For any MBAs interested in big data and social media strategy (who isn’t!?), Meltwater, the global expert in capturing internet info and presenting it to big-name clients, is a company you need to hear about.
They don’t just want to hire MBAs for current roles – although you should check out their job opportunities – they are actually building a new division that was launched by two MBAs. Business school grads should slot into it with ease.
Meltwater was founded on true entrepreneurial spirit; it was built in Oslo brick-by-brick in 2001, from just $15,000 of capital, a trusty coffee machine, used furniture and borrowed office space – located at suitably named address Shack 15.
Flash-forward to 2014 and they have offices in 27 different countries, providing services for over 20,000 corporate clients including Bain & Company and Barclays Bank. Their MBA hires won’t be sitting on crumbling couches anymore.
Meltwater takes the “explosion of data” on the Internet and provides executives with insights for their business. Their solutions services include social media marketing and strategy, global communications and business intelligence, and public relations and reputation management, among others.
Meltwater is owned by its employees and the company’s culture has a strong focus on teamwork, as well as individual excellence. MBAs can take confidence in the firm’s entrepreneurial focus and high standards – as well as “fun”.
But don’t just take our word for it. They have hired a raft of MBAs, one of whom, Louis Dorval, a graduate from the University of Oxford’s Said Business School, says future openings for MBAs may emerge in sales and marketing – as well as in Meltwater’s new development division.
He is the Director of Meltwater Labs (a branch of the company that he co-founded), after entering Meltwater Group back in 2010.
In this exclusive interview, Louis tells us what other career opportunities are available at Meltwater, what it’s like to work with the company and what skills you need to get hired.
How would you describe Meltwater and what the company does?
Meltwater believes that the explosion of data on the Internet provides executives with a new and invaluable source of business insights. The Internet is filled with endless data from every person and every organization, and Meltwater is the global expert at capturing this information and presenting it to our clients in digestible reports and dashboards.
Meltwater is a private company owned exclusively by its employees. We started in Oslo in 2001 and have since moved our headquarters to San Francisco. We have over 20,000 corporate clients in 90 countries and 900 employees in 57 global offices.
What job opportunities are there for MBAs at Meltwater?
Education and background play a key role in our hiring. For example, we are in the process of building a division that will be tasked with developing new products and capabilities, which will transform our product offering.
This function is run by two MBAs – from Oxford and Queens. Future MBA openings may also emerge in our enterprise sales division, as well as in our marketing and main product teams.
What past experience and in what functions would an ideal MBA candidate possess?
Backgrounds in product design, engineering, marketing and B2B sales are likely to be the most interesting.
Do you have any tips for the recruitment process?
Meltwater recruits people based on potential. Rather than looking for a perfect skills match, we look for a perfect culture match. We want individuals who work hard, learn fast, take and offer feedback, are team players and who are smart and creative.
We're not looking for ‘employees’ as much as we're looking for company builders.
Meltwater has a huge global presence - will there be opportunities for MBAs to work in a number of different countries?
Most of the opportunities are likely to be in our San Francisco headquarters.
How important do you think big data has become in modern business?
VERY important! We distinguish two types of 'big data': the data a company possesses inside their firewall (mostly user/customer behaviour data), and data outside the firewall: social media, traditional media and news, and so on.
We focus on data outside of the firewall because it offers unique strategic insights to executives – given that it is real-time, unfiltered and ‘benchmark-able’.
To find out more about career opportunities at Meltwater Group, visit: http://www.meltwater.com/
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