The time has come to officially announce the winners of our MVP Awards contest for the best blog posts describing Kontera success stories. We are excited to announce the winners who will each receive an Amazon Kindle: Randy Brown from Grownupgeek.com and Jason Caetano from techsquirt.com.

Randy is a “veteran” Kontera publisher and shares some great tips from his extensive experience; Jason is a new Kontera publisher who shared his outlook on starting out in the blogosphere and why Kontera is a natural fit for techsquirt.com.

Randy made a great point in how Adsense and Kontera make a good match: “Over the last 2.5 years… Kontera has earned right up with, and some times better than Adsense. Kontera has also performed better than other In-Text ad networks I have tested over the years. Those solid earnings combined with my own dedicated Kontera account manager that answers my questions and deals with any problems that arise (something you won’t get from Adsense) has kept Kontera on my “Best ad network” list.” Read Randy’s post>>

Jason described the importance of engagement and relevancy in online advertising and emphasized the added value Kontera In-Text brings to user experience: “Kontera helped me obtain my goals of earning revenue for my blog, not just by providing in-text advertising but providing relevant and engaging information… If you’re looking for simple and easy to use In-Text advertising program that is relevant to your content and users – I would look no-further then Kontera.” Read Jason’s post>>

Thanks everyone for your submissions, we enjoyed reading your success stories and congratulations to our winners. Enjoy your Kindles! If you didn’t win this time around check out our Triple Play program running until the end of the year.

We’re working on some great new offers for our publisher partners so be sure to stay tuned here, or by following us on Twitter and Facebook.

You would never have guessed that it was storming outside based on the demeanor inside Andretti Racing this past Wednesday.  In NASCAR, the Andretti name is synonymous with Formula 1 racing, but in Atlanta it means basketball shooting contests, endless skee-ball duos, and 30 mile an hour turns on a premium indoor racing track.  Kontera and Moxie Interactive opened the forum for mid-week fun by spending the night kart racing, playing arcade games, and relaxing over the bartender’s choice drinks.

This was a great opportunity to step away from the desk and enjoy each other’s company – and believe me we sure did enjoy!  However it wasn’t all fun and games, everyone’s competitive spirit was in full gear on the race track as there were U2 tickets, helicopter tours, fine dining, and limo rides to be won.  Who knew this group could turn on the velocity so quickly?  It may be common industry protocol to enjoy post-work activities together, but rarely do the creative and competitive juices mix so well at such an event.

And now for the winners…..

First place winner Kara Carpentier, Sr. Account Executive for Garnier Fructis, took home two floor seat tickets to the upcoming U2 concert in October.

Kelli Travis, Sr. Media Planner for Verizon SMB, won a luxurious limo tour of Atlanta.

While Kara and Kelli may have been higher in the standings, Chris Sherrer, Media Coordinator for Verizon, was the big winner of the night. Chris’ business card was drawn and he walked away with a helicopter tour of Atlanta AND also snuck away with a 3rd place finish and dinner for two at a local five- star restaurant.

Congratulations to Kara, Kelli and Chris!

It is safe to say that when Moxie and Kontera get together for their next event, it may be hard to beat.

Keren Zohar has been with Kontera for over two years, during which she managed HR operations and has overseen many organizational changes that accompanied Kontera’s corporate growth.  It was a pleasure to meet with Keren to learn more about Kontera’s recruitment and get a few tips about looking for a job as well as getting your foot in the door at Kontera.  In Keren’s personal life, she is a proud newlywed, and this is a great chance to wish her and husband the best–all the happiness and success to both.

With the current economic and employment market situation and implications, have there been changes in trends regarding  the way people execute a job hunt?  Anything creative or new you’ve seen?

There’s no question that people see a tighter gap of competition for a position.  We are seeing more applications coming in all the time.  This of course brings a new level in qualifications of experience, education, and other hiring criteria.  I also have found that people are really taking their job search further—they are utilizing and leveraging all their resources; essentially “anything goes”.  People have expanded their job hunts to rely more heavily on social media and online networking as a supplement to traditional means for searching.

We don’t want anyone to feel discouraged, so maybe you can clue us in:  as an HR manager of an online network, what strategies do you best relate with for finding the right candidate?

I search the web and use different recruiting strategies to find good candidates or potential employees.  When using the web, LinkedIn is a very useful tool, as it makes desirable web professionals more accessible and easy to contact directly without the need for a recruiting agency as a middle man. I also join and take part in professional and other relevant forums and in several Facebook groups  that enable me to reach a broader spectrum of candidates.   Like many companies, we also rely a great deal on our current employees and business partners to bring in fresh faces for our team.

Based on your experience, what defines someone well fit for Kontera?

First and foremost, we’re looking for people who have an aptitude for technology and are truly passionate about the web. Kontera  wants individuals who can demonstrate their passion for the web right off the bat.  A team-player attitude and willingness to be dynamic with their position are crucial traits.  Like the Internet, the company is evolving constantly, rapidly, and always presenting a new twist.  Employees should be ready for new challenges and get excited about them.  We work hard, but it’s important for us to keep the office environment fun and light—we’re looking for people who will contribute to making our coffee breaks and lunch time fun.

Since you are the first person to interview prospective employees, I’m sure you’ve seen all sorts of interviews, good and bad.  Any examples or tips as to do or not when interviewing?

Assuming that you want to get hired please turn off your cell phone before the interview begins… Another hint – if you forgot to do so – taking that call is not a good idea either . On a more serious note – there’s the obvious rule of thumb: come prepared!  Research the company you are interviewing with so that you know what you’re getting into and they know you’re serious.  It’s always good to get familiar with the market competitors so you can demonstrate a wider knowledge of the company’s challenges.  Work out your “sales pitch”, explain why you are the best possible candidate for a position, be ready to include facts that will promote your “personal  brand” into the answers you are giving the recruiter. Mention your successes and initiatives, but try not to come off arrogant – balance is key.

We’re looking for confident, energetic people where the resume and personality meet to reflect the way you’ll deal with our work environment.  For the most part,  recruiters are looking for focused people—those that present themselves with confidence and send out a message that they’re the best match for the position.

Bottom line, is Kontera hiring?

Absolutely – we’re always on the lookout for talented people and have recently opened a few positions in our US and Israel offices, which you can read more about in our Careers page.