Category Archives: Employers
Employers: Non-traditional Interviewing Approaches
Entry by Pat Patterson – from the January 2011 INTERNnetwork
Non-traditional Interviews
Virtual Interview
With today’s technology, interviews do not necessarily need to be face-to-face. If you are unable to meet with students for interviews or vice versa, conducting an interview via video/audio equipment may be a viable option. Many career services offices have webcams and Skype accounts to accommodate students and employers for virtual interviews. If your organization typically conducts preliminary phone screening interviews, you may even consider a virtual interview as a substitute.
Meal Interview
If you have a client-focused organization that regularly involves interacting with different individuals, including lunch or dinner meetings, consider interviewing students over lunch or dinner. By doing so, you may be able to gauge a student’s social skills and mannerisms in a more relaxed setting. Even if you are not a client-focused organization, conducting interviews over meals may …
Last Day to Register!
Entry by Pat Patterson
Don’t miss out on your last chance to earn six Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) credits at one of three upcoming internship management workshops. Indiana INTERNnet has partnered with Intern Bridge, the nation’s leading college talent consulting and research firm, to deliver the Total Internship Management Roadshow in Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, and Evansville.
The Total Internship Management Workshops will provide national internship best practices to Indiana employers, strengthening the state’s mission to reduce the “brain drain.” Based on just-released data from over 100,000 students attending 500+ universities nationwide, the workshops will provide key data and metrics surrounding topics such as supervisor selection, work structure, compensation, working with universities, legal issues and much more.
All participants earn six Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) credits and receive a copy of Total Internship Management (a $40 value). To learn more, visit the following location specific web …
Employers: What is Holding You Back?
Entry by Pat Patterson
What is holding you back from hiring an intern for your organization? Remember, internships are mutually beneficial to employers, students and schools. When determining whether or not to host an intern, do not only consider the employer benefits, but also how students and schools benefit.
Student Benefits
College credit Fulfillment of degree requirements Application of academic coursework to the professional world Exploration and verification of career interests Exploration of different organizational departments Discovery of talents Discovery of ideal job aspects Development of responsibility and new, transferrable skills Experience living in a new area Growth of professional network Opportunity for possible full-time employment at internship site
School Benefits
Establishment of collaborative work environment between school and community Increased student retention through illustration of practical coursework application Enhanced school curriculum through career relevance assessment Enhanced public relations through student internship successes
If you would like …
Employers: Don’t Forget to Register
Don’t miss out on your chance to earn six Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) credits at one of three upcoming internship management workshops. Indiana INTERNnet has partnered with Intern Bridge, the nation’s leading college talent consulting and research firm, to deliver the Total Internship Management Roadshow in Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, and Evansville.
The Total Internship Management Workshops will provide national internship best practices to Indiana employers, strengthening the state’s mission to reduce the “brain drain.” Based on just-released data from over 100,000 students attending 500+ universities nationwide, the workshops will provide key data and metrics surrounding topics such as supervisor selection, work structure, compensation, working with universities, legal issues and much more.
All participants earn six Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) credits and receive a copy of Total Internship Management (a $40 value). To learn more, visit the following location specific web sites:
January 18, 2011: Fort Wayne, IN – …
Employers: Are You Ready?
Entry by Pat Patterson
Career fairs are fast-approaching – are you prepared to market your organization? Regardless of whether you are a large or small organization, career fairs are a great opportunity to recruit new talent:
“Think about all the money AT&T, Coca-Cola, and Ford Motor Company put into national advertising and promotional campaigns,” explains Keever-Watts, president of The Keever Group. “In the arena of college recruiting, however, any company can be a ‘big fish’ on campus.”
She points out that this is due to employers dealing in a much smaller, more confined market. In addition, Keever-Watts adds, the target audience—which is composed of students—is buying what the employer is selling.
“To make things even more favorable, it’s an employers’ market, which means that students are casting a wider net when it comes to finding a job,” she notes. “While the economic downturn hurts us …
Employers: Is 2011 the Year?
Entry by Pat Patterson
Is 2011 the year you will hire an intern for your organization? If you have hired an intern in the past, is 2011 the year you will host more than one. If you are still “on the fence,” consider the benefits:
Employer Benefits
Interns can:
complete project work that may be on the backburner; increase productivity; reduce recruiting costs; and bring fresh, innovative perspectives to your organization.
Hosting an intern can allow you to:
provide a student with a rich learning experience; influence school curriculum; encourage students to stay in their local community; gain short-term talent; increase diversity within your organization; offer management experience to employees working as intern supervisors; provide full-time employees more time to focus on important tasks, remain competitive within your industry; market your company via word of mouth; and begin training potential full-time employees (more …
Employers: Earn 6 HRCI Credits
Entry by Pat Patterson
Indiana INTERNnet is proud to reinforce its three year partnership with Intern Bridge through three Total Internship Management workshops. These workshops will provide national internship best practices to Indiana employers, further strengthening our mission to reduce the state’s “brain drain.”
Utilizing interns is the perfect way to conduct recruiting activities by identifying future hires, increasing retention rates, maintaining a pipeline of highly qualified candidates, creating and building relationships with local universities and organizations, and having short-term projects completed by an educated workforce. For the above to be true, organizations must host effective and meaningful programs. How is this done? What are students looking for? What are the expectations of universities? What can organizations do to make their programs the best they can be?
The Total Internship Management Workshop helps you build a win-win internship program within your organization. Based on the most in-depth research ever …
Employers: Crafting Your Internship Postings to Attract Talent
Entry by Pat Patterson (from the December INTERNnetwork)
Now that you have a need for an intern(s), it is important to advertise your opportunities properly to encourage students to apply. When writing a position description, be sure to include the following key elements:
Organization overview: It is helpful to provide the potential applicant with a brief overview of your organization, along with links to your company web site, blog, social media accounts, etc. Remember, internship postings are a form of advertising and students are searching for organizations that will be a good fit for them.
Internship title: Be specific (e.g., “marketing intern,” “event planning intern,” “accounting intern”). Giving your internship a detailed title will help the student determine if he/she wants to learn more.
Minimum GPA: Based upon a 4.0 scale, determine the minimum GPA you will accept from applicants (4.0 = A; 3.0 = B; 2.0 …
Employers: Total Internship Management Roadshow Jan. 18, 19, & 20
Entry by Pat Patterson
Attend one of three nationally recognized recruiting seminars about successfully implementing internship programs to utilize affordable college talent. Indiana INTERNnet has partnered with Intern Bridge to deliver the Indiana INTERNnet Total Internship Management Roadshow in the following locations:
January 18, 2011: Fort Wayne, IN
January 19, 2011: Indianapolis, IN
January 20, 2011: Evansville, IN
The workshops are designed to help employers build world-class internship programs that have a direct impact on your organization’s bottom line. The workshops will introduce attendees to best practices for building a talent pipeline through the use of effectively managed internship programs. Whether your organization is considering hiring one college student, or one hundred, these workshops will demonstrate how to do it creatively and efficiently. Based on just-released data from over 100,000 students attending 500+ universities nationwide, the programs will provide key data and metrics surrounding topics such as supervisor …
Employers: Recruiting Your Interns
Entry by Pat Patterson
If you plan on hiring interns for the summer of 2011, plan to begin recruiting soon if you have not started already. As a general rule of thumb, employers should begin recruiting for an internship six months in advance of its start date to allow for a large candidate pool.
Collaborating with high schools, colleges, and universities, is one of the best, most common ways to recruit interns. Indiana high schools, colleges, and universities offer many opportunities for intern recruiting on campus. Employers may participate in career/internship fairs, conduct presentations, perform on-campus interviewing and/or get involved with various career services sponsored events. It may be best to target two to three schools in close proximity with academic programs that match your ideal criteria.
Employer Presentations
Presenting on campus is a convenient way for students to learn about your organization and its job openings – both …
Employers: Is Your Organization Ready for Your Intern’s Arrival?
Entry by Pat Patterson
Preparing your office for an intern’s arrival
If you have already decided you would like an intern or even have hired someone to begin soon, consider following these steps:
Orientation
Before an intern reports to work for the first time, it is recommended that the employer establish an orientation schedule. This helps the student feel like he or she is a member of a professional team and cultivates a sense of camaraderie.
Be sure your plan includes the following:
Confirmation of intern’s work schedule Introduction to staff Meeting with intern mentor Meetings with individuals at the organization with whom the intern will interact frequently Tour of the facility HR paperwork Paperwork for intern’s academic credit Parking arrangements Discussing project work in detail, assigning priority and setting deadlines Arranging any necessary training
Anything I left out? Leave your …
Employers: Is Your Organization Ready for an Intern?
Entry by Pat Patterson; from the November INTERNnetwork
Before you decide to host an intern, you should consider the benefits and whether it’s practical for your organization.
Interns can:
complete project work that may be on the backburner; increase productivity; reduce recruiting costs; and bring fresh, innovative perspectives to your organization.
Hosting an intern can allow you to:
provide a student with a rich learning experience; offer management experience to employees working as intern supervisors; market your company via word of mouth; and begin training potential full-time employees.
Is it practical?
Do you have the appropriate staff to support an intern? Do you have meaningful project work to assign? What will be the duration of the internship? What is the best time of year to host an intern? Do you plan on potentially hiring an intern full-time? Do you have difficulty finding qualified …
Employers: Hosting an International Student Intern
Entry by Pat Patterson; from the October INTERNnetwork
For some reason or another, some employers are hesitant to hire international students as interns. Gary Beaulieu, Butler University director of internship and career services, believes many businesses have false preconceptions about hiring international students. For example, “many employers think there is a lot of additional paperwork involved, which simply is not true,” he emphasizes.
An issue of the BU INTL – News dispels some of the myths commonly associated with hiring international students. Here are the truths:
International students DO NOT need a green card to intern. Students who maintain an F-1 or J-1 visa status are permitted to intern in their major field of study by federal regulation (up to 12 – or possibly 29 months – for F-1 status and up to 18 months for J-1 status). There is NO excessive paperwork needed to hire an international intern. The …
Knowing Your Audience: The Mindset of the Class of 2014
Entry by Pat Patterson
If you are a career services professional or faculty member enticing freshmen to visit the career office for the first time, it is important to know more about your audience. Consider Beloit College’s mindset list for the class of 2014:
Few in the class know how to write in cursive. Email is just too slow, and they seldom if ever use snail mail. Al Gore has always been animated. “Caramel macchiato” and “venti half-caf vanilla latte” have always been street corner lingo. Entering college this fall in a country where a quarter of young people under 18 have at least one immigrant parent, they aren’t afraid of immigration…unless it involves “real” aliens from another planet. Clint Eastwood is better known as a sensitive director than as Dirty Harry. Doctor Kevorkian has never been licensed to practice medicine. Colorful lapel ribbons have always been worn to indicate …
Yet Even More Reasons for Internships
Entry by Pat Patterson
For students, if you have yet to do an internship, the findings from a recent employer poll through the National Association of Colleges and Employers may motivate you to do so. The survey indicates that a majority of employers use internship programs to identify full-time hires:
Among employers responding to NACE’s 2010 Internship Survey, 83.4 percent say internship programs are designed to help the organization recruit entry-level college hires. Around one-third (31.1 percent) say the programs are there to help students gain experience, and just under 20 percent report offering internships as a way to build relationships with key schools. (Note: Respondents were able to offer multiple answers.)
For employers who are still hesitant to hire interns, the survey also points to a positive correlation between internships and employee retention:
The survey also found a correlation between doing an internship—either with the full-time employing organization or …