News Archives
Reaching Audiences using Social Media
Entry by Courtney Sampson, Marketing and Communications Intern, Indiana State Fair
Social media – talk about a “buzz phrase.” The mere thought of social media evokes some serious emotion from people – You either seem to love and embrace it, or you dread the thought of “tweeting,” “tipping,” or “tagging.”
NEWSFLASH! Here’s the thing: social media is not for every person or every single thing. Well, I guess that’s my opinion, but here’s why: You have to actively update your presence online! Online time = real time. If you’re not willing to update and participate, you might as well stay offline.
The best part about social media is connecting with a virtual community; granted, some of your “friends” and “followers” are neighbors, best buds, and co-workers, but face it, you probably haven’t met face-to-face with a significant portion of your social media community. Why then, would any person (or company, …
Take Me Out to the Career Game
Entry by Pam Norman, Indiana INTERNnet Executive Director
Last week I had the good fortune to enjoy baseball, hotdogs and career conversation. A beautiful Indiana evening at Victory Field proved to be the perfect setting as university career services professionals and employers met to further relationships to benefit the students of Indiana. Sponsored by Career Development Professionals of Indiana, the College Career Center Consortium, Harrison College, Indiana University Career Development Center, and Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, the event attracted 106 attendees representing 59 employers and 25 college career centers. While networking was the ultimate goal of the evening, many stayed to cheer the Indians on to a 9-1 victory over the Durham Bulls.
As I think about the conversations I participated in, it was evident that higher education staff members work as advocates for Indiana students in a variety of ways. Discussions surrounding employer campus visits, internships, and talent …
Students: How to Communicate Successfully during a Virtual Internship
Entry by Anastasiya Elaeva, Indiana INTERNnet Intern
In Monday’s blog entry, I provided you with Interactive Intelligence’s perspective on virtual internships. I also recently spoke with one of Interactive Intelligence’s virtual interns, Courtney Guard, who would like to share her advice on having a successful internship experience. An economics major at Purdue University with minors in business management and political science, she is currently doing an internship in the office of Interactive Intelligence, a global provider of business communications solutions. However, last fall she worked for the company from her campus, assisting with the management of Interactive Intelligence’s customer accounts.
Courtney’s started as a regular summer intern in Interactive Intelligence’s office. When her term at the company was over, she talked to her manager about the possibility of keeping her job over the fall while working from home. Courtney really wanted to have a professional job in the fall semester, …
Communicating Effectively at Your Internship
Entry by Courtney Sampson, Marketing and Communications Intern, Indiana State Fair
Last Tuesday, I shared with you a “Top 10 List of Things I’ve Learned about the Indiana State Fairgrounds.” While there is plenty more where that list came from, this week I’m shifting my focus to writing. Sounds thrilling, doesn’t it?
Seriously, whether or not you’re studying communications (like me), employers across the board will take you more seriously if you can write well. But how can you write well if you don’t know where to begin?
Well, you can start by reading and asking a lot of questions. Just ask my boss – I’m sure he’d confirm that I ask plenty of questions. Because I’m an inquisitive person, I feel like I’ve learned a lot about the State Fair, agriculture education, the 4-H, FFA, and even musical acts set to perform at this year’s fair, like Drake! As …
Pace Community Action Agency’s Internship Program
Entry by Colleen Borgmeier, Summer Coordinator Intern, PACE Community Action Agency
Pace has always wanted to implement an internship program, but the funds were not available until 2009 when stimulus dollars became available through the American Recovery Reinvestment Act. This Internship Program is providing summer employment opportunities for college students, giving us the opportunity to acquire skills, gain valuable work experience, and help finance our return to school. Opportunities are being offered within Pace facilities in Washington and Vincennes and will run for a 13-week period beginning May 11th and completing August 6th.
As summer coordinator interns, Andrew and I have already learned valuable skills to use next year after graduation. We have been working to monitor the high school workers who have been placed around various small businesses in Vincennes and Washington. We are also organizing and implementing a volunteer day and researching and creating surveys and other documents …
“Employers, be brave, don’t rule anything out, and you’ll be surprised by the level of work of your virtual interns…”
Entry by Anastasiya Elaeva, Indiana INTERNnet Intern
Still not feeling ready to start a virtual internship program at your organization? Maybe reading another organization’s success story may persuade you. Interactive Intelligence Inc., a global provider of IP unified business communications solutions, headquartered in Indianapolis, has been hosting virtual interns for several years. Their corporate recruiter, Debbie Linville, shared with me how the idea of running a virtual internship program was born and what types of projects interns were working on remotely.
Interactive Intelligence launched their summer internship program in 2006. That year the company hosted six bright interns from different schools in Indiana. When the summer was coming to an end, and it was almost time for the students to return to their universities, one of the company’s managers came up with the idea that the interns could keep contributing to Interactive Intelligence projects by working remotely from their …
The Art of Consulting
Entry by Ashley Cashen, Talent Acquisition and Retention Coordinator, digitalKnowledge
This past week, Bart had the opportunity to not only take part in a client meeting but to also do some traveling with our Co-Founder and Vice President, Sean. With digitalKnowledge being a consulting firm, we made the decision early on that it was imperative that we expose our intern to the client side, not just the internal works. Bart traveled to a small town in Ohio and had the opportunity to observe, meet a variety of people, and get a taste of the art of consulting.
Bart shared his experience…
“Recently I was given the opportunity to attend my first client meeting! When I was approached I wasn’t sure where I would be heading, or what digitalKnowledge was doing for the client. I was excited for a few reasons. I was given the chance to see what consulting does …
Students: Are You Ready for a Virtual Internship?
In the June INTERNnetwork, we included an article about virtual internships, working for an organization outside of an organization’s office. Although there are benefits of being a virtual intern (no office commute, flexible work schedule, no dress code, more personal freedom, etc.), not every student can excel as a virtual intern.
Before you apply for a virtual internship, consider these questions:
– Do you have previous internship experience in an office setting?
– Are you interested in working for a web-based organization?
– Are you interested in electronic outreach, including email pitching and social media communication?
– Are you self-motivated?
– Are you independent enough to work with minimal supervision?
– Are you technology savvy?
– Are you able to meet important deadlines?
A virtual internship may be ideal for a student who may not have the opportunity or funds for a traditional internship …
Top 10 Things I’ve Learned Working for the Indiana State Fair
Entry by Courtney Sampson, Marketing and Communications Intern, Indiana State Fair
Our Great Indiana State Fair is all about food, family, fun, and farmers – I added the farmers. We’re more than just sweet corn and midway rides – although I enjoy both! Education is one of the values the Indiana State Fair holds near-and-dear – the young, the old, and everyone in-between can learn something while attending the fair. I’m 2 ½ weeks into my internship with the fair, and I’d love to share with you some of the things I have learned thus far!
Top Ten Things I’ve Learned Working for the Indiana State Fair
10.) There’s such a thing as deep-fried butter & deep-fried sushi. On the other hand, the Indiana State Fair was the first state fair in the nation to eliminate trans-fat cooking oil.
9.) Horses (and their trainers) are weather-resistant…or maybe weather resilient
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