News Archives
Employers: Market Your Internships via Social Media
Entry by Pat Patterson
We launched our blog in June, and every so often I will check our Google Analytics account to determine how many people visit our blog and how they find our blog in the first place.Ā Today, I noticed a trend that somewhat surprised me ā the majority of traffic to Indiana INTERNnation is directed from our social media marketing, more specifically Facebook.
This made me think – although all organizations and websites are different, if you are not using social media to market your organization, you are missing out on a large, free opportunity to increase your exposure.Ā Specifically, I encourage all organizations to market your internship opportunities or at least links to your opportunities through your social media accounts.Ā
Think about it ā Facebook was created for university and college students, a majority of which use Facebook at least once a day.Ā If you want …
Let Your Interests Guide Your College/Career Choices
Entry by Pat Patterson
If you have not declared your college major yet, try not to be persuaded to pursue a degree solely based on the current economic conditions.Ā Statistically speaking, in our current economy, students with certain majors have landed more job offers after graduation than students with other degrees.Ā However, it is important to pursue a major that you are interested in, and let your passions guide your career decisions.Ā After all, you are more likely to perform well when you have an interest in what you are studying, and it is uncertain which courses of study may āincrease your oddsā of landing a job one, two, three, or four years from now.
A recent article in the Chicago Tribune echoes this sentiment:
The key is to think ahead about which jobs would also let you capitalize on your interests. And the earlier you start, the more opportunities …
Embracing the āFairestā Things in Life
Entry by Courtney Sampson, Marketing and Communications Intern, Indiana State Fair
Let it be known to all! Hereās my new sloganā¦maybe Iāll suggest it to the āHead Fredā of the Indiana State Fair. Probably not. Anyway, here it goes ā The 2010 Great Indiana State Fair ā Making Memories Happen.
OK ā but really, this one-line slogan sums up my entire summer! Thereās been no shortage of things to do around here; I canāt say Iām surprised, though. The Indiana State Fair draws more than 900,000 visitors over 17 days. Hereās a taste of my favorite fair memories:
10 ā Riding The Blizzard with my co-worker, Kris Karolā¦AFTER he ate 2 pieces of fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, and water. Good thing he didnāt drink Pepsi. It might have put āem over the edge. Oh yeah, and he sat on the outside, so I got to slam …
Employers: Use Indiana INTERNnet to Find Your Fall Interns
Entry by Pat Patterson
Looking to hire fall interns?Ā You can use Indiana INTERNnet www.workandlearnindiana.com for free to post internship opportunities in Indiana.Ā
1. What are the advantages of using Indiana INTERNnet for my intern search?
Indiana INTERNnet is a free statewide system with students from 436 high schools and 84 colleges and universities throughout Indiana (the numbers continue to grow). With such a large number of students with diverse interests seeking internships through our database, your organization will gain greater exposure and gain a larger pool of qualified candidates to ensure you will acquire the best talent for your needs.
Indiana INTERNnet makes it easier to search for students. When seeking a specific type of student, employers can search for matches by utilizing any combination or all of the following fields: geographic preference, minimum GPA, job category, industry, and University. Employers may also post an unlimited number of internships.
…
Employers: Creating an Internship Description
Entry by Pat Patterson
Now that career fairs are approaching, it is important to have clear, detailed descriptions of the internshipĀ opportunities that you have to offer.Ā Your internship description should include aĀ brief overview ofĀ your organization, the intern responsibilities/duties, desired candidate skills, and any additional logistical details.
The following is an example of an internship description:
Marketing/Communications Intern*
Indiana INTERNnet is a business-education partnership between the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, Indiana higher education institutions and high schools, and Indiana-based employers to promote the quality and quantity of internship opportunities statewide.Ā Indiana INTERNnet serves as the stateās online matching system connecting students and employers for internship opportunities.Ā Ā For more information about Indiana INTERNnet, visit www.workandlearnindiana.com.
Indiana INTERNnet is currently offering one paid internship opportunity to assist current staff members with internship activities.
Intern Responsibilities:
ā¢ Follow up with employers who have posted internships in the past to collect internship metrics and …
Highlighting Your Summer Internship on Your Resume
Entry by Pat Patterson
Now that your summer internship is complete or may come to an end soon, there is no better time than now to update your resume.Ā It is a great idea to update your resume with your recent internship as soon as possible because your experience will still be fresh in your mind.Ā
Remember to highlight your tasks, major projects, and also the results of your work.Ā Whenever possible be specific and quantify your work.Ā For example, instead of stating, ācoordinated company networking eventsā, be more specific, such as, ācoordinated three separate networking events, one for each month, which led to a 10% increase in client leads.āĀ Also, if you are still at your internship or keep in contact with your employer (which you should be doing), you can ask your supervisor to review the information you add on your resume to ensure it accurately reflects your …
Calling All Bloggers
Entry by Pat Patterson
WeĀ are inviting any students, employers, or educators to contribute to Indiana INTERNnation.
For students, you may want to blog about your day-to-day life as an intern.Ā As you document your experience, you will have a portfolio to reference when you interview for your next internship or first job.Ā For employers, you may want to blog about your internship program.Ā Other employers may benefit from your shared information, and the blog will be free advertising for your organization.Ā For educators, you may want to blog about success stories you have had with students or resources you may have benefitted from utilizing.Ā There are no strict guidelines ā we are willing to share any stories of mutual interest.Ā
If you would like to become a contributing author to our blog, then contact Indiana INTERNnetās Program Coordinator, Pat Patterson, at ppatterson@indianachamber.com or 317-264-6863.
When submitting a blog entry, please …
Transitioning from Intern to Full-time Employee
Entry by Courtney Sampson, Marketing and Communications Intern, Indiana State Fair
I havenāt submitted an entry to Indiana INTERNnation in awhile, but thatās because Iāve been extremely busy taking advantage of the 12ā¦15ā¦18 hour days that my internship requires! Itās been really fun working at the Indiana State Fair; I canāt believe weāre finally in full-swing. As I write this, the State Fair is at the Ā½ way mark. Whatās this mean for you? It means you get to read an entry from me, and it means if you havenāt attended the Fair yet, time is running out ā what are you waiting for?
Donāt worry, Iām finishing pitching the Fair. In other newsā¦Iāve had a few opportunities come up throughout the past week. The good news? Potentially a job. The bad news? Iām still taking it day-by-day at the Fair! But, as internships wrap up, it got me thinkingā¦how …
Educators: Best Practices to Welcome Students Back
Entry by Pat Patterson
Summer break is quickly coming to a close, and students will soon pack up their belongings and return to their college campuses.Ā As educators, it is best to engage these students in career services activities as soon as possible.Ā
The following are a few ideas to help career services professionals welcome students back to campus and encourage them to visit the career office:
Create flyers to distribute in living units and common areas, which list the first few career services events of the year, engage in social media by advertising your Facebook, Twitter, and/or LinkedIn pages, host a beginning of the year cook-out or ice cream social (perhaps the āfeeā for attending can be that students have to bring a resume for review or take a Myers-Briggs Test, etc.), reward the first hundred or so students who visit the career office with t-shirts, professional resume paper, …
Keeping the Communication Lines Open After the Internship
Entry by Ashley Cashen, Talent Acquisition and Retention Coordinator, digitalKnowledge
Once your companyās internship ends, itās important to make sure the communication does not end with it.Ā Hopefully at the end of an internship, both a company and its intern are parting ways with a positive experience to look back on.Ā And if everything goes as planned, both that company and the intern will want to work together in the future.Ā
Most interns still have one, maybe even two or three, years of school left before entering the āreal world.āĀ So a company can go from communicating with their intern on a daily basis to not speaking to them for a year.Ā But, a lot of things can happen in that last year of school ā your intern may attend career fairs, have job interviews, and meet potential employers.Ā How are you going to continue to stick …
How to End Your Internship on a Good Note
Entry by Pat Patterson
It is that time of the year again ā your internship is wrapping up and it becomes harder for you to focus, as thoughts of the upcoming school year flood your mind.Ā But before you pack up your materials, say your goodbyes, and take that final step out the door, it is important to make sure that you leave your internship on a positive note.Ā You may have learned a lot, contributed significantly to the organization you worked with, and made great connections and even friends, but the way you end your internship may ultimately be the way you will be remembered ā you donāt want to āpull a LeBron Jamesā and leave on a negative note with your former boss releasing an open letter expressing his disapproval after you leave (sorry about that ā Iām originally from Cleveland).
Anyways, with that being said, on AdAge.com …
Landing an Internship in a Tough Economy
Entry by Courtney Sampson, Marketing and Communications Intern, Indiana State Fair
No matter what the economists say, weāve got to face it. Times are still tough for Americans, and many companies simply arenāt hiring full-time employees. With that said, I feel pretty lucky to be a Hoosier; many of my friends who live in other states have had a difficult time finding minimum-wage jobs, and they have college degrees!
Iāve had plenty of phone and face-to-face conversations with friends about ālife after college.ā What are the options if you donāt have a full-time job after graduation? Well, if youāre a fan of waking up early, you could head down to the local Starbucks and see if theyāre hiring any baristas. For night owls, perhaps thereās a local 24-hour diner or even the corner pub!
But if youāre trying to enter the āprofessional world,ā maybe Starbucks isnāt your best betā¦or maybe …
Live, Learn, and Intern
Entry by Kelly Arnold, Workforce Development Assistant, Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce
The Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce Graduate Retention Program recently capped off a summer-long series of events called Live, Learn, and Intern. These events were specifically designed to bring employers and interns alike together at unique local hot spots in the Fort Wayne and surrounding area. Interns from Navistar, ITT Communications Systems, Raytheon, Vera Bradley, and many others were able to see firsthand what the region had to offer in the area of entertainment, and employers (specifically HR personnel) had the chance to interact with their staff on a more personal level. These events were highly successful with great attendance and overall wonderful feedback.Ā
These events, under the guidance of GRPās own summer intern Andy Schemm, were held at The Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Crazy Pinz, Canlan Ice Sports, Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum, Fort Wayne Tin …
An Internship Can Change Your Life
Entry by Pat Patterson
This summer, I had the privilege of coordinating internships for 59 high school interns through the Common Goal Internship Program, a collaborative effort between Indiana INTERNnet and the Indianapolis Chamber aimed at motivating at-risk high school students to continue their education, graduate, and pursue higher education.Ā Yesterday, we celebrated the studentās successful completion of the program and recognized their host employers for offering the internship opportunities. (See pictures below)
A student intern with her employer mentor.
Throughout the summer, I visited several of the students at their places of business, and at the celebration conference, a few of the students shared their experiences at the podium on stage.Ā After learning more about the studentsā experiences during their visits and the few studentsā presentations, it became apparent how influential the internships have been in their lives.Ā
During their internships, the students were able to test out their …
The Benefits of using Partnerships to Grow Your Internship
Entry by Ashley Cashen, Talent Acquisition and Retention Coordinator, digitalKnowledge
As you may recall in my earlier blog entries, digitalKnowledge chose to team up with the Interns for Indiana Program through Purdue University for their first internship.Ā We chose to go this route for a couple of reasons.Ā First and foremost, with this being our first internship in company history we could use the help.Ā Interns for Indiana has supported our internship from the beginning, including sending us resumes of students who fit our criteria and setting up an āinterview fairā for us to meet these candidates. Secondly, Interns for Indiana offers funding for smaller start-up companies.Ā
Choosing to partner with Interns for Indiana has without a doubt been one of the best decisions we could have made.Ā Not only do they offer administrative support to employers, but they also provide the interns with additional educational opportunities.Ā Bart has had …