When it comes to non-profits, design matters. You may like to think that people will judge organizations by their mission and actions, but it’s often not so. A great logo, a slick website, or a beautiful brochure is often the best way for an organization to prove its legitimacy. The same biases play out in the business world. Professional design is a sign of professional quality. If you’re going to donate to, volunteer for, spread the word about, or apply for an internship with a non-profit organization, you’re more likely to do it if their design impresses you. Hopefully NYC based Empax will impress you with their design. They are “a pioneering graphic design house devoted exclusively to helping nonprofit organizations meet their marketing and communication challenges in a unique and effective way.” Continue reading about Empax…
I love simplicity. I also appreciate singularity. You know… One Day, One Internship. 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 internship 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). Continue reading about Mono…
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.” Continue reading about Aplia…
Nearly every t-shirt that I own, I got for free. College is a great place to amass free t-shirts, but now that I’ve been out a few years, my collection is starting to wear thin (in more ways than one). I’m not sure what I’m going to do, but I don’t want to start paying for them. I’ll leave that to the customers of Michael Stars who throw down 50… 60… 100 bucks for a tee. Hey, they’re nice looking shirts, and there’s definitely a market for them. It may not be recession chic, but it works. Just look at Jessica Alba, Courteney Cox, Eva Longoria, and many more celebs wearing Michael Stars shirts. If that doesn’t impress you, then maybe you should check out the charity work that Michael Stars does. It may be hard to justify spending a lot on a t-shirt, but it definitely won’t be hard to justify taking an internship with Michael Stars in Hawthorne, CA. Continue reading about Michael Stars…
I’m a sucker for a good design, which is why I spent months perfecting the new design that I launched last Friday on One Day, One Job (a One Day, One Internship version is coming soon). It may not knock your socks off, but, hey, we can’t hire a fancy design firm like Free Association. They’re a Brooklyn, NY based “team of designers, developers, and strategists who are dedicated to brilliance in the digital space.” And brilliance is what they deliver. They’ve worked with Microsoft, MTV, Mint, and more. I’m impressed by their work, and I think that you will be too. Continue reading about Free Association…
The world of non-profits is built on fundraising. Organizations big and small take money from donors and put it to use how they see fit. The system works, but it leaves a lot to be desired. What if you want to know where your money is going and whom it is helping? What if you want to decide where your money goes? You often can’t. With San Francisco based Kiva you can. You can loan money directly to the working poor. And if you make a wise investment and the person you loan money to succeeds, you’ll get your money back and get to loan it again. You can lend money to a man who runs a food market in Togo or a woman who sells traditional coats in Tajikistan. The choice is yours. Kiva is all about “connect[ing] people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty.” It’s a really simple idea that couldn’t have taken hold before the Internet. Now it’s changing the way that we think about giving through microfinance and microfunding. Continue reading about Kiva…
Jeremy Schoemaker is ShoeMoney. ShoeMoney is probably best known for his picture of the check. Using AdSense, Google’s advertising platform for web publishers, he made $132,994.97 in one month. Since then, he’s had amazing success with marketing ringtones through affiliate deals and a project called AuctionAds, which allows web publishers to market eBay auctions on their sites. There are a lot of web startups that seem glamorous because of their big ideas, but they often lack profitability and end up in the deadpool. ShoeMoney Media Group ignores the glitz and goes where the money is. They follow 3 core principles: embrace new trends and look for opportunities to exploit them; focus on what you know; and small changes can equal big revenue. There is an absolutely insane amount of information about ShoeMoney on the web, so get researching. Google ShoeMoney, visit ShoeMoney’s blog, and read his hilarious, but honest post about his 10 worst money making ideas. There’s also a short BusinessWeek article about ShoeMoney that you should read. It focuses on how he makes money online teaching other people how to make money online. Continue reading about ShoeMoney Media Group…
When I started this business, I focused almost entirely on the web for networking – a LinkedIn connection or an e-mail address was all that I needed. However, my mom (who is also my graphic designer) had other ideas. Right after she designed my logo, she sent away to VistaPrint to get me business cards. Although I didn’t use them right away (I was glued to the computer screen and not talking to many people in real life), eventually they became a necessity. Those business cards also came with the one and only One Day, One Job t-shirt (a free gift from VistaPrint). They are the place to go for customized stuff (there’s no better way to put it). You can get business cards, pens, checks, banners, postcards, lawn signs, rubber stamps, mouse pads, magnets, and much much more. The best part about it is that you can do it all online and get a really great price. VistaPrint is definitely achieving their goal of “making high-quality graphic design and custom printing convenient and affordable for everyone.” Continue reading about VistaPrint…
When I was a little kid, I was fascinated by science. Some of my favorite things to do were to wake up early on Saturday mornings to watch Mr. Wizard’s World, ask my Dad show me Chemistry experiments, and build all kinds of paper airplanes. I was just the kind of kid that would love the Museum of Science, Boston, and I’d still love to spend a day there if I ever get the chance. Their mission is to “stimulate interest in and further understanding of science and technology and their importance for individuals and for society,” and judging from their Flickr gallery, they’re definitely doing that. Some of their attractions include an IMAX theater, a Planetarium, a Laser show, a 3-D Digital Cinema, and an awesome looking Simulator that can take you under the sea or to outer space. That’s not even getting into the Museum of Science’s current exhibits. Boston’s Museum of Science looks like an insanely cool place to visit, and an even cooler place to do an internship.
Continue reading about Museum of Science, Boston…
Do you have a short attentions span? Too short to spend an entire summer interning with a single company? Ok, that’s probably not something that you’d usually want to admit to, but it might be ok just this once. Colaboratory is an Portland, OR internship program that allows you to work at 3 different companies over the course of the summer. It’s a collaboration of ad agencies (members of the Portland Ad Federation) that otherwise might be competitors in an effort “to make each other better and, by doing so, make Portland a better place to live, work and grow.” There are supposed to be 10 companies participating, but I only count 9 on the Partner Agencies page. They include The New Group, Grady Britton, Ascentium, Anvil, HMH, Fish Marketing, Leopold Ketel & Partners, Xhang Creative, and Pop Art. This is one of the cooler things that I’ve come across since I started looking at dozens of internships every day, so you should really keep reading. Continue reading about Colaboratory…
If you Google “gravity tank,” one result tells you that “A simple, inexpensive gravity tank in a swine manure liquid-solid separation process will help producers control hog odors.” Another says that in a rooftop water gravity tank the gravity pressure is .434 times the height of the bottom of the tank from the fixture in feet. The Gravity Tank that we’re looking for is very different. It’s a Chicago based innovation consulting firm that combines research, strategy, and design to push their clients in new directions. Their staff consists of “anthropologists, former architects, filmmakers, engineers, graphic designers, industrail designers, MBAs, quant researchers, professors, brand strategists, and more.” They’re small, with only 35 employees, but they’ve already some very cool work with some very big names. Continue reading about Gravity Tank…
I always say that when it comes to ad agencies, marketing companies, and PR firms, the best way to evaluate the company is to check out their client list and look at the work that the company has done. It’s not going to tell you everything that you need to know, but it’ll give you a solid idea whether or not the company is a place that you might want to work. If you want to work with big brands who are willing to take big risks with their advertising campaigns, then Crispin Porter + Bogusky might be the place for you. The Subservient Chicken is one of their more successful campaigns that started out virally, while the Microsoft campaign with Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld was one of their well-publicized flops. CP+B is headquartered in Miami, FL, while they also have major locations in Boulder, CO; Los Angeles, CA; and London, UK. Their client list sits at the bottom of every page on their website – probably because it is so impressive. Continue reading about Crispin Porter + Bogusky…
I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m on the Board of Advisors of a startup non-profit called National Coaching Fellows. One of my fellow board members also has a full-time job at another Chicago based non-profit organization called Near West Side Community Development Corp. She said that they’re looking for interns, and asked me to share some information on the internships with you guys. Near West Side Community Development Corp. was established in 1988 “to create a viable, mixed-income community in West Haven without the displacement of low and moderate income residents.” They’re doing all kinds of things to make this happen, but they remain focused on doing everything in their power to make one small area of Chicago a better place to live. Continue reading about Near West Side Community Development Corp….
You know what’s not hot right now? Real estate. You know what is hot right now? Web video. What happens when you combine the two? Do you get something that’s lukewarm. Not exactly. You actually end up with WellcomeMat, a New York City based (with an office in Boulder, CO) startup, that is taking advantage of the current climate in real estate to try to incite a video revolution. I’m not sure how many college students check out real estate listings, but if you do, you know that they’re pretty one dimensional. There’s some hyperbolic language about how great the property is and a few pictures from the best possible angles. Places almost never look like the pictures in the listing. Video can change that, and that’s why WellcomeMat is building a platform “where video newbies meet and hire video gurus, a place where local video producers can be found helping do-it-yourselfers, a place where the stars of real estate marketing harness the unmatched power of online video and a place where superior video presentations and tours are born.” Continue reading about WellcomeMat…
How do you feel about the intersection of friendship and marketing? I know that a lot people weren’t happy when Facebook Beacon started telling their friends what they were buying from other sites, and I also know that nobody wants their friends to go salesman on them (like with Cutco knives); however, word of mouth marketing remains one of the most effective vehicles to reach people with a message. That’s because we still seem to trust our friends the most when it comes to making purchasing decisions. But can brands become our friends? According to 22squared, a marketing agency based out of Atlanta, GA and Tampa, FL, “consumers want brands that act more like helpful friends than persuasive marketers.” I think that’s right, but it still sounds a little weird to me. Maybe we should look at Facebook again for the answer. Plenty of people are “Fans” of brands (like ours), which is very much like being Facebook Friends with them. Continue reading about 22squared…
I’m an iPhone guy, so I tend to feel sorry for people who are constantly thumbing away on their BlackBerries. That’s just my being a smug Apple user though. I realize that a lot of people love their BlackBerries and for good reason. They’re pretty remarkable devices, and they’re perfectly tailored for business use. (Although not as perfectly tailored as my iPhone! Ok, I’m done.) That’s why Research In Motion, the company that makes BlackBerries, has a 16.6% share of the smartphone market. They seem to have hit a bit of a rough spot lately (at least their stock price makes it look like they have), but their market position is still very strong. That’s why it’s no surprise that they appear to have a huge internship program; however, the real reason that I wanted to feature Research In Motion here is that they chose an unfortunate, yet inappropriately hilarious domain name for their Jobs site (it redirects now, but I think that you can figure it out). Continue reading about Research In Motion…
I remember the days of browser wars. It was Netscape vs. Internet Explorer, and it was ugly – the Internet that is. Back then it was all about whether or not your browser displayed pages properly, and people were passionately in favor of one browser or the other (or maybe some weird 3rd option). Now it’s all a lot simpler (unless you’re still using Internet Explorer) – your browser probably displays most sites just fine, and you’re more worried about speed and bells and whistles. That’s where Mozilla shines with their Firefox browser. They’re absolutely dominant with web savvy users (except with me – I still use Safari), and they are constantly making their products better. The Mozilla Corporation is a Mountain View, CA based wholly-owned subsidiary of the Mozilla Foundation. The Foundation is a non-profit, while the Corporation calls itself a “public benefit organization.” That means that they are “dedicated not to making money but to improving the way people everywhere experience the Internet” – even if by definition they’re still a for profit. Continue reading about Mozilla…
The word “poke” brings quite a few things to mind for me. There’s that useless Facebook feature that nobody uses any more (my girlfriend won’t even poke me back these days). There’s the Hawaiian dish of cubed raw fish. There’s the obvious annoying gesture/action of poking someone, and it’s even a term for an awkward looking base hit in baseball. Those are the things that came to mind for me. What didn’t come to mind, but should have is POKE, a New York City based creative company that happens to be taking a creative approach to their intern recruitment. I wish that I could tell you more about what they do, but they’re having some website issues, which I’ll discuss in a second. Continue reading about POKE…
If you’ve been reading for a while, you’ve probably heard me talk about old media and new media. Old media is dying and new media is thriving. And if there’s any proof to back that up, it’s that The New York Times – probably the world’s strongest old media brand – is facing severe financial struggles. But they’re still The New York Times. They’re trying to grab hold of new media, and they’re doing a lot of things right, but they’re just too big. New media is all about being small and agile, and large corporations still have a lot of adjusting to do. With that said, it’s evident from The New York Times’ internship postings that they’re moving in the right direction. Continue reading about The New York Times…
When NBC Universal and News Corp. announced a new online video venture, I rolled my eyes along with nearly everyone else who had an interest in online video. Large corporations had consistently proven that they just didn’t get it. They were too busy removing videos from YouTube and suing college kids for file sharing. That’s why I was really surprised when I started using – and loving – Hulu. The fact that I can watch new episodes of Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, reruns of Doogie Howser, M.D., and Speed 2: Cruise Control (ok, their movie selection is still a little week) all for free with limited commercial interruption is pretty awesome; in fact, I now watch Hulu more than I watch tv. It’s no wonder that Hulu, which is based out of Los Angeles, CA, is winning all kinds of awards now. Continue reading about Hulu…
Managing relationships is hard. Even with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, e-mail, text messages, cell phones, and every other tool that we have to stay in touch with people, it’s just not that easy to actively maintain a lot of relationships. Now, imagine that your job is all about managing relationships with people who pay your company money. Welcome to a job in Sales. It’s not easy, and managing all of your relationships with an address book, rolodex, or your cell phone’s saved numbers isn’t going to cut it. You need help with customer relationship management (CRM), and Salesforce.com is CRM (seriously, their stock ticker symbol is CRM). Salesforce’s big tagline is “No software” (their phone number is actually 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE), but they don’t really mean it. Their business is all about providing software, but it’s software as a service. That means that Salesforce eliminates most of the headaches of traditional CRM software by being really easy to use. It may be software, but the goal is for the end user (the guy or girl working in Sales) not to realize it. Continue reading about Salesforce.com…
Throughout college I went back and forth between being a devoted gym goer and a lazy bum. Some years I was good, and some years I was bad. After I graduated I committed to regular exercise, and it was the one constant that kept me going through a frustrating job search. I usually try to join a relatively expensive gym, but not for the obvious reason. I don’t care about all of the frivolities. I just know that if I’m paying $10 a month for a gym, I’m a lot less likely to go – I need to feel invested. With expensive gyms come lots of people in expensive, designer workout outfits. That’s where I learned about lululemon athletica, a Vancouver, British Columbia based manufacturer and retailer of “yoga-inspired athletic apparel.” Everyone at my gym is wearing lululemon, and the retail stores around here are packed, so it’s no big surprise that they’re hiring a lot of people now. Most of their jobs are in retail (which is an alternative to a Summer internship), but they have one internship that looks awesome. Continue reading about lululemon athletica…
Today’s company might not have the sweetest sounding name, but they’re Dutch, so we’ll give them a break. Droog is “an enterprise based in Amsterdam and set up in 1993 as a statement on design.” They “operate worldwide together with partners, clients and manufacturers, designers, artists and architects in all areas of design.” So, what exactly do they do? First of all, they design their own products, but they also seem to take on client work. Droog doesn’t seem to be so much concerned with what it is they actually do as they are concerned with the science and the art of design. Droog Lab is where much of the company’s creativity comes from, as “the Lab’s research and design results find their way into Droog stores, publications, exhibitions or client proposals in collaboration with the Creative agency.” Continue reading about Droog…
Sometimes you can just tell that a company is cool by looking at their website. It’s something about the way that they carry themselves online. New York City based thehappycorp definitely sends out that vibe, although they’re almost too cool. To be honest, I don’t fully “get” them. Their home page has a lot going on, and there isn’t much more information about what they do beyond the note that they work to improve “gross national happiness through the invention, management, and maintenance of progressive brands and ideas.” Their LinkedIn gives a little more info on what they’re all about; it says that they’re an “interdisciplinary creative company, that excels at delivering design solutions that are digitally competent” while offering a “wide range of services that include innovation, web development, experiential, and influencer marketing.” Now it’s all a little more clear… Continue reading about thehappycorp…
Internship searching is hard enough on it’s own. When you have to worry about not being able to feed yourself over the summer because you might have to take an unpaid internship, it can become overwhelming. Obviously the best remedy is to find a paid internship, but that’s easier said than done. What you can do to ease your financial fears for the summer is to start paying attention to personal finance (that’s a link to Ramit Sethi’s I Will Teach You To Be Rich, because he’s the go to guy for that kind of stuff). You can also start using Thrive, a website that “brings all your credit card, checking, savings, retirement, and investment accounts into one place so you can easily see what you have, what you owe, and where you can grow.” They’re based out of New York City, and as far as I can tell they’re offering a product that is extremely similar to Mint, which has been on my radar for well over a year now. Still, Thrive appears to have developed a great tool for monitoring your personal finances, and since they’re hiring paid interns, we thought we should take a look at them. Continue reading about Thrive…
This is a guest post by Lauren Berger aka “The Intern Queen.”
Who says everyone can’t read Family-Related magazines? These magazines aim to lure in people of all ages with their articles about all stages of family life – from baby to tween to pre-parent to grandmother. Family Circle is one of the “family” titles that I especially enjoy. Between the magazine and the website, my favorite articles are the ones that cover Teen trauma issues: such as alcoholism and education. My favorite feature on the website is their delicious recipes that I try oh-so-hard to copy in my own apartment kitchen! Family Circle Magazine is a title put out by the Meredith Corporation – known for titles like PARENTS, MORE, AMERICAN BABY, etc. Family Circle’s content covers a wide variety of food, health, family, parenting, teen, adolescent topics. Both the Family Circle Magazine and the Family Circle Website, www.familycircle.com, are looking for interns for the Spring of 2009 and the Summer of 2009 in their New York City offices.
If you are looking for an editorial, web, photography, or art design internship than I would send you in the direction of FAMILY CIRCLE MAGAZINE or FamilyCircle.com. They search for high-energy candidates that are passionate about family/women/health related issues. The internship requires you to do a variety of tasks (depending of the department you are in). The health and editorial interns are responsible for assisting the editors, researching, writing, organizing and handling the product samples that come into the office, and of course some administrative work. The interns on the web, art design, and photography side are requested to have some experience with Adobe Design Suites like Indesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator). The interns in this department will work with the designers and editors on a daily basis and assist with cover and back-cover creations. They will also help with photo research, lay outs, updating mini-boards, and perform a few administrative tasks. To apply for these internships please visit quarterlife.com/intern and send your resume to me (The Intern Queen!).
Lauren Berger is known as “The Intern Queen” after completing 15 internships during her 4 years of college. Lauren has interned at companies like FOX, NBC, MTV, BWR, etc. Lauren Berger launched www.quarterlife.com/intern in August of 2008. The site lists over 300 Internships in the Entertainment/Web/Marketing/Sports/PR worlds. You can reach her at internqueen@quarterlife.com
Links to Help You Begin Your Research
How do you feel about applying to internships through the “The Intern Queen?” Would you prefer to apply directly?
I hate shoes. Ok, that’s not really true, but after spending a week in Aruba over the holidays, it was a sad realization for me when I had to put my sneakers back on for the trip home to Chicago. I appreciate that I have boots that keep my feet warm and dry, slippers that are extremely comfortable, and basketball shoes that give me enough ankle support to prevent a sprain, but I still prefer the feeling of sand between my toes. I’m lucky. It’s a luxury to be able to enjoy the feeling of being shoeless. There are a lot of children who don’t know what it’s like to have a good pair of shoes to protect their feet. TOMS Shoes is a Santa Monica, CA based company that is trying to change that. They’re a shoe company, but they’re more than that. For every pair of shoes that TOMS Shoes sells, they give a pair of shoes to a child in need. So far, they’ve given over 200,000 pairs of shoes to children in places like Argentina, Ethiopia, and South Africa via “Shoe Drops.” They say that “changing life begins with a single step…” and we have to agree. Continue reading about TOMS Shoes…
Here at One Day, One Internship, 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. Continue reading about MediaStorm…
We’re big on innovation here. We don’t like talking about companies that are doing things the way that they’ve always done. They’re not only boring, but they’re also destined for failure. Look at the auto industry. You can blame the downfall of the Big 3 on a lot of things, but a lack of innovation has to be a big part of your argument. We’re trying to bring innovation to the way that you find internships, and there are hundreds of startups out there that are defined by innovation. It’s all around us. frog design is a global innovation firm. They “work with the world’s leading companies, helping them create and bring to market meaningful products, services, and experiences,” and they’ve been doing it for almost 40 years. They’ve worked with clients as vaired as Disney, GE, HP, Logitech, Microsoft, MTV, Seagate, Yahoo!, which goes to show you that they’re not easy to pigeonhole. frog design is based out of San Francisco, and they have offices (or as they call them, studios) in Austin, New York, San Jose, Seattle, Milan, Amsterdam, Stuttgart, and Shanghai Continue reading about frog design…
Yesterday we told you you about Trendrr’s internships, and while we were researching them, we stumbled upon the fact that their parent company, Wiredset, also offers internships. We considered cramming Wiredset and Trendrr’s internships into one post, but we thought that Wiredset looked cool enough to merit its own post. Wiredset is a digital marketing agency, which means that they offer services in four areas – online marketing, web production, measurement and metrics, and strategic consulting. Considering the fact that Wiredset’s client list includes Apple, ESPN, Comedy Central, MTV, and Microsoft, they must be pretty good at what they do. I can vouch that they certainly have their finger on the pulse of the web. Wiredset’s CEO Mark Ghuneim e-mailed me 7 minutes (seriously) after I posted about Trendrr to thank me for the post. That’s awesome. Continue reading about Wiredset…
