Category Archives: Networking
Career Fair Tips: tales from the other side of the table
Itâs the end of September and career fair season is going strong. While I was in college, I unfortunately never attended a single fair, and I missed out on so many wonderful opportunities! Unlike applying online or through email, career fairs give you the opportunity to meet face-to-face with a wide variety of employers. Youâre able to ask them plenty of questions about their company and internship/job openings while sharing information about yourself.
But now at Indiana INTERNnet, I get to go to so many career fairs throughout the state to let students know how we can help them find their next internship. Being on the other side of the table, Iâve learned a lot about what can help you stand out with recruiters. Hereâs some tips:
Dress to impressâŠ
If youâre going to a career fair, you should preferably dress in business professional attire, or business casual at the …
Preparing for the End of Your Internship: Takeaways from the Indiana State Fair Event
Last Friday, the Indiana INTERNnet team joined over 50 interns at the Indiana State Fairgrounds for another summer intern engagement event.
Attendees played a round of trivia for a chance to win donated prizes â it was the perfect way to make sure everyone was wide awake and engaged. After buzzing in for questions about Indianapolis, Indiana and the State Fair, the interns were fired up and ready for the morningâs career development session.
Samantha Martin, assistant director of the Ball State University Career Center, was eager to take the floor and keep up the energy in the room. To start, she had participants split into groups for a unique networking game where everyone was asked to make a chain of facts that each of their internships had in common. The winning team took home âFair Bucksâ and Crew Car Wash coupons for connecting 66 facts into a story about …
The Benefits of Socializing with Co-Workers
Depending on how much you enjoy your co-workersâ company, you may or may not find the idea of hanging out with them appealing. However, taking the time to get to know fellow employees while youâre all away from your desks can improve everyoneâs work performance and bring the team closer together. An article from SUCCESS Magazine says that socialization among employees creates a âculture of connectivityâ that regular work days do not necessarily foster.
There are certain precautions that you should take when spending time with your co-workers outside of the office. After all, youâre going to see them every day when you come into the office, so you need to be mindful of how you carry yourself and what you say â even if youâre just swapping stories on your own time. Avoid oversharing to prevent your new friends from feeling uncomfortable and avoid speaking negatively about your …
Should I have a Mentor?
Although the idea of having a career mentor is not new, the notion has grown in popularity in recent years. I had heard the word thrown around before, but I wasnât quite aware of the popularity of this tactic until I read Sheryl Sandbergâs book, Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead, last year. Successful professionals from a variety of backgrounds have endorsed mentorship and credited these types of relationships for a portion of their achievements.
So, what purpose does a mentor serve?
The Balance defines a mentor as someone who âbecomes a source of wisdom, teaching, and supportâ for young professionals seeking guidance. Ideally, this would be a person that you could go to and ask for advice when facing work-related dilemmas and they could guide you based on their own experiences. While not completely necessary, it helps if this person works or has worked in the …
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 …
Connecting Interns to Indy
More than 75 interns from companies in the Indianapolis area gathered at the historic Fountain Square Theatre building on June 1 to take advantage of Indy Intern Connect. Our second intern engagement event of the summer was a casual evening event, hosted by the Indy Chamber. Attendees had an opportunity to network with Indianapolis business leaders and fellow interns while enjoying free drinks, duckpin bowling and a view of the city skyline from the Rooftop Garden.
A welcoming host, longtime Fountain Square Theatre owner Linton Calvert, shared the story of the building with the crowd. Originally constructed in 1928, it has hosted many types of businesses and witnessed the surrounding neighborhood continuously change. It stands tall today after being restored by Calvert and is an Indianapolis landmark.
It was a truly fitting venue for the night, which was all about encouraging interns who are not native to Indianapolis to see …
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 …
How Important is Networking, Really?
College students hear it again and again â network, network, network! However, building and maintaining professional relationships is often not high on a studentâs list of priorities. The thought of initiating a conversation can be intimidating. Even once introductions and connections have been made, it is difficult for individuals to keep in touch. Schedules are typically overflowing with academic, financial, and personal responsibilities, which does not leave a lot of room for attending networking events. It can be easy to put off networking and ignore event opportunities, with the hopes your schedule will be less full later. That is not the case. Forty-nine percent of todayâs professionals say that it is difficult to maintain relationships with their network due to a lack of free time, according to a 2017 LinkedIn survey.
Ignoring networking events and failing to create connections is a much easier route, but the truth is that taking …
Connect and network during the holidays
This is a guest blog by Alecia Kissel, HR/Recruiting intern at Milliner & Associates, LLC in Indianapolis.
The high spirits of the holidays bring out the social butterfly in me. There is just something about connecting with people face to face that makes the season brighter. Another networking event is coming up, and itâs a good time to go back over what I learned to prepare myself.
The first thing I learned was: Keep business cards handy and easily accessible (i.e. not at the bottom of a large purse). People almost immediately ask for a business card. I fumbled with my purse trying to find my cards occasionally, so this time I will put them in my pocket or bring a smaller bag. Also, I need to be a bit less prepared with business cards because they were so packed into my card holder, I could barely get them …
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 …
The Alumni Networking Solution
This is a guest blog on tips to connecting during a job search by John Muscarello, Founder and CEO of Start Networking Today.
Looking for an excuse to spend even more time on social media?
LinkedIn has proven to be a great professional networking tool. According Jobvite, âEmployees hired through referral are hired 55% faster than those who come from a career site.â
I have personally used The Alumni Networking Solution to find leads and get interviews that lead to job offers.
What exactly is The Alumni Networking Solution?
The Alumni Networking Solution is a 5-step networking tool designed to introduce yourself to college alumni and develop relationships that lead to referrals. This means actually getting to know the person- and asking for his or her advice, instead of a job. I used these five simple steps â in about 10 minutes per connection â to find …
Networking for Introverts
Entry by Jennifer Weinmann, Student Employment Consultant for the IUPUI Office of Student Employment in Indianapolis, IN
As a Student Employment Consultant, one of the biggest issues I come across is students who are uncomfortable networking. Whether itâs a part-time position, internship, or full-time position, networking is increasingly the best way to make connections that could land you a position.
If youâre like me, you may not consider yourself an extrovertâŠand that could mean anxiety at the thought of attending a networking event. For those who shy away at the thought of meeting and greeting in a room of strangers, Iâd like to suggest a âbaby stepâ to a public gathering: LinkedIn.com
Many of you may know of the site. For those who are not familiar, the main objective of the site is to bring professionals together and provide an online environment for networking. …
Students: Why You Should Have a Mentor
Entry by Pat Patterson
Let’s say you are a basketball player and would like to take your game to the next level. Now, let’s say you have an opportunity to practice your jump shot on a regular basis with Larry Bird as your coach. Would you pass up that opportunity? Of course not.
Now, apply that same logic to your career. It doesn’t make much sense to pass up an opportunity to learn from a professional who has the career you aspire to have one day. That’s where mentors come into play.
Mentors provide career and personal growth coaching. If you want more information about a particular industry or are hesitant about pursuing a certain career, you can benefit from working with a mentor.
A mentor can assist you in the following areas:
Identifying career interests and goals Assessing your strengths and weaknesses Understanding a particular industry …
Networking to the Right Internship for YOU
Entry by Nicole Goble, Director of Recruiting and Development in the financial services industry in Zionsville, IN
Each month I have the opportunity to take someone from within our office (staff or financial representative) for breakfast and interview them for the monthly newsletter I write. It is a neat deal; I ask them 5 pretty simple questions for the newsletter and spend the rest of the time focusing on them, how their business is going and what is new personally. This week I sat down with a representative that has been with our company for 10 years and has really been a huge benefit to me as a recruiter; therefore, we talked recruiting for a good portion of the breakfast. He told me a story about a former representative that found his dream job using our sales cycle. It was so simple but so astounding, how had …
Turkey Break: You Can Never Overcook Your Intership Search
Entry by Pat Patterson
Students and employers, Thanksgiving break is a great opportunity to prepare for upcoming career fairs. Although it may not sound like fun, researching and preparing for career fairs will help all you students land internships and all you employers find the perfect internsâŠnot to mention, make you feel better after stuffing your face. After all, what else are you going to do for the six to eight hours that your turkey is cooking?
Students and employers, check out Indiana INTERNnetâs event page to view upcoming career fairs near you.
Students, check out past blog entries for career fair advice:Â Students: Preparing for a Career Fair, Career Fair Game Plan, Career Fairs 101: Create Customized Resumes, Career Fairs 101: Avoid the Herd Mentality, and Career Fairs 101: After the Career Fair.
Employers, check out our past blog entry: Career Fairs 101: Selling Your Company …