Category Archives: On The Job

First-time intern gets top-notch experience at Juvenile Detention Center

This guest post is from Krista Rangel, a St. Mary-of-the-Woods student majoring in Criminal Justice and minoring in Sociology and Psychology. Krista will graduate in 2013.

My internship at Chicago Juvenile Detention Center was not only my first internship, but I was also the first intern to my site supervisor. I can honestly say this was one of the best experiences I have ever had. I learned about so many facets of the system — from the judges to simply being in the building; I would not have been able to gain these hands-on experiences in a classroom.

My internship at the detention center allowed me to see the system’s process first-hand. Working in a big building with a bunch of lawyers and judges was initially intimidating because I had never been in a corporate environment. After a few weeks, I got to know some of my co-workers and realized that although they have “big …

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The Roaring Twenties: Developing a Post-Grad Community

This is a guest post from Sarah Eutsler. She is a freelance writer, the founder & editor of twentysomething Indy, and owner of On a Good Note Designs, an online stationery and gift shop. She’s a proud DePauw grad and active Delta Gamma alumna, serving on the board of the Indianapolis Alumnae of Delta Gamma and as an alumna volunteer for the Purdue and Butler chapters. When she’s not busy running around trying to do everything, she’s fueling her addictions to magazines and How I Met Your Mother or trying to blog here. Don’t be shy! Follow her and say hello on Twitter.

When I graduated from DePauw last year I was prepared for a lot of things: to work, to pay those dreaded bills, to spend weeknights going to bed early instead of doing homework (or splitting pitchers of Blue Moon at the campus bar with a few …

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From Intern to Young Professional: The Who, What and Where of the Social Shift

A successful internship experience is a catalyst for work placement and community involvement for the young professional.  This means focusing on a positive experience outside the office as well. So, Indiana INTERNnet provides opportunities for interns to network, socialize, and help the Indianapolis community.

Indy Interns, Indiana INTERNnet’s community-engagement initiative, provided a number of opportunities this summer, including an outlet to share internship experiences, learn about financial wellness, give back to the community, and explore the local Indy culture. But, what’s next?

For the “pre” young professional, the real world is a mysterious place. Shifting from college student and intern to young professional is about engaging in a new vibrant community, getting involved in community discussions, and creating a new social network with fellow young pros. It may sound logical—perhaps even simple—but it requires time, effort, and knowing where to look for opportunities. So where should one …

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Intern Yesterday, Employee Today

This is a guest blog written by Drew Van De Wielle of. Drew graduated from Ball State University in December 2011, with a B.S. in Public History/Business Administration & Marketing. He worked as an intern at the Museum from January through May. He is a 2007 graduate of St. Joseph’s High School in South Bend, and has also worked at United Beverage Distribution Company. Drew enjoys learning about South Bend’s rich industrial heritage and playing on a softball team for Barnaby’s.

Hello my name is Drew Van De Wielle South Bend native and Curator at the Studebaker National Museum.  Before being hired for the full-time position of Curator, I was an intern from January through April.

My internship was a well-rounded experience.  I was originally hired to gain experience with handling museum collections and to get an idea of how a successful small museum is run on a day-to-day …

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Lessons Learned as a 24-Year-Old Intern

Ali Turner is a professional writer and career blogger.  She’s also the managing editor of Campuses to Careers, a blog that helps young people make informed career and education decisions.  Topics covered on the blog include careers for shy people and how to follow up on a job application.

I am now proud to say that I was a 24-year-old intern.  But I didn’t always feel that way.  After graduation and struggling to find job prospects in this dismal economy, I decided to take an unpaid internship at an international non-profit.  I knew that I needed more experience, and I decided that an internship related to public relations, the field I wanted to get into, was better than something completely random.

My admission to being a post-graduate intern was met with a little shock and even some snickering and eye-rolling.  This negativity mostly (but not always) came from members of the older …

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The Top 10 Questions I’ve Heard as Chancellor of WGU Indiana

This is a guest post written by Allison Barber, the Chancellor of WGU Indiana, the state’s accredited, non-profit, online, competency-based university. WGU Indiana is celebrating its two-year anniversity. The university has helped more than 2,600 students either finish their bachelor’s degree or earn a master’s degree. During the past two years, WGU Indiana has had students or gradutes in 90 counties of the state.

In this piece, Chancellor Barber reflects on some of the most common questions she’s heard in the last year years about WGU Indiana.

1. Why do you drive that crazy “WGU” car?

I decided in the middle of our first year to have a car wrapped in our university logo. It’s the equivalent of driving a billboard! I drive that car all across the state and up to 1,000 miles a month. No matter where I travel folks often come up to me to ask about WGU …

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Indy Interns presents…Pete the Planner

Always wondered what a 401(k) is? Have you struggled with creating—and sticking to—a budget? What about the looming thought of paying off student loans and saving after you graduate?

Join us for Indy Interns’ Financial Wellness Workshop with “Pete the Planner.” He hosts a popular financial planning segment on Indy’s 93 WIBC FM and regularly appears on national news outlets; he’s an award-winning comedian and author of What Your Dad Never Taught you About Budgeting.

Who: Interns from Central Indiana

Date: Thursday, July 19, 2012

Time: Check-in at 6 p.m.; Pete the Planner workshop from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Where: Interactive Intelligence, 7601 Interactive Way Indianapolis, IN 46278 (FREE parking!)

Special Information: Please let us know if you’ll be attending Pete’s workshop by contacting Courtney Arango at csampson@indianachamber.com. We’ll have refreshments available for attendees, and Pete will have his books available for purchase at the event.

Indy Interns provides …

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Unexpected “Internduction”

This is a guest post written by Collin LaMothe. Currently, he interns for the Wellness Council of Indiana. He recently graduated from Ball State University with a degree in Creative and Professional Writing. He hopes to find a job where he can expand creatively—traveling, meeting new people, and writing about his own experiences.

My name is Collin LaMothe, and I am a cubicle intern.

This wasn’t my first intern gig. When I was accepted at the Wellness Council of Indiana, I couldn’t help but wonder what an out-of-shape guy like me was doing in an organization promoting health. I suppose it felt a little ironic, but my background in creative writing and design qualified me to lend some help with the main website redesign. So I signed-on for the summer, with the terms laid out plainly from day one.  I was here to assist and, most importantly, renovate http://www.wellnessindiana.com before August …

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Internships Gone Viral

Virtual internships. They’re the bee’s knees, the cat’s pajamas, and the tiger’s spots. Virtual internships are not always considered by students or employers, but the obvious benefit is that it allows interns to work from anywhere. Interns who work remotely could be ideal for organizations that may not have the office space or personnel need for supervision.

What’s not to love? Some advantages of virtual internships include: flexibility, less limitations and more opportunities, and the chance to find a field which best suits you. If you’re a student interested in an internship, virtual gigs are perfect for someone with a part-time job, classes, or other obligations. Virtual internships give you flexibility to do your work when you want—as long as you know how to manage your time and are self-motivated. These internships may even save you money. You don’t have to dress up for work or use …

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Do you “know how 2 go” to career success?

This is a guest post written by Sara Hess, Campaign Coordinator and Editor at Learn More Indiana

Career success means different things to different professionals. Whether your industry defines success as products sold, media markets reached or something else entirely, there are smart steps students—in high school or college—can take to ensure success in their chosen field.

The KnowHow2GO Indiana 2012 campaign kicks off this summer with tips, step-by-step guides and goals for students of all ages to prepare them for college and career success. There’s even a fun contest to help you win $100 for college expenses!

Of course, one of the smartest things students can do to prepare for their future careers is to intern or job-shadow a professional. While interning will give you a deeper perspective on whether you’ll enjoy a specific career path, job-shadowing for just a day or afternoon can also give you a glimpse …

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Wanted: Employers Interested in a “Test-Run” with Interns

So, maybe you’ve never had an intern at you organization? You’re not sure what they would do. Do you have enough project work? What about space and a computer? How do I find the best interns? Let’s face it: you’re scared it’s glorified babysitting. Well, we have the perfect solution for you: Indiana’s Employers Guide to Internships.

And here’s the perfect opportunity for a test run with anintern. DePauw’s Winter Term program  is the perfect opportunity for both students and employers to engage in a short internship. From January 3 to January 25, 2013, you have the chance to host an intern. Sound too good to be true? It just might be. I may be biased as a DePauw student myself, but DePauw has some excellent, driven students that fight tooth and nail for internships. Really, I’ve had to claw my way into my own internship—DePauw students really do jump …

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Your internship is only a couple weeks away…Are you ready??

An interesting article came across my desk recently – 10 Ways to be a Terrible Intern.  So this got me thinking; you worked really hard last year, kept up your grades, scored a great internship, and passed your finals.  So right now are you just sitting around and waiting for this rock-star internship experience to start in June?  How many of you are taking the time to get ready for your internship?  Now I know that you might be thinking that the whole reason you got the internship is so that YOU can learn from US, and that’s right!  But I’m a firm believer that you will get more than any of your classmates out of an internship if you go in from day one with the right attitude, objectives, and research.

So the article above is a good starting place, and full of pretty obvious “do-not’s” for any intern.  …

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Ben Davis University student applies classroom skills to real world internship

Tyler is a guest blogger who wanted to share the lessons learned as a high school intern. Indiana INTERNnet supports experiental learning for all individuals, including high school students, traditional college students, and career changers.

Hi, my name is Tyler. I’m a senior at Ben Davis University High School, a school where students take high school and college courses–not just a course or two–but two years of college courses. With the help of MSD of Wayne Township and Vincennes University, in just a few days, I will be graduating with my Core 40, a Technical Honors diploma, and my Associate’s Degree in Information Technology. Just about all my classmates will receive their college degrees in one of four majors: including Health Careers, Business, Liberal Arts, and Information Technology. There are 75 of us who will earn this honor.
I’ve been applying my classroom skills to real-life projects in an internship …

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Considering an intern as a full-time employee

This is a guest post from Megan Crowley, an associate consultant at FlashPoint. With a background in industrial/organizational psychology, Megan contributes a unique perspective based on some of the newest research and techniques in her field. Megan also interned with FlashPoint.

I’m a little biased because I enjoyed my intern experience with FlashPoint, but the savviest recruiters know the benefits interns bring to your company. In case you’re not familiar with FlashPoint, we provide customized talent management consulting in three practice areas: organizational performance, talent development, and compensation. Bottom line: we help you leverage your talent. FlashPoint partners with mid-size to large organizations to help leverage talent and develop leaders in order to accomplish strategic business objectives. We consider interns a vital part of the talent management strategy!

So, if you don’t have interns, here are some benefits:

Complete project work that may be on the backburner Increase productivity Reduce …

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High school intern makes big impact on community

Jose Fregozo is not your typical high school student. A senior at Evansville North High School, he balances a full class schedule, works 30 to 35 hours weekly as a Papa John’s assistant manager, interns at architecture and engineering firm Three I Design, competes on cross country and track teams, and takes part in a variety of philanthropy events. In a nutshell, Fregozo is one of North High School’s shining stars, and he has a humble spirit, too.
              
Many employers may not traditionally consider a high school student for their internship program, but Three I Design was open to the concept after communicating with Andy Beadles, Fregozo’s teacher at the Southern Indiana Career and Technical Center (SICTC). The facility provides high school students with classroom and hands-on training in 18 diverse areas of study using the latest emerging technologies and equipment.

The management team at Three I …

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