Category Archives: Internship and Job Search
Tips & Tricks for a Polished LinkedIn Profile
If youâre a college student, thereâs no doubt youâve heard of LinkedIn. The professional social network is extremely popular, and Iâm sure more than one professor, career counselor or mentor has told you to join it.
LinkedIn can be intimidating to use at first for inexperienced students, but a solid LinkedIn profile can go a long way in your internship and post-grad career search. According to LinkedIn, 9 in 10 companies use LinkedIn to recruit new hires. Additionally, you can apply for many jobs and internships directly through LinkedIn.
Here are five suggestions for students to polish their LinkedIn profiles.
Add a (good!) photo.
This one is more important than you might thinkâaccording to LinkedIn, profiles with pictures get viewed 14 times more than those without! Use a clear, high-quality photo of you in appropriate clothing. No grainy shots, cropped group pictures or crazy expressions. A simple smiling photo is …
A Lesson on Personal Branding
Hattie Hynes is a Recruiting/HR Marketing Intern with Milliner & Associates. She will graduate from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in 2019.
Through my internship with Milliner & Associates, Iâve had the opportunity to go to many networking events. The exposure Iâve received in the âbig little townâ of Indianapolis has been instrumental in developing my professional self and making connections with influential people.
Milliner & Associates is a well-exposed company and Iâve had the ability to attend many networking events, like âForward: Branding Yourself in Your Businessâ hosted by the Indy Chamber, and Indiana INTERNnetâs Summer Intern Engagement Event at The Childrenâs Museum of Indianapolis. While these events were completely different in formality and tone, they were about the same topic: self-branding.
The speaker of the Forward event was Trevor Yager, founder of TrendyMinds. Majoring in psychology with minors in political science and history, he wasnât really set up …
4 Essential Emails Youâll Send During the Internship Search
While youâre waiting to hear back from employers during your internship search, it can be easy to forget that communication goes both ways. Employers appreciate the little things like a thank you email after an interview. Plus, an email that takes you five minutes to write can make a huge impression and help you stand out. Below is a list of the four essential emails youâll need during your internship search.
The âpost â interviewâ email
Regardless of if your interview was casual and over lunch, or a grueling hour â long panel, you should always send a thank you email. Sometimes, if the top two candidates are neck and neck, the final decision could be based off something as small as whether or not someone thanked the interviewers. You donât want to have an amazing interview, only to lose the position to someone else because you never sent a …
Things I Learned from High School Students
Hattie Hynes is a Recruiting/HR Marketing Intern with Milliner & Associates. She will graduate from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in 2019.
This week with Milliner & Associates has been full of amazing stories. To give back to the community, our team takes the skills we practice every day at the office and put them to work with high school students. Jobs for Americaâs Graduates (JAG) is our corporate social responsibility partner. JAG is a state-based not-for-profit organization that helps at-risk students and preventing dropouts. Itâs a three-year program that assists high school students during the Junior and Senior years, as well as one year after graduation. The program focuses on gaining practical, real-world experience with career prospects, interviewing, resumes, cover letters, scholarship applications, college applications, and anything else they may need along the way.
The final project in Decatur Central High Schoolâs JAG class is an interview that is …
Brittany Ulman: Making an IMPACT
 Indiana INTERNnet celebrated internship excellence on February 8, 2017, at the 11th 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.
Brittany Ulman is a graduate of Ball State University with a bachelorâs degree in creative writing. She completed a marketing internship with International Floral Distributors, Inc.
Indiana INTERNnet: How did you become interested in pursuing your degree?
Brittany Ulman: When I first started at Ball State, I was a dietetics major with the full intention of completing my internship in a hospital and becoming the dietitian in an Intensive Care Unit at a hospital close to my hometown. However, as my freshman year progressed, I evaluated my career choices and contemplated whether I would want to work in an ICU for the rest of my life. I knew I could enter into …
Flashback Friday: My High School Internship
The concept of high school interns may seem strange. Donât most high schoolers work at fast food restaurants or mow lawns, if they have a job at all? When you think of a typical intern, you probably think of a college student or a twenty-something trying to ease their way into a full-time position. High school interns are becoming more common as the job market becomes more competitive and the demand for more relevant work experience increases.
When I was 17, I got an internship at VYPE Magazine Central Indiana, a local branch of a national high school sports magazine. My dad occasionally took photos for the VYPE magazine and web site, and I jumped on the opportunity to work with them. I was a senior in high school and I knew I wanted to go to college to major in journalism, but I had no idea what I wanted …
Interns Connect for Indy’s Future
Last Friday, the Indy Chamber hosted Indy Intern Connection in partnership with Indiana INTERNnet at the Fountain Square Theatre Building. Employers and interns from all over the city were invited to hang out on the rooftop garden, play duckpin bowling, and network.
The Director of Policy & Civic Engagement at the Indy Chamber and Indiana INTERNnet Board of Directors Member, Matt Impink, played a big part in organizing the event. He said that one of the main goals of the event was to encourage connections between interns, who will ideally be the future professionals of Indiana. He, and many other groups in Indiana, hope to encourage young Hoosiers to continue to live and work here. This combats the âbrain drainâ issueâthat many of Indianaâs best and brightest leave Indiana to work elsewhere.
Many interns were from Indiana, but there was a decent handful who werenât. In addition to encouraging current Indiana …
Networking at Night
Most networking events are held during typical working hours (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). However, there are the occasional evening events. While some events may be more casual than others, itâs important to maintain a professional demeanor at all times. Check out these helpful tips for how to rock the room and make connections.
Cards for Contacts
Make sure you bring plenty of business cards, and can easily grab it out of your pocket or purse. You donât want to be fumbling around in your jacket, or throwing things out of your purse to find a card. The business cards that you collect should also be put in an appropriate place.
Pro tip: Bring a pen to write notes about the conversations you had with people. If you donât have a small notepad, you can write on the back of their business cards. Your phone is also a great …
Networking. Networking. Networking.
Hattie Hynes is a Recruiting/HR Marketing Intern with Milliner & Associates. She will graduate from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in 2019.
As a business student, this work has been nailed into my head about 1,000 times.
âIn order to get a good job, you have to network!â
âItâs super competitive out there, you need to get connections!â
Most of my friends have non-business majors and Iâm often asked by them what the deal with business students and networking is—-âItâs like your solution to everything. Are you hungry? Go out and network.â (This is a real quote).
It became a recurring joke. âHey business student, are you networking?â
Prompted by the relentless heckling I got from my friends, I set out to find answers. Why do business people focus so much on networking, and why do business schools hammer it into our heads? According to a survey by The …
What to Consider Before Applying to a Virtual Internship
With the growth of technological resources like Skype and Google Docs, an increasing number of virtual internships are popping up. Virtual internships are internships that allow interns to work remotely with periodic check-ins. Some employers who host virtual internships will have occasional face-to-face meetings, while others will check in via video call, phone calls, emails, etc.
Virtual internships allow interns to have a bit more freedom when it comes to their working hours. It also allows interns to work for a company that may be too far to commute to. For example, someone who lives in Bloomington could intern remotely for an organization in Valparaiso! However, with great freedom, comes great responsibility. Here are some things to keep in mind if youâre thinking about applying to a virtual internship:
How much time do you have?
If you already have a lot of things on your plate, you may want to …
Intern Queen’s Tips for Graduation and Career Success
Lauren Berger, CEO and founder of InternQueen.com, is a highly sought after career and internship expert. She has published two books, âWelcome to the Real Worldâ and âAll Work, No Pay.â Earlier this month, Berger shared advice in a webinar about graduation and career success for recent and upcoming graduates. For more post-college and career advice, visit laurenbergerinc.com.
Preparing for graduation
If you donât have a job lined up, calm down! The hiring process differs among industries, so your offer may come later than your roommate. You should set a three-month deadline to have a job after graduation. A deadline will help you stay on track to obtaining your goal.
Make sure youâre passing your classes and all of your credits are obtained. There are plenty of students who were forced to delay their graduation due to failed classes or a missed credit. If youâre participating in the graduation …
Keep Calm and Intern
Hattie Hynes is a Recruiting/HR Marketing Intern with Milliner & Associates. She will graduate from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in 2018.
What grade do I need to get on the midterm in order to get an A in the class?
How much sleep do I really need tonight?
I canât wait for summer breakâŠ
Which classes do I need to take in the fall?
Should I change my major?
I need four hours of sleep to function.
Wait⊠what am I going to do over the summer? Classes? Internship? Work in *shudders* retail?
If youâve thought any or all of these things in the past few weeks, youâre probably in the same situation as I am. My hope is that by the time you finish reading this, youâll be a bit calmer and less frantic about the future.
Where do you want to be in 5 years?
…
Four Ways to Gain Experience Before an Internship
Many college students run into the hurdle of not having enough experience for an internship. This is a common issue: how do you gain experience to gain experience at an internship? The good news is that there are other ways to bulk up your resume and enhance your skills. Check out my suggestions below!
1 . Side hustle
A part-time job, or side hustle, is a great way to develop various skills to add to your resume. Part-time jobs can enhance your soft skills: communication, decision-making, teamwork, work ethic and more. While it may be difficult to balance your class schedule with a job, the practice can improve your organization and planning skills. For tips on how to manage this juggling act, check out this blog.
2 . Campus involvement
Campus involvement looks great on your resume for added experience and shows you have initiative. Leadership development and civic-engagement programs, …
When the Student Becomes the Teacher
Hattie Hynes is a Recruiting/HR Marketing Intern with Milliner & Associates. She will graduate from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in 2018.
When I was 16 years old, I hated public speaking. I wouldnât speak at church, I wouldnât stand up and delegate at Girl Scout events, and I would even get nervous when I spoke to groups of 4 or 5 people at a time. As you can imagine, I was mortified when I saw that I had to take a public speaking class in order to graduate from practically any university. So, I tried to take the class in the best way possible, at Ivy Tech Community College in a small class with less people to see my face turn bright red the minute my mouth opened. It ended up being a group of 15(ish) students and it wasnât as difficult as I thought it would be. If I …
Make a Great First Impression on IndianaINTERN.net
When I think of first impressions, I often think of face-to-face communication. However, first impressions happen every day on IndianaINTERN.net (IIN)! When you apply to internships on IIN, employers utilize your resume, cover letter and your student profile to see if youâll make a great fit. If you donât apply to internships on the site, employers are still able to view your profile and resume. With all of these opportunities to stand out, there shouldnât be any excuse to leave your IIN profile bare!
When you apply to an internship without completing your profile or attaching your resume, employers have to reach out to ask for more information. That takes time, so sometimes employers completely ignore those applicants.
So, if you donât want that to happen to youâŠcomplete your profile! Here are some steps to make your profile stand out:
In your dashboard, click âManage Your Profileâ
Verify that the …