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May 24, 2013
May 22, 2013
John Thorne:
They launched the 'Arab Spring' but now yearn for the good old days of a strongman
May 20, 2013
Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?
Melissa Healy: Genetic copies of living people from embryos no longer science fiction
Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Jews Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame; Anton Yelchin co-stars in New "Trek" film; Kutcher (but not Kunis) visits Israel; Jewish TV Star Praises Jewish Rap Star
The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: WARNING: This WALNUT CAKE WITH PRALINE FROSTING, perfect for afternoon coffee, is addicting
May 13, 2013
Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Why the giving of the document that would permanently change the world could only be done in desolation
David G. Savage: Church-state, literally? Supreme Court weighing public school graduation in a church
May 10, 2013
Rabbi Berel Wein: Be all that you should be
May 8, 2013
Peter Ford: Why China is welcoming both Israel's Netanyahu and Palestinians' Abbas
Warren Richey: Obama administration quietly backs out of appeal over new contraceptive mandate
Fred Weir: At Kerry-Putin meeting, US-Russia relations thaw --- a tad
The Kosher Gourmet by Leela Cyd Ross : Almost too pretty to eat, this colorful salad with Sicilian inspiration will tickle the taste buds and delight your visual sensibility
May 6, 2013
May 3, 2013
Kids, kittens the Same? With employee perks at struggling Internet pioneer Yahoo! it's hard to tell
Sandy Kleffman: Artificial kidney offers hope to patients tethered to a dialysis machine
April 29, 2013
Roy Gutman: Poland's new Jewish museum celebrates life, doesn't revisit Holocaust
Mark Clayton: Terrorism in America: Is US missing a chance to learn from failed plots?
Kim Murphy: Boston Bomber's 'Svengali' Revealed
Pete Spotts: Tiny satellites + cellphones = cheaper 'eyes in the sky' for NASA
April 26, 2013
Clifford D. May: Defense in the Age of Jihadist Terrorism
Sharon Palmer, R.D.: How to feel your best -- with plenty of energy, a healthy weight and optimal mental and physical function -- without driving yourself batty
April 24, 2013
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Jewish World Review
Start-ups Offer Risks, Rewards for M.B.A. Interns
By
Kelsey Sheehy
Business students can learn all facets of an industry via internships with newly created firms
JewishWorldReview.com | (USNWR)
Start-up businesses are emerging from the rubble of the Great Recession--and they're hiring.
Companies such as Groupon, LivingSocial, and Zynga, the game developer behind Farmville, added more than 6,000 jobs in 2011, according to company websites and growth reports, and new ventures are launching every day.
Start-ups can present a unique opportunity for M.B.A. students in search of internships: a chance to work directly with company founders and CEOs to make a substantial impact on the future of the business, according to start-up insiders.
"They are really meaty, exciting roles," says Jay McClary, vice president of marketing for RideCharge, the 5-year-old company behind transportation apps such as Taxi Magic, which allows users to book a taxi and pay for it using the company's website or smartphone app.
This summer, RideCharge wants an M.B.A. intern to expand the company's footprint in Europe and Latin America.
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"[The internship] is integral to the growth of our business," McClary says. "This isn't something we created as a test to see if someone would be a good employee after they graduate."
Unlike corporate internships, which are often mapped out in detail and full of structured training sessions, RideCharge allows interning M.B.A.'s the freedom to approach their role from different angles, says Matt Carrington, director of marketing and communications at RideCharge.
Carrington interned with Pacific Gas & Electric in 2009 while completing his M.B.A. at the University of California--Berkeley
Haas School of Business
. The internship, which serves as a feeder program PG&E's leadership development program, consisted of training sessions and exploratory projects, he says.
"It was an incredible experience, but it's incredibly well defined," Carrington says. "They have it scripted to the day, of what you're going to be doing."
RideCharge's program is vastly different, Carrington says. Interns work directly with McClary, the VP of marketing, to define the project's goals, then hit the ground running, relying on their own expertise to work independently and often remotely.
This level of autonomy and responsibility is what attracts students to start-ups, says Scott LaChapelle, assistant director of technology platforms and new employer development at
Harvard University's Office of Career Services.
"Our students like to have a lot of influence and impact," LaChapelle says. "They generally like to develop their passion into tangible skills."
Another factor drawing students to start-ups is their often casual, high-energy atmosphere. That energy was on display at Harvard's recent Start-up Career Fair, which brought in more than 90 start-ups and attracted more than 600 graduate and undergraduate students. Budding companies brought in pizza, candy, T-shirts--even a giant blow-up elephant--giving students a taste of the culture of start-ups, which often list Ping-Pong tournaments and sponsored happy hours among their company benefits.
The fun, fast-paced atmosphere of start-ups often reflects the personalities of the founders, as well as the employees they hope to attract. But it isn't for everyone, LaChapelle says.
"You need to be OK with rapid change, not having a clear road map, not having a management program," he says. "You need to be OK with the fact that your job description, if there even is one, may change as well."
Rachel Schaengold, an M.B.A. student at
George Washington University
and intern with Social Driver, a digital technology consulting firm, says that environment is exactly what she's seeking.
"Everyone's roles are blurred," Schaengold says. "As an intern, your roles are blurred across everything--but I like that."
While Schaengold appreciates the creative freedom, the uncertainty about her employment future can be unsettling, especially when classmates returned from their summer internships with signed employment contracts, she says.
"I have to remind myself, sure, they have a job, but it's not the job I want," she says. "No start-up is going to hire you a year in advance."
For M.B.A. students aiming to turn their start-up internship into a career, initiative and passion about the product go a long way, says Tony Cappaert, cofounder of Contactually, a web tool that helps businesses manage E-mail contacts.
"I don't want someone to tell me how much of a go-getter they are ... I want them to take initiative and show me how they're going to add value to me and my organization now," Cappaert says. "And if you can do that unprompted, you're going to stand out from everyone else."
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© 2012, U.S.News & World Report LP All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Media Services
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