Job Post -- Jack/Jill-of-All-Trades for a Social Gaming Startup (Mountain View)

BrainTrust is looking for a Jack/Jill-of-All-Trades to join the ground floor of an exciting social gaming startup. They're at the fun stage -- experiencing rapid growth and working hard, but taking time to enjoy the ride as well. This is a classic startup role: an entry-level, foot-in-the-door opportunity with a great company with plenty of room for advancement, an engaging work environment and a career-building role.

THE ROLE:

In this role, you WILL:
* Pitch on the customer service front, answering emails and problem-solving with management to establish procedures
* Assist on various operational duties, ranging from office management to HR to recruiting to marketing
* Contribute to special projects as needed -- this is a start-up, so there is no shortage of things to do

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

A sharp, detail-oriented entry-level candidate WITH:
* Proven writing skills and a strong understanding of the Web
* Logical mind and strong attention to detail
* A can-do attitude and a passion for working with people and creative problem-solving
* 4-year college degree and record of academic success

TO APPLY:

Visit BrainTrust and fill out our online signup. Please DO NOT send attachments or e-mail resumes. If you have any questions, please email Henry.

If you've previously submitted your information to BrainTrust, no need to reapply -- just email Henry with your interest.

Do Your Homework

Most of our clients are looking for the following things in the entry-level interview:

* Smarts. Does the candidate have the goods upstairs necessary to handle the rigors of the position?
* Experience. Does the candidate have *any* experience that relates the position?
* Attitude. Will the candidate be happy/upbeat doing the actual *work*? Is he/she willing to "pay his dues" in the entry-level role and establish themselves as a solid contributor before expecting a new role?
* Enthusiasm/Interest. We break this into 3 pieces.
- interest in the role:
- interest in the company:
- interest in the industry:

This last one might be the most important, and lucky for you, it's completely under your control. Make sure you understand the position, and relay your enthusiasm for the actual role to your interviewer. Research the company and its competition. Understand how the company's product/service is differentiated and come to the interview with questions that show you did research beyond perusing the company Web site. Know the industry players, the direct competition as well as the niche players doing interesting things, and weave that knowledge into your interview answers.

Do your homework: you'll distinguish yourself from your competition, and when you actually land the job, be able to hit the ground running.

Job Post -- Online Account Manager for Established Online Media Startup (SF)

BrainTrust is looking for Account Manager candidates for our client, an online media site devoted to news, views, websites, and blogs about fashion, beauty, celebrity style, lifestyle, entertainment and shopping. Backed by blue-chip VCs and is led by a team of online veterans, this established startup offers great entry/intermediate-level opportunities: plenty of room for advancement, an engaging work environment and career-building role.

THE ROLE:
As a client-facing team member, you WILL:
* Shepherd and advise a number of publishing client accounts
* Translate needs of clients to Editorial, Design, Engineering, Product Management and Project Management teams
* Manage day-to-day contact with clients and discuss campaign progress -- including gathering all client assets and approvals in timely manner
* Help improve internal processes, customer tools and the overall quality of customer service
* Contribute to special projects as needed

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR:
A sharp, detail-oriented entry- or mid-level candidate WITH:
* Success working in fast-paced environment while juggling multiple deadlines
* A strong customer service ethic; 0-5 years experience in an account management or client services role, ideally in online advertising or media
* A trouble-shooting/problem-solving mentality
* The ability to digest and synthesize information quickly and convey complex information to customers
* Interest in fashion, beauty and celebrity style content
* A solid educational background and demonstrated interest in online technologies

TO APPLY:
Visit BrainTrust and fill out our online signup. Please DO NOT send attachments or e-mail resumes. If you have any questions, please email Henry.

If you've previously submitted your information to BrainTrust, no need to reapply -- just email Henry with your interest.

Help, Don't Hurt

A basic rule of the job search is to take advantage of every touch point you have with a hiring company. Example: I receive a daily barrage of emails, setting up interviews, asking questions, etc., and it's alarming how many truly smart candidates pen notes that would embarrass a seventh-grader. Run-on sentences, malaprops, no caps or basic punctuation, etc.

I'm not some old fuddy-duddy; I understand that email is a more casual medium. With friends, emails can be as informal as you want. With potential employers, button it up. The bottom line is that companies make hiring decisions based on imperfect, incomplete information. If a piece of your information is an illiterate email, that cannot possibly help your cause.

Here's a more forceful take on this.

Thank You -- Email It. Write It. Tweet It. Just Say It.

In the old days (pre-1996), the thank-you note was a staple of the job search process. The job seeker was expected to send a handwritten note to each and every person they met while interviewing. Anything less was seen as not savvy, and somewhat rude.

These days, it's somewhat rare to receive a thank-you note from interviewees. I'm not sure why -- colleagues have pointed to various "millenial" arguements, use of various online job search tools, and the ease of /commodization of communication -- but one thing is clear: sending a thank-you note is a no-brainer for the smart job search.

Why?

* It's the final opportunity to thank the interviewer for their time and express your interest, once again, in the position and the company. It allows you to make one final point before the company makes their decision -- you get the last word.

* You'll stand out. Like I said above, we don' t receive many thanks-yous. If you take the time to craft individual notes it will be noticed. And if it's between you and one other person for the position, it might very well put you over the edge.

* It could be a dealkiller. The people empowered to make hiring decisions are more likely to be of the mindset that the thank-you is a critical part of job search protocol and be put off if it doesn't arrive. I've seen offers not extended because the candidate did not send a thank-you.

* It's the right thing to do. Especially in this day and age, time is precious, and thanking someone for taking their time to consider you for a position is appropriate.

* It's easy. Handwritten notes are no longer necessary (but still make an impact). Write a thoughtful email instead.

In the job search, it's important to make the most out of every touch point you have with a hiring company, and the thank-you note is a gimme.

Job Post -- Entry-level Engineer for Hot Social Gaming Startup (SF)

BrainTrust is looking for bright, energetic recent CS grads to join a truly hot social gaming startup -- the company is a few months old, well-funded, and 5 people strong, and already boasts the #1 and #4 apps on MySpace.

We're not looking for a list of skills or set experience. We're looking for the sharpest entry/intermediate-level engineering talent and we're small and nimble enough to mold the position to you. Position will offer hyper-competitive salary and founding team, pre-Series A equity package.

If you're interested in developing (front end development/game design/back-end programming/database development) the next wave of social networking applications in a true startup environment (small team, proven success, huge upside), then send us your info.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR:
* BS in Computer Science (or equivalent) from top program
* Ability to handle responsibility, collaborate and excel in small team environment

NICE, BUT NOT NECESSARY:
* Experience with PHP / JavaScript / JAVA / MySQL
* Object-oriented design skills
* Experience using Facebook/MySpace applications. Experience developing them a huge plus.

TO APPLY:
Visit BrainTrust and fill out our online signup. Please DO NOT send attachments or e-mail resumes. If you have any questions, please email Henry.

If you've previously submitted your information to BrainTrust, no need to reapply -- just email Henry with your interest.

The Hot List -- Most Desirable Companies in the Bay Area

On the BrainTrust signup, we ask a simple question: if you could work for any company in the Bay Area, who would you work for?

The most recent rankings are below. Not surprisingly, given their general omnipresence, Google ran away with the top prize. A "Who's Who" of local companies fill out the rest of the Top 15.

By category, "Big Tech" (even without the Google bump) companies are the most desired destinations, followed by Startups, Green/Cleantech and Other/Cool (which includes folks like IDEO and Pixar).

1. Google
2. IDEO
3. Apple
4. Genetech
5. Pixar
6. Yahoo
7. Youtube
8. Cisco
9. Current TV
10. Facebook
11. Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
12. Kaiser Permanente
13. Lucas Films
14. Microsoft
15. University of California at San Francisco

Job Post -- Online Advertising Traffic Coordinator for Advertising Network (SF)

BrainTrust is looking for Traffic Coordinator candidates for our client, an online advertising startup. The company has top-tier VC funding and is led by a team of online advertising veterans. This is a ground-floor opportunity with a great company: plenty of room for advancement, an engaging work environment and career-building role.

THE ROLE:
As an integral member of a fast-moving startup advertising service, you WILL:
* Liaise with client services, sales and technical teams to create campaign delivery strategies
* Anticipate delivery and performance issues, and communicate with outside agencies to manage campaigns
* Work closely with clients services, sales and technical teams to identify product enhancement opportunities and beta test new solutions.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR:
A sharp, detail-oriented entry-level candidate WITH:
* Incredible attention to detail and an analytical bent
* A creative, proactive personality
* An interest in technology, online advertising and working in a startup environment
* Aptitude for crunching and evaluating numbers (using Excel, stats software, etc.)
* An impressive educational background and record of academic success
* Demonstrated ability to collaborate and work as part of a dynamic and cross-functional team

TO APPLY:
Visit BrainTrust and fill out our online signup. Please DO NOT send attachments or e-mail resumes. If you have any questions, please email Henry.

If you've previously submitted your information to BrainTrust, no need to reapply -- just email Henry with your interest.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

HR is looking for candidates who have proven success on the job, so keep this top of mind as your craft your resume. For each job, think about instances where you‘ve accepted extra responsibility, managed a project, led a team initiative or beat an internal deadline — anything that helps distinguish you through action is always most effective. A classic interview tip is to sell yourself by example, sharing an anecdote to illustrate that you’re hardworking instead of simply stating you are. The same principle applies here.

The resume should not just list your responsibilities, but demonstrate how you made an impact in that role.

Gaps in the Resume

Gaps in your resume serve as red flags for HR -- they don't want to have to figure out whether you were travelling, tending to a sick relative or in prison, and probably won't have the time to ask you directly.

Account for long gaps in time, even if it means highlighting the four months you spent waiting tables or traveling through South America. You’d be surprised how much value HR sees in non-corporate jobs and interesting life experiences. Even if you didn’t gain traditional office skills, you learned to think on your feet, work with a range of personalities and accept responsibility, all important life skills.