Indiana Job Openings

Today marks my two month anniversary at T2 Systems. What's it like so far?

Awesome. I love my team, my executive mentors, and the work I get to do daily. I'm already contributing meaningfully. Nothing feels better than that. Of course, a grown-up salary and this great city make me feel pretty good, too. Yep, T2 Systems was voted one of the best places to work in Indiana and one of the INC 5000 for the sixth year.

Plenty of classmates that graduated with me in May are still in training at their respective jobs. And, unfortunately, plenty more are still on the job hunt. But you already know that the Orr Fellowship involves an exciting job opportunity at a fascinating company. My job is to tell you what you can't learn on our website.

As promised, here's a bit of what I've been up to in the past few weeks:

• Elevated my host company's social media presence across all channels
• Helped revamp my host company's blog plan & wrote a few posts
• Attended a concert at the Vogue
• Rode my new bike from my Woodruff Place apartment to Mass Ave downtown countless times
• Spent the weekend with the rest of the awesome Orr Fellows on our retreat at Bradford Woods--you guys rock!
• Written a few email marketing campaigns, one of which almost had a 40% open rate

Interested? Cool. Are you qualified? I hope so! Here are the requirements:

• Cumulative 3.5 GPA or higher (students with as low as a 3.2 GPA will be considered if they have extensive leadership experience)
• Demonstrated leadership potential (leaders in on- and off-campus clubs/organizations/athletics)
• Strong interest in entrepreneurial business or organizational leadership
• An expected graduation date in 2012 with one or more undergraduate major
• Graduate of an Indiana college or university (or a native Hoosier graduating from any school around the country)

The application deadline is quickly approaching! All you have to do to get started is submit your resume.

It seems like just yesterday that I graduated from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and took off for a month in Europe.  Coming back was difficult, but starting at Fifth Gear, an Ecommerce fulfillment company looking to double revenue in five years, and the Orr Fellowship Indiana was an abrupt trek back to reality.  However, it is great to be in a high-growth Indianapolis company, were the focus is on people.  Management recognizes that in order for profitable growth, new people will need to be brought on;  and brought on I was.   On my very first day with Fifth Gear I left before lunch to visit our 500,000 square feet warehouse location in Louisiana, Missouri.  Louisiana had the wonderful smells and feel of a small Middle American town with approximately a third of the town employed by Fifth Gear.  I toured the twin warehouses on the outskirts of town, less than two miles from the center!  The warehouse was hot and my stomach was growling for food, but the warehouse was never-the-less impressive.  With thousands of horse, house restoration and enough contact lenses to keep me seeing for life, I was prepared to whip out my Visa and go on a never-ending shopping spree. 

The next morning started with a delightful visit to a local favorite café called Daybreak, located a stone’s throw from the Mississippi River.  A pleasant man took our orders.  Delicious omelets, California style with spinach and feta cheese is what I got.  At the end of breakfast, a nightshift worker recognized our badges and gave us recommendations on how to improve the warehouse.  The recommendations were genuine and thorough.  After breakfast, it was back to the warehouse.  The community office that is shared by temporary visitors is quant with street views.  The information I attained over the next few days advanced my knowledge incredibly more than sitting in Indy for four days starring at my computer wondering, “What does this Operations Analyst role I have really mean.”  Later, I was invited to sit in on a freight meeting with our CEO, President, and VP of Operations; yet again emphasizing the honor it is to be an Orr Fellow.  Two more days of business meetings and shadowing carried on like this.  Except on the last day where we all splurged with homemade cinnamon donuts from Daybreak.  It was hands down the greatest donut these taste buds have experienced. 

The five hour ride back home allowed for reflection on what I learned, as well as a vital phone conference with my manager, we couldn’t find time to meet in Louisiana, further emphasizing exactly how important time is to growing companies.  I walked away with valuable insight of what Fifth Gear does, but more importantly I put a face with a name and each person I met was able to do the same.  The warehouse was hot, the restaurants were only opened a few nights a week, but the people had the right attitude needed for growth.  The people were friendly and everyone acknowledge my existence in passing.  It felt simply like home away from home.

In addition to my exciting new role with Fifth Gear on August 1^st the Orr Fellow crew met and I was placed in the Fellow Development Group.  The group plans the all-Fellow retreat coming up in mid-August, as well as, five personal and professional growth seminars throughout the next year.  Finally the group is responsible for smoothly transitioning our next class of Fellows.  Though starting “two” jobs in quick session was a brain shock, I am already seeing the benefits from both.  I am excited to spend more time with current Fellows and learn more about Ecommerce.

I am no resume expert but I picked up a couple of tips and tricks back in the day that I am willing to share with my numerous dedicated readers. You might be saying to yourself "Who is this guy and why does he think he is even remotely qualified to give me tips?" This is a valid point, but, if you apply to the Orr Fellowship, I could be the person reviewing your resume and my tips worked out pretty well for myself. So just sit back and let my insightful resume knowledge engulf you.

In no particular order here is a sampling of my vast resume understanding:

• When putting your GPA on your resume go to a maximum of 2 decimal places. If you Major GPA is significantly higher than you cumulative GPA then list that as well (it needs to be obvious that that is specifically your major GPA) 
   
• Don't be afraid to include distinguishing experiences. This could include time studying abroad or brief descriptions of your more complicated projects/papers. Just make sure that these things fit in the natural flow of your resume and are not under or overstated.
   
• Do not include stuff from high school, unless they are so ridiculously outstanding that there is no way you could sleep at night knowing that potential employers had no idea how great you were in high school.
   
• Make sure your experience/work history is organized logically. Ideally these sections will flow chronologically because if you planned things correctly, each job/internship builds on the last one, hopefully leaving your most recent experience as the crown jewel on your resume. In addition to this, avoid time gaps in your employment.
   
• One of my biggest pet peeves is when a person just puts "selected" or "completed" said internship on their resume. If it is on your resume I know you worked there and eventually completed the job/internship/program. Your resume needs to be about what YOU have done and what results YOU achieved. No company is going to hire you just because you were selected to participate in a particular program. Companies want to see how you progressed trough an internship and the impacts that you made while there. Sometimes showing how you went about something is just as important as the results. Interviewers know that summer jobs/internships are typically not long enough to make any really significant gains, but they want to see that you have demonstrated the aptitude to get things done.
   
• Make sure you don't sell yourself short or embellish your accomplishments. A lot of times it is plain to see that a person has done some pretty significant work, but their resume does not reflect upon these accomplishments. If you have done impressive things make sure it is known. On the other hand, people can tell if you are trying to make something appear more significant. You don't want to claim more than you really did or use synonyms for every word.
   
• Don't leave dangling words on a line. You should either add words or take out words so there is not just one word all by itself on a line. This is valuable space, don't waste it.
   
• Don't make a resume that is more than one page. I don't care how good you think you are, at this point in time you have not done enough to merit more than one page. You only want to include the very best experiences that are most relevant to the position you are applying for.
   
• There needs to be a balance of good details without jamming some much in there that your resume looks squished and cluttered. You really want your experiences to POP OUT not be hidden in the mess. 
   
• Be sure to have a good balance of activities and experiences. Companies, especially the Orr Fellowship, want to see that you are a well rounded individual that has done well in school, has had good work experience, has been involved in campus activities, has held leadership positions, and somehow finds time to volunteer.

These are just some of the resume tips that come to mind. I would have written more but frankly I got tired of writing. If you want to make sure you have good career opportunities and don't end up like this guy then follow my advice.

Follow these guidelines and constantly revise and improve you resume. This is a never ending process but if mastered you will really stand out to all the companies that are hiring new grads, which will lead to you getting a great entry level job and, with any luck, ending up like this guy. 

Until next month...  This has been Skip Tokar (Special Thanks to Editor Bryan Watson) 

This video surfaced last week from Chow.com, a food and recipe site. I found myself at work watching John, the proprietor of Galcos Soda Pop Stop based in Los Angeles, walk me through his store and serendipitously bring me into his world of 'bubbly water'. Aside from his addictive personality, one can't help but be fascinated by the sheer volume of knowledge the man possesses about everything from rose petal flavored soda to his worldwide business development pipeline. It's always refreshing to hear and see someone who genuinely loves what they're doing.

When I watched the video, I couldn't help but think of entry-level jobs in Indiana. Entry Level Careers are often sought by people who want to make a lot of money, manage a team of employees, and take the elevator straight to the corner office. Most fast paced jobs offer entrepreneurially minded young people the chance to win many of those responsibilities. However, high-growth company jobs, and many other entry-level jobs in Indianapolis are about one thing: passion for doing good work. Companies hiring new grads need talent, but more importantly they need passionate talent. One sure-fire result of being passionate about your career is knowing your business inside and out. Jobs at a small company require that everyone contribute, and companies hiring new grads will open their doors to people who are willing to enter a business career in Indianapolis with a fervor for knowledge, hard work, and dedication.

The shipping is expensive, but I'm looking forward to my cucumber soda shipping in from California this week. Case-in-point right there...John was so passionate in his video that I actually ordered a case of cucumber soda. Imagine the possibilities if you began your business job in Indianapolis with that kind of passion...