One Day, One Internship » research

LivingSocial

Willy Franzen — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:51:25 +0000

I’m an unabashed Groupon fan. How can I not support the Chicago based company that started the group-buying frenzy? Moreover, I’m just flabbergasted at the amount of value that they’ve been able to build in such a short time. The only problem with creating an extremely lucrative new market when you have little or no IP is that the competitors come out in droves. There are a lot of Groupon wannabes. A lot. Many of them will fall by the wayside as they realize that they’re not capable of building out the kind of sales/business development team needed to grow a group-buying business, but there are a few competitors that seem to be doing quite well. One of them is LivingSocial, which is based in Washington, DC (maybe they should focus on group-bribing of politicians, or is that called lobbying?). They now offer daily deals in 52 cities, and they have nearly $50 million in venture funding. They weren’t profitable yet as of March, but you have to think that they’ll get there soon.

Are You LivingSocial?

LivingSocial isn’t all that different from other group-buying sites. Their biggest point of differentiation (besides the deals that they offer and the cities that they’re in) is that they you get your deal for free if you can convince three friends to buy in. I guess that’s what it means to be LivingSocial. The thing that I love about startups in the group-buying space is that they provide fantastic opportunities for young talent. They need people in a variety of areas, and they offer the ability to learn by doing. LivingSocial is no exception. Right now they only have one internship posted on their Jobs page, and it’s for a paid Design Intern. My guess is that there are plenty of other types of internship opportunities available at LivingSocial, but that they’re just not hiring for them right now because it’s the end of July.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you use LivingSocial?

Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation

Willy Franzen — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 13:52:18 +0000

Over the past year I’ve seen cancer do a lot of damage, and I know that I will see it do more damage as I move through life. Still, I believe by the time I’m starting to get old, cancer won’t be nearly as much of a worry as something else that we haven’t even heard of yet. It doesn’t seem all that long ago when most cancers seemed like a death sentence, but now the majority of cancers have strong treatment options. The problem with cancer treatment is that its short-term effects are often worse than those of the disease. The Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation is trying to change this. They are a New York City based non-profit organization that was started by thankful patients of an oncologist/hematologist whose name is, obviously, Samuel Waxman. The Foundation is “dedicated to supporting a focused research program to develop targeted cancer cell-specific therapies with minimal toxicity, such as differentiation therapy.”

A Foundation for a Cure

I have little or not understanding of the science that Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation focuses on, but I do know that they’ve put $70 million to work since 1976. They have already had success with the treatment that they’ve helped develop for acute promyelocytic leukemia, and there hope is that their research will apply to treating many other forms of cancer too. What makes the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation unique is that their “research is not disease-specific but concept driven.” This means that they have focused on specific way of attacking cancer instead of focusing on treating a specific type of cancer, which is how many cancer related non-profits work. If you’re excited about the research that the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation is doing, you might want to consider an internship with them. Right now they have one unpaid intern position posted on Idealist. It looks like the position is most involved with the development function, so take that into consideration.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation?

A Wider Circle

Willy Franzen — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 16:07:18 +0000

The One Day, One Internship LinkedIn Group is growing fast. Join now so you can connect with me and other readers.

Ever get off to a bad start? Maybe it was a class, a sports season, or a new social situation. It’s hard to dig yourself out of the funk, right? Or maybe it was something far more important like life. Millions of people are born into poverty in our country, and that makes it likely that they’ll eventually have children who are born into poverty. It’s a vicious cycle that is nearly impossible to get out of, which means that more and more kids will be born into a very difficult situation. A Wider Circle is a Silver Spring, MD non-profit organization that empowers “children and adults to break the cycles of poverty and poor health.” By providing basic need items to struggling families, A Wider Circle puts people in a situation where success is attainable.

How Wide Is Your Circle?

Every month A Wider Circle furnishes the homes of more than 1,000 people free of charge. They provide basic needs that individuals need to ensure that they can focus on a healthy and productive life that includes education and employment. A Wider Circle isn’t tied to a specific type of help, but instead aims to serve people based on their needs. They do this through a number of programs including Neighbor to Neighbor, Public Housing Wellness, Shelter Support, School Community, and Well Mother, Well Baby. From what I can tell, A Wider Circle really makes the most of the resources they have, and that includes their people. If you want to be one of them, then you should check out A Wider Circle internships on Idealist or on their own Internships page. The opportunities are unpaid and offered in the following areas: Client Relations, Education, IT Support, Management and Strateic Planning, Marketing and Fundraising, Neighbor to Neighbor, Public Housing, Research and Writing, and Well Mother Well Baby.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about A Wider Circle?

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

Willy Franzen — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 15:48:28 +0000

I live in Chicago where politicians and ethics go together like chocolate chip cookies and ketchup. After living here for a few years, I’m constantly noticing problems (like gang fights at the beach and 3 foot deep potholes) that are clearly the result of many years of inadequate and often corrupt politicians. I actually find it shocking that anyone under 30 (or over 30 for that matter) has any faith in or hope for politicians anymore. There have been way too many scandals. I guess that’s why Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington was started in 2003. They’re a Washington, DC based non-profit that is “dedicated to promoting ethics and accountability in government and public life by targeting government officials — regardless of party affiliation — who sacrifice the common good to special interests.” Oddly enough, the Wikipedia entry for CREW mentions that many of their donors are liberal groups and that most of the members of Congress whom they target are Republicans or conservative Democrats. Since corruption and unethical activity don’t follow party lines, it seems as though CREW might not be living up to its mission of acting “regardless of party affiliation” (which, in my opinion, isn’t the ethical and responsible thing to do).

Will You Join the CREW?

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is very much a legal organization, as they use the following tools to “force officials to act ethically and lawfully and to bring unethical conduct to the public’s attention”: Litigation, Freedom of Information Requests, Ethics Complaints, IRS Complaints, Federal Election Commission Complaints, and Requests for Investigations. If CREW finds politicians behaving badly, they will find a way to make them pay. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington’s current projects include identifying the country’s worst governors, identifying the most corrupt members in Congress (we have 2 of the top 15 in Illinois), and a state by state ethics breakdown. The thing that I really like about Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is that they’re not only good and finding and acting information, but they also do an excellent job of presenting it. They don’t issue boring reports—they build engaging websites that make consuming their research enjoyable. If you like what you see at CREW, then you should check out their Internships page. They have unpaid internship opportunities for both undergraduate students and law students. The undergrad positions are in operations and research, and you can find the full descriptions on CREW’s Internships page.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington?

Genetic Alliance

Willy Franzen — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 13:01:21 +0000

As humans we must have some innate level of genetics knowledge. We know to look for favorable traits when we search for a reproductive partner, and once we make that choice, we know that our children are supposed to look at least a little bit like us and share some of our traits. That’s why genetic research is so mystifying. It offers the opportunity to know why we are the way we are. Yet, some think that genetic research hasn’t lived up to its billing. I have to agree that it’s extremely disappointing that with all of the genetic knowledge that we’ve gained in the past 20 or so years, it hasn’t helped us cure any major diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or any form of cancer. However, it still seems that plenty of good has come out of genetics research, and there is reason to hope that a lot more is on the way. Genetic Alliance would agree. They’re based in Washington, DC, and they’re “the world’s leading nonprofit health advocacy organization committed to transforming health through genetics and promoting an environment of openness centered on the health of individuals, families, and communities.”

Is It in Your Genes?

There are all kinds of stakeholders when it comes to genetics research—individuals, doctors, researchers, pharmaceutical companies, disease-specific advocacy organizations, government agencies, non-profits, and plenty more. Each group has its own agenda, but all will benefit from advances in genetics research. Genetic Alliance brings them all together as “the voice of advocacy in genetics” with the goal of transforming health. It’s an exciting goal, and hopefully one that will be fruitful. We can’t control how much genetics have to do with our health, but however much it is, we need to find out and learn how to use that information to our advantage. If you’d like to be a part of that mission, then you might want to consider an internship at Genetic Alliance. Right now they have paid opportunities for the fall in areas like Programs; Health Policy; Biomedical Research, Diagnostics, and Drug Development; Public Health Genomics; Events; Health Informatics and Technology Partnerships; and Human Resources. Take a look at both positions and see if you’ll be a good fit. The deadline to apply is August 1st.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Genetic Alliance?

Advanced BioHealing

Willy Franzen — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 16:16:04 +0000

Last week a friend was telling me that his wife, who is in her residency, was going to have to work in the ER on the Fourth of July. I have to imagine that’s one of the most active nights of the year with injuries from fireworks, barbecues, and gunshots (especially in Chicago). All you need is a little imagination to come up with some nasty scenarios that would have ruined your holiday and left you with a permanent injury like my friend who passed out at a barbecue and now has perfect grill marks on his forearm—yes, that means he put his arm down twice. Usually these types of injuries aren’t funny, and they can be extremely traumatic with lasting consequences. Luckily, we’re entering an age of regenerative medicine in which injuries may not be so permanent. Advanced BioHealing is a La Jolla, CA based company that “develops and commercializes living cell therapies that repair damaged human tissue and enable the body to heal itself.” Their current product is called Dermagraft, and it’s a “a bio-engineered skin substitute that assists in restoring damaged tissue and supports the body’s natural healing process.” Right now it’s FDA approved to treat diabetic foot ulcers, but it appears that Advanced BioHealing also has a product called TransCyte that might be used to treat the kind of burns that fireworks or barbecues could cause.

Can You Regenerate?

Now, my medical knowledge is pretty much limited to what I make up, so I’m not the guy to tell you all about Advanced BioHealing. You’ll have to head over to their website and delve into their Corporate Info, Product Details, and Press Releases. Once you get a feel for how Advanced BioHealing works and operates, then you can check out their Careers page. They don’t list any internships right now, but one of their Research Associate job descriptions mentions managing interns. You can reach out to the HR team at Advanced BioHealing to learn more about internship opportunities at careers@abh.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think about Advanced BioHealing?

Daughters of the American Revolution

Willy Franzen — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 14:48:38 +0000

Happy Independence Day! (And Happy Birthday Mom!) Today we’re celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Though I’m sure you’re showing your patriotism, chances are that your celebration includes some combination of barbecuing, beach, beer, baseball, and blowing stuff up. The Daughters of the American Revolution take the Fourth of July a little more seriously. They’re a “non-profit, non-political volunteer women’s service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America’s future through better education for children.” They restrict membership to women “who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution,” so they also happen to be “one of the most inclusive genealogical societies in the country” with 165,000 members. I’ve seen the DAR march in my town’s Memorial Day parade, but their work goes far beyond making public appearances.

Are You a Daughter of the American Revolution?

The Daughters of the American Revolution is responsible for a ton of volunteer work. They put a big focus on historic preservation, which means that they contribute a lot of money to both the building and restoration of commemoratives and memorials. There’s also a huge focus on patriotic public outreach by doing things like publishing a manual on citizenship, participating in naturalization ceremonies, providing flags and flag codes to organizations and schools, offering services to veterans, and granting patriotic awards like DAR Good Citizenship Medals and the DAR Medal of Honor. The DAR also puts a huge emphasis on promoting and supporting education, while also spending a significant time on genealogy. If you’re impressed by the DAR and want to be a part, you might have to check your bloodlines (and presumably your gender); however, if you want another way in, you could check out internships at Daughters of the American Revolution. Right now they’re looking for an unpaid Development Intern. The position has a more detailed description on the DAR Jobs page.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

How are you celebrating the Fourth?

Enterprise Community Partners

Willy Franzen — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 16:41:32 +0000

Chances are that housing is and will be your biggest expense for most of your life. It’s one of our most basic needs, so it makes sense that we spend a lot on it. Unfortunately, housing markets don’t react quickly to changes in demand, so we often have situations where housing becomes unaffordable for many who wish to live in an area. This may be ok when it’s some posh area of town, but what about when people who have lived and worked in area for years can no longer keep up with the real estate prices? Enterprise Community Partners is a Columbia, MD based non-profit that addresses these problems by creating “opportunity for low- and moderate-income people through fit, affordable housing and diverse, thriving communities.” They want to help people living in poverty “move up and out,” and they do this by helping to develop “a diverse mix of affordable and market housing options, access to jobs and social supports, and a strong commitment to the environment and civic participation.”

Join the Enterprise Community

Enterprise Community Partners has been doing their work for more than 25 years, and their site is full of information on what they do and how they do it. You can read about their Programs, Policy Work, Financial Products, and Local Work. They also offer a ton of Information Resources so that you can learn more about the organization and its work. Since 1982 they’ve helped to “develop over 240,000 affordable homes and invest over $9 billion throughout the United States,” so they’re operating on a scale that few other non-profits are. Once you’ve had a chance to check out the links above, you should take a look at internships at Enterprise Community Partners. They have a few opportunities, all of which appear to be paid. These include positions like Communications Intern, Foreclosure Intern (Washington, DC), and Research Intern (Los Angeles, CA). Take a look at them and see which make the most sense for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about Enterprise Community Partners?

Accruent

Willy Franzen — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:31:02 +0000

Location. Location. Location. You know how important it is. Chances are that one of the major drivers in your internship search is location. It’s even more important for businesses, yet they rarely manage their locations as effectively as they manage everything else. There are all kinds of sophisticated software platforms to manage customer relationships, products, human resources, and plenty of other things, but what about managing the places where they do business? That’s what Accruent is all about. They’re a Santa Monica, CA based company that develops software to help businesses “analyze [their] real estate and facilities portfolios and implement actions to cut costs and drive performance improvements.” It may not sound like the most exciting stuff on the face of it, but when you realize that Accruent helps clients manage “over 1 billion square feet of commercial space, for which they pay over $100 billion in rent annually,” you start to realize how interesting what Accruent does actually is.

Accruent Is Accruing Talent

Think about your college. Huge facilities with lots of people using them. How the heck do they figure out how to make the most of what they already have? If you go to Yale, USC, Michigan State, Syracuse, Brown, or one of the other higher education institutions on this list, you’d know that they used Accruent to figure it out. Accruent also has clients in Retail, Corporate, and Public Sector environments. That includes “20% of the Fortune 500 and over 40% of the top 100 retailers.” If you’re intrigued by what Accruent does, then you should check out their Careers page. They have internships available in Training (Santa Monica, CA), Market Research (Irvine, CA), and Recruiting (Austin, TX). No word on whether they’re paid or not.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Accruent?

Fanscape

Willy Franzen — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:17:21 +0000

It’s the longest day of the year and the official beginning of summer! (At least for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere). The only bad thing about it is that from here on out the days are getting shorter. I don’t like that. Now, the only way that I can come up with to tie length of the days with digital word of mouth marketing is the thought that it’s probably easier to generate buzz in the summer because people get out more with the good weather. And that’s my segue into Fanscape, a Los Angeles based marketing agency. They know that word of mouth is the “#1 influencer of consumers when making a purchase or behavioral decision,” so they’ve decided to focus entirely on marketing that enhances word of mouth. You can’t just get people to talk about you (please do tell your friends about One Day, One Job—seriously go tell a friend today), but there are many ways that you can foster “targeted WOM conversations with the individuals, influencers and gatekeepers who inhabit the online social media landscape,” and Fanscape knows all about them.

Are You Part of the Fanscape

Fanscape must generate pretty good word of mouth for themselves considering that their clients include MTV, Doritos, AT&T, Electronic Arts, Hotels.com, Monster.com (yuck, bad word of mouth is all I hear), Hilton, Kia, and plenty more impressive names. Now, a lot of people who talk about word of mouth marketing are full of it. They give all kinds of advice, but can’t provide and results or measurement. That’s not the case with Fanscape. If you take a look at their Services page, you’ll see that they’ve engineered the word of mouth marketing process to an impressive degree. They appear to be extremely sophisticated, which means that they’d be a great place to start your career. You can find their internships here. You’ll see that they’re currently looking for unpaid interns in Business Development – Creative and Strategy, Business Development – Research and Proposal, and Marketing. They should be great learning opportunities, so go look a the descriptions for all of the details.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your take on word of mouth marketing?

Bridging Nations

Willy Franzen — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 15:37:53 +0000

International relations is becoming more and more important. There is just too much to gain from cooperation across borders for us not to put a lot of effort in developing international relationships. That’s why Bridging Nations exists. They’re a Washington, DC based non-profit organization that uses education to build bridges between nations through education. Their target audience is “leaders in government, business, and the non-profit sector,” and the organization’s message is focused on “promoting an informed, multifaceted forum of exchange.” The end goal is to promote policies that create mutual benefit for people across nations. By bringing together economics, leadership, and technology, Bridging Nations thinks that they can build relationships that will make everyone better off.

Can You Build a Bridge?

Bridging Nations pursues their mission by focusing on four key program areas: India-China-US Relations, Energy Technology and Policy, Education and Innovation, and Leadership and Governance. I find the first two more interesting, because they’re topics that are easier to nail down and focus on than the latter two. Overall, I think that Bridging Nations could do a little better on their messaging because it’s hard to get a good read on what exactly they do. With that said, I know there are plenty of you out there who are interested in international relations, so hopefully you can take a closer look at Bridging Nations and report back with your take on them. Maybe you’ll even do at as an intern since they’re currently looking for unpaid Fall Interns in Marketing and Outreach, Energy Education and Research, International Relations, and Graphic Design. The internship descriptions don’t shed much more light on the organization, but they do look like great opportunities.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about Bridging Nations?

Eventbrite

Willy Franzen — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 16:16:03 +0000

Guys, need some great fitting pants to wear to an interview? Check out Bonobos! They make the best pants that I’ve ever worn (I have something like 12 pairs) and they’ll give you $50 off your first order. Just e-mail me at willy@onedayonejob.com, and I’ll send you the coupon code.

Occasionally I’ll realize that I’ve covered a company on One Day, One Job, but that I haven’t let all of the current students know about the company’s internships. That’s the case with Eventbrite, a San Francisco based events management company. Odds are that you’ve used Eventbrite to register for some sort of event or even to put one on yourself. They make ticketing and registration stupid simple. Seriously, any idiot can put on an event with Eventbrite. If you’re putting on a free event, they’ll let you do everything for free. And if you’re charging for an event, Eventbrite will take a 2.5% cut. With over 14 million tickets sold to date, it’s quite clear that Eventbrite isn’t just some startup without a revenue model. They’re already generating revenue and delivering an awesome product experience.

Are You Brite Enough?

Obviously I’m a big fan of Eventbrite, and that’s just based on their product. Once you take a look at their internships, you’ll like them even more. Right now they’re looking for a Superintern. The #1 responsibility that comes with that positions is “being awesome.” They also want someone committed to learning more about and improving Eventbrite’s features. They’re looking for all kinds of interns, and potential projects include “competitive analysis, customer interaction, administrative support, coding in python, number crunching, entry management at our customers’ events, promotion of Eventbrite at trade shows or career fairs, and other fun things we haven’t even thought of yet!” The internships can be full or part-time, and there doesn’t seem to be any mention of whether the positions are paid or not.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you registered for an event through Eventbrite?

Altimeter Group

Willy Franzen — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:21:55 +0000

Happy Flag Day! I don’t have a post on America’s biggest flag manufacturer or anything, but I’m sure that you’re ok with that. A big part of my job is staying up on the newest technology, trends, and turns of events. It’s not that I’m doing anything earth shattering, but if I want to be able to tell you where the most exciting internship opportunities are, I need to be one step ahead of the economy. I need to have a feel for where growth is going to come from before everyone else already knows about it. This keeps me interested, and it gives me a good excuse to be an early adopter of things like Twitter and Foursquare. As important as it is for me to be constantly aware of what’s new, it’s even more important for the folks at Altimeter Group, which is a San Mateo, CA based company that “provides thought leadership, research, and advisory on digital strategies, with a core focus on how companies can leverage disruptive technologies.” A lot of the top talent at Altimeter came from Forrester Research, so there are some similarities between the firms; however, Altimeter Group puts a much bigger focus on how companies should actually use technology (whereas Forrester issues reports about said technology).

Reach a New Altitude

When you’re searching for a job, it’s fun and easy to embrace new technologies. Nothing can disrupt you, because you’re flexible. But when you run a multi-million dollar business that has been around for a while, change can be scary. In a matter of months, your business model could be obsolete. Unfortunately for many people in business, there are plenty of things that take priority over staying current. They can’t do it on their own, so they hire help. That’s where the Altimeter Group comes in. Their “holistic approach to emerging technologies” helps their clients learn about and utilize new technologies in four areas: Leadership and Management, Customer Strategy, Enterprise Strategy, and Innovation and Design. These are traditional consulting areas, but the content that Altimeter Group covers is obviously non-traditional. If you’re an early adopter and want to help businesses overcome their fear of technology, then you should take a look at internships at Altimeter Group. Right now they’re looking for an Entry Level Researcher. It’s a contract position that goes for three months with the opportunity to stay on permanently after, but they also label it as an internship (and a paid one at that). The job descriptions does offer application instructions (and you should follow them), but I think that you’d be silly to ignore the accessibility of Altimeter Group’s leadership—they have contact info on the sidebar of every page on their site.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Altimeter Group?

TerraCycle

Willy Franzen — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 15:48:08 +0000

I have my big annual fishing trip coming up next week, which means that I’m starting to go through my mental gear checklist. One thing that I’ve been looking for is some sort of pack to carry all of my stuff when I’m on the river. I used to use a vest, but it’s no longer doing the job. In my search for a perfect pack, I came across a company called Recycled Waders that makes gear out of old waders (waterproof boots that go up to your chest to keep you dry while standing in the water). I’m pretty sure they’re too small to have any internship opportunities right now, but luckily I found a company (from a reader e-mail) that takes a similar approach, but with a much larger audience. They’re called TerraCycle (based in Trenton, NJ), and they turn trash into stuff. You can get an insulated cooler made out of Skittles bags. Or a kite made out of Oreo wrappers. Or a tote bag made of Capri Sun pouches. It’s all about making “affordable, eco-friendly products from a wide range of different non-recyclable waste materials.”

The New Alchemy

TerraCycle got its start when Tom Szaky to pursue his passion for worm poop. Yes, that’s right. TerraCycle was founded as an organic fertilizer company that used worms to process compostable material. They’ve kept their green focus but have moved towards less crappy product offerings. Here’s a video rundown of what TerraCycle does and how it all works.

One of the things that I really like about TerraCycle is how they collect the garbage that they turn into products. They put together Brigades to collect specific types of trash. People on the brigades (you can join one) can turn in the garbage they collect to non-profits or schools, and TerraCycle makes a donation in return for the collected garbage. It’s brilliant. If you like what TerraCycle is doing, then you should give their Internships page a look. They have a number of unpaid opportunities posted including: Operations/Logistics Intern, Product Design Intern, Business Development Intern, Product and Market Development Intern, Graphic Design Intern, Licensing Intern, Video Intern, Public Relations Intern, and Sponsored Waste Intern. The application instructions vary for each position, but you can find it all on TerraCycle’s Internships page.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you own any TerraCycle products?

Sunlight Foundation

Willy Franzen — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 15:27:25 +0000

I’m not on a government transparency kick or anything, although I’m not one to to put much trust in those who govern. It just happens that both non-profits that I’m looking at this weekend are focused on helping the public be better informed about what their leaders are actually doing. Today we’re going to look at the Washington, DC based Sunlight Foundation, which is an organization that “uses cutting-edge technology and ideas to make government transparent and accountable.” It used to be that the major media outlets controlled most of the information that flowed out of our government. Sometimes they’d do a good job of reporting, but they need to maintain relationships with government officials if they want the stories to keep coming. Now we live with technology that allows anyone to reach a massive audience. It’s slowly changing the way that government works, and the Sunlight Foundation is pushing to make that happen more quickly.

Where the Sun Does Shine

The Sunlight Foundation is based upon “a fundamental belief that increased transparency will improve the public’s confidence in government.” Considering the level of confidence that most of us have in our government these days, there really isn’t anywhere to go but up. Just like Project Vote Smart, Sunlight Foundation is completely non-partisan. Their goal is transparency, and no other agenda. Here’s what they consider themselves:

A think-tank that develops and encourages new policies inside the government to make it more open and transparent.

A campaign to engage citizens in demanding the policies that will open government and hold their elected officials accountable for being transparent.

An investigative organization that uses the data we uncover to demonstrate why we need new policies that free government data.

A grant-giving institution that provides resources to organizations using technology to further our mission and create community

An open source technology community that revolves around the Sunlight Foundation’s core mission

They clearly do a lot, which means that the Sunlight Foundation could be a really exciting place to work. They don’t seem to have a Jobs or Internships page, but they do list some positions on Idealist. Right now there’s one internship posted: a paid Researching/Reporting Internship. Check it out and see if the Sunlight Foundation might be a good fit for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about the Sunlight Foundation?

Project Vote Smart

Willy Franzen — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 15:55:19 +0000

We’re in an election year, and it’s a key one (is it ever not?). If you’re not already sick of political ads, you better get ready to be bombarded with misinformation. Politicians spend a huge amount of money trying to convince you that they’ll fix all of our society’s problems (and that their opponents are evil and hate children—seriously I saw an ad in Illinois that said that), yet the facts about every politician are out there and easy to find. A big part of the reason why is Project Vote Smart, a non-profit organization based on a ranch in Philipsburg, Montana. According to Wikipedia Project Vote Smart was founded in 1992 by “40 national leaders, including Barry Goldwater, John McCain, former U.S. Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.” PVS calls itself “The Voter’s Self-Defense System,” as it operates with the goal of collecting and distributing information about U.S. political candidates in a non-partisan way. They want voters to be able to make informed decisions based on personal values, regardless of what they may be, not political hyperbole.

Are You Smart Enough?

It’s hard to believe that an organization started by politicians is actually non-political, but it is. PVS only takes money from individual contributors and non-political foundations, and they only allow board members to join if they join with a political opposite. Project Vote Smart is all about preserving Democracy and ensuring that we the people are well enough informed to vote in a way that actually aligns with our beliefs. The best way to learn more about PVS is to watch the video embedded below. It’s a little long, and looks a bit outdated, but the content will tell you all of the basic information that you need to know about the organization.

If you like what you saw in the video, then you should check out internships at Project Vote Smart. The positions are unpaid, but you’ll get to live on their Montana ranch/research center, which is surrounded by wilderness, elk, moose, and lots of outdoor opportunities. There are also internship opportunities in their Tuscon, AZ office. They provide a ton of information on their Internships page, so you can get all of the details there.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

OpenView Venture Partners

Willy Franzen — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 14:45:34 +0000

I love featuring startups here. They offer so many exciting internship opportunities for college students, and they’re often representative of the future of our economy. The problem with startups is that they often have trouble generating enough profits to grow quickly in their early and middle stages. That’s why I usually make it a point to mention how much funding a given startup has—so you’ll know that the company is financially sound enough to actually pay your paycheck (if they aren’t taking advantage of unpaid interns, of course). The amount of funding a company has can only tell you so much, but if an investor is willing to put up millions of dollars for some equity in the company, at least you know that you’re not the only one putting a lot of trust in the company’s future. Typically these investors are venture capital funds like Boston, MA based OpenView Venture Partners. They are “an expansion stage venture capital fund, with a focus on high-growth software, internet, and technology-enabled companies.” Expansion stage means that they typically make moderate sized investments (think $4 million to $11 million) in companies that have already established themselves as viable businesses (but need outside money to speed up growth).

Take an OpenView Towards Venture Capital

I’ve mentioned before that venture capital can be an extremely difficult field to get into, but it’s certainly one of the most exciting things that you can do right out of college. One of the cool things about OpenView Venture Partners is that they don’t just focus on making capital investments. They also invest significantly in adding value to their portfolio companies by giving them access to the firm’s resources and talent. If you take a look at OpenView Venture Partner’s portfolio, you probably won’t see many familiar names, but don’t let that dissuade you from getting excited about them (the only one I recommend is ExactTarget). As I prove every day, there are so many amazing companies that you’ve never heard of. If you’d like to consider interning at OpenView Venture Partners, you should note that they don’t seem to post internships on their Jobs page; however, I did come across a posting for a Marketing Intern on Startuply. No word on whether or not the position is paid, but I’d be surprised if a VC firm didn’t pay its interns.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about the companies in OpenView Venture Partners’ portfolio?

Social Science Research Council

Willy Franzen — Sun, 30 May 2010 17:03:28 +0000

Since college I’ve been fascinated by social sciences. Before then I didn’t realize that you could apply the scientific method to gain more understanding about nearly any topic in the world. Now that I spend lots of my time focused on things like marketing, career development, and writing, I know how important it can be to base your actions on research or the results of experiments. Obviously, social science goes far beyond those areas, and can have huge positive effects on many of the problems that are facing our world. That’s why the Brooklyn, NY based Social Science Research Council exists. Their mission is “to lead innovation in the social sciences, build interdisciplinary and international networks, mobilize knowledge on important public issues, and educate and train the next generation of social science researchers.” By supporting the field of social science, the SSRC helps all kinds of decision-makers make better informed choices about pressing issues.

Research the SSRC

There are thousands of non-profits that deal head-on with the challenges facing our society, but the SSRC isn’t one of them. The SSRC provides the academic foundation for other non-profits to take actions and do more effective work. As the SSRC About page puts it:

The SSRC is guided by the belief that justice, prosperity, and democracy all require better understanding of complex social, cultural, economic, and political processes. We are committed to the idea that social science can produce necessary knowledge—necessary for citizens to understand their societies and necessary for policy makers to decide on crucial questions.

The SSRC supports social science in a variety of ways including programs, fellowships, publications, and grants. If you’re also fascinated by social science, then you should check out internships at Social Science Research Council. They have a number of unpaid opportunities posted including: Communications Intern, Religion and the Public Sphere Program Intern, and Web Production and Communications Summer Intern. Check out the descriptions for more info on how to apply.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about the Social Science Research Council?

Prime Publishing

Willy Franzen — Wed, 26 May 2010 14:57:32 +0000

Earlier this week we took a look at F+W Media, a company that is aggressively targeting niche media markets with books, magazines, trade shows, and digital products. Today we’re going to look at a company that is attacking similar niches, but strictly on the digital side. Prime Publishing is a Northbrook, IL based company that is, as they put it, “building the premiere woman’s lifestyle site on the Web.” I’m not sure I’d go that far, since businesses like DailyCandy and Gilt Groupe seem to be building pretty strong cases for themselves in that regard. Prime Publishing seems to be taking approach more like that of Demand Media. However, that doesn’t mean that Prime Publishing’s business isn’t interesting—”premiere” is just the wrong word. It’s quite obvious to me that their goal is to build easily monetizable digital properties, not to build an overarching woman’s lifestyle brand. When you take a look at their sites, you’ll see what I mean.

Prime or Choice?

Prime Publishing’s web properties include FaveCrafts.com, RecipeLion.com, AllFreeCrochet.com, FaveDiets.com, and quite a few more. If you visit each one, you’ll see that Prime Publishing has a formula for building profitable sites. They may not be taking an artistic approach, but it appears that they know how to make money from content (and that’s a REALLY important thing to learn these days). It’s the web version of direct marketing. I must admit that I was nervous about featuring Prime Publishing because their website looks similar to those of some entry level/intern scam companies. It’s also a bit alarming that they don’t list the names of any of their employees or leadership on the site. With that said, I used LinkedIn to do some additional research and everything appears to check out. The internships at Prime Publishing aren’t the glamorous Journalism jobs that you might have been dreaming about as a kid, but you will learn a hell of a lot from them about the intersection of marketing and content. Right now Prime Publishing’s Internships page shows that they’re looking for paid Editorial Interns, so check out the job description and get ready to learn fast.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of Prime Publishing’s business model?

Aruliden

Willy Franzen — Tue, 25 May 2010 15:01:57 +0000

Want more internship search help? Follow me on Twitter. I’m @willyf.

I feel as though I’ve been coming across a lot of innovation design firms lately. I guess it must be a growing field, which makes sense considering that design-focused companies like Apple are making a killing lately. Today we’re taking a look at Aruliden, a New York City based “brand strategy and product design consultancy formed by Rinat Aruh and Johan Liden in 2006 to bridge the gap between design and marketing.” They’re a small firm, but they make up for it by working with big name clients like Motorola, Jaguar, MINI Cooper, Microsoft, Starbucks, and Volkswagen. And not suprisingly, the work that Aruliden has done for these clients is just as impressive as the names of the clients. There’s the Motorola Sparrow and there’s retail strategy for Starbucks. Then there’s Areaware Clips and Scoot, Hydrogen Scooter. As you can see, Aruliden is always working on cool stuff.

Are You Aruliden?

If I had to compare Aruliden to some of the other innovation firms that we’ve featured, I’d say that Aruliden leans a bit more towards the marketing side than most. If you take a look at their capabilities, you’ll see that they list Strategy, Marketing, Product Design, Brand Identity, Packaging, Research, and User Interface (all done in eight languages) in that order. Still, it seems to me that Aruliden is very much in the camp of people who believe that the product is the marketing. Aruliden doesn’t get specific about what kind of internships they offer on their website, but their Contact page does encourage interested people to apply to jobs@aruliden.com. Luckily they also have a Strategy Intern position posted elsewhere, so you should probably target that (and note that it doesn’t require design skills). No word on whether or not it’s paid.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Which of Aruliden’s projects do you like most?

National Council on Crime and Delinquency

Willy Franzen — Sun, 16 May 2010 14:25:26 +0000

When I was a little kid, I had an irrational fear of and fascination with crime. Maybe it was because I grew up an hour outside of New York City in the 1980s. Since then my fear has subsided despite the fact that I actually live in downtown Chicago, but my fascination has continued—I love reading research based articles and books on crime. I’m always amazed at how much research is done on criminals, but I guess it makes sense. There is a ton of data collected by the government on crime, and once criminals are incarcerated, they’re pretty easy to get a hold of for research purposes. The tough thing is that the sensational news always gets the attention. Local news stations don’t look to research to see what they should warn viewers about. They find the most shocking story and play it up as much as they can (this sounds similar to the problem Just Vision is facing with the Israeli-Palestinian peace process). National Council on Crime and Delinquency is an Oakland, CA based non-profit organization that “has been applying research to policy and practice in criminal justice, juvenile justice, and child welfare” since 1907. They’re trying to fight crime by taking a scientific approach, not by doing what’s publicly or politically popular.

Don’t Be Delinquent

There aren’t a lot of non-profits that have been around as long as the NCCD. Yet the National Council on Crime and Delinquency continues to passionately and effectively pursue its initiatives. I actually really like what they have to say about themselves, so here’s an excerpt from the NCCD About page:

Crime control policies must be based on data and best practices, not media sensation or political rhetoric.

The correctional system can only have a limited impact on crime rates. Our prisons must be used sparingly for those offenders who are a threat to public safety and cannot be safely managed in the community. Incarceration is expensive and often leads to increased criminality. Prevention strategies and well-planned alternatives to incarceration can reduce the fiscal and social costs of current policies.

We are entering a new era of opportunity, one which promises to renew obsolete policies and bring about reform. Only a comprehensive planning approach that includes all sectors of American life-business, charitable organizations, religious groups, individual citizens, and government-can bring about a more just society.

If you agree with that quote, then you should check out internships at the National Council on Crime and Delinquency. Right now they’re looking for a paid Research Policy Intern according to Idealist. The deadline is on Friday May, 21st, and you can apply by sending a résumé and cover letter to Michael Lok, Internship Coordinator at: mlok@sf.nccd-crc.org.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about the National Council on Crime and Delinquency?

Just Vision

Willy Franzen — Sat, 15 May 2010 14:14:23 +0000

Sometimes you need a little recognition to keep working hard at something. Yes, we glorify those who keep persevering in anonymity, but there’s almost no better way to motivate someone than to recognize him or her for a job well done. That’s exactly what Just Vision is trying to do for “Palestinian and Israeli civilians working to end the conflict.” The media rarely talks about them. It focuses on the violence and the conflicts. This is typical of the press—the people who behave badly get their message out, while the people who keep quiet and do the right thing have to beg for a little bit of coverage. Just Vision, which is based in Washington, DC, is an organization fully focused on shining light on the positive news stories about Israeli and Palestinian civic leaders who are working for peace. Just Vision does this with the goal of making these leaders more “visible, valued and influential in their efforts.”

What’s Your Vision?

What’s really interesting about Just Vision is that they didn’t just jump into their work right away. Before they launched in 2003, they spent two years consulting with “nearly 500 Israeli and Palestinian leaders in nonviolence and peacebuilding to learn about their work, their successes, failures and lessons learned.” After learning a lot about they people whom they’d be working for, Just Vision launched with the goal of shining light on the “thousands of ordinary Israelis and Palestinians stepping forward to end the bloodshed, preserve human rights, promote reconciliation and build a sustainable, free and secure future for all.” One of the main ways that they do this is by producing and distributing films. What I really like about Just Vision is that they remain so focused. They could easily stray into working directly on the peace process, but they’ve continued to stick to their one big idea—advocating and publicizing for the people who are already doing the hard work. If you are drawn to this idea, check out Just Vision’s Internships page. Right now they’re looking for interns in Development, Media, General Internship, Translation, and Fact Checking. All of the positions are unpaid, and there are options to intern remotely, or in Washington, DC; New York, NY; or Jerusalem, Israel. You can apply by sending a résumé, writing sample and references via e-mail to: volunteer@justvision.org.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think about Just Vision?

Yankee Group

Willy Franzen — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:00:46 +0000

It’s funny how when a company gets on my radar, I often start hearing about them from multiple directions. It’s kind of like how when you learn the meaning of a word that you’d never heard of before, and then you notice it regularly frequently in daily conversation. It may be a coincidence, but it almost seems as though the word has finally achieved a certain level of inertia that it didn’t have before. Anyway, this seems to be the case with Boston, MA based Yankee Group. I had taken note of an internship with them a few days ago, and then a couple days later I came across this article about how the iPad is the fastest product to ever ramp to $1 billion in sales. You should read the article, because it’s a decent introduction to the kind of stuff that Yankee Group focuses on. They call themselves “the global connectivity experts,” which in layman’s terms means that they’re a independent research and consulting firm that focuses on communications technology.

Be a Yankee

Now it may seem strange that a company located in Boston has chosen to use the name Yankee Group, but I’m hoping that it’s a secret call for help from a Yankee fan who is trapped in Sawx Nation. Yankee Group’s big focus right now is on the Anywhere Revolution, which is a reference to “the convergence of three vital technological developments–digital communications, broadband Internet access and ubiquitous wireless networks.” This convergence is the focus of much of Yankee Group’s consulting and research work. If you’re fascinated by communications technology, then Yankee Group would be a great place to intern. They did go through some substantial layoffs in late 2008 and early 2009, but their Careers page seems to show that they’re back to hiring. I don’t know if that affected internships in the past, but it’s always good to know what’s going on at a company that you might be interning with. Right now there’s one internship posted—Summer Research Intern. It looks like a pretty interesting position, although there’s no word on whether or not it’s paid. Take a look and see if it’s a good fit for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Yankee Group?

Baby’s First Home

Willy Franzen — Sun, 09 May 2010 15:14:16 +0000

Happy Mother’s Day! Whether you’re sending your Mom flowers or taking her out to brunch, you should know there’s only one gift that she really wants: you to get an internship for the summer. Unfortunately, you can’t force that. If you really want to honor your mother with your choice of internship, you could consider working for a non-profit that is focused on helping new mothers like Baby’s First Home. They are a New York City based organization that is building and running “a supportive housing unit for 5 mothers (17-21) and their children.” They’re in the extremely early stages at this point, but they seem to be well on their way to achieving their mission of helping “mothers build independent lives and stable futures for themselves and their children.”

The Mother of All Opportunities

Now, if you go to BabysFirstHome.org, you’ll notice that there’s just a single page with a link to an e-mail address. That’s because Baby’s First Home is just getting started. I found out about them on Idealist because they had two internships posted: Project Design Intern and Research Intern. Both are unpaid, but should offer an extraordinary opportunity to get involved with the organization while it’s still in its formative stages. I wish that I could tell you more about the organization, but that’s all that I could find. Check out the specific internship postings for details on how to apply.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

BabysFirstHome.org
Internships at Baby’s First Home (Idealist)

How are you celebrating Mother’s Day?

ecoAmerica

Willy Franzen — Sat, 08 May 2010 16:04:02 +0000

The other night my girlfriend asked a few of our friends a question about real estate choices. She asked whether they’d pay an extra $100 a month in rent for a certified green building. The answer across the board was a resounding no. I’d imagine that this is a pretty common attitude. We may all talk about how we care about the environment, but rarely do we actually make “green” decisions. ecoAmerica is a Washington, DC based non-profit marketing and research agency that aims to make “the environment a higher priority for average Americans.” They work by finding large target audiences that are primed to receive a given message, and then they partner with businesses and other non-profits to reach these audiences. For example ecoAmerica has partnered with The Princeton Review to put together the 2010 Princeton Review Guide to 286 Green Colleges.

ecoAmericans Are Everywhere

Other ecoAmerica partners include REI, Wells Fargo, Honeywell, The Nature Conservancy, and The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. To get a better feel for how these partnerships work, you can check out ecoAmerica’s Programs page. The goal is to: “incubate, launch and manage programs that engage mainstream and environmentally agnostic Americans, asking them to ‘do’ something, and thus create lasting positive change in awareness, attitudes and behaviors for environmental and climate protection.” It’s certainly a unique model for a non-profit, and it has the potential to markedly change the way that the general public thinks about the environment. If you’d like to be part of it, then you should check out ecoAmerica’s internships on Idealist. Right now they’re looking for an unpaid Marketing/Social Media Intern. If you’d like to apply, send a résumé and cover letter to lia@ecoamerica.org with a subject line of “Marketing/Social Media Intern.”

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you noticed any of ecoAmerica’s campaigns?

Novomer

Willy Franzen — Thu, 06 May 2010 14:55:46 +0000

Looking for a good book? Need new clothes for your upcoming interview? Need a course to help guide you through the internship search? We’ve put together a page on our favorite internship search products, and we’ve even found you a deal or two along the way.

Yesterday we talked about the intersection of science and public relations, but today we’re just going to stick to science—Chemistry to be specific. I struggled with Chemistry in high school. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t my fault though. I had a teacher who wasn’t quite qualified for the job. The amazing thing is that even in high school Chemistry, you’re working with some pretty nasty stuff. That means that a lot of the chemical companies out there aren’t very environmentally friendly. Novomer is an exception. They convert “carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide from pollution into valuable materials [that have] the potential to transform the plastics and materials landscape on a global scale.” And I thought it was cool that trees could turn carbon dioxide into wood. Novomer is based in Waltham, MA, but their R&D lab is in my favorite college town, Ithaca, NY.

Making Chemistry Green

Since I wasn’t a very good Chemistry student, I probably won’t be able to shed much light on the nitty gritty details of what Novomer actually does. I will tell you that the flow chart on their Technology page is probably as simple as it gets though. You should also note that 10% of the oil that our country used is for manufacturing plastics and chemicals. Novomer’s technology not only negates the need for oil in the manufacturing process, but it also locks up carbon dioxide in the good that are produced. That’s pretty amazing. Even the government is impressed, as Novomer was awarded $2.1 million in federal stimulus money. If you’re impressed, check out internships at Novomer. Right now they’re looking for a Business Development Intern to work on Market Analysis and Research. There’s no word on whether the internship is paid or not, but it looks pretty serious, so I hope it is. You don’t need to be a total chemistry whiz, but you better have a basic understanding of the field if you want to land the internship.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Novomer?

The Institute for College Access & Success

Willy Franzen — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 16:21:39 +0000

Have a blog? Write a post about us or link to us on your blogroll. Work at a career center? Add a link to One Day, One Internship on your resources page. Use Facebook? Share the site with your friends. Help us spread the word.

Even if you get a full ride, college isn’t cheap. There’s a huge opportunity cost along with all kinds of hidden expenses that make higher education inaccessible to so many. When you consider that people with college degrees make nearly double the salary of those without degrees, you have to think that education after high school is pretty important (even though it’s pretty obvious that a big part of that statistic is driven by selection bias). The good news is that despite the continuously rising costs of college, the U.S. is at or near an all-time high in terms of the percentage of 25 year olds with a Bachelor’s degree. Still, there’s a long way to go, and that’s why The Institute for College Access & Success, which is based in Oakland, CA, exists. They aim to “make higher education more available and affordable for people of all backgrounds,” and they do this by “conducting and supporting nonpartisan research, analysis, and advocacy.”

Accessible Internships

While The Institute for College Access & Success is a nationally focused organization, they pay particularly close attention to their home state of California. Their Current Projects include The Project on Student Debt, Keeping California’s Promise, Simplifying the FAFSA, College InSight, and Difficult Dialogues Initiative. The organization has only been around since 2004, but in their short history they’ve been able to put together an impressive list of accomplishments. If you’re concerned with college accessibility, and you have a background in research, then you might want to check out Internships at TICAS. They are a small organization, so they only have one position posted right now: Research Intern. They’d really like a graduate student or someone with a Master’s Degree, but they’re open to undergraduates. If you have a background in education, public policy, or sociological research, you should check out the position. It’s paid, and it will be focused on “analyzing responses to a consumer survey about Income-Based Repayment.” You can apply by sending a cover letter and résumé to irons@ticas.org with “Research Internship” in the subject line.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you think college is affordable?

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Willy Franzen — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 16:24:56 +0000

One of the cool things about doing what I do is that I get a lot of interview requests from media outlets. At least once a week I’m talking to someone who is writing about entry level employment or internships. What’s even cooler is when someone writes about me, and doesn’t even interview me. I’ll suddenly see a Google Alert pop up for my name or brand name, and I’ll click the link to see who’s talking about me. One of the most exciting mentions came from the journal Science and their Science Careers Blog. In case you didn’t know, Science, the Science Careers Blog, and many other publications and newsletters are published by The American Association for the Advancement of Science. The AAAS is a Washington, DC based “non-profit organization dedicated to advancing science around the world by serving as an educator, leader, spokesperson and professional association.” They work in areas likescience policy, international programs, and science education, and

Are You Advancing Science?

Now, the AAAS mission statement includes a lot of bullet points, but I thought that it was worth including them all here since it will give you a much better feel for what the AAAS is trying to accomplish. Their goals are to:

Enhance communication among scientists, engineers, and the public;

Promote and defend the integrity of science and its use;

Strengthen support for the science and technology enterprise;

Provide a voice for science on societal issues;

Promote the responsible use of science in public policy;

Strengthen and diversify the science and technology workforce;

Foster education in science and technology for everyone;

Increase public engagement with science and technology; and

Advance international cooperation in science.

If you want a broader look at the kind of work that the AAAS does, you can check out their Programs page. It has links to pretty much everything that they do. Now, if you’re a scientist (amateur or professional), the AAAS could be a pretty cool place to start your career. They don’t have a ton of jobs posted, but there area few that might be of interest to new college grads. The AAAS provides a ton of links to Career resources including their Science Careers website on their initial Career Center page, but you can find their actual internship postings here and on their Internships page. It’s hard to say whether it’s too late to apply for their Science News Writing Internship (it’s still posted on their Job listings), but there’s definitely a Development Internship available post here. There are also a number of Science & Policy Programs Internships posted, but the deadline for most of them seems to have passed. I know this is a little confusing, but if you browse around the AAAS Career site you should be able to find what you’re looking for (and I forgot to mention that the internships are paid).

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you read Science?

The Advisory Board Company

Willy Franzen — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:59:44 +0000

Consultants are typically seen as hired mercenaries. Sometimes they get a bad rap, but at least they’re compensated well for it. I have to think that those who work at The Advisory Board Company have at least a somewhat better reputation since their company’s clients are all mission driven. What does mission driven mean? Well, most of The Advisory Board Company’s clients are in the healthcare industry (think hospitals and health systems, not insurance providers), but they’ve recently moved into working with universities too. I hadn’t heard of The Advisory Board Company until a One Day, One Job reader e-mailed me (you can reach me at willy@onedayonejob.com if you want to share a tip or success story) to tell me that he recently received a job offer from them. Apparently they do a ton of entry level hiring (along with some interns), and they’re continuing to grow well beyond the 5 employees that they started with in 1979. Since then they’ve grown to more than 1,000 employes, and they’ve served “more than 2,800 leading healthcare and higher education organizations.” Additionally, they’ve grown beyond their corporate headquarters in Washington, DC to having offices in Chicago, IL; San Francisco, CA; Austin, TX; Portland, OR; Nashville, TN; London, UK; and Chennai, India.

Join The Board

Introducing The Advisory Board Company as a consulting firm wasn’t fully accurate. They actually operate quite differently from most consulting practices. Instead of serving clients on an engagement basis, they do most of their work as a membership organization. Hospitals or universities can become The Advisory Board Company members and gain access to the company’s different offerings, which include things like Strategy Research, Clinical Research, Leadership Development, Business Intelligence Analytics, and more. They also provide Management and Consulting services, but it seems that those aren’t the main focus. Still, if you’d consider a career in consulting, The Advisory Board Company could be a nice alternative. Their Careers page goes into a lot of detail about the company’s culture and benefits, and obviously it also has the job listings. Right now there are just over 40 jobs posted and quite a few are entry level. Oddly enough, there’s only one internship posted: Recruiting Intern (it’s paid). Usually companies have lots of internships and not many entry level jobs, but I guess it’s reversed here. If you’re interested in something more closely tied to The Advisory Board Company’s core businesses, I guess you’ll either have to keep checking their job postings or reach out to them and ask about other internships.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about The Advisory Board Company?

Corporation for Enterprise Development

Willy Franzen — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 15:47:07 +0000

It’s tax time, which means that I’ve spent some time looking over my records from last year. This year is already looking better than last year thanks to a sponsor on One Day, One Job. Hopefully it will mean that when I do my taxes in 2011, I won’t consider myself a “low-income entrepreneur.” But if I still do, I’ll at least have the option of getting some support from the Corporation for Enterprise Development. They’re a Washington, DC based non-profit that is “dedicated to expanding economic opportunity for low-income families and communities.” The program that I’m alluding to is the CFED’s Self-Employment Tax Initiative, which helps to provide free tax preparation services for people like me (though I haven’t actually taken advantage of any of these resources). That’s just a small slice of what CFED does, though. Their broader goal is “working at the local, state and federal levels to create economic opportunity that alleviates poverty.”

Watch What Develops

What’s interesting about CFED is that their programs span across many different interest areas. They help people with tax preparation, they work to make manufactured housing a more practical option, and they manage Individual Development Accounts, which are “are matched savings accounts that help people with modest means to save towards the purchase of a lifelong asset. “CFED’s “think-do-invest approach grounded in community practice, public policy and private markets” is unique because it focuses on creating opportunity, not providing assistance. It’s about teaching people how to fish, not giving them fish. If you want to be a part of it, you should check out CFED’s Internships page along with their Idealist page. They’re looking for individuals with “excellent writing skills and fact-gathering, research and analysis experience,” and they’re willing to pay you for those skills. CFED offers internships in Applied Research, Communications, Federal Policy, Innovation, Programs, and State Policy, and you can apply for any of these positions online.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about CFED?