The Physical

More specific, and therefore more believable, than a generic doctor’s appointment, “getting a physical” is the perfect excuse for getting out of the office for at least two hours.

Step 1

Do some advance work by skipping lunch and explaining to your colleagues that you’re fasting for your cholesterol test.

Step 2

Before returning to work, tape a cotton ball to the bend of your arm to mimic where blood would be drawn. Add a dot of red nail polish as needed.

Step 3

Ask a friend or partner to punch you in the shoulder (they won’t pass up the opportunity) to simulate a tetanus shot. The bruise will fill in over a few days providing weeklong legitimacy to your excuse.

The Cavity

Sure, you could say you’re having your teeth cleaned, but going to the dentist for a filling was considered 38% more believable in a recent poll that we just made up. This one requires some lead time and dedication on your part.

Step 1

Set the stage by complaining about a toothache during lunch for one to two weeks in advance of the interview.

Step 2

Practice talking with “Novocain mouth” in front of a mirror for several days until it appears convincing.

Step 3

Return to the office with a smoothie, explaining that it’s just about all you can handle right now.

Getting Cable

It’s high time you leverage the reputation of lazy cable installers to your advantage. They’ll show up some time between 10am and 2pm? Fine, whatever. Plenty of time to interview with us, grab lunch and head back to work.

Step 1

Establish your lack of pop culture knowledge by asking whether “Madison Men” or “Boardwalk Kingdom” is any good.

Step 2

Announce that you’re finally getting cable – primarily for the educational channels – and Bravo.

Step 3

Return to work with a believable anecdote about the incompetence of the installer.

Check out our openings and make sure to spellcheck your resume.

Junior Web Developer

The Scoop

Do you dream in digital? Do you play well with others? Are you passionately curious enough to find innovative solutions? Are you brave enough to raise your hand and ask questions? Can you sing 99 Balloons in English and German?

Because we’re looking for developers who can work along-side our troupe of rag-tag pigeon enthusiasts here at Urban Influence. We’re a pretty friendly, tight-knit group of people (just ask your Mom) and we’re on a search for the next great programming Wunderkind.

Here’s the mad skillz you’ll need to have on your resume:

CS degree or 2-5 years of demonstrated experience with the following technologies:

LAMP Stack Development – Linux / Apache / MySQL / PHP
JavaScript
HTML5
CSS/CSS3

Knowledge and experience working with the following frameworks and platforms:

Drupal
WordPress
jQuery (or other JavaScript frameworks)
Shopify (or other ecommerce platforms)
Ruby on Rails and/or Sinatra (major plus)

Ability to thrive in a team environment
Can express your ideas constructively within a team framework
Experience with Git and other collaborative development tools
Understands and abides by team coding and documentation standards
Coachable and willing to learn
Can communicate constructively with people from non-technical backgrounds
Solutions driven approach to technical problems
Understands common software design patterns and optimization techniques
Passionate about the web, with an eye for design, usability, and user experience
Online portfolio with current samples of work

If you are interested, please send us an email to work@urbaninfluence.com with “Web Developer” in the subject line along with your resume and a cover letter explaining how you would excel at Urban Influence.

Apply

Business Development Manager

The Scoop

You will be tasked with securing new client relationships and expanding the scope of existing relationships. You will continually identify prospective clients through independent research, initiate contact and develop those relationships into long-term revenue-generating clients. You will also be responsible for managing all RFPs/RFQs including necessary creative, and clearly presenting the benefits of UI to potential clients.

You will need to be an extremely clear communicator with our principal, the team and our valued clients. This is an incredible opportunity for someone who wants to develop relationships with longstanding clients while also winning new business for an incredibly talented group of creatives and developers.

You will be working in a beautiful studio space, just steps away from the best food in town. We’re dog friendly, and offer free snacks, pop, beer, wine and a full bar to inspire you throughout the day. You will also get a complimentary gym membership to Mode Gym and Mode Studio. Did we also mention we will throw in a new MacBook Air and iPad to use?

Skills & Requirements

Identify prospects and build relationships to generate new business.
Develop written proposals and manage any RFPs/RFQs including creative.
Serve as a point of contact with all of our clients and maintain regular communication with them.
Communicate status of all client needs with the agency principal and the creative and development teams.
Proactively develop strategies for expanding scope of existing client relationships.
Lead participants in client presentations and prepare them for their role in the presentation.
High level of attention to detail, incredible organizational skills, eagerness to help clients and passionate about the digital realm.
Superb verbal and written communication skills and experience working directly with clients.
Understanding of the processes and tasks associated with digital marketing.
3+ years of experience working in a client-facing role at an agency.
Ability to adapt to a constantly changing environment.
Extremely hands-on, self-starting and highly motivated!

If you are interested, please send us an email to work@urbaninfluence.com with “Business Development Manager” in the subject line along with your resume and a cover letter explaining how you would excel at Urban Influence.

Apply

Creative Project Manager

The Scoop

We have an energetic and fast-paced culture and are seeking a talented Project Manager to harness that electricity and keep our projects on track. If you’re extremely reliant on PM software or overwrought processes, this probably isn’t the job for you. To succeed in this position, you’ll need to be highly organized (obviously), highly adaptive and highly intelligent.

We work a little differently than most agencies, choosing the best approach for each project as a team and then attacking it with all our might. Your role will be to scope, monitor and wrangle the project from kickoff to completion. You will need to be an extremely clear communicator with our principal, the team and our valued clients. This is an incredible opportunity for someone who wants to own and take full responsibility for every project that comes through our doors. Agency experience and experience working with a dev team is a huge plus.

You will be working in a beautiful design studio, just steps away from the best food in town. We’re dog friendly, and offer free snacks, pop, beer, wine and a full bar to inspire you throughout the day. You will also get a complimentary gym membership to Mode Gym and Mode Studio. Did we also mention we will throw in a new MacBook Air and iPad to use?

Skills & Requirements

High level of attention to detail, eagerness to find solutions and passionate about the digital realm.
Incredible organizational skills that you’re able to impart to the rest of the team.
Ability to scope a project, help determine the best course of action and monitor it to completion. The process may vary from project to project.
Ability to lead by example, manage processes, budgets, timelines, teams and agency deliverables.
Demonstrated ability to work on multiple projects at once while managing scope, budget and resources.
Thorough understanding of project management principles and the talent to modify them when needed to make the project successful.
Project management experience in an interactive agency is highly recommended – but intelligence and adaptive skills are more important.
Superb verbal and written communication skills and experience working directly with clients.
Understanding of the processes and tasks associated with digital marketing.
Previous experience working with a dev team is a huge plus.
Solid leadership skills.
Extremely hands-on, self-starting and highly motivated!

If you are interested, please send us an email to work@urbaninfluence.com with “Project Manager” in the subject line along with your resume and a cover letter explaining how you would excel at Urban Influence.

Apply

Creative Director

The Scoop

Calling all aspiring Don Drapers, TED enthusiasts, digital and design geniuses, and battle-tested leaders of creative troops. Urban Influence is seeking a talented Creative Director to join our ranks.

Our ideal candidate has been around the block and has notable experience concepting, leading and driving projects from start to finish. Our work starts with central brand strategy and extends to every touch point - most notably the interactive space. We are seeking an individual with exceptional experience building brands and has the portfolio, metrics and track record to prove it.

We work a little differently than most agencies, choosing the best approach for each project as a team and then attacking it with all our might. Your role will be to guide the creative vision and the team from kickoff to completion. This is an incredible opportunity for someone who wants to lead the charge on every project that comes through our doors.

Skills & Requirements

You are a motivator, not a dictator. You understand how to inspire and steer direction, without forcing your team down a narrow path.
You have commendable leadership experience across a variety of project types, sizes and brands.
You get people. You are a great communicator. You understand how to foster and enjoy a collaborative environment.
You are OCD. Everything is perfect down to the pixel. We live and die by the details.
You get the big picture. You analyze a project from both the customer’s and the client’s perspective.
You understand what brands are and the importance of a unified, strategically driven brand platform.
You have extensive experience managing projects from start to finish, working with team members, clients and vendors.
You understand business objectives and can meet budgets, deadlines and client requirements.
You interface well with clients – and you may even enjoy it.
You want to take charge. This job requires stewardship of company culture at all levels.
You have 3-5+ years of professional agency / client-services experience in a leadership / management position.

What You'll Get

A voice. You’ll be empowered to create solutions that will have a lasting impact for our clients.
A kick-ass team of designers, developers, writers and videographers to help you realize your visions.
A competitive salary based on experience.
Your choice of technology and toys to make your job fun.
A chance to work with the latest and greatest technologies and design trends.
All day access to our fully stocked company bar.
A free membership to Mode Fitness.

If you are interested, please send us an email to work@urbaninfluence.com with “Creative Director” in the subject line along with your links, resume and a cover letter explaining how you would excel at Urban Influence.

Apply