Category Archives: Internship
Tips to Become an Intern-to-Hire Success
At Indiana INTERNnet, we love a good intern-to-hire story. Weâre always on the lookout for tales of individuals around the state who were able to turn their internship into a full-time job offer. As a senior in college, I enjoy these stories on a personal level for the hope that they bring me. Throughout this summer, Iâve heard of several different people who were hired after their internship was over, and itâs made me wonder â what could I do to help make that happen? So, for both your benefit and my own, here are some tips to help all of us interns (hopefully) get hired:
Take Initiative
It is not unusual for interns to run out of things to do at work. Rather than give in to the temptation of playing on your phone or doing other non-work-related activities on your down time, find ways to be productive. If …
Shaping Futures by Improving a Local Community
Katie McGinnis is an incoming senior at Indiana University Bloomington graduating in May of 2019. She is majoring in Media Advertising with a minor in Marketing. Katie is currently working at Helmer Scientific as a Marketing Communications Intern for her second summer with the company.Â
On Saturday, July 28th, I joined other interns and Helmer Scientific team members to volunteer with the Indianapolis Intercollegiate YMCA volunteers and staff to transform the Laurelwood Community in Indianapolis. The Intercollegiate YMCA works with four universities to provide experiences that enhance students overall. They especially focus on leadership development programs for the students they work with.
The Laurelwood Community in Indianapolis consists of around 160 units in a low-income neighborhood. Before the Indianapolis Intercollegiate YMCA began their efforts in the community, Laurelwood had been long considered one of the roughest communities in Indianapolis. After ten years of partnering with the YMCA, the community …
2019 IMPACT Awards FAQs
Indiana INTERNnet is now accepting nominations for the 13th annual IMPACT Awards, an annual celebration of internship excellence. We encourage you to complete the online nomination form and share how a person or organization has made an impact by committing to internship excellence. The deadline for nominations is October 31, 2018.
Have a question about the nominations process or awards luncheon? Check out the answers to our frequently asked IMPACT Awards questions. If you canât find the answer youâre looking for, contact INTERNnet@indianachamber.com.
What are the awards categories?
Intern of the Year (3) High School College Non-Traditional *High school and college interns must be enrolled in school during the time of their internship in 2018. The non-traditional category is for an intern who was not an enrolled student at the time of the internship or was 26 years old or older during the internship. Career Development Professional of the Year (1) *This individual must be a …
One Thing My Internship Has Taught Me
Recently, a fellow public relations student that I follow on Twitter posed the question: Whatâs something youâve learned at your summer internship so far? It was an opportunity to spark discussion among everyone in his following about the benefits of being an intern, and I found it intriguing. Iâve been with Indiana INTERNnet for just over a month now, but it feels (in the best way) like Iâve been a part of the team for a long time. In the last month, Iâve learned several things, and I continue to learn every day, but whittling all my experiences down into one lesson seemed difficult. Then it dawned on me â speak up.
I could tell you a handful of things that are highly specific to my internship and my industry, but the best advice I can give that is applicable to interns in any field is to not be …
Factors to Consider When Choosing Between Two Internships
There will be a multitude of points in your career where you will have to make difficult decisions, including throughout your college years. If youâve applied to many internships, for example, you might be faced with having to choose one position over the other. A number of factors should be evaluated before you make your decision, and each of them weighs differently for everyone. Here a few things to think about if youâre currently facing this dilemma:
Your Resume
Review the job descriptions for each opportunity. Is one or the other more likely to bolster your resume or portfolio? For example, if the main task for an internship is to schedule one social media post every day for the company, but you already have experience orchestrating entire social media marketing campaigns, it might not be the best move for you. On the other hand, if youâre qualified for …
Keep in Touch: A Guide to Following Up
You faced your fears and attended a networking event â perhaps it was one of Indiana INTERNnetâs summer engagement events â and made a great connection. You feel as though you navigated the conversation successfully, kept your stories relevant, and bonded with the person. You even went so far as to remember to ask for their card, so you have all the information necessary to follow up with them. How do you go about doing it?
Following up with someone, whether it is a stranger you met at a conference or a past supervisor you had for an internship, does not have to feel awkward. It can seem daunting to put yourself out on a limb and reach out to someone that you donât know well or that you havenât spoken to lately. The main thing that will help in either of those situations is to be confident in what …
How to Dress for Your Summer Internship
You got the summer internship. Itâs relevant to your skill set, works with your schedule, and (BONUS!) itâs paid. It is an excellent opportunity for your professional development, and youâre super excited for the first day. The only problem? You donât know what to wear. Outside, the humidity will turn you to an exasperated blob of moisture and inside, the office air conditioner will freeze you solid. Hereâs what you do:
1. Ask your supervisor
If you havenât already, it is important that you familiarize yourself with the companyâs dress code. Every office has its own idea of whatâs appropriate, and business casual can mean a lot of different things. If you havenât started the position yet, send your new boss a polite email asking them to clarify what the appearance expectations are. For example:
Good morning [Name],
I am looking forward to my …
Takeaways From Intern Day at The Childrenâs Museum of Indianapolis
Interns and supervisors from around Indianapolis came together on May 31 for Intern Day at The Childrenâs Museum of Indianapolis. This event was the first of five summer intern engagement events hosted by Indiana INTERNnet in partnership with local organizations.
The event kicked off with a networking game, designed to get interns mingling. The objective? Get to know two new people from outside of each oneâs organization and be entered to win tickets to the museumâs exclusive collections tour. Afterwards, the attendees filed into the Lilly Theater for the eventâs career development program, presented by Samantha Martin, assistant director of the Career Services Center at Ball State University.
Martin emphasized the power of storytelling, an uncommon notion in most professional development talks. She understands that networking is not easy, and often young professionals are not sure how to approach situations where theyâre asked the dreaded, âTell me about yourself.â That …
Post-Graduation Internships
Perhaps you were busy with other responsibilities during undergrad and you didnât have time for an internship. Or maybe you changed majors part of the way through your college career, and it set you back a little bit. Many students pursue internship positions during college, and assume that once they graduate, they will be done with them. While that is the case most of the time, there is nothing wrong with accepting an internship post-graduation. Hereâs why:
The job market can be tough, especially if youâre are seeking employment in a small city where there is lots of competition â namely, your fellow graduates. Full-time positions can be scarce, depending on the economy, your profession and the area in which you live. An internship can help to provide you with some money and additional experience as you search for a salaried role.
Oftentimes, graduates instinctively accept job offers that do …
Meet the Intern: Marissa Smith
Hello, my name is Marissa and I am excited to be Indiana INTERNnetâs intern for the summer of 2018. I have just wrapped up my junior year at IUPUI, where I study journalism, public relations and advertising.
Prior to relocating to Indianapolis for college, I attended high school near my hometown of Losantville, Ind. Though Indy is a relatively small city, it is huge compared to Losantville, which has a population of less than 300 people! I definitely prefer city living and plan to move somewhere even larger later on in my career.
My previous positions have all been communications or event management related, taking place at locally-based organizations such as the Indiana State Museum, Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis, and Indiana Futsal. In addition to my new position here, I am also currently interning with HWC Engineering as part of the firmâs pilot program creating public relations plans for …
Interns and Mentors Invited to Five Summer Events
Interns and internship supervisors from organizations throughout central Indiana are invited to events at The Childrenâs Museum of Indianapolis (May 31), Fountain Square Theatre Rooftop Garden (June 1), Indianapolis Zoo (July 10), Indiana State Fair (August 3) and meet@TheChallenge (August 23). Each will offer professional development and networking opportunities in addition to time to explore the venues and have fun.
The Childrenâs Museum of Indianapolis event will begin at 9 a.m. with an interactive workshop. Prior to that, check-in will be held at 8:30 a.m., and interns will be invited to participate in a networking game. Following the workshop, attendees will be free to explore The Childrenâs Museum until it closes at 5 p.m. Guests will have access to The Riley Childrenâs Health Sports Legends Experience. Lunch will not be provided, but attendees may bring their own or purchase at the museum. Capacity is limited and online registration is …
How to Avoid Being Ghosted
Urban Dictionary defines being ghosted as âTo be ignored, or not having anyone respond to your opinion and disregarding your remark, leaving you feeling insignificant.â
After weeks of searching for the perfect summer internship, I thought I had finally found THE ONE. The internship embodied everything I could ever want. I applied and got through to the interview stage. The interview was fantastic. I couldnât have imagined it going any better. Like all interviews, I sent a follow-up email thanking my interviewer for their time and expressing my excitement for the position. However, my email never received a response.
No big deal, right? Things happen, people get busy, I get it. However, the timeline that I was given came and went, with no responses. By this time, I was a little worried, so I sent another follow-up email. Still, no response. By this point I realized I most likely didnât …
Creating a Meaningful Internship Experience
Logan is a senior in the Lacy School of Business at Butler University studying marketing and finance. His passion for people and desire to apply his business and leadership skills led him to FirstPerson where he interns on the Sales & Advisory team. He is responsible for assisting advisors, growing the book of business and exploring creative benefit approaches in the marketplace.Â
An internship is a two-way street. For the intern, itâs an opportunity to âtry things onâ and apply knowledge gained from hours of sitting in class each week. For the employer, it leads to enhanced perspectives, increased workflow capability, and a pipeline for top talent.
Having been an intern at organizations both small and large, operating in multiple locations, and in various industries, Iâve realized there is no one-size-fits-all approach. In all internship programs, however, it is important for organizations to incorporate their beliefs and values to …
Marissa Smith: Making an IMPACT
Indiana INTERNnet celebrated internship excellence on February 7, 2018 at the 12th Annual IMPACT Awards Luncheon. Though the event is over and the winners have been announced, we are continuing to celebrate the nomineesâ successes.
These are their stories.
Marissa Smith is a junior at IUPUI studying journalism and public relations. She serves as the communications intern for local nonprofit Indiana Futsal, writing articles, managing social media content, and assisting with the coordination of the organizationâs many events.
How the IMPACT Awards Indirectly âImpactedâ Me
In addition to having started my campus job just over a year ago, it has also been roughly a year since I began my internship with locally-based nonprofit Indiana Futsal! What originally began as temporary internship for a sport Iâd never heard of before (Oops) has flourished into a yearlong position Iâm highly grateful for.
Today I attended the Indiana INTERNnet IMPACT Awards …
My Experience With A Virtual Internship
Between taking 18 credit hours, having two in-person internships, and keeping a healthy social life, college has seemed like a whirlwind. However, to further my professional development and career goals, I wanted to have as many experiences as I possibly could. So, I logged into IndianaINTERN.net and found an amazing virtual internship that Iâm still active with today!
My virtual internship is with Indy Displays, an ecommerce display booth company, as the digital content strategist intern. In this role, Iâm doing some graphic design work, as well as writing content for their blog to promote their company. This position is wonderful for me, because it allows me to earn extra money while growing my skills in a way that works well for my busy schedule.
The best part of this internship is that Iâm able to work on skills that I would otherwise be lacking. For example, I had planned …