Category Archives: Internship and Job Search
How Will You Be Remembered?
Entry by Pat Patterson
Regardless if you are at a networking event or a friendās cookout, you are likely to meet new people, perhaps someone who will lead you to your next internship or job.Ā Whether you will continue to keep in touch with new contacts depends on how favorably they remember you.
A great first impression will increase your chances of continuing a relationship with someone you meet.Ā Especially for those internship and job seekers at career fairs, making a great first impression may determine whether or not a recruiter decides to toss your resume aside or keep it in the pile of potential candidates.
In Kevin Eikenberryās blog, Leadership and Learning, he provides ten valuable tips on how to make a great firstĀ impression:
Relax. This comes first, especially if the situation is one where you feel you need to make a great first impression. You want the new …
Indiana INTERNnet: The Next Generation
Change is in the air for Indiana INTERNnet.Ā We are designing a new website that will position the organization to utilize new media in serving our user database populations.Ā The plan is to unveil the new site in 2011, and hereās what we have in store:
Ā Email integration to deliver timely, automated communication to INTERNnet users, website integration of social media tools, higher level of search functions, including filtering mechanisms designed to zero in on search results, enhanced matching technologies to provide a robust solution intended to help people discover the best internship match, and improved visability of our blog, Indiana INTERNnation, intended to offer ease-of-use for contributing authors.
Overall, we know we are competing with every other communication channel for the attention of our users and weāre working to make Indiana INTERNnet: The Next Generation a destination site that will offer a dynamic, interactive, and more engaging experience for …
Always Remember to Say Thank You
Entry by Pat Patterson
Just as your mother had advised when you were growing up, it is important to always say please and thank you.Ā More specifically, after your summer internship is over, donāt forget to send a thank you note to your host organization.
The Intern Queen has some great advice for Thank You notes in her blog, I AM INTERN:
If you work for a small company and have been introduced to the president at one time or another, I do think you should send him/her a thank-you note along with another note to your direct supervisor and any other executives that have helped you over the summer. Below are a few quick Thank You note tips:
Either purchase your own stationary or go the store and pick up professional looking Thank You notes in the card section. Get something basic that says Thank You on the front …
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.
…
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 …
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 …
The Final Countdown
Entry by Ali Norman, Career and Technical Education Intern, Department of Workforce Development
Last week was my final week at The Department of Workforce Development. As I have been wrapping up the last couple days by taking down personal touches to my little cube, I have to say that Iāve been a bit nostalgic while doing so. My experience has been nothing short of great this summer. Iāve had a wonderful job experience, done some great networking, added to my resume and made fabulous new friends along the way.
Iāve also been thinking about my favorite parts of this internship and came to this realization: You get what you put into your experience. My experience this summer was so stellar that I would recommend it to anyone. All the qualities of a great internship any college student would want was included: versatility in projects, a great work atmosphere, participation and …
Southwest Education and Experience (E2) Initiative
Entry by Pat Patterson
As I have stressed numerous times, internships are invaluable experiences for both students and employers. After Indiana INTERNnet was established, some regions realized the necessity to create their own additional programs to promote the significance of internships.
From a statewide perspective, Indiana internships are being promoted by Indiana INTERNnet and its regional partners. In Mondayās blog entry, I described how the Greater Fort Wayne Graduate Retention Program utilizes Indiana INTERNnet’s technology platform to facilitate internship matches among students and employers; The Southwest Indiana Education and Experience (E2) Initiative works to do the same in nine Southwestern counties.
Former Indiana INTERNnet intern, Anastasiya Elaeva, describes E2 in the August INTERNnetwork:
With just a few people on staff, the Southwest Indiana Education and Experience (E2) Initiative team, also known as the E2 initiative, has been enthusiastically working on boosting the region’s talent retention. Since its start in …
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 …
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 …
How to Find a āHotā Job
Entry by Ali Norman, Career and Technical Education Intern, Department of Workforce Development
I have to say, I am extremely happy and somewhat surprised with how much I am enjoying my internship this summer. Yes, some things take some time getting used to, like the commute to work, or the new schedule (my friends have been nice enough to adjust our evening get-togethers to starting at 7pm instead of the usual 9 pm, thank goodness), but I canāt speak enough about how much I believe that having internships is going to help me be prepared and succeed after graduation. I know I still have 2 years left but I bet itāll be here before I know it!
Speaking of graduation, this week I had a pretty interesting assignment. I did some writing for DWD for GRAD magazine (http://www.gradind.com/ -check them out college seniors!) regarding DWDās soon-to-be-published āHoosier Hot 50 Jobs …
Lessons from the Corner Office
Entry by Courtney Sampson, Marketing and Communications Intern, Indiana State Fair
You know, nothingās typical at the Indiana State Fair. Weāre the biggest fair in the state, attracting nearly 975,000 visitors throughout 17 days. Weāve got āthe worldās largest boarā and a 25-foot tall sculpture based upon Grant Woodās āAmerican Gothic.ā Weāve even got gigantic pumpkins, big deals and steep discounts, and real-life bears. (Oh my!)
Not that Iām biased or anything, but weāre the biggest and the best! And we sure arenāt typical. So, let me share a secret with you. Itās been a lifelong goal of mine to reach the ācorner office.ā You know, once you get to the corner office, it means youāre the big kahunaā¦the big cheeseā¦youāve made it to the top! Well guess what, folks? It may all be downhill from here ā cause Iāve got the corner office at the Indiana State Fairgrounds!
Really, …
Transitioning from Internship to Career
Entry by Pam Norman, Indiana INTERNnet Executive Director
Yesterday I had the privilege of serving on a panel that provided advice to thirty downtown Indy interns.Ā The event was sponsored by the International Center of Indianapolis, and the interns represented corporate, nonprofit, and government sectors.
Takeaways from the discussion included:
ā¢Ā Improve your skill set by taking on more than you think you are capable of
ā¢Ā Track internship projects so it will be easy to update your resume
ā¢Ā Develop your professional network; opportunities are just a business card away
ā¢Ā Seek advice from management; people enjoy talking about their path to success
ā¢Ā Dress for success; dress for the job you want, not the one you have
ā¢Ā Be authentic; consider your internship a ten-week interview
ā¢Ā Soft skills are important to Indiana employers; make sure your skill set contains them
Iāve already received emails …
Personal Branding: Dress to Impress
Entry by Pat Patterson
This month, the blog entries I included were all about professional branding, focusing on how to brand yourself through online media.Ā Although it is important to be aware of how you brand yourself in the virtual world, donāt forget to be mindful of how you present yourself in the real world.
Whether you like it or not, people are going to judge you on the way you present yourself, specifically how you dress.Ā Most of you have heard ārules of thumb,ā such as ādress for the job you want, not the job you haveā or āit is better to be overdressed than underdressed.āĀ A business friend of mine directed my attention to an internās perspective on internship attire ā among the few reasons why Hetrick intern Sean Litke overdresses for his internship, Litke mentions:
Third, even as an intern, I feel taken more seriously when I …
Utilizing Twitter Lists for your Internship Search
Entry by Pat Patterson
If you are not already on Twitter, then you are missing out on a huge, free opportunity to market yourself. Twitter, at its core, is a marketing tool. Companies use Twitter to market their goods and services; it only makes sense for you, as an internship/job seeker, to use Twitter to market your skills.
Since you do not include as much personal and professional information in your Twitter account, it is easier to create a professional Twitter profile. Here is a recap of the tips to build a professional Twitter profile, which I included in the July INTERNnetwork and last Fridayās blog:
Use your real name, use a head shot photo as your profile picture, create a Twitter name that is appropriate and easy to remember, list a website for yourself ā a professional profile such as LinkedIn, an online resume, an online portfolio, or your …