Thursday, April 16, 2009

Internship Positions Available for Summer '09

Are you looking for an internship? Do you have the skills that it takes to be a part of the EpikLabs team? EpikLabs is the internship division of the Google Enterprise Partner, EpikOne. There are four internship positions currently available for the summer: Internet Marketing Intern, Web Development Intern, Sales Intern, and Web/Graphic Design Intern.
EpikOne is a great place to intern for a variety of reasons. It is located within walking distance of Champlain College, is a Google Enterprise Partner and is a well-established and respected company in the web analytics field. Not only would an internship at EpikLabs look great on your resume but the experiences you gain will propel your career in the right direction.
To see how an internship with EpikLabs can turn you into a success story, check out the EpikLabs Blog or see what the interns do on a regular basis by following @EpikLabs on Twitter!

Warning: EpikLabs internships are highly sought after, so send an e-mail to Paul Skarvinko ( Paul@epikone.com ) with your resume and cover letter as soon as possible.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

From the Classroom to the Workplace

Transitioning from my classes at Champlain College to EpikLabs was an important step in my professional career. Although the courses I am enrolled in or have already completed helped prepare me for the Internet Marketing & Web Analytics internship position, many of the skills I have acquired where honed by my assignments at EpikLabs.

The major difference between the classroom and the workplace is the level of quality compared to turnaround time on a project. In my marketing classes at Champlain, I would work on a semester long project and present it during finals week. A high level of quality is necessary for a semester long project because the professors expected you to utilize your time wisely and slowly chip away at your deliverables. However, EpikLabs is a completely different scenario.

Since EpikOne is a Google Enterprise Partner, the environment here is professional and fast paced. Deliverables are expected to be completed by their deadline with the highest attention to detail and quality. These deliverables are similar to the ones assigned in my college courses. The main difference is that the time frame allotted to complete your task is much narrower. I would say that this is the biggest step in transitioning from a college course to the cliche "real world"; maintaining a high level of quality while completing your assignments at a faster pace.

Although the EpikLabs interns experience this while accomplishing assignments, the EpikOne Crew is very supportive. Everyone that works at EpikOne is a great resource for the interns; I have utilized their knowledge multiple times to better understand internet marketing and web analytics concepts as well as lessons they've learned throughout their careers.

A professor is knowledgeable in their field of expertise; however, the knowledge contained inside the walls of EpikOne seem almost endless. From the analytics group, to the sales team, to the software developers, EpikLabs is the place to intern if you are looking to jump start a career in one of these fields.

By: Michael Taverna
EpikLabs Internet Marketing & Web Analytics Intern

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Reflection on Work Experience at EpikOne

I started as a freelance web/graphic designer during High School, continuing to run a side business through college. I have always wondered what it would be like to work in an environment other than freelancing. As years went by I started to get sick of the freelance environment. I wanted to be surrounded by something a little more interactive and working with other people. EpikOne solved that problem for me. The internship couldn't have come at a more perfect time.

The first couple of days at EpikOne was very different than what I was use to. The fact that I am around other people who are doing similar jobs and projects that relate to my major makes working that much more interesting.

What really makes EpikOne work for me is the work environment and the people. The first thing I saw and loved about their office is how it is all open with no cubicals. The design of the office really completes the work environment. If EpikOne was set up as a old fashion cubical styled office, I probably would not be interested in interning here. Along with the work environment, the people who work at EpikOne are very friendly and make you feel comfortable working here.

The projects that I have been working on throughout the Spring vary from designing to developing. I have been making ads for Seminars For Success and also ads for their product Analytics View. Creating ads such as the ones I have been working on at EpikOne was new to me, but it is great to get projects that are new to you to get some experience in that field. While designing these ads, I am trying to design them effectively so a prospective client will look at the ad, catch their eye and take them to view more information about that certain product.

Overall, working at EpikOne has been a great experience. It is a great change of pace to the freelance world. Working here showed me that I do like this type of work environment and would love to work at a place similar to this in the future. The office, work, and people make interning at EpikOne an enjoyable learning experience.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Working with the Experts

Being an intern at EpikOne is a great experience for a variety of reasons; the one that stands out the most is how the company is structured. You would think that a Google Enterprise Partner would have a distinct business hierarchy, where an intern would only report to their manager and there would be limited interaction between the founders and the low-level interns. However, that is the complete opposite of the work environment at EpikOne. The CEO of EpikOne, Dave Winslow, walked by my desk one day. I stopped him for a second and mentioned a comment he posted on Twitter about EpikOne. This led to him giving me the thumbs up to start a Twitter account for EpikLabs (@EpikLabs) where the interns post interesting projects and tasks they are working on. Having the opportunity to directly speak with the CEO is one aspect of EpikOne that makes it such a great place to be an intern.

Another great aspect about being an intern at EpikOne is the possibility to work on a variety of tasks. Although some can be considered more important than others, the opportunities to learn are virtually endless. As I finished up sending e-mails for the Seminars for Success workshop in Philadelphia, I mentioned to my manager (Paul Skarvinko) that I would soon be done and that I’d be looking for more work in the near future. Although he didn’t have anything for me to do, the Co-Founder of EpikOne (Alex Broussard) overheard my request and gave me a small task to complete. Although it wasn’t a groundbreaking assignment, it felt great to know that my work was directly helping out one of the founders. It felt even better when I got an e-mail response from Alex saying he was happy with the work I sent him.

My opinion of the internet marketing and web analytics industry has changed since the first day I started at EpikOne. I came in thinking that I would be able to learn everything in the short four month span of my internship, but was truly put into place upon seeing and hearing the wealth of knowledge that the EpikOne staff possesses. I would suggest to anyone looking for an internship in the web analytics field to apply for an EpikOne internship for a variety of reasons. Working alongside industry experts that you can easily communicate with is the ideal scenario for an intern; which is a unique experience that you can get at EpikOne.

By Michael J. Taverna
Internet Marketing & Web Analyst Intern

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Structured to Succeed

At EpikOne, one day is never similar to another. The time I have spent so far at Epik has been full of an ever changing list of tasks with their own set of requirements and problems. This is where having a flat company structure excels. This creates an ideal atmosphere for learning a wide range of skills. I am mainly a Sales/Marketing intern and work with Jabez Boyd and Marc Bujold. Some of the tasks I have been able to help with range from negotiating with hotels for Seminars For Success and qualifying and contacting leads. I have also been able to worth with Paul Skarvinko. For Paul, I have been able to work with Google Analytics and AdWords for AnalyticsView. I have found this work to be very rewarding. I have been studying Analytics and Adwords and expressed interest in getting my hands dirty to learn more about these products. The open structure of the company has allowed me an opportunity to work on a variety of jobs and projects that I am interested in.

I have also found that the employees at EpikOne are more than willing to take some time out of their day to work with you. Clearly they are willing make sure that myself and the other interns succeed. Not only are we able to achieve a higher quality work, but it allows us to further our industry knowledge and skills. A true win-win situation! What could be better then learning from some of the industry’s best?

The analytic industry is still a relatively new industry and it has been exciting to work with EpikOne. It is great to see the innovation that comes along with companies who are leaders in their field. Software that Epik has developed like SiteScan and AnalyticsView continue to help companies make the most out of Google Analytics everyday. It is amazing to see how fast things move in a rapidly evolving industry.

-Nick Whitbeck

Follow myself and the other interns on Twitter: @EpikLabs

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Working with Marketers to Create Effective Ads

I was assigned a project to create a series of banner ads for EpikOne's product Analytic Views. There were several main points that the marketer (Paul Skarvinko) wanted me to focus on. The focus points were features that their product had to offer to consumers. This type of project was new to me so at first, I found it a bit confusing on what they wanted. As I got going I found it easier and easier. I cleared up most of my confusion with chatting back and fourth with Paul. Getting one template done then replicating them for the rest of the banner sizes.

I am use to doing freelance work and this was a new and great transition where I have someone to talk to and work no this project with. Working with more than one person is much better than being just one freelancer doing all the work. Collaborating made this project fun and a new learning experience.

After collaborating with Paul it became very clear on the key features I was to focus on to attract the users eye to the ad I was was designing. It is important for the user to see the page on a website and instantly get them hooked to click and find out further information regarding the ad.

Once the new banners were completed I started a similar project for another client where they wanted about 7 different versions, all very distinct in their own way for the client could see which variation of banner ads worked best on their website. The client had a list of different phrases they wanted to be displayed on their ads, so I worked with the criteria they provided to create an effective ad for their company.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

My Experience at Epiklabs

For my Advanced Marketing Internship class at Champlain College, I have been working at EpikOne as a Sales/Marketing intern. So far this experience has been great and I have already been immersed in many projects. I have worked closely with many of EpikOne’s experienced staff members such as my manager Paul Skarvinko, Jabez Boyd, and Marc Bujold. Whenever I have a question or run into a problem, they are able to make time and help me learn ways to solve them.

One of the first tasks that I was assigned was to work on Seminars For Success. Seminars For Success allows Google Analytic users of all levels to learn the basics or expand their knowledge from Google Analytic Authorized Consultants. It is a two day in-person series that covers everything from basic setup of Google Analytics to advanced features like visitor segmentation and other new features. I was tasked with finding a venue to hold the seminar in Philadelphia. I needed to research all available hotels in the area and also if there would be any other competing events around that time. I then called the various hotels to gather basic information such as cost, which we used to narrow down the list of hotels. Once the list was narrowed down, I was responsible for getting a quote and contract proposal from the hotels. Finally once the contracts arrived, we were able to make a decision to hold the Seminar For Success at the Hilton Garden Inn on March 23-24 in Philadelphia.

Being able to work on this project was a great learning experience. It allowed me to take a project from the beginning stages all the way to having contracts signed. It also helped me develop critical interpersonal skills that will be extremely valuable in the future. I am now also working on signing up other venues for the Seminars for Success series!

-Nick Whitbeck