My book will be the prize in a raffle at Seek Books!
Great folks – I interviewed the owner here before. Go on and give them a try if you're in the Boston Area, or fan them on Facebook.
– Steven Savage
Steven Savage
Resume Worthy Roundup
This is a little experiment to help out our readers – a monthly roundup of companies in the news that we think may be resume-worthy. This could be because of a cool thing they do, an infusion of venture capital, a good report, or because they simply said they’re hiring.
Note that there are many amazing companies out there, and this roundup is not considered an endorsement per se. This is just what came across this month that you may want to pay attention to for potential employment
So who is Resume-Worthy this June?
- Affirmed Networks – They’re in stealth mode, and got $11 million in investment
- Alchemic Dream, Laboratoires Bug-Tracker, and Monde Media Solutions (Game Services) – They formed a virtual universe consortium that sounds interesting and forward-thinking.
- Alibaba (E-Commerce) – They’ve got a US branch coming
- Brand.net (Online Advertising) – They secured $14 million in investments.
- DC (Comics and Media) – They just started an awesome digital comics initiative.
- Digital Development Management (Talent Agency) – Just broadened out into video game talent. They may be good to work for or with.
- Hulu (Online Video) – Because they’re going to be everywhere on every device.
- Manga Factory (Manga) – They’re new,but they show ambition and understanding of the market.
- Marvel (Comics and Media) – They’re starting a new ten-minute trailer iniative in theaters, and that could mean opportunities for people in filmmaking, or who want to break in by, say, producing a short cheaply.
- MOG (Music) – They just got onto iPhone and Roku.
- Playdom (Social Games) – They’re still acquiring companies and apparently have money to spend. Plus they want to branch into Europe.
- Redbox (Video Rental) – Their kiosk system means they’re 25% of all video rental.
- RockYou (Social Games) – Got Ten Million from Softbank. Softbank has their fingers in a lot of pies.
- Roku (Media Delivery) – They’re busy, if at times below radar, and keep adding to their offerings.
- Xconomy (news) – They just opened a San Francisco branch, and they seem to be evolving and growing. In fact, we use Xconomy for some of our news analysis.
- Zynga (Social Games) – They got $147 million from a Japanese investor
-Steven Savage
Forgotten Geek Job Resources
You know how you want a job? You know how you're a blatant geek? Guess what, as you sit there panicking over your employment, you've forgotten the unique resources that you have to help you find a job.
Yes, here are the geek job resources people forget.
Your Social Network: Honestly, have you told your fellow geeks, anime fans, et al you're out of work? Then go do it. You're probably got a lot of people you play games with, read fanfic with, or chat with. Go see if they can help.
Your Favorite Companies: Those publishing, gaming, and technology companies you're mad for? Come on, go to their sites and check out their career options. If you get an interview, think of all the knowledge you have from using their products. Ask yourself – whose products do I admire and use that I'd want to work for?
Your Industry Knowledge: Hand-in hand with your company knowledge, your blatant meekness means you know a lot about certain industries. Rack your brains and see if you know any trends that suggest potential ideas for employment.
The Internet: Yes, you probably know there are job search sites, but you're forgetting that the Internet has:
- Resources to research companies, from LinkedIn.com to Crunchbase.com.
- Ways to get news feeds on companies that you may want to work for – or in fact they may have RSS feeds or other ways to send you information.
- Do research on companies in detail.
- Random surfing for ideas.
Your Creativity: Come on, you're the person that created incredible fanart, ran a fan site, cosplayed something that couldn't normally exist in 3 dimensions, or wrote epic fanfic. Start dreaming up career ideas!
Go on, let's see some geek pride – and appreciate what you have for resources!
– Steven Savage