New York advertising agency 360i is recruiting for a robot internship, so remote graduates can get valuable work experience in the Big Apple.
With telepresence technology, the possibility of undertaking a huge range of experiences remotely is now possible. Ad agency 360i is using the technology to create a ‘robot’ intern. For five hours a week, one successful internship applicant will be present in 360i’s offices using the BeamPro telepresence robot from Suitable Tech. The mobile 1.2-metre (4-ft) high robots enable the remote intern to shadow employees and communicate via the two-way screens for meetings and presentations.
The agency wants to create a ‘robot’ intern to enhance career opportunities for those unable to afford to live in expensive cities with valuable work opportunities. The aspiring ad creative awarded with the internship will have the opportunity to beam into the ad agency’s Los Angeles office via beam robot to work with the creative team on client briefs, attend internal meetings, present work and manage special assignments. In all, the internship spans four weeks.
The inspiration behind the scheme is the notion that every young ad student should have the opportunity to intern at a high-profile ad agency. On i360’s site they acknowledge the fact that often, through financial or logistical barriers, it can be difficult for aspiring ad professionals to attain internships at the top agencies. These agencies are often based in expensive cities such as New York and Los Angeles, so not everyone has the ability or means to take advantage of the opportunities available, which are already limited and, in a highly competitive field, difficult to grasp in the first place. 360i realizes that young talent living in remote parts of the United States may also be limited by local responsibilities they can’t leave or financial challenges that would make covering temporary living experiences too difficult.
The robot internship eliminates all such barriers and opens up the opportunity to anyone, anywhere, with the passion to create. The company posted the call for applicants on their social media channels and over several weeks set a series of exercises to challenge applicants and allow them to show their skills and capabilities. Finalists to the internship position are selected and interviewed via the beam robot itself.
The company does not require applicants to have any previous robot experience or any ad school or advertising experience. According to the job advert, applicants simply need to be excited to learn about new technologies, social media and advertising. The whole experience is captured via Snapchat on an account created just for the robot intern.
The remote workforce is growing as more companies offer employees the flexibility of working from home or make the most of freelancers in the gig economy. From Slack to blockchain (which was used by Nasdaq’s Estonian stock market to allow shareholders to vote remotely), start-ups are coming up with easier ways to communicate and interact remotely.
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Website: www.360i.com
Contact: www.360i.com/contact
Company name: 360i
Innovation name: robot internship
Country: United States
Industries: Marketing & advertising / Telecoms & mobile / Workspace