Category Archives: Career Advice
Fall into Internships
Have you noticed the leaves turning from green to red, yellow and brown â as if the cooler weather wasnât enough of a clue that the seasons are changing? So, you reach for that college-branded hoodie from the back of your closet and head to the nearest coffee shop for that pumpkin spice latte. As you sit there in your black rimmed glasses and faded jeans, you browse your Twitter feed and wonder how the summer flew by.
Maybe you spent it lounging on the lake, or taking orders at the neighborhood fast food joint. Maybe you were working your way through online quizzes for that one math class, or watching all 4 seasons of Arrested Development. Or maybe, just maybe â you were gaining some experience at an internship (I can only hope).
As you take a sip of that heavenly java concoction, the smile that …
Ending on a Sweet Note
This is a guest blog by Armenda Boyer, a sophomore at Purdue University. She is currently working toward a dual major in Agricultural Communication and Agricultural Economics. This past summer, she was an education intern for the Indiana State Fair Commission.
I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I accepted an offer to work as an education intern at the Indiana State Fair. Of course, I expected to have the opportunity to work with children and to share my love of all-things agriculture. And I was able to do just that! What I didnât expect to do involved 6,500 pounds of caramel corn and a national television show…
The Worldâs Largest Popcorn Ball tipped the scales at 6,510 pounds. Check out my last post to see how this massive sphere of popcorn and sugar came together to break a world record! The popcorn ball …
A Record-Breaking Internship: Making the Worldâs Largest Popcorn Ball
This is a guest blog by Armenda Boyer, a sophomore at Purdue University. She is currently working toward a dual major in Agricultural Communication and Agricultural Economics. This past summer, she was an education intern for the Indiana State Fair Commission.
I spent last summer working as an education intern at the Indiana State Fair. Along with the everyday, agricultural education outreach, my internship provided me numerous unique opportunities. And I mean truly unique!
Each year the State Fair highlights an agricultural commodity produced in Indiana. If you visited the fairgrounds August 2-18 you probably recognized the 2013 theme: Year of Popcorn. This field crop was apparent at each turn of the fairgroundsâfrom the child-friendly popcorn maze to the red and white striped, popcorn container-inspired gift shop on Main Street. The focal point of the popcorn theme was certainly the Worldâs Largest Popcorn Ballâa 3-ton caramel corn …
Who Says You Canât Go Home?
Jenn Meadows is a senior communications major studying at the University of Indianapolis. She is the UIndy PRSSA president and promotions director for WICR 88.7. Currently sheâs interning in her hometown for Main Street Greensburg and the Decatur County Chamber of Commerce.
Iâm a big fan of the NBC Show Parks and Recreation. Leslie Knope, the main character played by Amy Poehler, was born and raised in the fictional town of Pawnee, Ind. Leslie is very passionate about the town she loves which carries over into her work as Director of the Parks Department â sheâs writing a book, campaigning for new parks and planning a festival.
Like Leslie, I was born and raised in Indiana. However, I come from Greensburg, a small town in Southeastern Indiana. When I watch Parks and Recreation, I canât help but think about my hometown.
Unlike Leslie, I couldnât wait …
Summer fun: Student interns at childrenâs museum
This is a story that appeared in the ISU online newsroom.
By: Emily Sturgess, ISU Communications and Marketing Staff
Every day children fill the three stories of the Terre Haute Children’s Museum with chatter and laughter as they learn about farm life, play in the two-story tree house and laugh as they stand in the midst of the large bubble ring.
For senior public relations major Casey May, participating in this fun came her summer job.
“I just love that I can be myself here,” said May, a Terre Haute, Ind., native, who interned at the museum during the summer.
From being fingerprinted as a suspect during the CSI summer camp to dressing up as Princess Leia complete with hair buns and a toy gun, May enjoyed every opportunity to embrace the “little girl within” her.
“At any other internship I would have not be able to joke around, act …
Internship Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have some unresolved questions about internships? Whether youâre a college student wondering if internships are the best next step for you – or youâre an employer curious about setting up an internship program at your organization, here is a compiled list of internship frequently asked questions with answers by our internship experts:
What is the point of interning?
Employers: A New Age of Internship Possibilities Students: Internship Experience May Increase Your Salary Discovering your career path Why Intern? Mind the Employment Gap No. 1 Perk of an Internship
Are internships truly a stepping stone into a full-time job?
From Intern to Full-Time Employee Considering an intern as a full-time employee
I hear a lot of myths about internships. What are some truths?
Five Simple Truths About Internships
I keep hearing about virtual internships. What are they all about?
The Potential of Virtual Internships Virtual …
The Alumni Networking Solution
This is a guest blog on tips to connecting during a job search by John Muscarello, Founder and CEO of Start Networking Today.
Looking for an excuse to spend even more time on social media?
LinkedIn has proven to be a great professional networking tool. According Jobvite, âEmployees hired through referral are hired 55% faster than those who come from a career site.â
I have personally used The Alumni Networking Solution to find leads and get interviews that lead to job offers.
What exactly is The Alumni Networking Solution?
The Alumni Networking Solution is a 5-step networking tool designed to introduce yourself to college alumni and develop relationships that lead to referrals. This means actually getting to know the person- and asking for his or her advice, instead of a job. I used these five simple steps â in about 10 minutes per connection â to find …
Breakfast with Twitter, YouTube and NPR
Would you believe when I started my internship, I had never used Twitter before? Four months and thousands of tweets later, social media is one of my main responsibilities with Indiana INTERNnet. Learning by doing is a wonderful thing.
At the Millennial Impact conference in Indianapolis (#MCON13) on July 18th, I sat at breakfast with none other than Jenna Golden, a leader in Twitterâs Washington, D.C. office, along with Jessica Mason (YouTube) and Danielle Deabler (NPR). I would have never imagined I would dive into social media so deep, so fast.
Throughout the entire conference, speaker after speaker emphasized the importance of allowing Millennials input and control on projects specific to social involvement and movement. This definitely resonates with my experience at Indiana INTERNnet.
Donât worry. I took away some valuable tips from this conference other than choosing the right table at breakfast:
Find your calling | What …
No. 1 Perk of an Internship
In the summer of 2012, I had just graduated with my MBA and was looking for my first big-girl job. I sent in my résumé to every job posting that I found online that fit my criteria. After a few months, I realized my efforts were futile. I had little marketing experience to penetrate the job market. I needed a place that would give me a fresh start and some hands-on training.
I was aware that internships are the new interview for a full-time job. I knew this applied to perhaps a larger company. In a small non-profit, I wasnât as sure about the degree of this truth. Nonetheless, I knew the experience would be valuable no matter the size of the organization.
“I thought that building up my portfolio…was as good as it gets. Turns out, it gets better.”
When I started at Indiana INTERNnet in April 2013, …
Wabash College Students Intern with Innovative IT Firm
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.
âHiring interns injects fresh ideas not only into our company, but also into our clientsâ companies,â said Frank Leonard, managing partner of Leonard-McDowell and 1986 graduate of Wabash College. âWe 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.â
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.
âI enjoy evaluating business practices and indicating the areas that can be made more effective to reduce risk,â Owensby said. âNo matter what industry …
Unexpected Internship Realities, Part III
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. Thereâs no denying it â youâve made a mistake at your internship.
No one is perfect. Especially as an intern, you should be prepared to experience a few learning curves. Youâre in a unique, somewhat insulated position because the internship is a âtraining wheelsâ experience of sorts, and your supervisor understands that.
In fact, if you donât make a mistake during the course of your internship, thereâs a good chance youâre not taking full advantage of the opportunity. You donât 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 …
Unexpected Internship Realities, Part II
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.
Itâs easy to build castles in the air when you picture life in your internship. Itâs your first venture into the workforce, and youâre 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 isnât what you signed up for! This isnât utilizing that higher education youâre paying for!
In each internship, you should have plenty of opportunities to do projects that make a visible difference. You should …
Unexpected Internship Realities, Part I
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 wonât 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 youâve got a boss whoâs 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 …
Mind The Employment Gap
From âwhat are you going to do when you grow upâ to âwhat are you going to do after graduationâ to even âwhatâs next for you,â life seems to be one never ending string of career questions. These questions assume that one is continually equipping oneâs self with the tools needed to proceed onto the next career milestone. Up until my graduation from college in May 2011, I thought I was ready to take on âthe real worldâ â to do whatever I was going to do when I grew up. However, like many of my generation, I faced a reality that I was not expecting: the student employment gap.
A labor shortage is a stark realization as the Baby Boomer workforce retires, heating up the competition for emerging talent. However, a striking contrast exists bewteen what employers require and what college students bring to the table. As reported …
Internship offers experience to students of all backgrounds
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 …