Category Archives: Work and Learn Indiana’s Intern

Would you believe when I started my internship, I had never used Twitter before? Four months and thousands of tweets later, social media is one of my main responsibilities with Indiana INTERNnet. Learning by doing is a wonderful thing.

At the Millennial Impact conference in Indianapolis (#MCON13) on July 18th, I sat at breakfast with none other than Jenna Golden, a leader in Twitter’s Washington, D.C. office, along with Jessica Mason (YouTube) and Danielle Deabler (NPR). I would have never imagined I would dive into social media so deep, so fast.

Throughout the entire conference, speaker after speaker emphasized the importance of allowing Millennials input and control on projects specific to social involvement and movement. This definitely resonates with my experience at Indiana INTERNnet.

Don’t worry. I took away some valuable tips from this conference other than choosing the right table at breakfast:

Find your calling | What …

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In the summer of 2012, I had just graduated with my MBA and was looking for my first big-girl job. I sent in my résumé to every job posting that I found online that fit my criteria. After a few months, I realized my efforts were futile. I had little marketing experience to penetrate the job market. I needed a place that would give me a fresh start and some hands-on training.

I was aware that internships are the new interview for a full-time job. I knew this applied to perhaps a larger company. In a small non-profit, I wasn’t as sure about the degree of this truth. Nonetheless, I knew the experience would be valuable no matter the size of the organization.

“I thought that building up my portfolio…was as good as it gets. Turns out, it gets better.”

When I started at Indiana INTERNnet in April 2013, …

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Just when I thought my internship with Indiana INTERNnet could not get any more exciting after our staff luncheon at Dick’s Last Resort, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce treated the entire staff to an Indianapolis Indians Baseball game right around the corner at Victory Field. I hurried to wrap up my work for the day before the noon hour. The air in the office was electrified with excitement and the prospect of socializing. The air outside, however, was humid and warm.

After taking my seat alongside my chamber-mates, I thought back to the last time I was at Victory Field. It must have been back in 2010 while I was interning with the Human Resources Department at OneAmerica. The JW Marriott had not graced the panorama of Indy yet.  And, I was ready for my first-ever baseball game. My boss at the time bought me a foam finger and …

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You know how the people in the Disney-Pixar movie, Walle, look? That is how I feel after a couple of hours of sitting at my desk at work. Some days, it feels like the legend of the Freshmen 15 has come back to haunt me – not that I gained all 15 pounds in college, but you get what I mean.

As any health conscious intern, I began to collect some tips on ways to maintain wellness while at work. Then, I realized the Indiana Chamber of Commerce has among its programs a state-wide Wellness Council. Hence, I went directly to the experts to help me compile a list of time-tested tips. Within five minutes of chatting with Adrienne Luegers, the Program Coordinator, I came to realize there is more to wellness than just the physical aspect.

Not only did Adrienne shed a brighter light on wellness in the workplace, but also …

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Every day, I settle into my cubicle space: my keyboard and mouse at a comfortable distance, my cup of water within reach, and a bag of almonds to satisfy the occasional craving. Within these quasi-walls, I find myself hungry for an external infusion of creativity to lift my thoughts to the extraordinary. This is where Pinterest comes into play.

“…I find myself hungry for an external infusion of creativity to lift my thoughts to the extraordinary.”

If you are unfamiliar with Pinterest, this social media site offers a virtual cork board of sorts where you can browse, pin, and later review items of interest. This act of pinning usually ends up making me hungry, wanting to exercise, and working on a craft project. None of the ideas turn out as good as they look on Pinterest. The recipes I attempt to replicate do not look as pretty. The fitness …

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Most internships have moments of laughter, learning, and (rarely) lament. As “The Internship” movie opens this weekend in a theater near you, abundance of laughter is guaranteed. For the past week, Indiana INTERNnet has hosted the “Win Tickets to The Internship Movie” giveaway, which asked current and past interns to share the story of their favorite internship.

The 2 winners selected in this giveaway will receive a Fandango gift card each, good for 2 tickets to The Internship movie (maximum value of $25). While the winners vary in terms of background and aspirations, they are bound by one similarity: they each have a unique story behind their internship experiences.

Here are the winners of Indiana INTERNnet’s “The Internship” movie ticket giveaway:

Thank you to all who entered our giveaway, and congratulations to Robert and Jenn!

Stay tuned as we share our review of The Internship movie in the …

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A new movie, The Internship (PG-13), featuring comedic icons, Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, opens June 7th, 2013.

The movie follows two former salesmen who must compete with a group of young, tech-savvy geniuses at a coveted internship at Google for a shot at employment. In an age where digital smarts is quickly outweighing street and book smarts, we can only imagine what hilarious mishaps are in store for Vaughn and Wilson’s characters:

Watch ‘The Internship’ movie trailer here.

To enter to win tickets to “The Internship” movie, sponsored by Indiana INTERNnet, tell us about your favorite internship by filling out the Entry Form via Formstack. (It takes less than 5 minutes – we promise!)

Entries must be received by 11:59pm on Wednesday, June 5th, 2013. Two winners will be selected at random and emailed an electronic Fandango gift card good for two movie tickets (Maximum $25 value).

P.S. For extra entries, share …

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Mother’s Day should be celebrated, not just one day out of the year, but every day. The most influential heroes are rarely the ones quoted in speeches or on Pinterest, but rather the silent ones that give their all and ask for nothing in return. For me, that unsung hero whose influence permeates every facet of my life is my mother.

I wish I could count the hours she stayed up at night worrying over me, but she does not keep a log of them. I wish I could point you to a display of all of her gold medals, but they do not give those out for best mom. I wish I could add up how much money she has spent raising me, but she is not one to keep receipts. I wish I could begin to understand how she passed on that last piece of pie because …

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From “what are you going to do when you grow up” to “what are you going to do after graduation” to even “what’s next for you,” life seems to be one never ending string of career questions. These questions assume that one is continually equipping one’s self with the tools needed to proceed onto the next career milestone. Up until my graduation from college in May 2011, I thought I was ready to take on “the real world” – to do whatever I was going to do when I grew up. However, like many of my generation, I faced a reality that I was not expecting: the student employment gap.

A labor shortage is a stark realization as the Baby Boomer workforce retires, heating up the competition for emerging talent. However, a striking contrast exists bewteen what employers require and what college students bring to the table. As reported …

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I enjoyed most subjects in high school—with the exceptions of physics and art.

Growing up, I had this idea that there were three main occupations that would bring the highest accolade: physician, lawyer, and engineer. When I had to choose a college major, I decided to pursue a pre-professional health track, since I was interested in biology. After taking an introductory course, I was smitten with psychology, and I quickly added it as a complementary major. By my junior year, I realized that my interest in the medical field was dwindling. I still enjoyed learning about the infinite complexity of living things, but I could not foresee myself living out the physician’s lifestyle. I loved watching House and Scrubs, but my interest stopped with TV.  This is why internships have been so critical in my career path.

The summer of 2010 brought along my first internship: Human …

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5 Steps to a Legendary Internship

If you have ever watched the hit TV sitcom How I Met Your Mother, you would know that Barney Stinson is the paragon of determination and success at singlehood. From his competitiveness to his magic tricks, Barney has evolved from a one-dimensional womanizer to the eloquent and creative –sometimes, sensitive – “Mr. Awesome.” Finding a parallel with internship success might seem like a stretch. Some may even say it could not be done. To that I offer two words: “Challenge accepted.” So, here are the 5 steps to a legendary internship:

1) Suit up!

As Barney explained in the episode Single Stamina, he suits up “to distinguish (himself) from the millions of T-shirt and jeans lemmings out there.” Throughout an internship, you too want to distinguish yourself – from previous interns, current interns/coworkers, and your casual self. A sharply dressed young …

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Last Monday, I arrived at the doorstep of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, ready to begin my internship with the Indiana INTERNnet, with a combination of anxiety and excitement. Is that not true of any adventure one is about to embark upon: knowing that nothing holds you back from failing; nothing holds you back from succeeding? The thrill of approaching the edge of a cliff in anticipation of jumping is suddenly contrasted by the gut feeling that claws you back to safety. Fortunately for me, this was not my first internship, and I did not have to fight that instinct too strongly for too long, but rather used it to propel me forward.

From the moment I walked in, I was greeted not only with smiling faces, but also with a finely choreographed office set up. Whether it was the signs that welcomed me onto the team or the cubicle …

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The IMPACT Awards Luncheon was a great way to see some of Indiana’s brightest interns, professionals and companies. I had the opportunity to learn why Indiana is such a great place to work and intern.

Caroline Dowd-Higgins’ speech was very moving and inspired me to create my own career plan path. She stated that 70% of employees are disengaged and unhappy. This really spoke to me because I’ve always believed in finding a career I will love going to each day and where I can make a difference.  Her speech was relatable–stating that it’s okay to change your mind and that we are each a “work in progress.”

As an intern myself, it was great to listen to three different rock star interns’ (high school, college and nontraditional) success stories. It demonstrates the work you put forth in internships directly affects your career path, making it that much easier to land …

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As I begin my new journey into my internship with Indiana INTERNnet, I am most excited about creating content that will be useful to other interns and employers. I must reflect and admit that this wasn’t where I thought I would be six months ago, but I am so thankful that this is where I am today. After finally graduating in August 2012, I was ready to embark on my journey of “life after college.” I landed a job with the Indiana Department of Homeland Security after I had interned with them. I was funded by a grant, and found out that I would be losing my job at the end of the year, so I decided to explore other career opportunities. I actually created a profile through the Indiana INTERNnet website and began searching for internships.  I was very excited about applying for the Marketing/Special Events coordinator position and …

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This summer was the ultimate internship experience. Not only was I an intern, but I was an intern for Indiana INTERNnet – the free internship matching program linking employers, students, high schools, colleges and universities.

I learned about internships while doing my own internship. I conducted research, wrote blogs and attended conferences about why students should have internships, why employers should hire interns, how internships are the perfect recruiting tool and how internships retain Indiana’s talent.
Not only did I hear about the benefits of an internship, but I experienced them too. I actively thought about my internship as a test-run for my actual career: What size company would I want to work for? What are the local opportunities unique to Indianapolis? How can I grow my own professional network?
Now, I’m the biggest advocate for experiential learning. And why not? Internships are the best possible experience for …

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