Experiences at AOL

The key to getting a job at AOL is knowing someone who already works there. As with most companies, candidates who have an "in" with a current employee always seem to have an edge.

The secret to getting hired at AOL is to demonstrate your optimism, eagerness to grow your current skillset, to be flexible with ever-changing company priorities, be a creative and resourceful individual, be an innovator, as well as a consumate team player.

I conceptualize, design, and produce deliverables for website and application user interface and navigation. Based on product requirements, I deliver wireframes, product and process flows, heuristic evaluations, navigation maps, concept maps, task flows, personas, use case scenarios, competitive analyses, technical assessments, and design documentation. I am also called upon to inspire and at times lead and facilitate creative discussion and brainstorming. I Designed compelling and engaging interactions for the AIM Pages (AIM Profiles) social network. I designed the brand new AIM Groups to replace the defunct AOL Groups.. I retooled AOL's aging but world-class Blogging platform (AOL Journals, reimagined as AIM Blogs) without the guidance of a Product Mgr. I redesigned AOL Messageboards to serve the needs of the new generation of AOL Channels....

As Art Director on the Experience Prototype Team, I am part of a tight-knit group passionate about making AOL's audience experiences more usable, innovative and engaging. To date, I have contributed substantially to prototypes for AIM Pages, AOL Dot Com, Music, News, Games, Body and Video.

* Part of a very skillful and experienced network engineering team, responsible for AOL's world-class streaming media network infrastructure, massive web cache complex, Internet Operations, and Core Services.
* Design scalable network solutions and policies for AOL's international portals. (network architecture and deployment)
* Configure, install, upgrade and maintain Cisco routers and switches, Juniper routers, and Foundry Networks L2/L4 switches.
* Leading the switch consolidation project to get streaming host on new switches and freeing ports on other switches or decommissioning legacy switches thus improving efficiency of the entire system.
* Designed and implemented standardized template for Juniper's M-series and Cisco - 7600 & 2600 series, to check our devices daily for consistent configuration to avoid any configuration errors.
* Exposed to large scale, multi-vendor network topologies.
* Participated in engineering reviews, staff meetings, and other activities, which increased my network understanding of the issues and challenges facing both a content provider and a Tier-1 ISP.
* Applied the latest description standard on all our routers interfaces.
* Build and maintain Visio documentation database of network topology.
* Perform off hour maintenances and configuration changes during maintenance windows for different international sites.

Technical Skills
Networking:
* Protocols - IP, TCP, UDP, HSRP, VRRP, VIP, ARP, DNS.
* Routing Protocol - BGP4, OSPF, EIGRP, IGRP, RIP, IS-IS.
* Vendor Knowledge - Cisco systems, Juniper networks, Foundry networks.
* Network Hardware - Cisco 7600/2600, Juniper M series, Foundry SI 400/450.
* Network security - VPN, IPsec, Access Lists, SSH.
* Miscellaneous - FastE, copper/fiber GigE.
* Operating Systems - Cisco IOS, JUNOS, Mac OS X, Windows XP/Vista, UNIX....

Senior Technical Writer for Connectivity and Client Engineering teams at AOL, LLC (formerly America Online, Inc.). Responsibilities include writing and maintaining help files (using RoboHelp) and other html documents for integration into various AOL programs; developing documentation standards, creating web sites on the intranet to disperse technical information department- and company-wide, posting information and creating documentation and presentations, for dissemination over the corporate intranet and other means. Acquire subject knowledge by interviewing product developers, engineers, product managers; installing and testing software; and referring to technical specifications, engineering illustrations, and notes. Oversee and prepare illustrative materials; including drawings, sketches, diagrams and charts. Edit & proofread documentation. Collect documentation, conduct research, and determine usability of acquired information companywide for legal purposes. Foster information sharing throughout the AOL brand of companies to enhance collective knowledge base. Used source control software to upload and maintain document version integrity. Assigned tasks to and managed one junior writer....

I support different recruiters in various recruiting activities, including:

-Schedule and coordinate interviews between hiring managers and candidates
-Load resumes into BrassRing and track to the appropriate requisition numbers
-Register final candidates for Background Investigations
-Coorindate travel arrangements for interviewing candidates
-Ensure paperwork is submitted and received from all new hires
-Conduct basic preliminary phone screens
-Assist in managing the Employee Referral Program by checking and updating BrassRing, and phone screening any referred candidates
-Send EEO Communications to candidates in BrassRing
-Greet and pick up interviewing Candidates when needed
-Process Candidate Expense Reimbursements
-Ensure a positive candidate experience through strong communications with recruiters, hiring managers, and candidates
-Assist and support recruiters in any activities in order to enhance their value...

Edit and write marketing content

Maintain quality programming that drives user interaction with social networking tools and products. Develop original programs and franchises, evaluate existing programming for currency and suitability, and monitor the brand, assessing the need for programming, partnership or organizational changes.

* Direct product marketing road map and initiatives for the AOL Mail and Address Book products, including Storage, Anti-Spam, and AOL's Free Personal Domains product.

* Key marketing driver in designing, developing and launching AOL's Free Personal Domains product (http://domains.aol.com) in under 60 days.

* Oversee features and growth of product with over 100 million users (mailboxes)

* Coordinate with the IT organizations (including Engineering & QA), define high-level functional and detailed system requirements, participate in detailed functional definition and design, planning sessions, monitor development progress against the approved plan, and monitor system testing (QA).

* Establish and lead cross-functional and cross-organizational project/product teams from concept phase to product release.

* Create and maintain product concept documents, requirements documents, business plans, and risk mitigation plans....