Category: Get That Job

Welcome to part 3, my friends! Now that you know your professional purpose, that one thing you’re known for, that feels meaningful and inspiring to you, here’s how you go about actually making it into a brand. But first, let’s review! In part 1, we talked about what actually is a personal brand and why should you want one. Quick recap: your personal brand is what you want to be known for (usually in the professional world), and it’s important because it helps you connect to other people in meaningful ways. Then in part 2, we discussed how to find your personal brand, which is ultimately the way you are best suited to contribute to an organization; how you best help people. Throughout this article, I’ll refer to you doing “your thing.” That “thing” is your personal brand. If you don’t remember or haven’t defined your brand yet, you should go back to Part 2. Great. Let’s rock and roll. Hold up, why do I need to do this part? Very fair question. Short answer: so you can do the thing you love to do more and better. So you can connect with other people who either are doing the same thing, or who want to help you do your thing, or who want to give you a job doing that thing.  You’re establishing yourself as the person who knows a lot about it. Who cares a lot about it. You’re the expert. It’s your thing. You want people to know.  Become an expert I don’t really care how you consume information, but you need to start consuming information. That might be the radio, podcasts, magazines, books, blogs, YouTube videos, documentaries…there’s a lot of ways to do it. This shouldn’t be painful or hard for you, tbh. You’ve picked the topic that you love the most, that gets you the most excited, in some way, shape, or form, I hope you enjoy learning more about it. If it’s not, please revisit our last post and start over. Remember, it can be music or sports or fashion. It can also be gene-splicing. Whatever gets you excited and happy to dig into the subject in your free time!  Pick your channels Oof. Channels. What the heck are those? Well, if nothing else, when you’re talking about your job, it’s probably LinkedIn and maybe Twitter. Let’s keep it simple, shall we? Channels are ways to talk to other people. LinkedIn and Twitter are the best-known and most widely used of them for networking purposes. Depending on your industry, it could also be Instagram, maybe YouTube, maybe TikTok? I don’t know, I heard it’s something the kids are using these days. Don’t make it complicated. Unless you have reason to believe you need to use something else, stick to LinkedIn. Twitter if you feel so compelled and want to post a whole lot. Your newsletter or blog if you have one. And I hope it goes without saying, it’s also every person you talk to in the real world. At a party, at the grocery store, everywhere. Talk about it Share the information you learned that’s interesting to you! Do it on LinkedIn. Maybe Twitter. In the lunchroom. Definitely with your boss and at that networking event. Talk about it at the grocery store and when you’re stuck between floors on an elevator. You are a wealth of knowledge dedicated to helping people and the world through your very special subject. Don’t be shy! Read, form an opinion, and help others by telling them what you know. And it’s true, not everyone will appreciate it, but that’s ok. You are broadcasting to everyone that you are passionate and knowledgeable about things that excite you. Over time this will open doors to new opportunities for you that will continually excite you and help you grow your career in a direction you actually want to grow. Questions? Thoughts? My two favorite subjects are branding and your career, so please drop a comment below if you’d like to connect. Until next time, my friends! XO, Libby

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people working at a cool job

Our clients and community are looking for unique jobs in a fun environment. These jobs should reside within organizations which prioritize people and culture and provide exciting ways to make an impact beyond the mundane 9-5. We are particularly interested in positions which don’t neatly fit into an obvious career path box (e.g., doctor, lawyer, accountant). If you know of a job that you think would be great for us to share with our community of driven career-transitioners, you can submit it here for us to consider for a future post! Title: Training and Development Specialist Company: BenchPrep Location: Chicago Why we like it: I think this job is cool for a million different reasons, but let’s talk about a few big ones. 1) You get to spearhead new employee training, employee development and you play a massive role in shaping the company culture. 2) With an onsite gym, generous paid parental leave, and all the standard benefits you could dream of, this job is a win from start to finish! Read more and apply here. Title: Head of Sales Operations  Company: Shipwell Location: Austin, TX Why we like it: M Head of Sales Operations, what a title amiright? This role is reposnible for CRM management, commission policies, designing territories for your sales teams to focus on, providing detailed metrics to leadership, and forecasting what the upcoming seasons are going to bring. If you’re customer obsessed and looking for unlimited vacation time combined with benefits and paid holidays, say hello to the Austin sun for me!  Read more and apply here. Title: Gifting Specialist Company: Alyce Location: Greater Boston Area Why we like it: Let’s just slow the cool train down for a second and think about being a gifting specialist. In this role you will be instrumental in facilitating the gifting motion for our Sales team, including list building, selecting gifts, and crafting messaging. It’s the perfect starter role for someone looking to break into a marketing career at an early stage startup. With a casual dress code, happy hours, and time spent volunteering this cool be the coolest job I’ve found to date.  Read more and apply here. Title: Project Manager Company: Pie Insurance Location: Denver, CO Why we like it: You will facilitate the design, development, testing, delivery, and transition of powerful applications. In their words, “there’s a good bit of fire fighting in a highly dynamic startup environment, so you should enjoy new application development, root cause analysis and rapid problem-solving.” They are looking for a candidate who has excellent communication skills, who is adaptable and has a learning mentality. With your standards benefits and paid sick days, this is one cool job! Read more and apply here. Title: Head of Marketing Company: Inspire Location: Santa Monica, CA Why we like it: I’ve very excited to tell you about this role. As head of marketing, you get to span a wide range of responsibilities from building the brand, creating content, hacking growth, advocating for customers, optimizing your social channels, helping to enable the sales team, and building/leading your own marketing team! Complete with benefits, family member leave, and a location right down the road from Trader Joes what more could you ask for? Read more and apply here. Title: Digital Sports Editor Company: Chicago Sun-Times Location: Chicago, IL Why we like it: This job is a quick moving and face paced role. Your responsibilities include editing copy, writing articles, managing the homepage and so much more! They are looking for a team player with sound news judgment who is knowledgable in SEO and social media best practices. With an office in Chicago, you can expect busy weekends filled with seasoned activities of all kinds.  Read more and apply here. Title: Coordinator, Social Media Company: OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) Location: West Hollywood, CA Why we like it: Everyone loves Oprah! How cool would it be to work for her?! This role gets to touch most of the Social Media output across the network. With a focus on growing the platforms, producing content, and implementing strategy, this role is perfect for someone who can roll up their sleeves and get a little messy when it comes to supporting the team around them. Here’s a new job for you and with more openings in the company, there is sure to be one for you, and you, and you!  Read more and apply here. Title: Photographer Company: Syndigo Location: Chicago Suburbs, IL Why we like it: This job is a no brainer for me. While I’m probably biased towards photography since I am a photographer, just think about how cool it would be to answer the dreaded “what do you do” question with something like “I’m a photographer for Syndigo!” Um, yes, please. If the cool factor isn’t enough – that’s ok, the benefits, paid holidays, and generous PTO may help convince you that this is a cool job to take note of.  Read more and apply here. Title: Data Engineer/Data Scientist Company: Validate Health Location: Chicago, IL Why we like it: Validate is an early stage healthcare analytics company looking to improve accessibility to healthcare by enabling medical organizations to operate at stable and sustainable financial models. This role will play an active part in shaping the delivery of powerful data-driven products that enable sustainable value-based healthcare models. With an office in the Merchandise Mart with free lunch and happy hours, this job is a win on all fronts.  Read more and apply here. If you’re excited about one of these roles, but you’ve been struggling to get the attention of employers, book a free consultation with us here. Our career coaches are standing by ready to help you land a very cool new job!

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people working a cool job

Our clients and community are looking for unique jobs in a fun environment. These jobs should reside within organizations which prioritize people and culture and provide exciting ways to make an impact beyond the mundane 9-5. We are particularly interested in positions which don’t neatly fit into an obvious career path box (e.g., doctor, lawyer, accountant). If you know of a job that you think would be great for us to share with our community of driven career-transitioners, you can submit it here for us to consider for a future post! Title: VP Of People Company: Zapier Location: Remote Why we like it: Zapier is one of our favorite things here in the Ama La Vida office. You want to automatically move data, merge calendar events, or track transactions?! There’s a Zap for that! This position is focused on growing the team and developing the people you can’t afford to lose. If you’re someone with strong leadership skills and the ability to foster high levels of accountability through coaching, career development, and performance management. Check out this job! Read more and apply here. Title:  Group Product Manager – Growth Company: MailChimp Location: Atlanta, GA or Brooklyn, NY Why we like it: Manager of Growth! Yes, please. Your role will include setting direction, removing obstacles and barriers, assessing business impact, as well as developing and coaching a team of Product Managers who are mapped to specific parts of the customer journey. This position is empowered to have a significant impact on how our users experience the core value of our product. If you’re passionate about user experience and customer success, this could be your dream job! Read more and apply here. Title: Product Manager Company: Audible Location: Newark, NJ Why we like it: Are you a team player who loves collaboration, clarity, and communication? In this role, you would leverage all of those skills and more while working with key stakeholders to develop and define products. Also, Audible – what more could you ask for?! A good job and all the audiobooks you could ask for! I’m calling it a win. Read more and apply here. Title: National Sales Manager Company: Catchco Location: Remote/Chicago, IL Why we like it: CatchCo is one of those unique companies you can’t help but love! With high focuses on people development and personal development, they are an amazing group to hang out with. You’ll spend your free time embracing the outdoors and covering your Instagram feed in cool photos of all the fish you catch. With the option to be remote or on the ground in Chicago, it’s really just a win-win situation! Read more and apply here. Title: Junior Brand Designer Company: Clearcover Location: Chicago, IL Why we like it: In this role as a Junior Brand designer you get to design and see your work in action. You’ll be creating social content, videos, infographics, and more! Personally, I love the thought of a job where 70% of my time is spent creating still content and the other 30% is spent creating video content! How cool is that?! As a bonus, Clearcover offers amazing benefits and with a home base in Chicago you can spend your weekends at Cubs games! Read more and apply here. Title: Accounting Manager, Europoe Company: Away Location: London Why we like it: Away is a luggage company so even though accounting isn’t the most interesting job…The 5 weeks of vacation and access to any Away products to make your travel as smooth as possible have made me suddenly interested in accounting! As a bonus, this role is based in London, so if you’re willing to kick off your career at Away, it’s time to pack your bags and start a new adventure. Read more and apply here. Title: Human Resource Business Partner Company: Ulta Beauty Location: San Diego, CA Why we like it: This role has a high focus on people development and talent retention within the organization. The golden point here is that you get to spend some time traveling around for work while being located in San Diego and getting to enjoy the sun, the beaches, and the weather in your evenings and weekends! If you’re ready to get into the beauty industry with a passion for people, this is one cool job! Read more and apply here. Title: Community Manager Company: WeWork Location: Los Angeles, CA Why we like it: I don’t know about you, but I’m obsessed with community and relationships. This job is for a social butterfly looking to make connections, create a team, and build a space that people love to be in – this is the job for you! They are looking for someone with the ability to multitask, who has excellent communication skills, and loves to go above and beyond for their customers! Read more and apply here. Title: Customer Support Specialist Company: Glassdoor Location: Uniontown, OH Why we like it: Glassdoor is at the front end of all you could ask for in a job description! They provide the business world with so many resources, job postings, and company reviews we quite literally won’t know what to do without them! This role is focused on supporting the customers and giving them an exceptional experience. If you’re empathic and approachable they are looking for you! Read more and apply here. If you’re excited about one of these roles, but you’ve been struggling to get the attention of employers, book a free consultation with us here. Our career coaches are standing by ready to help you land a very cool new job!

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We are back with 9 more cool jobs to inspire you! Whether or not you are actively job seeking, these may give you some interesting new career path ideas. Don’t forget to submit your jobs to us to publish if you are currently looking to hire for a cool job!  Our clients and community are looking for unique jobs in a fun environment. These jobs should reside within organizations which prioritize people and culture and provide exciting ways to make an impact beyond the mundane 9-5. We are particularly interested in positions which don’t neatly fit into an obvious career path box (e.g., doctor, lawyer, accountant). If you know of a job that you think would be great for us to share with our community of driven career-transitioners, you can submit it here for us to consider for a future post! Title: Staff Writer – Tech News & Trends Company: Built In Location: Chicago, IL Why we like it: Do you like staying in the know about all things tech and trendy? This job is looking for someone with excellent writing abilities who owns a little bit of Fomo. They are looking for someone (in their words) “Unreasonably Passionate,” curious, and humble. If you’re ready to own a content calendar and stare deadlines in the face, this job is for you! Read more and apply here. Title: Customer Success Specialist Company: Drillinginfo Location: Austin, TX Why we like it: I don’t know about you, but I love customer success. I love solving people’s problems and taking ownership of the experience customers are having. Not only do you get to stay in the know by attending regular training events and earning certifications, but you also get to practice identifying leads for the sales team! As a bonus, you get to provide customer feedback to the development teams and educate customers on the data they are seeing. You quite literally get to understand and know the company as a whole! Read more and apply here. Title: Systems Administrator Company: Kyruus Location: Greater Boston Area, MA Why we like it: Are you always identifying an easier way to do things? Do you frequently automate manual tasks? Kyruus is looking for someone who embodies their ‘CORE’ values [Caring, Ownership, Respect, and Empowerment] to level up their system’s processes. With mottos like “Healthy = Happy”, it’s no surprise that you get a little bit of cash every quarter to spend on the health programs that make you happy! Lastly, with an unlimited vacation policy, you can live up your passions of simplifying life throughout the whole year! Read more and apply here. Title: Manager, Sales Development Company: Snowflake Location: Greater Denver Area, CO Why we like it: Have you ever wanted to build out your own dream team? As a manager of Sales Development, you get to spend time building and supporting your team to achieve all their goals. As an extension of the leadership team, you are held accountable for embodying the company culture and creating a culture of diversity. They are looking candidates who are full of integrity, ownership, ideas, and a get it down attitude! Read more and apply here. Title: Events Coordinator Company: LaserFiche Location: Greater Los Angeles Area, CA Why we like it: They are looking for someone skilled at juggling lots of moving parts and executing on it well! You get a chance to show off your creativity, communication skills, and organizational power. They’re looking for someone with a keen eye for detail who has the ability to manage urgent needs at the drop of a hat. With a job in LA you’ll likely spend your weekends laying on a beach with a drink of your choice. I mean, what gets better than that?! Read more and apply here. Title: Director of People Operations Company: Collibra Location: Greater New York Area, NY Why we like it: HR is out, people operations is in! With a snazzy title like this, you get to spend your days thinking up ways to best retain and develop the talent the company has. You will be tasked with creating an infrastructure that makes the employee experience seamless so the role will require strong analytical, collaboration and execution skills. If you have a positive attitude and some previous HR experience, this role could be your dream job! Read more and apply here. Title: Designer Company: Realself Location: Seattle, WA Why we like it: You get an opportunity to make a big difference in supporting millions of people make smart, confident decisions about improving their face, body, and smile. Not only do you play a part in creating a more confident generation but you also get an onsite gym, generous PTO, and performance bonuses this job seems like an overall win. Read more and apply here. Title: Front-End Engineer Company: Sprout Social Location: Chicago, IL Why we like it: If you’re a creative, highly motivated, and inquisitive learner looking to build great software, this job has your name all over it. Within 3 months you will be fixing production bugs, within 6 months you’re primed to assist with the creation of technical specification documents, and by 12 months you will have a track record of owning and delivering small-to-medium features on time, from implementation to testing to final delivery. So what are you waiting for? If you’re ready to dig in and over deliver, this one is for you! Read more and apply here. Title: SR UX/UI Designer Company: EZ Texting Location: Santa Monica, CA Why we like it: If you’re looking for a fast paced environment where you can channel your inner entrepreneur and run the extra mile every time you get the chance, EZ Texting is the company for you! If you’re self-motivated with amazing communication skills, experience in agile development and you’re acquainted with the world of responsive design, this could be a great fit. Your benefits include all the standard stuff and “general awesomeness.” So what are you waiting for?! Get an application

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We are back with 9 more cool jobs to inspire you! Whether or not you are actively job seeking, these may give you some interesting new career path ideas. Don’t forget to submit your jobs to us to publish if you are currently looking to hire for a cool job!  Our clients and community are looking for unique jobs in a fun environment. These jobs should reside within organizations which prioritize people and culture and provide exciting ways to make an impact beyond the mundane 9-5. We are particularly interested in positions which don’t neatly fit into an obvious career path box (e.g., doctor, lawyer, accountant). If you know of a job that you think would be great for us to share with our community of driven career-transitioners, you can submit it here for us to consider for a future post! Title: Director, International Expansion Company: Pampered Chef Location: Chicago, IL/Travel Why we like it: While this role is based in Chicago you’re looking at 20% travel. I mean, I’ve always wanted a job that would send me to cool international places for work! With an on-site gym, unlimited PTO, and two offices the choices are endless as to what your workday could look like. Topping it all off with casual dress, happy hours, and some neat kitchen gadgets, it’s no wonder they are expanding globally everyone wants in on this!  Read more and apply here. Title: Junior Video Editor, Atmosphere Company: Chive Media Location: Austin, TX Why we like it: This position is for proactive and driven, video editors with a couple of years of experience. If you’re competent with Excel, Google Docs, Photoshop, WordPress, and Adobe Creative, your dream job may be right around the corner! What’s cooler than the job is the company! 3 lunches a week provided at the corporate office, it’s unlikely you’ll want to be a commuter despite the wonderful benefits they have for their commuters. With flexible work hours and an open vacation policy, the possibilities are almost limitless. Read more and apply here. Title: Creative Director Company: ezCater Location: Boston, MA Why we like it: The Creative Director is responsible for elevating the brand materials while maintaining a consistent voice and style. They are looking for someone with strong communications skills, who is ready to drive the brand forward while building a world-class team to meet ever-increasing creative demands. With a focus on innovative employees who are willing to “just figure it out,” it’s no surprise this company is focused on creating a strong and open company culture with a focus on kind, loving, and supportive employees, in their words, “we do not employ jerks, even brilliant ones.” Read more and apply here. Title: Director of Strategic Programs Company: FoodMaven Location: This position is ideally in Denver or Colorado Springs, CO but may be remote for the right candidate Why we like it: FoodMaven captures and creates a market for food lost in the system that’s oversupplied, out-of-spec, or local food without effective access to the market. They sell this food through an online marketplace to commercial kitchens and donates it to hunger-relief organizations to fulfill its mission of all food used with good purpose. The Director of Strategic Programs will be responsible for developing, launching, and managing strategic programs, tracking the efficacy of various initiatives, and working with the general manager to drive process improvements. Read more and apply here. Title: Customer Success Associate Company: BloomNation Location: Santa Monica, CA Why we like it: This role is focused on relationships and cultivating business within the b2b world. It’s a perfect fit for someone who is passionate, empathic, and driven. They’re looking for someone who loves to serve small business, with a friendly, optimistic, and caring demeanor. It’s a dynamic environment laced with diversity, great benefits, and lots of flowers! Top it all off with transportation benefits and a game room, I mean how could you not love this job?! Read more and apply here. Title: Product Consultant Company: ThoughtWorks Location: New York City, NY Why we like it: You will be working with clients across a variety of sectors and making sure the business-critical software solutions we develop deliver real business value every time. Some of your responsibilities include generating ideas and content, delivering custom software products, mentoring others, and working in a dynamic, transparent, and collaborative environment. With generous parental leave, commuter benefits, and professional development this job is a win! Read more and apply here. Title: Specialist, Public Relations Company: Accolade Location: Seattle, WA Why we like it: You’ll be working closely with the marketing, Sales, Business Development, Customer Partnerships, Product and Executive teams to support the build, promotion, and management of the Accolade brand and reputation in the market. This role requires strong communication skills, creative nature, a “can-do” attitude, and experience in the healthcare field. If that sounds like you, what are you waiting for? Read more and apply here. Title: Benefits Administrator Company: FabFitFun Location: Greater LA Area, CA Why we like it: FabFitFun is at the intersection of commerce, content, and community. You get to hold the keys to all the great things. A few of your responsibilities include designing and negotiating compensation packages that align with the company’s values, evaluating employee benefits policies, and responding to all employee inquiries relating to benefits. You get to do it all with generous PTO, casual office attire, and a stocked kitchen. Um, Hello, LA! Read more and apply here. Title: Social Media and Community Intern Company: Ama La Vida Location: Chicago, IL Why we like it: I may be a little biased here, but we’re a pretty fun bunch. We’re looking for an intern to help facilitate a large majority of our social channels. With a big emphasis on engaging with the ALV community slack channel we have plans for you to be involved in the content creation, copywriting, and video editing. Plus, you’ll get the chance to work in the “Happiness Hub” (aka the ALV office) with 3 of our stellar team members! Email a resume to randalyn(at)alvcoaching(dot)com if you’re interested! If you’re

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Calling all job seekers! We’re back with 9 cool jobs for you to check out. Even if you’re in the beginning phases of your job search, give these a look. You may find a new idea or inspiration! Our clients and community are looking for unique jobs in a fun environment. These jobs should reside within organizations which prioritize people and culture and provide exciting ways to make an impact beyond the mundane 9-5. We are particularly interested in positions which don’t neatly fit into an obvious career path box (e.g., doctor, lawyer, accountant). If you know of a job that you think would be great for us to share with our community of driven career-transitioners, you can submit it here for us to consider for a future post! Title: Associate Director, Market Research Company: Exact Sciences Location: Madison, WI Why we like it: In this position you’ll play a critical role in advancing Exact Sciences’ mission of detecting cancer at its earliest, most treatable stages. Direct from a source within the company, Exact Sciences really embodies a people centric culture where growth and development are a key focus. They’ve done experience maps, there’s an in-office book club (most recently on on Senge’s 5th Discipline) and they take annual Gallup surveys to heart (e.g. the avg. PTO increased by 1 week for all employees based on last year’s feedback). This is a place where you voice is truly heard. Read more and apply here. Title: Operations Coordinator Company: New Moms Location: Chicago, IL Why we like it: New Moms is an organization we at ALV have been supporters of for a long time. They provide young mothers and their children with safe and stable housing, a path to employment, and the tools they need to learn and develop strong parenting skills. This unique, wrap-around approach results in deep and lasting change and interrupts the cycle of poverty for two generations. This position provides high visibility as it reports to the Director of HR & Operations, and works closely with all staff to ensure seamless service delivery across all New Moms locations. Read more and apply here. Title: Experience Ambassador Company: Dabble Location: Multi Why we like it: If your idea of a fun Saturday is a pottery class with friends, this opportunity may be a dream come true! Dabble is a community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique experiences in their local city. Dabble Experience Ambassadors are energetic networkers with a keen eye for fresh, exciting, and unique learning and local experiences. They have diverse interests and experiences, giving their perspectives a distinctive edge. Dabble Ambassadors have a good sense of their city and the people who live there. They jump on creative, new chances to share ideas and skills by curating classes and experiences with engaging and knowledgeable teachers and hosts in interesting locations. If you want to unleash your creativity and get on board with a fast-growing, female founded company, look no further. Read more and apply here. Title: Audio Marketing Coordinator Company: SeatGeek Location: New York, NY Why we like it: Love marketing and podcasts? Well this position might just be made for you. As an Audio Marketing Coordinator, you’ll be focused on driving SeatGeek’s position as a leading audio advertiser. You’ll guide the growth of their audio advertising program and stay on top of the latest developments in podcasting, radio and digital audio. Some of the perks include $120/mo to spend on live events tickets and annual subscriptions to Citibike, Spotify and meditation services! Read more and apply here. Title: Papa Pal Company: Papa Location: Multiple Why we like it: Do you absolutely love grandparents? Us too. What a wealth of knowledge, experience and joy comes from our interactions with the seniors in our lives. Geared toward college students, Papa provides companionship and support for senior citizens. As a Papa Pal, you can earn some cash while enhancing the lives of those around who you may not have other family nearby. Our hearts are full just thinking about you clicking that apply button! Read more and apply here. Title: Human Resources Manager Company: CTI Location: San Rafael, CA (remote work a possibility) Why we like it: As we mentioned in this blog post, CTI is one of the top coach training programs in the world, and we highly recommend it. This job provides you with the opportunity to become involved with the very exciting coaching industry as CTI helps others pursue their coaching dreams. As an advocate of the People and Culture function, the HR Manager will be a key player in the recruitment of staff, and in supporting the organization’s ongoing transformation into a leadership development company. In this role, you’ll have flexibility to work partially remotely. Read more and apply here. Title: Senior Manager Company: Peritius Location: Chicago, IL Why we like it: At Peritius you get the dynamic, challenging work of management consulting with the laid back culture of a 40-hour work week. Peritius takes a human-centered approach to consulting, where the impact on people is as important as the impact on the business. If you enjoy the nature of traditional consulting work, but you are looking for a different cultural and environmental experience, this could be the perfect place to do it. You’ll also be supporting a women-owned small business. Read more and apply here. Title: Digital Product Manager of Mobile Loyalty Company: McDonald’s Location: Chicago, IL Why we like it: Have you heard about McDonald’s amazing new West Loop office? With monthly organized events, massive outdoor spaces, an 8000 square foot gym, and an onsite McDonald’s serving international favorites, this office helps the team connect with each other like never before.  In addition to the fun atmosphere, this position gives you the opportunity to shape the future of McDonald’s loyalty program and help to bring that program to live via its mobile app. Read more and apply here. Title: Associate Manager, CX Operations Company: Glossier Location: New York, NY Why we like it: If you’re anything like us, you’ve been continually accumulating every one of Glossier’s product. Joining this company means you’ll be getting on board with a female-founded startup which is

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The ALV Career Method is our comprehensive career transition coaching program. There’s a lot to it. So I want to share with you exactly how it works and why it works. But before I do, it’s important for you to know why we even built it in the first place! How We Got Here Not too long ago, I was sitting in a crappy hotel room somewhere in Kentucky. I was a management consultant. So finding myself in crappy hotel rooms, not entirely sure where I was, was not an uncommon occurrence for me. When I first got into consulting, I thought, “I’m young and don’t have a lot of responsibility. It’s okay if I live on planes and work all the time.” After a few years, I found myself thinking, “I’m young and don’t have a lot of responsibility. Why am I wasting my life being miserable, alone in a hotel room, doing work I don’t care about?” And in that hotel room, I had decided enough was enough. I decided life was too short to allow myself to stay unhappy. Consulting was a fantastic place to start my career, but I learned that it wasn’t my forever job. And once I did, I felt lost. I had worked so hard to get there. I had done all the “right” things. It was, by many standards, a great job. Why wasn’t I happy? Was I just being ungrateful? Should I stick it out? If not, then what now? Is it possible to find a job you’re passionate about that also pays well? Or is that just a pipe dream? I was questioning myself and my decisions. I didn’t seek help to find answers because I didn’t even know there was a help to be sought. Luckily, around the same time, I was given a leadership coach by my employer. And to be honest, I wasn’t excited about it. Coaching sounded like a hippie, made-up job to me. I was wrong. I found coaching to be so valuable that I continued working with my coach independent of my organization for years. And to take it about a million steps further, I found it so valuable that I eventually quit my job to start a coaching business. Why We Built the ALV Method The coaching that I had was incredibly powerful. I felt energized and inspired by my sessions. They helped me find calm and clarity. But something was missing: structure. While I was learning a lot about myself and starting to envision an ideal future, I didn’t always know where the sessions were headed. It was sometimes difficult to keep moving forward without some sort of process to follow to apply all of my insights to the actual job search. Many of my peers were going through a similar career transition and had an experience on the opposite end of the spectrum. Every career quiz and assessment felt so binary and limiting. Are you an introvert or extrovert? Oh, you like to help people? Then you should be a nurse. Analytical? You should be an accountant. These assessments felt outdated. Oversimplified. They didn’t seem to take into account how complex we are as people and that there is a lot more that goes into finding a fulfilling career path than just a few personality traits. Most career tests out there provide multiple choice questions and use an algorithm to box you into a “type” which determines your career direction. Seven billion people and unlimited career paths do not fit into one of 16 types. My business partner, Foram, had also made her way to coaching from consulting. She was being trained in leadership and executive coaching and saw that most clients were in the C-suite. “Why wasn’t coaching being made available for people earlier on in their careers?” she thought. Why did it feel so stuffy and inaccessible? How could we bring coaching to anyone at any time? The two of us teamed up to create Ama La Vida and our first signature career transition program, The ALV Career Method. We wanted to… take the best pieces from each of our experiences and create a process to help people navigate career transitions, no matter where they were in their careers or in the world. help people reconnect with themselves in an authentic way and craft a career path that was uniquely designed for them. arm them with the collateral, confidence and accountability to land roles they thought were out of reach. spark that excitement in them that would get them to take action and make the change they had been longing for. And we wanted to do it all in a way that was affordable. How The ALV Method Works The ALV Career Method is a comprehensive, 4-phase career transition coaching program that takes you step-by-step through the process of identifying the right career path for you and landing a job in your new chosen field. You’ll start with a multi-week intensive where you’ll be meeting with your coach frequently. Your sessions will then taper off over time as we move from discovery and planning to execution and support. Before each session, you’ll complete online exercises in our proprietary eCoaching platform. Then you meet with your certified career coach to dive deep into your findings and ensure you are progressing toward your goal of an exciting new career path. Here is everything you need to know about the program phases you’ll progress through: Phase One: Planning. One mistake we regularly see people make is finding themselves unhappy in their work and then going straight to the job boards to find a new position. Most often a position quite like their current one. They don’t take the time to sit back and reflect. To understand why they are unhappy in the first place. Or think about the components of their job that they do enjoy. To get clear on what impact they want to make in their career and what

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Have you just landed an interview for a killer job? Or are you currently in the job search process and hope to land that interview soon? Or are you considering a career change? If yes, then I highly encourage you to take some time to gauge company culture in an interview. Your happiness, within and outside of work, can be determined by the behaviors, policies, and environment of a company. On average, most people spend over 8 hours per day or 30-40 hours per week (often more!) at their workplace, which equates to a lot of time at your job. Why would you spend nearly half of your life at a place you don’t like? You probably wouldn’t invest in a car before you test drove it, did some research about the make of the car, or asked for recommendations from others before purchasing. Why would it be any different when investing in your career? So what is company culture anyway? And why should I care? Company culture is not just comprised of one thing. And you cannot necessarily “touch” company culture, but rather, you can recognize it in a multitude of ways. A company’s culture can include: The way people interact with one another How they dress What they do after work hours Expectations while at the office The company’s mission Volunteer or community service efforts Interaction with the leadership team The physical office space Hiring practices Flexibility of working hours And to put it simply, just the way that things are done at that company. Evaluating a job offer entails thinking about the job title, the salary, benefits, vacation time, sick days, etc. While these are very important pieces to consider, many people overlook company culture. Keeping in mind that 40+ hours are typically the time spent at the workplace per week, you can see why considering company culture is a crucial piece to the offer evaluation. Your well-being and work satisfaction depends on gathering this information. You probably don’t enjoy the job search process, so if it can be avoided, why run the risk of repeating it? Get informed, gather information, and ask the question to ensure your workplace happiness! Since you cannot break company culture down into one simple question, here are some ways that you can assess a company’s culture before accepting that job offer. Guage Culture Before the Interview First and foremost, assess your own needs. Obviously, everyone’s needs are different. While one person may thrive at a company where the expectation is to work nights, weekends, and over time, another person may crave more structure and defined work hours. While one person may love working in an open space with no doors or closed offices, another may be overwhelmed, distracted, or irritable without privacy. Before you head into that interview, reflect and jot down a few things that make you feel happy while at work. Start with your previous experiences. A great place to start in your assessment is your current position or previous work experiences. What have you liked or disliked about your workplace? Were you happy or dissatisfied? Take stock of what worked for you and what didn’t. And get specific! Talk to a mentor. Are you new to the working world? If you don’t have previous work experience to gauge workplace culture, find a mentor. If you don’t have a mentor, consider engaging in informational interviews to gain insight. Talk to older professionals about their experiences. What have they noticed within the field, particular companies they have worked at, or perspectives they may have regarding current trends within the industry? Do your homework! Be sure to research the companies where you will be interviewing. Not only will this help you excel in the interview, but it will also reveal information about the company culture that will be important in your decision-making process should you receive an offer. Don’t forget to research the leadership team too! The company’s leaders often set the tone of the company and culture is created from their behaviors, practices, or policies. Who is the face of the company? Do you feel aligned with them? Could you see yourself in their shoes? Do you aspire to be like them? These are vital questions to ask yourself as you are doing your company research. Need a few resources to help you with your company research? Check out the following: Glassdoor.com for company reviews. Remember that like all reviews, the reviews on Glassdoor tend to be polarized. Try to focus less on whether the person assigned 1 or 5 stars and more on how they describe the company and what it’s like to work there. LinkedIn.com to not only view the company’s profile, but also the profiles of the leadership team, people in your prospective department, or people you may know who have previously worked at that company or have connections there. Google the company’s name, then click on “news” to see any recent articles regarding the company. Review the company’s website, including bios, the about us page, the mission statement, etc. Pay attention to the communication process leading up to your interview. If you have been invited to interview with a company, pay special attention to this process. Are they communicating with you via phone, email, or text message? Is the process clear and concise? Are interactions easy? Did you get a response, or get in touch with the onboarding committee, recruiter, or HR team? Is there one point person or many? Does the communication feel awkward or comfortable? Is their preferred communication style in alignment with yours? It is important to reflect on even the small things that lead up to your interview. While you are not trying to nitpick every move they make, you are simply taking stock of what works for you and what might not. Find someone who works for (or previously worked for) the company. Do you know anyone who is currently working for this company? Or perhaps someone who may know

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We are back with 9 more cool jobs to inspire you! Whether or not you are actively job seeking, these may give you some interesting new career path ideas. Don’t forget to submit your jobs to us to publish if you are currently looking to hire for a cool job!  Our clients and community are looking for unique jobs in a fun environment. These jobs should reside within organizations which prioritize people and culture and provide exciting ways to make an impact beyond the mundane 9-5. We are particularly interested in positions which don’t neatly fit into an obvious career path box (e.g., doctor, lawyer, accountant). If you know of a job that you think would be great for us to share with our community of driven career-transitioners, you can submit it here for us to consider for a future post! Title: Bento Customer Success/Support Company: Bento For Business Location: Chicago, IL Why we like it: We know a customer success job might not seem like the coolest thing, but hear us out. Bento covers your lunch, a gym membership, unlimited PTO, office exchange programs, health and dental insurance and a stocked kitchen. They are committed to respecting their employees’ time and doing the right thing. (It’s sounding pretty cool now, huh?) Read more and apply here. Title: Design and Sales Associate Company: Interior Define Location: Los Angeles, CA Why we like it: Have you ever wanted to customize and build your own furniture? Well, thanks to Interior Define you can! Not only are they an innovative furniture company, but they believe work should be as comfortable as their sofas. They offer lots of potential for growth within the company, sponsored lunch on Fridays and flexible vacation plans. You get to build your own couch, your own career and your own life! What more could you ask for?! Read more and apply here. Title: In-Store Graphic Designer Company: Outdoor Voices Location: Austin, TX Why we like it: I don’t know about you but I love being active and doing things! Going for a run, a hike and sometimes even a climb. Outdoor vVoices is a company created by people who share the same passion for doing things. They call themselves “casual recreationalists.” It’s no surprise the benefits include free apparel and lots of recreation. Also – graphic design, talk about our childhood dreams come true! Read more and apply here. Title: Contract Curriculum Designer: ELL Company: eSpark Learning Location: Remote Why we like it: If you haven’t heard yet, remote working is what this world is coming to. ALV CEO, Nicole, talked about it in this post. Aside from the position being remote, you also get to create: content, videos and other resources to support their science curriculum. If you love science, have great attention to detail, have excellent time management skills and would consider yourself a self-directed learner this may be the holy grail of cool jobs. Read more and apply here. Title: Head of People Analytics Company: Gusto Location: Denver, CO Why we like it: Do you love data and love people? This role is perfect for you! With a high focus on using data to improve recruiting, development and talent management programs, you will spend your time working with the people leadership team including the Head of People. If you’re an agile team member with strong communication skills and focuses on client experience, inclusion and growth, this could be the job for you! Also – Denver, talk about a winter sports hub. Read more and apply here. Title: Community Manager Company: Stack Overflow Location: New York City, NY Why we like it: With company-wide focuses on servant leadership, collaboration, transparency and inclusion you’ll play an integral part in building and improving communities throughout the company. You’ll spend your time writing blog content, mediating Q&A’s, identifying ways to innovate the processes around your role, mentoring existing communities and so much more. The best part is you can do it either from home or from their private office in NYC. Read more and apply here. Title: Head Of UX Company: AppCast Location: Arlington, MA Why we like it: Design thinking in the workplace is a very up-and-coming trend. If you are ready to be a peer to the CTO and the Head of Product, they are looking for a candidate who can improve the usability of their current work while developing team members to reach their peak. While managing, developing and strategizing can seem like a lot you get to have a direct impact on the work they create. Read more and apply here. Title: Senior Product Manager Company: Calendly Location: Atlanta, GA Why we like it: Aside from the fact that we use Calendly to schedule all of our coaching sessions, we love it because you’ll geta large part in defining the vision and strategy for Calendly. You get to gather and prioritize feature requests from anywhere you choose. With flexible remote working options, commuter benefits, happy hours and so much more it feels like an overall win. Or maybe that’s just the beautiful weather talking? Read more and apply here. Title: Staff Accountant Company: Sittercity Location: Chicago, IL Why we like it: Sittercity is reshaping the way we think of childcare which is why we had to put them on the list! With support for remote working environment, to a stocked snack bar in the office, you get insurance, paid time off, industry leading maternity and paternity time off. Oh, and subsidized use of Chime for your own personal childcare services. Read more and apply here. If you’re excited about one of these roles, but you’ve been struggling to get the attention of employers, book a free consultation with us here. Our career coaches are standing by ready to help you land a very cool new job!

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I don’t pee on planes. Usually. Not because I hate the bathrooms or anything like that. Well, I don’t love them, but that’s not why. I feel bad making the people next to me get up. Yet, for some reason, I always book a window seat. Probably because I optimistically think I might be able to sneak a nap in, which almost never happens. But what almost always happens is I end up spending 3 hours squirming and trying to will the people next to me to have to go too so I can get up. Weird… I know. I don’t send back food. I feel bad. I also don’t care for spit sandwiches. I don’t have any food allergies so anything I’d send back would be just a preference thing, and luckily I’ve never been served anything unsafe like raw chicken. It’s not that big of a deal to me to eat something not made exactly to my liking versus inconveniencing the staff to fix it or make me a new one. I’m sure there are more examples, but I think you get the point. Judging by many of my daily actions, I’m a pushover and probably a wuss. I’m willing to eat a steak not cooked exactly to my liking. I’m willing to torture my bladder (though I should probably stop doing this – it definitely isn’t good for you). I’m willing to make small concessions throughout my day so as not to inconvenience others or be a nag. But when it comes to my career, my family, my hard earned cash – I’m not willing to concede. I know my worth, and it’s enough to inconvenience someone for when it’s not being properly represented. I’m not willing to risk losing out on a great opportunity. I’m not willing to stay in a place where I’m unhappy because I feel bad. I’m not willing to accept less than I deserve because I don’t want to rock the boat. And neither should you. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve spoken with someone who is receiving a lower compensation package than they’re worth because they don’t want to come across cocky or ungrateful or make someone jump through hoops. Or how many times people tell me they are staying in a job they dislike and where they feel unappreciated because they feel guilty leaving their team. I completely understand and empathize with the twinge of guilt. But I also know there are certain times when you have to look out for yourself, your pocketbook, your career, your life. I’m not advising anyone to eat an undercooked food or hold their pee for 2,500 miles. I am, however, advising you to also stand up for yourself when it really truly matters. The small stuff I leave to your discretion. As for the big stuff, it’s time that you come first.   This week’s challenge Think of an aspect of your life where you haven’t been putting yourself first but think maybe it’s time to. Take one step forward toward doing so. Maybe it’s telling your team that you will be unreachable during certain hours. Maybe it’s asking your partner to help out with a certain household chore. Maybe it’s doing some research to prepare for a compensation discussion. Whatever it is, commit to it this week. You can do this! Struggling to work up the courage or want some support helping you plan the conversation?   We know you want to learn more. Here are some of our favorite additional resources: Go along and order: You are a Badass: How to stop doubting your greatness and start living an awesome life All about the Benjamins: How to ask for the raise you deserve If you’re changing careers: Download our comprehensive career transition guide complete with tips for negotiating your offer

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Ever get excited about an interview and then slip into a wave of nervousness about how you will do? You are not the only one. There is a lot of pressure knowing that you are a few interviews away from the job that you’re after. Here are 6 foolproof ways to prepare for an interview. Follow these steps to prepare and you will notice an increase in your confidence and improvement in execution! You will surely stand out, and for the right reasons. Location Location Location Expect the unexpected! You’ve done a major amount of prep, practiced your handshake, picked out your confident outfit, etc. Do NOT let being late create a bad impression first thing at your interview. This is the easiest thing you can do to have a foolproof interview. Know exactly how long it takes to get to your interview site and ADD 15 minutes to the commute to make time to park your car and walk to the correct part of the building without needing a sweat towel when you get there! Research the Company and Position In a sea of many companies, why did you choose them? They might be curious to know your why for pursuing this job with this company. Pour into the company website and read into more than just their mission and values. How are they involved with the community, what are they proud of? Are you new to the industry? Be able to study and grasp as much as you can to show your commitment to the new industry. Were you given the name of your interviewer? Search them on Linkedin, learn of their background and note if you have anything in common with your interviewer. Be ready with questions either about their background or role in the company. Create a connection with the person who’s getting to know you! Show your investment into getting this position by knowing the position, learning the ins and outs of what the company is about and looking for so you’re able to emphasize the value you add.   Know Yourself It’s easy to take for granted that you’ll need to study YOU before answering interview questions. I mean, how hard could it be? It’s you, you must know all the answers! Well, in an interview dynamic, the pressure to speak well, and nervousness could have you tripping over the simplest things, like what you’re good at and areas you are working to grow. Reflect on why you want this job, what you’ll be able to bring to the position and what experiences ensure that you’ll be able to meet the responsibilities best. Write out which strengths and weaknesses you want to talk about if that question comes up in an interview. Write out an answer to “tell me about yourself” so you can see if you’ve included all the relevant* information you want in that introduction.   Prep Your Stories Ahead of Time Behavior-based interview questions are always a part of the process. You know them, it starts with “Tell me about a time when _____.” These questions challenge you to share an experience you had to help them understand how you think and might behave in a situation you’d face in your position. For instance, “Tell me about a time when you failed to make a deadline, what did you do?” These are the hardest questions to be able to answer on the fly. Avoid having to rack your brain of a good story from 3 years ago that exemplifies leadership, in real time, with pressure and nerves of saying it all right. You have a lot of experiences to sort through and in a rush to answer timely, you might start telling a story that wasn’t the best one to talk about. Think of various memories: a time when you went the extra mile, resolved a conflict, were under a lot of pressure, had to prioritize, worked on a team, lead a project just to name a few. You don’t necessarily know which ones will be asked, but thinking about them ahead of time will have it in the forefront of your brain, ready to be pulled in case a question creates the opportunity. Check out this blog that digs into how to hit curveball questions! Practice! Now that you’ve thought of what you want to say, try it out! Written answers don’t tend to sound natural when you say them, practice with a friend, career counselor, or the mirror. Get through the story you want to tell sans Umms, Ahhs, and stutters. It might take a few tries, but doing this ensures a smoother answer during showtime and will allow you to have a foolproof interview! Come Ready With Questions Your turn to flip the interview! What makes you curious about the company or position says a lot about what is important to you as you decide whether or not to accept an offer. Take this opportunity to get the information you can’t find online. If you’re looking for some good questions, here are some of my favorite: Job description not totally clear about their expectations? Not asking questions shows a lack of curiosity and might imply that you feel like you know all there is to know about the job or company. Now, Go Get’em! More preparation is bound to increase your confidence in how you will do in your interview. Still overcome with nerves? Change your state. Life coach Tony Robbins, says the key to overcoming stress is to move your body to shift your state from stress/nervousness to one of confidence. Stop, and breathe deeply. Think of how you stand when you’re confident. Are your hands on your hips? Shoulders back? Are you looking up? Figure out what makes you the most confident and do it right before the interview. This will help your nerves will shift and help you have a foolproof interview! Following all of these tips ensure that you’ll have a foolproof interview and can

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We are back with 9 more cool jobs for you to take a peek at. Whether or not you are actively job seeking, these may give you some interesting new career path ideas. Don’t forget to submit your jobs to us to publish if you are currently looking to hire for a cool job!  Our clients and community are looking for unique jobs in a fun environment. These jobs should reside within organizations which prioritize people and culture and provide exciting ways to make an impact beyond the mundane 9-5. We are particularly interested in positions which don’t neatly fit into an obvious career path box (e.g., doctor, lawyer, accountant). If you know of a job that you think would be great for us to share with our community of driven career-transitioners, you can submit it here for us to consider for a future post! Title: TBD – Potentially “project management, team leadership, student engagement, digital analytics, business development, special events, facility with tech and web tools, and most especially, etc. We do a lot of etcetera.” Company: Seth Godin’s Studio Location: Hastings on Hudson, NY Why we like it: Seth Godin is our hero. Let’s start there! This is a unique opportunity to join his team to support the suite of services and experiences he curates. No need for me to sell this one anymore. I’ll let Seth do it for himself, “I can’t tell you a specific job title or even a salary. All of our jobs pay significantly higher than industry standards, with excellent benefits (including lunch every day), flex time and most of all, an environment that’s based on mutual respect, responsibility and alacrity. We eagerly seek diversity of background and skill set, and are also focused on alignment of attitude and energy.” So if you’re up for a challenging, ambiguous but also creative and exciting environment, then do as Seth says, and apply below so you can “make a ruckus.” Read more and apply here. Title: Sr. Account Manager Company: Sitewire Location: Phoenix, AZ Why we like it: This role is shaping the modern marketing landscape, helping CPG (consumer packaged good) brands authentically connect with Millennials on emerging platforms. As a senior account manager, you get to play to your left and right brain – one part number crunching and one part creative strategy and direction. It’s truly a T-shaped role at a growing independent digital agency in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona packed with great perks like unlimited PTO, all-year “summer” Fridays and quarterly culture club events like team curling and a night on the ranch in the Arizona desert. Read more and apply here. Title: Web Development Immersive Instructor Company: General Assembly Location:  Seattle, WA Why we like it: If you are passionate about technology and enabling others, this job is right up your alley. Join General Assembly’s growing team as you help your students learn the ins and outs of website development. GA has been a phenomenal partner to Ama La Vida, and we can vouch for the caliber of talent they hire. What a fun and exciting way to combine your tech and people passions! Read more and apply here. Title: VP Supply Chain Company: Backcountry Location: Park City, UT Why we like it: In this role, you will be responsible for 3 warehouses globally, lead 400+ employees and work with 1,500 suppliers. You will be a key member of Backcountry’s leadership team and will report directly to Backcountry’s CFO. Backcountry has become known for its excellent supply chain, so if you’re geeking out at the thought of checking out its distribution facilities, this could be your new home. Also, did we mention it’s in Park City? Hello, ski season. Read more and apply here. Title: Portfolio Strategy & Operations Intern Company: Carbon Black Location: Waltham, MA Why we like it: It’s internship recruiting season, and this is a great one! Carbon Black is a leading provider of next-generation endpoint security, leveraging breakthrough prevention technology to instantly see and stop cyber attacks before they execute. This is certainly an industry on the rise, and you can rise with it in this role as you work on a diverse set of projects and collaborate with many different stakeholders. Read more and apply here. Title: Agile Project Manager Company: Table XI Location: Chicago, IL Why we like it: We love Table XI because they are one of the fastest growing design thinking company we know. They have a unique office vibe complete with a Tiki hut and an in house chef to provide fresh lunches every day! With an intense focus on people development, they heavily invest in sending their people to conferences, workshops, and allowing them to donate their time to organizations they care about. Read more and apply here. Title: Partner Success Strategist Company: AdmitHub Location: Boston, MS Why we like it: AdmitHub is the latest in chatbot technology allowing colleges to stay on top of the questions their potential students, applicants, and current students are asking. With this tech-focused culture, they are a forward-thinking company that’s growing fast! Complete with good insurance and flexible vacation time, this job is cool no matter how you frame it! Plus, it’s got a home base in Boston, so your weekends are wide open with amazing outdoor experiences no matter the season! Read more and apply here. Title: Growth Marketer Company: GoHealth Location: Chicago, IL Why we like it: This opportunity puts you right in the middle of changing the health insurance industry. You’ll be helping GoHealth grow and reach new customers while collaborating closely with other functional groups. GoHealth has a fun office with a startup vibe, a unique gem in the healthcare industry. If you love marketing and data, this could be the job for you. Read more and apply here. Title: Senior Product Designer Company: Seismic Location: San Diego, CA Why we like it: If you are passionate about product development and design, this could be a great role for you in sunny San Diego. The Seismic platform helps sales and marketing drive revenue together, and in this role you’ll be creating the future vision of that platform. The company is growing quickly, offering lots of opportunity to move

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