Category Archives: On The Job
Jeff Papa (IBJ Interview Issue)
This clip is from the Indianapolis Business Journal: The Interview Issue.
Jeff Papa estimates heâs been to 45 countries in the last 25 yearsâfor either teaching, volunteerism or vacations. He helped create an orphanage in Nepal. And last year, he went to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba to be an observer for prisoner hearings.
But international work isnât his full-time jobâeven though he might like it to be.
Instead, the 46-year-old works as chief of staff for the Indiana Senate, a position heâs held since 2007. And this past June, he became Zionsvilleâs first mayor.
IBJ: What got you into working with government initially?
Jeff Papa: I accidentally did an internship with the [Indiana] Senate.
IBJ: How did you accidentally do an internship with the Senate?
Jeff Papa: I was a Rose-Hulman [Institute of Technology] student, and I was going out of town for the weekend with my friend …
Yes, college is still worth it
The answer to the question, âIs college worth it?â is a no-brainer for this grad. I answer with an emphatic, âYes!â
The question is a central theme of the recently released Gallup-Purdue Index 2015 Report. The report surveyed more than 29,000 U.S. college graduates. One of the questions asked graduates how certain experiences in college influenced well-being and workplace engagement after graduation. A finding of particular interest to us here at Indiana INTERNnet pertained to the value of internships:
âIf recent graduates strongly agree that they had any of three experiential learning opportunities â an internship related to their studies, active involvement in extracurricular activities or a project that took a semester or more to complete â their odds that they strongly agree that their education was worth the cost increase by 1.5 times.â – Gallup-Purdue Index 2015 Report
We are pleased but not exactly surprised by this figure. The …
Studies show internships matter
Did you know that employers nationwide offered full-time positions to their interns nearly 65% of the time in 2013? And 79% of the interns accepted the offer.
I find these figures from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) fascinating because they are a testament to the value of internships. Many employers now treat internships as an extended job interview of sorts â training the next generation of talent in order to build their workforce. A 2015 survey by NACE confirms this trend. The report reveals about 70% of employers indicated that seeking full-time, entry-level employees is a main function of their internship programs.
An additional benefit to internships is the return on investment. A study cited by Purdue University Calumet showed that in 2012, college students with internship experience made on average 15% more money than those who did not complete an internship. More coin in the pocket …
Paige Prather: Making an IMPACT
Indiana INTERNnet celebrated internship excellence on Feb. 4, 2015, at the 9th 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.
Indiana INTERNnet: You were a long-time intern with Angieâs List and worked your way up to a full-time position. How did your internship help you get to this point?
Paige Prather: I started interning with Angieâs List the summer after my freshman year of college (May 2012). As an intern, one of the areas I assisted with frequently was Talent Acquisition. When I graduated in December 2014 from Marian University, there was an opening in the Talent Acquisition department. I still went through the process like an external candidate. My internship helped me to be offered a full-time role because of my depth of knowledge about the company, great working relationships with managers in …
Matthew Uhls: Making an IMPACT
Indiana INTERNnet celebrated internship excellence on Feb. 4, 2015, at the 9th 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.
IIN: Tell me about your academic path and how some of your other internships supplemented that.
MU: I majored in Classical Studies with the intention of being a foreign language teacher. But, as college set in and I started thinking about career paths, I realized how competitive Classical Studies can be. So, I thought about other opportunities that would be impactful on people lives.
I realized financial services is something almost everyone needs guidance with. I was hired for the Northwestern Mutual summer program selling life, property and casualty insurance. I utterly failed at this; I’m not a very good salesman.
After graduating from IU Bloomington, I struggled with what to …
Stay busy and motivated during the end of your internship
This is a guest blog by Alecia Kissel, HR/Recruiting intern at Milliner & Associates, LLC in Indianapolis.
The cold weather makes for a good excuse to stay busy inside. As the end of the semester approaches, itâs easy to slow things down and get into a routine at work. Maybe a new employer has already offered a spring internship, and energy is high about the fresh start coming up. However, there is still time to shake up the daily grind with asking for new projects or responsibilities.
I fell into the routine just a couple of weeks ago. I was doing payroll Mondays, updating the website Wednesdays and taking care of any leftover tasks Fridays. My time was filled up just fine with what I already had on my work to-do list.
Last week, I was filing some active candidates and noticed that the cabinet was getting more full …
Lunching and learning beneficial
This is a guest blog by Macy Gentry, HR intern at Milliner and Associates, LLC in Indianapolis.Â
The past few weeks at Milliner and Associates (M & A) have been very exciting for me, and I am thankful for the opportunities and experiences that have come each week.
Something I am extremely excited about is our new Lunch and Learn program, which kicked off last Friday. During my past internship I was given the opportunity to participate in Lunch and Learns, so I am looking forward to experiencing this again at M & A.
I learned so much in the short amount of time the team spent together about M & A and what we stand for. I gained meaningful insight, and I feel that I have a better understanding of what our goals and vision are. I learned that we truly are in it for our clients and …
Keep distractions to a minimum when working remotely
Remote internships are gaining popularity with each season. These are even more prevalent during the academic year, when remote interns can work on their own time in between classes. While there are many benefits to working from home, the temptations are obvious. With Netflix and friends beckoning, it is important to keep focused and productive when youâve set aside time strictly for work.
Establish a routine: Just like you have a classroom and office routine, you should employ the same practices when working from home. Start your day by checking your email or another small task to set the stage for an efficient few hours of work.
Find your own âofficeâ: If you know you wonât be able to get any productive work done lying in your bed, establish an âofficeâ elsewhere. Whether itâs your dining room or even a coffee shop, have a set space for work that is …
Internship helps student grow professionally and personally
This is a guest blog by Katie Besse, a student at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. She was an intern for Mommyâs Haven in Lowell, Ind.
My internship with Mommy’s Haven has been a rewarding one.
I started my internship with this not-for-profit about six months ago. I have a variety of responsibilities. We do everything from fundraising to counseling. I am a counseling intern with the organization, but do so much more than I expected.
Our organization houses homeless, pregnant mothers and their children. We provide job training, counseling, school assistance, help with attaining legal aid, medical services and government assistance. We also have many programs to teach these women how to care for not only their children, but themselves. We pride ourselves on getting these women back on their feet, and into society as active members.
During my internship, we helped several women find jobs and assistance. One instance that …
The easiest (and best) ways to stand out
Organizations, large and small alike, are frequently spread thin. Especially as an intern, it can even be tempting to fly under the radar. Come in, do your assigned tasks and make as few ripples as possible before the end of the day.
Getting noticed for the right reasons, however, can dramatically improve your career trajectory. As Brazen Careerist explains, small actions elicit big rewards.
One of the easiest ways to draw all the right kinds of attention is to start each day on time. Very few people (Iâd argue no sane people) enjoy waking up before the sun to head to a job, no matter how fulfilling their careers are. That being said, arriving on time shows dedication and boosts your efficiencyâmake an effort to be prompt.
The minor details that send impressive messages donât stop with your morning routine. Make eye contact with your boss and other coworkers; it …
The 3 R’s of motivation
By now, the shine has worn off of many summer internships. The first week butterflies are gone, and the faces in the office are more familiar than fresh. As the days grow longer and warmer, it is prime time for motivation to wane. However, there are some easy ways to keep enthusiasm and productivity high when dragging yourself out of bed and into the office seems like a chore.
Review your goals: Chances are, you came into your internship with a list of skills you wanted to improve or tasks you wanted to accomplish. Assess how many of those goals youâve reached and what you still need to do to finish the others. This will give you a sense of accomplishment in what youâve done so far while inspiring you to reach for your remaining goals. Mid-internship reviews with your supervisor and mentor can also be a good time to …
Maximizing ROI (Return on Intern)
By Janet Boston, Executive Director, Indiana INTERNnet
“What you put in is what you get out” â weâre not mathematicians, but we do know this is the simple, tried-and-true formula for finding ROI (Return on Intern that is!).
Internships, at their best, function as a two-way street. In exchange for an employer providing a student with real-world working experience, the intern brings new energy, increased productivity, diverse knowledge and perspective, and much more.
We hear constantly from employers that they couldnât keep up their level of productivity and quality of work without the help of interns. We have countless anecdotes of interns who went above and beyond, who saved the company money, who developed more efficient processes, who completed an important project that far surpassed expectations âŠ
And the national conversion rate for turning interns into full-time hires is 48.4%, according to NACE’s 2013 Internship & Co-op Survey.
There is …
Thank you very much!
The importance of a simple thank you â it may seem nominal, but the more I read about job interview follow ups, the more I understand why it is essential.
There are a lot of people that take time out of their schedules for interviewing purposes: the person that has to filter through the resumes, the person that conducts the phone interviews and the people that conduct the actual interview, and donât forget the individual that you may have networked with to learn of the open position. The least we can do is say thanks.
Thanking the interview team
The general rule of thumb is to send a thank you note within 24 hours after your interview. The thank you note could be a simple thank you, but it could also be used to reiterate your interest in the company and position, remind the interviewer who you are or mention …
Time for some spring cleaning
Spring has sprung. Finally!
After my battle with the winter weather, I couldnât be more excited about spring. Besides enjoying the warmth, we all know that spring is a busy time with cleaning and making way for new things by getting rid of the old.
Itâs also the time of the season where some college students will be graduating soon or closing in on the last day of their internship. If youâre like me, you are going through both of these. So, thereâs no better time than now to start sprucing things up a bit for the job search. You know, spring clean it.
Where to start? What needs to be done? Here are some things we all can do.
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Tidy up the résumé
Remove all of the unnecessary items. Make sure your rĂ©sumĂ© fits the position that you are applying for. And remember, …
Who are you? Who? Who? Who? Who?
Stop and think for a moment. When a potential employer is browsing your resume, what impression are they forming about you? What about in person, in the interview?
We all know first impressions mean a lot and developing your personal brand can help achieve a good, and hopefully lasting, impression. According to Forbes, âYour personal brand is all about who you are and what you want to be known for.â Personal branding is an ongoing process of forming an image about you.
Letâs discover how to develop your brand so that you can be assured what you have to offer shines.
Define who you are and who you want to be.
You know yourself and where you want to end up in life better than anyone. Remember those things during an interview and when you are networking. Let yourself and your passions shine!
What makes you unique?
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