News Archives

The last week of my internship with Indiana INTERNnet was bittersweet. On one hand, I am sad to leave this great environment of supportive people. On the other hand, I am excited for the next step in my career. Before I go, I wanted to leave you with a few tips on successfully wrapping up an internship.

1)      Connect with Mentor

From the moment I walked through the door, Janet has been there for me. She answered questions, assigned projects and gave feedback. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, the No. 1 perk of an internship is having a mentor throughout the experience.

As I wrapped up my internship, Janet and I connected to assess my progress and make sure my goals were met. In the last section of the Employers’ Guide , the intern is recommended to provide feedback to the organization. I appreciated the chance to not …

Continue Reading »

This is a guest post by Stephanie Dolan, an online student at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. She is studying journalism and recently completed a virtual internship with {C} Magazine.

As a journalism and media studies major, an internship is integral to finding one’s niche as a writer. I’m thankful that writing allows me more freedom than being locked into one field of expertise; however, occasionally focusing on one area at a time can assist in narrowing down a writer’s strengths and preferences.

My first internship came during the winter semester. I was a newsletter writer focusing on news specific to one organization’s interests. This summer in my second internship, I was a contributing writer for an online entertainment publication, {C} Magazine.

Both of my internships have been virtual experiences, and – as an online student – maintaining a virtual presence was essential for me so that I wouldn’t have to …

Continue Reading »

This is a press release from Sara Palmer, senior technical writer at Leonard-McDowell.

Leonard-McDowell, an Indianapolis-based IT and business development firm, welcomes two bright new interns from Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind.

“Hiring interns injects fresh ideas not only into our company, but also into our clients’ companies,” said Frank Leonard, managing partner of Leonard-McDowell and 1986 graduate of Wabash College. “We give them the professional experiences they need to have their resumes stand out and they give us a different perspective on business, technology and culture.”

Tyler Owensby, a junior majoring in economics, brings a strong work ethic and a forward-thinking approach to his position as a business development and sales intern. His strengths pull from his natural ability to analyze, minimize and eliminate risk.

“I enjoy evaluating business practices and indicating the areas that can be made more effective to reduce risk,” Owensby said. “No matter what industry …

Continue Reading »

This is the final installment of the series discussing unexpected situations that could arise during your internship and how to persevere and handle them professionally.

Suddenly a wave of panic hits you. You blink a couple times and look at your work again. There’s no denying it – you’ve made a mistake at your internship.

No one is perfect. Especially as an intern, you should be prepared to experience a few learning curves. You’re in a unique, somewhat insulated position because the internship is a “training wheels” experience of sorts, and your supervisor understands that.

In fact, if you don’t make a mistake during the course of your internship, there’s a good chance you’re not taking full advantage of the opportunity. You don’t want to approach your work so tentatively that you forfeit any value you might take from it. The point is to dive in and learn by …

Continue Reading »

This is Part II of a three-part series discussing unexpected situations that could arise during your internship and how to persevere and handle them professionally.

It’s easy to build castles in the air when you picture life in your internship. It’s your first venture into the workforce, and you’re ready to strut your stuff!

Suddenly, you may find yourself hunched over a file drawer organizing hundreds of papers. You may be stuffing, sealing and addressing a 700-piece mailing. If you get yourself into a particularly intense internship like I did, you may even end up out in the rain at 4 a.m. on a Saturday setting up for an event (several times, actually).

Wait, this isn’t what you signed up for! This isn’t utilizing that higher education you’re paying for!

In each internship, you should have plenty of opportunities to do projects that make a visible difference. You should …

Continue Reading »

This is Part I of a three-part series discussing unexpected situations that could arise during your internship and how to persevere and handle them professionally.

You know the two sure things in life are death and taxes, but might I add a third? You won’t get along with everyone you meet.

What if one of the people you clash with in your life happens to be your internship supervisor?

Whether you’ve got a boss who’s a micromanager, an intimidator, a downer or a person generally difficult to work with, here are a few things to remember when you feel your patience waning.

1. Always show respect

No one says you have to like your boss, but you do have to show him or her respect. Do the work they assign to the best of your ability and do it their way. If you have a disagreement, address your boss …

Continue Reading »

This is a guest post from Jenna Whalen, a student at the University of Indianapolis. She found her upcoming summer internship with DistinXion from a tweet posted by Indiana INTERNnet.

Last year I was extremely lucky with my internship search.

Sure, I had a few roadblocks, but my professor introduced me to the person who ended up being my boss for the summer. From there, it just took off with very little effort on my part.

This year, though, I wasn’t quite as lucky.

I began my search in December and applied with 14 different places. I had a few interviews and a couple offers, but nothing seemed like a good fit. I was frustrated because I thought I had exhausted all avenues – I’d been on numerous websites and had also communicated with several key people.

Just when I was reaching the height of my frustration, something unexpected happened. I was on …

Continue Reading »

This is a guest post by Amy Laznik, former intern at Target Marketing. She is a student at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.

Target Marketing is a marketing agency located in Terre Haute, Ind. They specialize in all aspects of marketing. They design flyers, ads, logos, websites and postcards, and they produce television and radio commercials. They create all of their designs and production in-house.

Throughout my internship experience, I have grown as a designer and a person. I have created ads and billboards for major companies, worked on websites, and I am in the process of learning production. I have learned how to meet deadlines and work with clients. I have also learned great communication skills, organization skills and how to transition from a college student to a professional in the work force.

During my time at Target Marketing, I have faced many challenges, but I have also experienced some wonderful …

Continue Reading »

Three introverted CEOs and what you can learn from them

This is a blog by Susan Cain, author of QUIET: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking. You can find the original article posted on Psychology Today here. This is the final installment in the Quiet but Mighty blog series exploring ways introverts can remain true to themselves and still experience a satisfying professional life.

Many people believe that extroverts are more “natural” leaders than introverts, but recent groundbreaking research out of the Wharton and Harvard business schools suggests that introverts often outperform extroverts as leaders. Here are three examples of outstanding quiet CEOs:

1. Douglas Conant, the much-celebrated and beloved former CEO of Campbell Soup. In addition to famously turning around his company, Conant is well-known for his quietly humane touch. Like many introverts, he’s interested in building alliances one person at a time. For …

Continue Reading »

Finding the right role in the theater of business

This is a guest post by Kaleb Lantrip, a student at IUPUI and a self-proclaimed introvert. This is Part IV in the five-part Quiet but Mighty blog series exploring ways introverts can remain true to themselves and still experience a satisfying professional life.

If all the world is a stage, and all the men and women merely agents, then how does one who likes performing background and scenery work to be noticed?

I have met individuals who possess better qualifications and instincts for the stage of business, but I have my own skills and values to offer. I am a shameless introvert. I am not ambitious, but I am willing to provide a hard day’s work for a noble production. The trick is getting myself behind the curtain. Establishing myself as a trustworthy and able worker is key.

There is a narrow window of …

Continue Reading »

Maintaining Balance: Working effectively, managing office presence

This is Part III in the five-part Quiet but Mighty blog series exploring ways introverts can remain true to themselves and still experience a satisfying professional life.

Life is an exercise in balance in many capacities, including within your internship or job. As an introvert, it’s important to learn how to cater to your personal work preferences as well as how to stretch yourself. Below are a few thoughts as you begin developing into the best worker you can be.

Create your best working environment

As an intern, you probably don’t have much choice when it comes to the location and set-up of your workstation. However, there are little things you can do with the resources provided that can make you more comfortable and productive.

To avoid distractions, situate your computer or work materials to face away from a heavily-traveled walkway. …

Continue Reading »

Modesty and Marketability: Can they co-exist?

This is Part II in the five-part Quiet but Mighty blog series exploring ways introverts can remain true to themselves and still experience a satisfying professional life.

Ever find yourself thinking: “I want a good job, but how can I showcase my abilities when I’m not comfortable tooting my own horn?”

You’re not alone. Modesty is a hallmark characteristic of the introvert population and one that is much-admired; however, it is often considered counterproductive in the competitive job market.

One piece of career advice that I struggle with is “selling yourself.” This concept tends to invoke fear in those of us who try to avoid the spotlight.

The simple truth is people don’t like solicitors. Solicitors sensationalize and feign enthusiasm in order to sell a product for the sole purpose of advancing their own self interests. People do, however, like teammates – those …

Continue Reading »

NetWORK: ‘doing’ rather than ‘talking’

This is Part I in the five-part Quiet but Mighty blog series exploring ways introverts can remain true to themselves and still experience a satisfying professional life.

May I be frank? I hate the word “networking.”

Especially as an introvert, and especially as someone who is easily frustrated by the formalities of corporate America. Not to mention, I’m flat-out bad at what most people consider “networking.”

There are a lot of great tips from career counselors you should employ. But have you ever noticed that career advice is often geared toward the extroverted population – networking advice in particular? So, this post (and this entire series) is designed to serve as an alternative voice for those quiet, task-oriented worker bees thirsting for customized and workable career-building ideas. As we go through the week, I invite you to share your thoughts in the comments section.

…

Continue Reading »

One quality you’ll see employers calling for in many job descriptions is “self-starter.” If you’ve completed a couple internships, you’re likely qualified in that regard.

But what if you went a step further and started your own internship of sorts, where you are both the supervisor and the intern?

If you’re looking to add more “meat” to your portfolio, speculative work (or “spec work”) is a great way to learn-while-doing, and you’re completely in control. I’m not referring to the controversial spec work in the graphic design field. The spec work I’m advocating is where you come up with an idea from scratch, plan the project, complete the tasks and evaluate the work all on your own time. You aren’t working within the limits of company protocol or a class rubric and you aren’t answering to a supervisor or professor. You can tailor the project to fill any holes you …

Continue Reading »

This is a Q&A with Ativio Executive Vice President Susan Nierste about how their company benefits from virtual internships. Be sure to also check out our blog about the potential of virtual internships.

1.  How long has Ativio been offering virtual internships? How many interns do you typically work with at one time?

We started in Fall 2011. More than 500 United States (domestic and foreign), African and Indian students have participated in the internship. The number of students working at the same time on teams varies. Our team sizes range between 8 – 12 on a team, plus team management.

2. Can you briefly explain how your virtual internships work? What work do your interns complete?

We have different levels of participation within the virtual team environment. We start out by teaching a class on how to work within international virtual team environments at area Indiana universities. In the classroom, the team works on a static project with …

Continue Reading »