that you’ve never heard their stories. Brooklyn, NY based MediaStorm is one of those companies that excels at telling its own story – probably because their “principal aim is to usher in the next generation of multimedia storytelling by publishing social documentary projects incorporating photojournalism, interactivity, animation, audio and video for distribution across multiple media.” They’ve worked on some amazing projects that include Intended Consequences, a chronicle of the lives of Rwandan women who “were subjected to massive sexual violence, perpetrated by members of the infamous Hutu militia groups known as the Interahamwe,” and The Marlboro Marine, the story of a marine whose photograph became famous and how “tried to return to his previous life but found his nights haunted by images of war and his life fractured by depression.” MediaStorm seems to deal with a lot of heavy topics, but they certainly have mastered multimedia storytelling.

Take MediaStorm by Storm

MediaStorm was founded by Brian Storm in 2005, and in the few years since they’ve won quite a few awards. If you’re looking for a job in a multimedia production studio and you’re especially interested in social causes, then a job at MediaStorm might be the perfect post-graduation opportunity. MediaStorm takes an “always recruiting” approach. That means if you don’t see something on their Jobs page that strikes your interest, but you know that you have something to add, they’ll be happy to hear from you. Right now their current openings include Flash/Web Developer, Interactive Designer, Multimedia Producer, Multimedia Writer, Project Manager, and Technical Engineer. Most of the job descriptions say that they require at least two years of experience, but there’s no reason that your college years couldn’t have provided you with that experience. If you’ve developed strong multimedia/journalism skills, then you should definitely think about applying for a job with MediaStorm. To apply send a resume with links to your online portfolio, references, and a cover letter explaining why you wish to work with MediaStorm to careers@mediastorm.org.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Which of MediaStorm’s projects do you find most interesting?

Atlantic Media

Willy Franzen — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:42:15 +0000

It’s amazing to think that a publication started by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., and James Russell Lowell in 1857 is still kicking. The Atlantic has morphed from a focus on literary and cultural affairs to more broadly attacking the topics of foreign affairs, politics, economics, and cultural trends. It has also joined forces with National Journal and Government Executive to form Atlantic Media. Their publications are a little more advanced than Highlights and Mad Magazine, which is why a recent rebranding effort was probably necessary. Appealing to people’s intellectual sides just isn’t the best way to sell magazines, unfortunately. With lots of changes going on at Atlantic Media, and National Journal Group’s political trade journals still bringing money, now might be an interesting time to consider working at Atlantic Media.

Weathering a Storm at the Atlantic

Atlantic Media is another old media company that is trying to hang on in an old media world. They have a great heritage, but how they approach the next few years will determine whether they are around in another century and a half. This might scare some of you away, but I hope some of you will see it as an amazing opportunity. A quick look at Atlantic Media’s current job opportunities shows that they are hiring for a number of jobs, some of which seem well suited to new college grads. These include Associate Writer – Hotline, Desktop Support Technician, Developer, Events Content Producer, Reporter – CongressDaily, Sales Assistant (San Francisco), Staff Writer – Global Security Newswire, Technical Producer, and White House Reporter – CongressDaily . Although The Atlantic has long been associated with Boston, they made the move to Washington, DC in 1999 to be more closely tied to the political scene in the beltway, so all of the jobs are located in Washington, DC unless otherwise noted. There’s a nice mix of journalism and technical jobs here, and you can apply by following the links to the individual job descriptions.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you read The Atlantic or any of Atlantic Media’s other publications?

Mashable

Willy Franzen — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:20:27 +0000

Our HP Magic Giveaway Contest has ended, and we will announce the winner some time tomorrow. That’s not the end of the excitement though, we have a fun 4 question quiz for you all to take to evaluate how you’re approaching your job search. And of course, we have another exciting entry level job for you today. If you love social networking and social media, then you probably already follow Mashable. It’s the “world’s largest blog focused exclusively on social networks.” They get 5 million pageviews a month, and they’re constantly breaking news on “all that’s new on the web.” They’ve even had a lot to add to the online job search. They’ve published articles like 70+ Tools for Job Hunting 2.0 and 9 Sites for Successful Job Interviews. They have seem to have missed one important site on both of those lists, but we’ll forgive them.

This Job Mashes

Journalism is changing before our eyes, and Mashable is a perfect example of how’ that’s happening. If you wanted in-depth information about a niche topic like social media, you used to have to subscribe to a magazine that would come out monthly, quarterly, or even semi-annually. Newspapers might occasionally give you something to chew on, but for the most part you’d be out of luck when it comes to getting the latest info on social networks. Now, you just subscribe to Mashable’s RSS feed, and that’s it.

So, Mashable is looking for a Day Time Social Media Blogger. They want someone who can write, meet deadlines, and is passionate about the web and social media – not necessarily in that order. If you’re going to apply, you better have a serious footprint on the web – participation in lots of social media sites and lots of Google results for your name. This job is full-time or part-time and can be located in New York City or virtually. To apply for this job with Mashable, send an e-mail to jobs@mashable.com with your “E-mail Address, Location/Time Zone, Links to 6 recent (past 4 months) writing samples, Resume or List of proof of about Criteria, and Social Media Links (Twitter, Facebook, etc).” I’m sure that the competition for this job will be fierce, so make sure that your application shows why you know more about social media than everyone else.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Are you a Mashable reader?

Literature for All of Us

Willy Franzen — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:40:30 +0000

How many of you participate in book discussion groups? I’ve never been a part of one, but I had a class in college that might as well have been one. It was one of my favorite classes, and it never seemed to drag by like many lectures did. We had the specific goal of discussing and understanding issues relating to “Values in the Law, Economic, and Industrial and Labor Relations.” At the surface the material that we covered often seemed to have nothing to do with subject matter of the class, but as we started to dig deeper it often became apparent that almost anything could be related to the class title. Group discussion is a fantastic way to learn, and it’s no surprise to me that a Chicago based non-profit organization called Literature for All of Us has used book discussion groups to reach out to teen mothers and other youths from underserved neighborhoods. By reading the same books and then sharing reactions to the material, participants are able to engage with issues that they would probably never comfortably address in a classroom setting.

Literature for You Too!

Literature for All of Us was founded in 1996 with the specific purpose of connecting teen mothers to their strengths through literature, poetry, and discussion. Since then, the organization has branched out to boys (now 20% of their programs), and the model has been replicated across the country and internationally. To truly get a sense of how Literature for All of Us is effecting change in the lives of teen mothers and others, you must watch this video. It follows the stories of a few of the program’s participants as they talk about their struggles with teen pregnancy.

It’s a simple program, but it seems to be working not only to improve literacy, but also to promote the emotional growth of young people who are facing situations that are often too mature for them. If this sounds like a program that you’d like to get involved with, then you’re in luck. Literature for All of Us is currently looking to hire a Book Group Leader / Curricula Specialist for Male Groups. The job requires experience in facilitating group discussions, knowledge of contemporary literature, familiarity with African American and Latin American male authors, and prior experience working successfully with diverse populations and/or groups of young men. It’s a perfect way for you to share your love of the written word with young people who are yet to fully appreciate the power of literacy, and it’s also a great opportunity for Liberal Arts majors to put their educations to work. If you’re interested in applying, you can send a cover letter and resume to kira@literatureforallofus.org .

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever been part of a book discussion group?

Rodale

Willy Franzen — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:04:23 +0000

Considering that college is a time when you’re supposed to be working towards having a productive adulthood, a whole lot of self-destruction seems to be going on. It must be hard for the health nuts to fit in. If you prefer 8 glasses of water a day to keg stands, celery sticks to buffalo wings, and the Nintendo Wii to the Xbox, then you’ll be a lot more comfortable in an entry level job at Rodale than you will be at a frat party. Rodale is a “global media company with a heritage, mission, and authority dedicated to the health and wellness of the individual, community, and planet.” They publish magazines such as Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Organic Gardening, Prevention, and Runner’s World. They’re also the largest independent book publisher in the U.S.

Healthy in Mind, Body, and Career

Although traditional publishing isn’t the healthiest industry, health and wellness is an area that continues to do well. Rodale is in the right niche, and they’re not resting on their laurels – they’re building out a strong portfolio of branded web properties to ensure that they stay at the forefront of health and wellness media. They’re also keen on developing young talent, as you can see with their Internship program and the entry level jobs that they offer. Rodale currently has a number of job openings that appear to be well suited to new college grads. Although most of the jobs include some sort of previous work experience requirement, we think that most of you probably have done enough in college and internships to be ready for the jobs. Take a look at the job descriptions, and if you think that you have what it takes, don’t be afraid to apply even if you don’t fit their “requirements” exactly.

Right now, Rodale is looking for an Assistant Customer Marketing Manager (Emmaus, PA), an Assistant Market Editor for Women’s Health, (Emmaus, PA), an Online Marketing / Sales Development Manager for Runner’s World (New York, NY), an Online Video Producer (Emmaus, PA), and a Web Producer (Emmaus, PA). You can apply for all of these jobs online directly from their descriptions, or you can browse Rodale’s Job postings for more opportunities, if none of these get you excited.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you read any of Rodale’s magazines? Which ones?

TechCrunch

Willy Franzen — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:45:43 +0000

If you’ve been paying attention to what we’ve preaching here every day, you know that we think that in-depth employer research is the key to finding and landing great jobs. You also may have noticed that we routinely feature tech startups, and when we do, we usually encourage you to check out what TechCrunch has to say about them. TechCrunch is the blog when it comes to news and information about Internet products and companies. They’ve been around since 2005, and they’ve rapidly built themselves to be one of the top 3 blogs in the world according to Technorati. They also happen to have an RSS subscriber base of close to 1.3 million. That is an insane number. Despite all their success, or maybe because of it, TechCrunch has continued to break news stories and deliver quality content. They’re not resting on their laurels.

Do Your Crunches

TechCrunch has a number of businesses (or sites) that they’ve built out to add to their blog about startups. There’s CrunchGear – a blog about gadgets, MobileCrunch – a blog about mobile devices, TechCrunchIT – a blog about enterprise IT, and CrunchBase – a “free database of technology companies, people, and investors that anyone can edit” (check out One Day, One Job’s CrunchBase profile). There are a number of other projects that TechCrunch has going on, but we’ve mentioned the main ones. TechCrunch has a relatively small team to manage all of these sites, but they do occasionally add to the ranks. They typically hire people for specific sites instead of pulling them under the general TechCrunch umbrella.

Right now they have two (maybe three) openings that are perfect for entry level job seekers. They’re currently looking for a CrunchBase Research Analyst and a Full Time Writer. There’s also a “We’re Hiring” link on CrunchBase that links to a post from August in which they say that they’re looking to hire Ruby Developers. That’s 2.5 months old, so there’s a good chance that those positions are already filled. TechCrunch uses their job board, CrunchBoard, to post jobs, so you’ll have to wade through job listings from other companies if you want to keep on the lookout for jobs with TechCrunch. TechCrunch has a huge social media profile, and so does its founder Michael Arrington (like his Twitter account). If you can’t find all of the info that you want to about what it’s going to be like to work for TechCrunch, you’re not trying. The company is located in Atherton, CA, and to apply for jobs with them, you should follow the instructions found in the individual job postings.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

TechCrunch.com
Jobs at TechCrunch (and many other companies)
About TechCrunch
Contact TechCrunch
TechCrunch Info for Advertisers

Are you a TechCrunch reader? Do you use it to research companies that you might want to work for?

Shmoop

Willy Franzen — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:49:53 +0000

Back when I was in high school (yes, part of that was in the 90s), I thought that I was really savvy when it came to using the Web to do better in my English classes. I found online, public-domain versions of many of the books that I was reading. The best part was that these were searchable, so if I needed to find a quote or a specific passage, all I had to do was remember a key word or two. It was fantastic. A lot has changed since then, and I don’t even know the extent of what academic resources are available online now. What I do know is that it’s not fair that today’s students have access to sites like Shmoop, when I couldn’t even dream of something like it. What is Shmoop? It’s hard for me to describe briefly, so maybe you should take the Tour de Shmoop.

To Shmoop or Not to Shmoop?

If you took the tour, you saw that Shmoop is like a really awesome online tutor. It won’t do the work for you, but it will make learning, writing, and understanding a lot easier. It’s too bad that you’re almost done with school, so Shmoop won’t do you much good; however, if you’re the kind of student who didn’t need Shmoop because your outlines were so comprehensive and your analysis was so on point, then you can do good for Shmoop. They need really smart people to help them improve their service and move out of beta. If you look at the listing of jobs at Shmoop, you’ll see that these aren’t the typical opportunities that you’ll see from a Silicon Valley startup. Ok, they have the standard openings for PHP and/or Python Rock Stars (in Sunnyvale, CA) to help them build the software side of their product, but they also need brilliant English, Literature, and History majors to help them build the content side. They also need Editors and Spanish language translators. These positions can be full or part-time, you can do them wherever you want (location flexible), and the hours will be at your discretion. Does it get better than that? Who would have thought that English and History majors could score jobs at a Silicon Valley startup?

Not sold yet? Here’s what Shmoop has to say about themselves: “We move quickly. We debate passionately. We obsess over grammar. We quiz each other on literature and history. We chow on Specialty’s cookies. We dream of better ways to make learning fun and relevant.” If you think Shmoop is a game changing educational tool and you want to be a part of it, then send a resume and cover letter to jobs@shmoop.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

How much higher do you think your GPA would have been if Shmoop had been around when you were in high school?

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.

Ignite Social Media

Willy Franzen — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:00:51 +0000

If you’ve already read our article about using Facebook advertising in your job search, you might know the name Alex Payne. He was one of the participants in our experiment who responded to our call for “adventurous job seekers.” He’s a new grad from Duke with a double major in English and Literature, and he was looking for a job in marketing and publishing. We’re not sure if our experiment helped to ignite his interest in social media, but he’s taken an internship at Ignite Social Media to try his hand at online marketing. Alex recently pinged me to let me know that Ignite is hiring for a couple positions that might be well suited to new college grads. It’s good to know people on the inside.

Ignite Your Career

Social media is becoming a big business, and we’re seeing more and more jobs in social media every day. Ignite Social Media is based out of Cary, NC and they certainly have a good eye for budding social media talent (they hired Alex, a kid who was brave enough to use Facebook ads in his job search). Right now they have three job openings that they announced in more detail on their blog. They’re looking for a Web Copywriter, an Interactive Designer, and an Account Manager. All of these positions require a certain level of expertise, but they can certainly be classified as entry level.

If you’re fired up about working at Ignite, you can send a cover letter and a link to your LinkedIn profile (they really are all about social media) to erin@ignitesocialmedia.com. The cover letter is important, so be sure to write it specifically for the job that you’re applying for at Ignite. If you’re applying for the Web Copywriter job, you should include links to 2+ writing samples, and if you’re applying for the Interactive Designer job, you should include links to 2+ design samples. They’ll mark your application as spam (not really, I made that up, but they won’t read it) if you don’t include the cover letter and required samples.

If you have any questions about working at Ignite, we’re sure that Alex and other Ignite employees will be happy to answer them in the comments section. We expect nothing less of a company that specializes in social media.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

If you have a tip on a company that we should cover, let us know. We love it when our readers tip us off.

Men’s Health Network

Willy Franzen — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:52:09 +0000

To most college aged guys the words “men’s health” brings up images of jacked guys on a cover of a magazine that claims that it will help you “Lose Your Gut in 43 Days” and go on the “Red Hot Sex Safari.” Others might think of the retired athletes who now appear in commercials about prostate cancer, but for the most part 20-something males don’t think about health issues too much (and for good reason, most of us are completely healthy). I was taken aback when I started reading Adam Frey’s blog. Adam is a Cornell University (my alma mater) wrestler who competed in the NCAA championships this spring. A few days after his wrestling season finally ended, he was in a horrible car accident, but walked away from it mostly unscathed. He went to the hospital and had some precautionary tests done including a CAT scan. His body was completely unharmed from the accident, but that the doctors discovered that Adam had testicular cancer. Since his diagnosis Adam has been blogging nearly every day about his battle with cancer. His posts are inspirational, and his honesty is sometimes overwhelming. He is doing a fantastic job of bringing light to men’s health issues, much like the Men’s Health Network, which is a non-profit educational organization that aims to “significantly improve the health, longevity, and quality of life or men and their families.”

Help Promote Men’s Health

Men’s Health Network is “made up of physicians, researchers, individuals, public health workers and other health professionals.” These people work together to promote Men’s Health Month (June) along with National Men’s Health Week, which are part of educational campaigns to “promote public and media awareness of men’s health issues and to disseminate vital information on how to prevent disease, violence and addiction.” Men’s Health Network puts a lot of work into generating awareness, because men’s health issues don’t seem to get as much attention as women’s health issues. Maybe it’s because men just aren’t generally as health conscious as women are. Regardless, even though most of you readers – male and female – are young and likely healthy, knowing about what types of health issues men face and how to deal with them is especially important as you make the move to the real world and enter adulthood. Prevention is our strongest weapon against many men’s health issues, and although Adam Frey’s cancer could not have been prevented and probably couldn’t have been detected too much earlier, promoting awareness is still the key to prevention.

Men’s Health Network is looking for someone to help them with Internet and Web Communications. This person should be able to maintain the organization’s websites, update its blogs, edit its podcasts, and generally be a web communications expert. In fact, Adam would be perfect for the job (he’s doing a lot of the same work with his blog), but he’s a bit preoccupied right now with beating the crap out of cancer. If you’re passionate about improving the health of men, send a cover letter and resume to men@menshealthnetwork.org to see if you’d be a good addition to their team in Washington, DC.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

How aware are you of men’s health issues?

Marvel Enterprises

Willy Franzen — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:39:22 +0000

Are you a superhero whose alter ego happens to be looking for a job? Just for cover, of course, because superheroes don’t actually need to work. You’ve managed to keep it quiet through your 4 years in college, but now that you’re going off on your own, you need a good place to hide out when you’re not beating up villains and saving the world. Why not work at the last place that they’d ever expect you to work – Marvel Enterprises. It’s so obvious that it’s completely unobvious. In all seriousness if you’re not familiar with Marvel, they’re “one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies.” They made their name in comic books, but they’ve expanded into tv, movies, toys, video games, and more.

Are You an Entry-Level Superhero?

From what we hear, Marvel is the type of company that is filled with fanatics. If you don’t have a comic book collection, you’re probably not going to be a good fit. Because Marvel has such strong brand recognition and loyalty, it seems like they always get plenty of job applicants despite the fact that they may not be seen on any Best Places to Work lists any time soon. We don’t know this for sure, but this blog post about Why Women Don’t Work at Marvel is enlightening. We don’t think that you should write off Marvel just yet (that blog post is 2 years old), but you should certainly research with caution. You could also try to be the superhero who initiates change and brings equality to Marvel while fighting the “Howard Stern/partytime/fratboy/strip club” mentality.

So what kind of job opportunities are available at Marvel for new college graduates? There’s just one right now – it’s as an Advertising Coordinator. All of Marvel’s job openings are listed on Monster.com, which dissapoints us because we thought that superheroes were supposed to defeat evil monsters, not make them stronger. We’re not sure if this job is located at Marvel’s Los Angeles, CA office or their New York, NY office because they don’t list a location on the job posting (maybe it’s really at a secret superhero hideout), but we’re pretty sure that it’s at one of the two. You can apply online through Monster’s interface.

There’s also another employment option for the more creative Marvel Fans. You can submit your writing or art for consideration by their team. If they like what they see, you could be the next Marvel superstar. They get a ton of submissions, but if you’re good, it’s worth a shot. They are very specific about how you should submit your art or writing, so be sure to read over their submission guidelines very carefully. Just imagine having your own comic book series.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Who’s your favorite Marvel superhero? Leave a comment and let us know.

10gen

Willy Franzen — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:00:58 +0000

Software used to be all about personal computers. You bought a computer, then you bought software, and finally you loaded the software onto the computer. Whether you wanted to play a game, make a spreadsheet, or edit images, the process was essentially the same. We’re rapidly moving towards a future where much of the software that we use resides on someone else’s computer – a server – and we access it over the Internet. One obvious example of this change is Google Apps. Another less obvious example is Facebook. You may say, “But it’s just a website!” Yes, it’s a website that does a lot of things – it’s software. More and more developers are spending more and more time building applications that run “in the cloud.” The biggest challenge for these developers is ensuring that their applications scale – in other words, that they work just as well with 100,000 users as they do with 100 users. Building the software and hardware infrastructure needed to scale efficiently is a mountainous task, that’s why 10gen is building a software based solution that runs on most current hosting hardware. They envision a future in which a single developer can build a software product that serves millions of users without having to worry about scaling.

10gen Needs to Scale by Hiring New People

10gen not only has a great product idea, but they also have great people behind them. They have received venture capital funding form Union Square Ventures, and they are part of AlleyCorp, which is a network of affiliated companies that share resources. They have money, and they have guidance, now they need new team members to help them achieve their mission. 10gen has quite a few job openings, and we’ve identified which ones seem like they may be good fits for new college grads. A software development background is an absolute must for each of these jobs, so if you’ve never sat in front of a computer screen staring at code until your eyes glazed over, you’re probably not a good fit for 10gen. All of 10gen’s entry-level positions are based in New York City, and they include: Technology Connector; Software Engineers; Professional Services Engineer; QA/Release Engineer; Eclipse Platform Engineer; Ruby and Rails Engineer; and Technical Writer, Software Engineering. You can apply for these jobs by contacting David Blacker, Director of Talent Acquisition at AlleyCorp, at jobs@alleycorp.com. You’ll probably want to include a cover letter and resume, and a link to a web application that you’ve worked on probably isn’t a bad idea either.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

10gen.com
Jobs at 10gen
The 10gen Blog
10gen’s Team
AlleyCorp.com (AlleyCorp is a network of companies that includes 10gen)
AlleyCorp’s FAQ

Not sure that you can help 10gen in their quest to make it easy to scale web applications? Take a look at entry-level jobs at Alcoa. They have some really exciting opportunities.

Ruder Finn

Willy Franzen — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:00:47 +0000

Despite what their name might make you think, Ruder Finn was not founded by someone from Finland with bad manners. They are actually a family-owned public relations firm that was founded in 1948 by David Finn and Wlliam Ruder. Ruder Finn has four specialties – Health & Wellness, Global Connectivity, Corporate & Public Trust, and Life & Style – with many areas of focus within those specialties. The firm’s first client was Perry Como, who was followed by a list of other celebrities; however, Ruder Finn represents more than just celebrities. They work with many major corporations, the United Nations, and they even represented the Bosniaks and the Croats in the Yugoslav Wars. Yes, warring nations choose Ruder Finn to manage their PR – that’s impressive, albeit a bit strange.

Not Quite an Entry-Level Job, Not Quite an Internship

Ruder Finn is obviously well know for their public relations work, but they’re also known for their Public Relations Executive Trainee Program. They run this program thrice annually, and the application deadline for the Fall program was August 1st, but it has been extended (they don’t have a set limit on the number of applicants accepted into the program). We’re not sure how much longer they are accepting applications, so you should probably get your application together as quickly as possible. Before you do that, though, let us tell you a little bit more about the Ruder Finn Public Relations Executive Trainee Program.

This program is not quite an entry-level job, and it’s not quite an internship – that’s why we’re posting it here and on One Day, One Internship. It’s intended for new college graduates, and it’s located in New York City. The program has been running for 30 years, and each session runs for approximately 4 months. Participants are expected to work 35 hours per week and to attend weekly training classes. Ruder Finn pays participants a prorated annual salary of $24,000 (so that should be about $8,000 for 4 months), but does not provide benefits. Participants who excel in the Executive Trainee Program are often hired full-time as Assistant Account Executives. We’d guess that participants who don’t end up getting full-time offers probably go on to work for other great public relations firms.

If you’re a new grad who is looking for a job in public relations and wants to gain experience in writing, media monitoring, media relations, electronic media, special event planning, new business presentation, and more, then the Ruder Finn Executive Trainee Program is a great opportunity. If you can get your act together quickly, apply for the Fall term. If you can’t, don’t fret – they offer this program every spring and summer too. Ruder Finn is very particular about how you apply for this program, so be sure to follow the instructions on their How to Apply page carefully.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you know anything about this program? Leave a comment.