Nate Thompson

July 14, 2008

Nate Thompson

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Nate Thompson, Company president

Now: Company president

Then: Staff writer

Current position: Founder and president of Cypress Consulting, a business consulting, technology and creative-services firm.

First job: A staff writer at Downtown Source, a free weekly tabloid publication featuring happenings, food, music and more in downtown Seattle, where I conducted "man on the street" interviews and wrote restaurant reviews and feature stories in 1994-1995. (Downtown Source was published by a subsidiary of The Seattle Times Co. from 1994 to 1999.)

How I got the job: I found the advertisement in the paper and applied in the traditional way, sending my résumé and writing samples.

What I learned: The importance of doing my homework and being well prepared, and the ability to distill information, linking complex issues and arguments into concise paragraphs. The technical side of the job also led me to pursue my interest in the Internet and its pending explosion. I created a Web design company in 1995.

Want to tell us about your first job? Fax the above information to Gary Dougherty at 206-382-8879 or e-mail business@seattletimes.com