As a job or internship seeker, you’re constantly being assessed. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in an interview or meeting someone new in an informal setting–when you identify yourself as someone who is looking for a position, people start sizing you up. The problem is that most people (even the ones who make hiring decisions) aren’t all that great at parsing the information that you give them. It’s almost comforting to be evaluated in a more formal process (like school). That’s what PeopleAnswers offers employers. They’re a Dallas, TX based company that has developed a “web-based assessment tool [based on] proven and validated Industrial Psychology principles to extract the Behavioral DNA® from both job applicants and existing employees to provide an unprecedented level of insight into their future on-the-job capabilities.”
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Have you ever looked up a doctor online? When you type the name into Google, you’re often inundated with useless results (kind of like when you’re job searching). There are “reviews” that aren’t really reviews, and “information” pages that don’t offer any useful information. While most doctors prefer to focus on medicine over marketing, the truth is that a successful practice requires a continuous flow of new and returning patients. The Internet will continue to play a larger role in how people find doctors, and Treatspace wants to ensure that patients accurate, helpful information. That’s why the Pittsburgh, PA based company is focused on putting “facts online that connect providers, patients, and health professionals.”
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I spent last night in Las Vegas as a stopover on the way to somewhere far more relaxing. I’d never visited Vegas before, but everything about it reminds me of a cheesy game show. It’s not really my thing–if I wanted that, I’d just turn on GSN (aka Game Show Network). In case you’re not familiar, GSN “is a multimedia entertainment company that offers original and classic game programming and competitive entertainment via its 77-million subscriber television network and online game sites.” The company is headquartered in Santa Monica, CA and also has offices in New York, NY, Waltham, MA, San Francisco, CA, and a few other cities. GSN has been around for almost 20 years now, and they’ve expanded on what used to be mostly rerun based programming with original game shows and tons of online games.
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Right after I graduated college, I started investing in the stock market. I’ve more than doubled my money since then, which means that I made some pretty good decisions. One stock that I was considering at the time was CWTR. It was around $45 back then, and I thought that I had a few good reasons to believe that the stock would go up from there. Luckily, I didn’t buy. The stock is now at less than $4 per share–and that’s after a 4 for 1 reverse stock split. I’m glad that I avoided that -98% return on investment. While Coldwater Creek, which is based in Sandpoint, ID (with a design center New York, NY), has certainly struggled over the past 6 years, that doesn’t mean that you should overlook the potential opportunity. The multi-channel “specialty retailer of women’s apparel, jewelry and accessories” started as a one-room mail order business. They obviously had an amazing growth period that took them to going public, and now it’s time for them to get back on track.
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It’s extremely important to surround yourself with ambitious people. Unfortunately, that much easier said than done. Where do you find people who can challenge you? Even if you go to a great college or have impressive parents, it can be hard to find the right kind of people to push you. It gets even harder if you come from a low-income community. That’s why iMentor “builds mentoring relationships that empower students in low-income communities to graduate high school, succeed in college, and achieve their ambitions.” They’re a New York, NY based non-profit that was founded in 1999 and has connected well over 10,000 students with mentors.
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I’m headed to Colorado for my bachelor party this weekend. We rented a ranch, and we’re planning on hiking, fishing, and eating meat. My hope was that we’d get shorts and t-shirt weather, but it’s looking more and more like we might need to bring along something from The North Face. It’s not that we’ll be doing any hardcore mountaineering during the trip–it’s just going to be cold. As much as we all know that The North Face, which is based in Alameda, CA, is about pushing “the boundaries of innovation so that you can push the boundaries of exploration,” we also know that a lot of their gear is purchased to keep suburban kids warm while they wait for the school bus. That’s not a slight The North Face. It’s just that when you make high performance clothing and outerwear that looks great and is relatively affordable, people are going to use it in all kinds of situations.
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One Day One Job is hiring paid Growth Interns/Apprentices/Hustlers! Help us help more student find their dream jobs.
I like to keep tabs on the venture capital market. While I have no intention of taking outside investment, I enjoy reading about entrepreneurship and where people are seeing new opportunities. But that’s not the only reason. When companies get funded, it’s often for the purpose of hiring new people. So when I hear that a company just took a new round of investment, I know that there’s a good chance that new positions popping up on their Careers page. TechCrunch usually goes deep enough for my purposes, but people who are in the industry need much more in-depth information. That’s why go to PitchBook, a Seattle, WA based company that provides “clients with the highest-quality PE and VC data, news and information, with an acute focus on deals and companies.”
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One Day One Job is hiring! Learn more here.
Personal finance and the job search go hand in hand. There’s plenty that you can do to get your financial life in order before you start working, but you can’t really start taking control until the paychecks start hitting your bank account (even though that’s probably the most tempting time to lose control). As I’ve learned from Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich, personal financial success is about behavioral change, and changing your behavior is hard. That’s why I was intrigued to learn about a “financial wellness” tool that was designed with the help of behavioral economists. The company behind it is called HelloWallet, and they’re based in Washington, DC. Their goal is to “boost the wealth of workers by democratizing access to honest financial guidance – something only 20 percent of Americans have access to today.”
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Right now I’m in the process of getting some of my friends together to coordinate my bachelor party. I have less than zero interest in the traditional approach, so I’m looking for some good outdoor activities for a bunch of dudes. We haven’t decided where we’re going yet, but ideally we’ll rent a house instead of staying in a hotel. One of the best places to find vacation rentals is HomeAway. They’re an Austin, TX based company that offers “the world’s leading online marketplace of vacation rentals, with sites representing over 711,000 paid listings of vacation rental homes in 171 countries.” I figured that VRBO.com was their biggest/most similar competitor, but it turns out that they own them. I guess maybe the biggest competitor is Airbnb then, though they serve a slightly different market (more apartments fewer houses).
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We live in a strange time. The stats tell us that investing in higher education is one of the best investments that an individual can make, yet so many young people are saddled by student loans and under or unemployment. Something is going to have to change, and I’m not sure what it will be. American Student Assistance is an organization that will likely play a role in the change. They’re a Boston, MA based “private nonprofit whose public purpose mission is to empower students and alumni to successfully manage and repay their college loan debt.” ASA was founded in 1956 as the Massachusetts Higher Education Assistance Corporation and has served as a loan guarantor for much of its history. That ended in 2008 with a change in Federal law, but it hasn’t stopped American Student Assistance from offering SALT, its “innovative financial literacy and default prevention program.”
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If there’s anything that the Internet is perfect for, it’s finding hotels. Whether you’re looking for a place off the highway to stop for the night or a luxury vacation, you’re going to be better off if you use the web. Since so many people go online to find hotels, the competition for attention is getting really tough (especially now that Google has entered the market and inserted their product at the top of search results). Most hotel owners aren’t Internet marketing experts, so how do they make sure that people find them? They use buuteeq, a Seattle, WA based company and “easy-to-use web application that improves your hotel’s online marketing on the web, on mobile devices, and on Facebook.” It gives hotel owners everything they need to compete with the major chains who have huge teams dedicated to online marketing.
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A few months ago my cleaning lady brought a printed out picture with her to work. It was a pair of headphones that her grandchild in Poland wanted for Christmas. She explained to me in broken English that the headphones were very expensive in Poland and much cheaper here. She wanted to know where to buy them. When I told her that I could order them on Amazon for what would amount to nearly four house cleanings for her, she decided that her grandchild would have to appreciate a less expensive gift. In case it isn’t obvious, the headphones on the print out were from Beats by Dr. Dre, a Santa Monica, CA based company that “provides a premium sound experience at every touch point of the consumer’s life.” In only six years Dr. Dre has built an iconic brand (one that Polish kids tell their grandmothers in America about) in a market where most people used to use whatever came free with their CD or MP3 players. (I’m still perfectly happy with my Apple earbuds.)
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I buy almost all of my electronics directly from Apple or on Amazon. They have pretty much everything that I ever need, but there’s plenty of stuff that they don’t carry. Whether you’re looking for computer parts, digital cameras, TVs, or a display, Newegg probably has it. They’re a City of Industry, CA based “e-retailer committed to becoming the most loved and trusted marketplace on the web by offering superior shopping experience, rapid delivery, and stellar customer service.” Newegg is way too big to call a niche player, but they certainly cater to the geekier crowd. If you want to build your own computer, they’re the place to buy components. Not only do they have a huge selection of products, but they’ve also built a community of reviewers who can provide in-depth information on their experiences with products they’ve purchased.
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If you’re like me, you’re probably scraping for gift ideas right now. One trend that has been really big over the past few years is the subscription gift box, and it’s a great gift idea for someone who is hard to buy for. Companies like Birchbox, BeachMint, and Quarterly have each adopted this model, and I’m betting that we see it applied across even more markets over the next year. The baby/child market is proven winner, so it should be no surprise that a Mountain View, CA based company called Citrus Lane offers monthly “care packages for parents.” They ask parents a few questions about their kids (age and stage), and then send a curated selection of parent vetted toys, snacks, activities, and other products that usually align with the month’s theme.
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While I built this site to help college students internships at interesting companies, I’ve heard from a few people who use it very differently. One of the most surprising uses was from someone in Corporate Development at a pretty big company–she was using the daily e-mails to source potential acquisitions (though I don’t think any have actually happened). I think that’s pretty cool, but there are certainly better places to find deals. AxialMarket is one of them. They’re a New York, NY based company that “is revolutionizing the capital formation process for private companies.” In other words, they’ve built a marketplace where private companies can find partners for “M&A, capital raises, and debt financings.”
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Two days ago when we looked at Spindle, I mentioned that while I don’t find social media particularly valuable anymore, I think that many times it can be extremely helpful for local businesses. The thing is that most local business owners don’t have the time or knowledge to use social media effectively (maybe that’s my problem?). Luckily, there’s a simple solution–pay someone like Main Street Hub to do it for you. They’re an Austin, TX based company that helps “great local businesses around the world connect with customers” through social media. They offer a variety of solutions businesses in the Restaurant, Automotive, Nightlife, Health & Wellness, Hotel, Spa & Salon, Retail, and Pet industries, and they provide a wide range of services tailored to the businesses’ needs.
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I used to be a big proponent of social media, but it keeps getting harder for me to see it as anything but a waste of time. Maybe that’s going a little too far, but I’m at the point where I’m overwhelmed by the endless flow of mostly irrelevant information. I need filters! Depending on what I’m trying to accomplish at a given time, my interest in social content can vary greatly. Spindle is a company that is building “the discovery engine for the social web.” They’re based in Boston, MA and they find “the most relevant and useful social content from shops, restaurants, bars, event venues, museums, art galleries, parks, and other businesses and organizations around you.” It’s only one piece of the puzzle, but when I’m looking for somewhere interesting to go or something fun to do, I’d love to use social data to see what’s out there.
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Two days ago we took a look at The Nerdery, a company that builds websites and apps for companies who have budgets with a capital B. They’re extremely good at what they do, but they’re not the guys to build your personal website (unless you’re a celebrity). If you’re looking for a do-it-yourself solution that will give you a great look at a really affordable price, then Squarespace might be worth considering. They’re a New York, NY based company that provides “elegant solutions that set new standards for online publishing.” They’ve already helped people create, host, and maintain 1.4 million websites, and they’re just getting started.
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It’s my favorite time of year again. It has nothing to do with the end of summer–it’s Inc. 5000 time. In case you’re new to this, every year Inc. Magazine publishes a list of the 5,000 fastest growing privately held companies in America. It’s awesome (except for Inc.’s bush league decision to require registration to use the list this year). The Inc. 5000 is an amazing source for job and internship prospects, which is why I usually spend the month after the list is released running through it and looking for the best options for new grads. This year we’re going to start with #7. AdRoll is a San Francisco, CA based advertising startup that specializes in retargeting. Retargeting is showing ads to people based on site’s that they’ve already visited–you’ve probably noticed some ads following you around the web–that’s retargeting. It’s a huge and growing sector of the online ad business, which is why AdRoll has seen 11,082% three-year growth to $12.4 million in annual revenue.
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Let’s be honest. Your social media streams aren’t worth much. They may be valuable to your close friends and family (who aren’t even paying to access them), but they’re really just a way for big companies to collect information on you so that they can show you slightly more targeted advertising. It’s a little depressing, but there’s hope. Your social media activity may have an effect on big decisions if the people at Dataminr get their way. They’re a New York, NY based company that is transforming “social media streams into actionable signals for clients in the financial and government sectors.” The goal is to provide “one of the earliest warning systems for market-relevant information, noteworthy events and emerging trends.” You sill won’t be special in the eyes of Dataminr and their clients, but at least you’ll be part of something a little more meaningful than advertising.
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When I’m looking for “the most beautiful things on earth,” I usually go fly fishing for trout. Even if I don’t catch anything, I’m likely to find what I’m looking for. For other people a search for “the most beautiful things on earth” means that they’re going shopping. If antiques, vintage furniture and design, fine art, estate jewelry, vintage couture, and more are what you consider beautiful, then you’ll love 1stdibs. They’re a New York, NY based company that runs an online marketplace for unique and beautiful things. They bring “together more than 1,600 of the most prestigious international dealers” to offer a quality of merchandise that you don’t typically find online. There’s some really cool stuff on their site, so I highly recommend browsing for a bit to get a sense of what they typically sell.
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There are some things in life that we want not because we actually want them, but because they are signs of having achieved something. Nobody actually wants a mortgage, but you’ll certainly feel like you’ve achieved something when you have one. Financial advisors fall into the same category. Paying someone to manage your money seems a little backward, but it’s a problem you want to have. And when you do have that “problem,” you want to have a financial advisor who is well equipped to help you make the best decisions for your future. Blueleaf is a Cambridge, MA based company that provides super simple software that helps financial advisors more easily communicate information to their clients. Blueleaf “simplifies tracking all your savings and long-term financial goals while making everything you own transparent, understandable, and controllable.”
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After I graduated, I decided to get my finances in order. I cashed out savings bonds, combined bank accounts, and opened a Scottrade account so that I could start investing. This had obvious benefits, but it was also a project for me to work on during my job search. By analyzing investment ideas and managing a (very small) portfolio, I was developing new skills while giving myself something to talk about during job interviews. I highly recommend doing something like this yourself, but if it’s just not for you, you may want to take a look at Betterment. They’re a New York, NY based company that helps “people make smart decisions with their money.” Actually, I’m not sure if that’s a good way to put it. They make investing frictionless and take away any excuse that you’ve been using not to invest (besides the “I have absolutely no money to invest” excuse).
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There are plenty of brand names that we use generically for products even when we’re not using the given brand. A few that come to mind are Kleenex, Band-Aid, Escalator, Zipper, and Yo-yo. Try to name those products without using the brand. It’s easy for the first two, but the last three are pretty tough–that’s why they’ve lost their trademark status due to genericization. Band-Aid and Kleenex have protected their trademarks by aggressively pushing people to use terms like “adhesive bandages” and “facial tissues.” So here’s a test: what would you call the stuff that replaces shoe laces on kids’ shoes? I’m sure “hook-and-loop fastener” came right to mind. Well, that’s the business that Velcro is in. The company is based in Manchester, NH, and since the invention of their hook-and-loop fastener in 1941, they’ve been helping kids keep their shoes on and NASA keep their dinner plates from floating away.
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The last time that I was involved with an incubator was in 5th grade when my class was hatching chicks. Between then and when I graduated college, the word incubator was irrelevant to me. Now it’s coming up all the time. I’ve been involved with and interested in startups for the past five or so years, and in that time I’ve seen the idea of the incubator blow up. Incubators typically provide capital, guidance, office space, and much more to help startups get off the ground. Cogo Labs (formerly Adverplex) is a Cambridge, MA based incubator that focuses on growing Boston based web companies. They offer a unique value to their portfolio companies in that they have an in house “platform of proprietary technologies for algorithmic marketing, data mining, and quantitative business analytics.”
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I know some people who research their purchases to death. They end up never buying anything because new versions of the products come out before they can make a decision. It’s a never-ending process. I’m all for doing my due diligence before buying something expensive, but I try to make it as quick as possible. FindTheBest is a site that makes comparing anything super easy. They’re a Santa Barbara, CA company that offers “a powerful tool for making quick and informed decisions.” Whether you’re looking for the best breed of dog for your lifestyle or the best financial advisor in your area, FindTheBest offers you just the facts “stripped of any marketing influence.”
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When I see my friends from Jelly Chicago (a co-working group), we often bounce ridiculous startup ideas off of each other. For some reason, many are centered around online dating. It’s a really fun space to think about because there’s a simple problem with limitless solutions–just look at all of the different dating sites out there. Most of them require your searching through profiles and contacting people (or waiting to be contacted). Others propose matches based on fancy algorithms. MeetMoi is a mobile dating company that uses push technology to help you meet new people, and it’s all based on where you are right now. MeetMoi is located in New York, NY, but you can use it anywhere (well anywhere that they have a critical mass of users). Basically, all you have to do is fill out a profile and get out of the house. MeetMoi will find people with similar interests and push messages to your phone when you’re near each other. You can initiate a chat and decide to meet immediately, another time or not at all. It’s a little creepy, but people said that about online dating not so long ago.
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I’m not big on writing online reviews. There’s something that feels wrong about generating free content for someone else to make money off of it. But I’m sure glad that there are plenty of people who have a different opinion. How would I know which restaurants to go to without Yelp? Or what books to buy without Amazon reviews? Reviews have proven time after time to be a great base on which to build an Internet business. That’s exactly what they’ve done at Expo, a New York, NY based company that has been aiming “to create the largest and most authentic base of product focused videos available” since 2005. They’ve built a platform for regular people to share “videopinions” on nearly any product under the sun.
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Yesterday we looked at a company with a terrible applicant tracking system (that’s the software that they use to post their jobs on their web site). If you’ve been job searching for any time at all, you’ve been frustrated to tears by how unusable some ATSs are. The companies that develop these terrible products obviously don’t use “customer experience analytics.” Or if they do, they’re focusing on the customers who are paying the bills (HR) and not the customers who are using the product. For companies that care a little bit more about how they interact with customers, there’s ForeSee Results, an Ann Arbor, MI based company that helps “clients deliver even greater satisfaction to their customers.” They do this by collecting “millions of satisfaction survey responses annually, quantifying voice of customer and putting it in context to support strategic and tactical decisions.”
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While very few college students have experience hiring babysitters, I still like to use the “babysitter example” when explaining how the hiring process typically works in a company. This lesson from the Creative Thinking section of Found Your Career will explain what I’m talking about. The gist of it is that parents seek quite a few alternatives before they hire a babysitter outside of their social network–they want to hire someone they can trust. If they do end up going online to find a babysitter, a good way to find someone trustworthy is SitterCity. It’s a subscription based site (here’s a discount/coupon link for 30% off) that offers a “better way to find sitters and nannies.” SitterCity is based in Chicago, IL and claims that “within 24 hours after posting a job, parents usually get an average of 17 replies.” Those are the kind of results that nervous parents are happy to pay for.
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