Ready to start making those New Year's resolutions? Whether it's to lose 5 pounds or to land an awesome internship, here's a little something for inspiration: it's another intern spotlight! In this blog series, we're getting you up close and personal to the interns who changed the face of Lithium one summer not too long ago...   Meet Alex Small.   Internship Position: Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)   College / University: University of California, Santa Cruz   Major: Business Administration   How did you find out about Lithium and what made you interested to join? My dad. He works for Lithium and told me it was a great company. He referred me to join and here I am! What was your first impression of Lithium  when you started your internship? Not what I expected. In a good way, though! I’d never worked in an office before, so I guess I was expecting something different – you know, cubicles and unfriendly people. Lithium people were much nicer and much smarter than I expected. It’s also a more open and inviting.   What did you work on during your internship? My primary project was called Saas Metrics model, which looked at key operational metrics for the company as a whole. Then I worked on presenting the results of that to the executive staff. It wasn’t too difficult, but it was really great to get me familiar with the tools used in FP&A, the company at a high level, and how we compare against companies in our industry. It was like – Lithium, Excel, finance, presentations – all at an accessible level.   What would you say is the best part of being a Lithium intern? The experience. There’s a lot of really good parts, but the things you learn and the experience gained will be invaluable to your future career. Other positives include actually getting paid and working with really cool people. Who has been the most influential person during your internship? I had a mentor who was a really cool guy. He taught me a lot and gave me my first introduction to Finance. He helped temper my expectations of FP&A. We’d have a good time hanging out, grabbing a beer, or playing ping pong, too. You're a lucky one to be coming on full-time after your internship. Congrats! What are you looking forward to in your career with Lithium? Continuing to learn more about finance and tackling things I haven’t dealt with before. I’m really looking to see how I evolve and expand my reach in the company.   Any advice for future interns of Lithium? Go for it! An internship at Lithium is an incredible learning opportunity, it looks good on your resume, and is well worth your time. Also, once you’re here, take the time to get to know your coworkers. Socialize on a work level, but also make friends to get the most out of your experience. Lithium Rocks!     Thanks for reading! Tune in next month for another rendition of Thoughts from an (Li) Intern. And in case you missed it earlier, check out the interns we've heard from so far: Sarah Angele Mark Priti ... View more

Happy Friday! We hope you all had a turkey-filled, wonderful Thanksgiving and/or are looking forward to the weekend. On top of the pumpkin pies and cranberry sauce, we have a pretty sweet treat for you, too: it's time for another intern spotlight! In this blog series, we're getting you up close and personal to the interns who changed the face of Lithium one summer not too long ago...   Meet Priti Kapadia.   Internship Position: Marketing - Graphic Design   College / University: Academy of Art University   Major: MFA, Graphic Design   How did you find out about Lithium and what made you interested to join? One of my professors is friends with a recruiter and found out about Lithium. He sent out my portfolio and recommended me. I didn't know much about Lithium, so when I came to interview and in my research, it looked like a cool company. As a designer, I wanted to work more in corporate versus with a design studio, so it was a good fit. What was your first impression of Lithium once you joined? My first week was LiNC (our customer conference) and it was a crazy experience. I was thrown right into it, but it was great seeing everything in action.   What did you work on during your internship? Nothing... Haha, just kidding. I did a lot this summer. We have a small design team, so I was working on a bit of everything. I did some graphics for employee t-shirts and other promotional materials. Lithium just went through a website redesign and also recently acquired Klout, so I was helping to update branding materials and images. Plus a bunch of top secret stuff that I'm not allowed to tell you...    What was the most exciting part of your internship? LiNC. Definitely. I've never been to a customer conference like it. It was so cool to see the graphics being put to use and get an idea of Lithium's style. Who has been the most influential person during your internship? @JaredC . He's one of the only designers at the company and my partner in crime. I work closest with him, so we had a good relationship and he was a great mentor. He taught me a lot of useful technical knowledge. It's your last day. What's one word to describe how you're feeling right now? Lucky. I learned a lot and had fun. My summer wasn't just work, work, work. I was working, but enjoying it too. I never said "Ugh, I have to go to work". Some of my other friends did, so I don't think they enjoyed their internships as much as I did.     Thanks for reading! Tune in next month for another rendition of Thoughts from an (Li) Intern. And in case you missed it earlier, check out the interns we've heard from so far: Sarah Angele Mark ... View more

Hello, Lithium Community! Hope you all had an eventful, costume and candy-filled Halloween weekend. As we head into November and the beginning of Movember (btw, donate to Team Lithium), it's time for another Intern spotlight! In this blog series, we'll get you up close and personal to the interns who changed the face of Lithium one summer not too long ago...   Meet Mark Martinez.   Internship Position: Strategic Services   College / University: UC Berkeley   Major: Statistics   How did you find out about Lithium and what made you interested to join? I was cruising through job posts on LinkedIn and found Lithium. I checked out the website, Glassdoor, some YouTube videos and I got the impression that this company was vibrant, they had a vision. What was your first impression of Lithium once you joined? It was great because everyone was so welcoming. You could just tell that everyone was giving good vibes, and that was cool. The introduction to the company as an intern was great too.   What was the most exciting part of your internship? The most exciting was giving a presentation to a client on an analysis I had done on their community. That was cool because I'd never done a professional presentation. At school, in front a bunch of students, it just seems fake. This was real. It makes you feel like you're actually providing value. Who has been the most influential person during your internship? @JeffreyS, for sure. He's been a great manager. I noticed in the beginning when I was super confused because I was still learning a lot, every time I asked for help, he spoke to me in the same tone. He never sounded heightened or irritated, and that never changed. It wasn't baby talk either. Most memorable meal at Lithium? Man, we had a taco bar one day and that was awesome. One word to describe how you're feeling right now (on your last day)? Sad. Sad that I'm leaving, but grateful because this experience has taught me a lot and is setting me up for my career.     Thanks for reading! Tune in next month for another rendition of Thoughts from an (Li) Intern. And in case you missed it earlier, check out the interns we've heard from so far: Sarah Angele ... View more

Last week, Lithium said farewell to the last of our 2014 Summer Interns. It was sad and bittersweet as we saw them off back to school, on to new full-time opportunties, or for some, a new career with Lithium! We're genuinely grateful that these talented, young minds chose to spend their summer with us. In fact, we're such big fans of our interns that we want to share their story with all of you.    You met Sarah Green through an excellent reflection of her time as an Engineering intern. Now, we'd like you to meet all the others!   In this new blog series, we'll get you up close and personal to the interns who changed the face of Lithium one summer not too long ago...       Meet Angele Williams.   Internship Position: Product Marketing   College / University: Whitman College   Major: Psychology   How did you find out about Lithium and what made you interested to join? My mom knew someone on the Product Marketing team so she helped me make the connection. I knew I wanted to try something a little different for my internship, and I was interested in learning more about the social media industry. There’s a lot changing, and Lithium looked like a good way to learn more about it. What was your first impression of Lithium once you joined? The friendly company culture. People seemed very approachable, which made it easy for me because I’m a little shy. It was comforting and felt enabling for me to have a space where I could ask questions and not feel like I was being annoying. What do you wish you knew before you started your internship? I wish I knew more about business. I appreciated the time my manager took to explain the structure of marketing and the company, but it might have been helpful to have had some more exposure of how larger companies work.   Name one project you were working on? One of the biggest projects I had was working with one of the other interns on a sales proposal template. We made some updates and restructured it so that it was more valuable to our sales team.   What was the most exciting part of your internship? Even though I felt like I didn’t know anything, I was working on projects that were helpful and actually making an impact. One of the first things I did was write a blurb that ended up on the website. At first, I was a little insecure about it but then I felt really proud and excited. Also the intern group was great. Getting to know them was like a window into the rest of the company. It was nice to be able to talk to them as friends, as well as in a work setting. Who has been the most influential person during your internship? My manager, @DianaH. Knowing that I had her support in all my projects made a huge difference. Most memorable meal at Lithium? We had a French toast breakfast when all the Klout team came to the office. Walking in and having balloons, French toast, it was a lot of fun!     Thanks for reading! Tune in next month for another rendition of Thoughts from an (Li) Intern. ... View more

Last night, the streets of San Francisco were swarming with vigorous, sweaty, heaving corporate employees running amok! And no, it wasn’t a zombie apocalypse… It was the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge race!   This 3.35-mile race series is a chance for companies and employees to come together in a healthy, camaraderie-filled environment. It's also a way to give back! Proceeds from the San Francisco race benefitted YearUp, a non-profit organization helping low-income young adults advance from poverty into professional careers. 12,750 participants joined in, representing 390 companies.   Special shoutout to our customers who also finished strong: Google, Sephora, Fitbit, Ooyala and more!   This was Lithium’s 2nd year being involved, and we came in strong with 27 runners! We made impressive time, too. Here are our top results: Lithium’s fastest male - @RossB - 20:35 – (156th for Men, 165th overall) Lithium’s fastest female - @ElizaR   - 26:34 – (317th for Female, 1986th overall)   AMAZING! I am incredibly proud to be working with and running alongside these inspiring people. Congrats to our whole team and to all the participants of this year’s race.   "Powered by Lithium" Team Lithium charged and ready the race! Runners from left to right - Top row:  @ShannonF    @VenkS    @JonD    @ShananD    @StevenS    @AndrewVA    @SubramanianR    @SelvaU    @sushanthku  @DonH   Middle row: @EricHs    @PatraB    @SavyJ    @YuriK    @DanielleS    @AdithyaR    @HowardC Bottom row: @SuzieH    @ElsaW    @AllisonC    @AndreaP    @LeahR    @ElizaR    @KeithF    @CalvinF   Not pictured: @JeffSp   @RossB         Has your company participated in a JP Morgan Corporate Race? What other types of challenges does your team take up? Tell us more and share the fun! ... View more