It’s been a little over a month now since we were all sent home, without passing go or collecting $200, due to the COVID-19 pandemic—and many of us have been on the hunt for a new job. (How do we know? At last report, some 25 million-plus Americans have filed for unemployment since this all started.) But looking for a new job doesn’t have to be a drag. In fact, it should bring you some joy: Yes, fun-employment is cool for, like, the first week, but when you technically can’t even leave the house, it’s not really that cool. So, get hunting, while the hunting’s good.
If you’ve been making it a part of your weekly routine to check out our Job Hunters column, you’ll know that we’ve been spending an inordinate amount of our week and weekend, searching high and low for all the coolest jobs available—the majority of which are temporarily remote. We say “temporarily,” because despite there having to be a COVID-19 vaccine in place for New York State to reach true normalcy (and that taking as much as a year or more to come to fruition), at some point down the line, portions of the state will begin reopening, and there will be a new definition of “essential” worker. We’re not making this up: This came directly from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s mouth.
Lastly, remember: The “new normal” sort of works to your benefit: Given the fact that no one can go anywhere right now, all jobs tabbed “remote,” regardless of where they’re based in the US or internationally, could be up for grabs. Now, go get ’em, tiger!
Local Job Opportunities
Cool Job Opportunity (Local)
Every time we see this Saratoga company’s name, we want to break out into a Mardi Gras second line and start singing: “Talkin’ ’bout, hey now…hey now…Ayco, Ayco one day!” For the uninitiated, Ayco is a financial services company owned by mega-bank Goldman Sachs, and it’s based right in Downtown Saratoga in the same building as the Gap/Banana Republic. And it just so happens that the firm’s looking for a Social Media & Online Community Manager to join the Brand Strategy & Communications team. You’ll need four-plus years of experience, so this is not an entry level position. But if you spend more time during the day trying to figure out how to recreate The Beatles’ stop-motion “Strawberry Fields Forever” video in your living room on TikTok than actually job hunting, this might just be the position for you. Search for it on LinkedIn Jobs, or browse the Ayco careers page.
Cool Job Opportunity (Local)
We’ve always been a big fan of knights—you know, the type that cut through White Walkers like warm butter in Game of Thrones and even just the ones sitting on display at a virtual museum. So, we felt our armor tingle a little bit when we found GreyCastle Security’s page online, which is all knights and castle references, all the time, for good reason: It’s a cybersecurity firm. Fancy being the drawbridge operator? Well, we can’t promise you that, but we can let you in on an exciting position GreyCastle has open at the moment: Cybersecurity Solution Advisor. What will you be doing there, Sir [insert your name]? You’ll be generating new business, ensuring new client success and acting as a liaison (i.e. bannerman!) between GreyCastle Security and its prospects. You’ll need three or more years of experience in the filed of business development (or as the cool kids say it, “biz dev”) to potentially get an interview. Search the job on Indeed, or take a gander at GreyCastle’s careers page.
Cool Job Opportunity (Local)
Remember how we worshipped at the altar of the Albany Business Review awhile back? If you had a digital subscription, you would’ve read this story back in January informing you of the fact that Plug Power Inc. would be hiring a bunch of new employees in the Albany area this year. (Plug Power produces fuel cells, by the way.) To that point, there’s a Warehouse Team Leader, 2nd Shift position open at the company’s Latham headquarters, which will “direct the workflow of the warehouse technician team, driver technicians, service shipping technicians and assembly team technicians to ensure that all functions in the warehouse continue to function through the second shift.” It requires three or more years of relevant experience. Find the position by searching Glassdoor, or looking on Plug Power’s careers page. If you’re interested, er, plug in your name and information and get cracking on that app!
Cool Job Opportunity (Local)
Holy mini-hiring spree, Batman! According to a LinkedIn post from the owner of Troy’s Plumb Oyster Bar, which has already filled its Content Creator position that we posted about in last week’s Job Hunters column, the upscale Collar City eatery is now looking for a General Manager, who can run the restaurant, carry on a conversation about prime cost, is familiar with POS reports and would be able to manage a back-of-house and front-of-house team. Plus, you just need to be an all-around badass and cool person. Email Owner Heidi Knoblauch at [email protected]. Interviews will be conducted via Zoom. For tips on that last thing, see below. (It’s unclear whether the interview process will include a live demonstration of oyster-shucking, but you can probably ask that in the email you send Heidi.)
National/Remote Work Opportunities
Cool Job Opportunity (National/Remote)
We try to list a range of cool jobs for a range of experience levels in our column, so as not to leave anybody hanging. And many recent college graduates are going to be entering into a virtual real world—a.k.a. the fluorescent glare of a laptop. A great place to start that post-collegiate work life? As an Editorial Assistant at Lexipol, which is the most visited news and information website for US first responders. The company’s looking for a “news junkie,” so if, after you binge the entire run of Netflix series you’re currently watching—even the Harlan Coben mysteries (which are fun, brainless entertainment with a British accent)—you decide to switch over to trawling the web for all things first-responder, it could make for perfect job research. It’s full time, by the way. Find it by searching LinkedIn Jobs or going to the company’s careers page.
Cool Job Opportunity (National/Remote)
If you’re not the type of person who’s obsessed with TV’s glut of reality talent shows such as American Idol, The Voice and The Masked Singer, do yourself a favor and do not continue reading. For the rest of you folks who get enjoyment out of a pitchy performance or watching the next Clay Aiken kinda-sorta make it, this is a job made in heaven. Brooklyn digital property Talent Recap, which has a massive following on its YouTube channel (nearly five million subscribers), is looking for YouTube hosts to contribute to its “hot topics” segments, which looks a little something like this. Read the job description for the rather complicated way you’ll get paid (it will happen!) and the minimal requirements for applying. If you’re looking for a full-timer to replace the one you just lost, this might not be the job for you, but at least it’s a start. For more opportunities, you can also check out the company’s jobs page here.
Cool Job Opportunity (National/Remote)
Are you a performing songwriter, who’s found his or her live gigs dry up during the COVID-19 pandemic? Here’s a commission-based opportunity that could bring in some much-needed clams while you wait for the local clubs to reopen. The six-month-old California-based Bracken Guitars is looking for a Marketing Manager to convert web traffic into sales. As we mentioned above, it’s not a salaried position, and your pay would equal five percent of all generated revenues. So, it’d largely be up to you to get it done. Apply for the position via the website (linked over the company’s name) or email: [email protected].
Local/National Job, Business And Volunteering Resources
Tip #1
Tip #2
How To Crush A Remote Interview
So, you’ve cast your line out and gotten a bite. Congratulations for landing the job hunting equivalent of a yellow belt in karate! But now that the world has been turned upside down, and you really can’t go into an office to interview, the step after the phone screen will likely be a Zoom, Skype or FaceTime interview. Yep, there’s no way around it: You’re going to be face-to-face with someone at that company at some point, so you might as well jump into the snake pit now rather than later. What are some good remote interviewing tips? Check out the videos we’ve embedded above. Somewhat surprisingly, the top one is two years old already, and the second one is seven (!). But don’t let that keep you away: All of the tips each of the experts reveals could work for Zoom, too.
Cool Resources For Kids
Throw Your Kid A Free (Bouncy) Birthday Party
COVID-19 is the pisser to end all pissers, not only because it’s locked us all indoors for the foreseeable future, but also because it’s all but ruined any semblance of fun that can be had out there. Au contraire! The good people at Sky Zone, the trampoline park company that has a presence in Clifton Park (that’s temporarily closed), are offering your children free birthday parties via a new digital experience that includes a Zoom-like video network, where your kid and his or her friends can see one another and interact; virtual activities; and of course, the icing on the cake: everybody’s favorite song you sing twice while you’re washing your hands these days, “Happy Birthday.” For more information or to sign up for your kid’s next birthday, click here. Watch a short promo video above for a few of the deets.
Cool Diversions
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At The Zoo
What’s better than sitting around after work and moping about when the governor is or isn’t going to reopen your town or city? The zoo, that’s what! Many zoos across the country have been forced to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but that doesn’t mean their animals have gone anywhere. And, hey, we don’t know about you, but the last time we were at a zoo, we made eye contact with a panda, and we’re still recovering from how cute it was. So, we’d suggest starting with the Bronx Zoo’s Instagram page. Follow it and watch some of its fascinating animal vids. Might I suggest a shot of giraffes with a chaser of ostriches to start? See above.
Listen To This
We bet you didn’t know that The Bangles’ 1986 smash hit, “Manic Monday,” was written by the Purple One himself, Prince. Well, even if you were hip to it, you’ve probably never heard the late, great pop star singing the tune himself. Look, as we said above, you could spend the next six months being fun-employed, dancing around in your underwear while your significant other works diligently in the corner and makes all the bread (and we’re not talking about carbs here), or you could pull on some pants, comb your hair, fire up Zoom and get interviewing. Get in the mood with this never-want-the-weekend-to-end number. A little reverse psychology never hurt anybody.
