Category Archives: Work and Learn Indiana’s Intern

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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What did you do last Saturday? Maybe you caught up on How I Met Your Mother or just slept the day away. Maybe you thought about doing something productive, but it just seemed too tiring after a full week of work. On the other hand, maybe you were one of the interns who explored downtown Indianapolis—discovering the nooks and crannies of our hometown.

Indy Interns kicked off the summer with a downtown scavenger hunt—searching the city and meeting fellow interns from across the area. Interns represented various organizations including Aprimo, ExactTarget, Interactive Intelligence, Mayor Ballard’s Internship Program, the Mental Health Association, Roche Diagnostics, Rook Consulting, and The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.

Interns trekked all over downtown; they stopped by The Slippery Noodle Inn and the City Market, to the NCAA Hall of Champions and back to Scotty’s Brewhouse for a well-deserved recovery. Interns were challenged with tasks ranging from “take …

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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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Here’s a quick survey for you:

Are you an intern in the Central Indiana area? Do you work long, grueling days at the office (or sit at a desk all day with little sun exposure and minimal opportunities to move around)? Have you had a boring “social calendar” this summer—away from school, living with your parents, or just missing your friends? Do you want some fun and free opportunities to meet new friends and fellow interns?

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, you’re invited to attend Indy Interns’ first 2012 summer event! These are events planned and coordinated by fellow interns from companies throughout Central Indiana. (We do need you to RSVP, so read on for more.)

This series of both social and professional opportunities is available to any Central Indiana area interns—so bring your fellow interns and friends. Don’t let the summer waste away. …

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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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The “young professional.” To the rest of the workforce, it’s a cryptic—even daunting—term and generation. Who are they? What do they want? What do they value?

To me, it seems simple. They don’t want your job; they want to help you do your job! The “young pro” wants to learn, assist, and prepare for the day they have their own job. Young professionals are recent college graduates or currently-enrolled college students. They seek new employment opportunities or internships. This group is young and energetic. They have experience with social media and new forms of technology you didn’t even know existed. They’re driven and creative. They all have different skills, talents, and interests. But, the bottom line is they are willing to work, and they want to learn. Young professionals are the future after all.

As supervisors and managers, don’t you want your future to be ready? If you answered …

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February 21st marked the date of the 6th annual Indiana INTERNnet IMPACT awards, honoring outstanding employers, career development professionals, and interns. This year, the awards luncheon was held at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in downtown Indianapolis. The awards were such a popular event this year that it sold out!

The afternoon began with a delicious soup, salad, and dessert lunch. Nancy Ahlrichs, vice president of talent management at United Way of Central Indiana, spoke about the importance of interns and the outstanding employers willing to mentor interns. Next came a short video featuring interns and employers talking about their internship experiences.

The awards followed the keynote address. The first category was for outstanding career development professional. Several mentors were nominated for their excellence in assisting students with their career paths, however the award went to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods’ Susan Gresham. Susan is the director of the …

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  This guest post is written by Indiana INTERNnet’s own intern, Tabitha Atwood, IUPUI student. 

     When people asked me, “Tabitha, what do you want to be when you grow up?” I always thought I knew the answer. I wanted to be a pharmacist, but I considered dentistry as a “backup plan.” I started college eager to begin all my science classes. I also joined a freshman interest group where I lived with other students with the same interests and we immersed ourselves in all things medical field related. I was so sure I was doing what I loved. 
      After a couple of semesters, I realized I did not love my science classes as much as I had hoped. I had such a dilemma. I didn’t know if I should give up my original dream and move on to something else, or if I should just sick to …

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This week marks the end of my internship here with Indiana INTERNnet, and just by coincidence, it signifies a close to the Freddie Factor blog series. My goal with this blog series was to inform peers, employers, and educators about the opportunities that arise from interning.  

Hopefully, you’ve found this blog to be informative and gained a better understanding of why internships are beneficial. I’ve tried to give tips and tricks relating to interviews, resumes, and the latest-and-greatest Indiana INTERNnet website technology. The Freddie Factor or “FF,” as it is referred to in the “factor fan circles,” was also helpful to me…yes, there are factor fans. I did quite a bit of research when writing these blogs and learned a great deal about interning, as a result. With this final blog, I thought I’d recap my internship experience.

During my internship at Indiana INTERNnet, one of my assignments was …

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As you wrap-up your internship, you may find that you have a few treasured weeks of summer left. What are going to do during this time? Maybe you’ll vacation, eat pizza, catch up on the latest blockbusters, relax, or prepare your dorm room or apartment. While these are all great ideas, if you do have a few spare minutes, you should consider utilizing the time to work on documenting your professional experiences.

Here at the Freddie Factor, I’m hoping for an upcoming school year packed with interviews for full-time employment. During those interviews, recruiters and other interviewers will want to hear about your internship, personal, and academic accomplishments. They also want to see and hear that you’ve prepared for the interview by researching the company, the position, and tailoring your answers accordingly.

Now is the time to update your resume—demonstrating what you did during your internships and results that …

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Last weekend, interns working in Central Indiana came together to give back to our community by volunteering at Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana. Sponsored by ExactTarget, this event demonstrated how interns can use their “down time” to connect with their community, give back, and meet fellow interns.

It was also a challenge to ExactTarget’s Slingshot interns to implement a community-wide event. Because the event was such a success—about 50 interns attended—we’re hoping to see other Indiana companies consider sponsoring similar events. (Are you an employer interested in thinking about ways to bring interns together to give back or have fun in their community? Please leave a comment so we can contact you.)

If you’re not interning in Central Indiana, we have some great partners in the Ft. Wayne area, too. The Live, Learn & Intern series is a part of the Graduate Retention Program—an initiative designed to …

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It’s the latter half of July. Where does the time go? For some of you, your internship may be wrapping up in the near future. You should consider how you will finish your internship experience. For example—Do you need to begin “tying up loose ends” on projects? Should you schedule a “thank you” coffee or lunch with your boss? Have you kept a portfolio of your work thus far?

Your internship experience may lead to a job within the company, or it may be the last time you work for them. No matter the result, make sure you have networked with the people with whom you are working. When your internship ends, you will need references, and having a solid group of people who will provide you with positive references is an important final step in your internship experience. However—take note—references should be people who know you personally and can …

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What’s better than meeting fellow interns and giving back to the community? (Nothing, we would argue!). We all know internships provide excellent opportunities to develop professional skills, gain experience and create a network of contacts, but the importance of networking with fellow interns is often overlooked. With more than 800 internship positions throughout the state listed on Indiana INTERNnet, reasons to network among your peers are abundant! You never know who you’ll meet and how you may connect with people in the future.

Maybe you need to find out about concerts and events taking place in Indianapolis. Perhaps you want to get a group of friends together to check out a new restaurant. Or, you might even need to find a roommate if you plan to live or work in Central Indiana after graduation.

Indy Interns 2011 can help!

Indy Interns is a great place to get involved …

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As a college student, you put in a lot of time, effort and work during the school year. There are many late nights involving lots of studying, lots of pizza, lots of energy drinks, and little sleep. Some weeks seem like a year… and some tests seem like they were probably written in ancient Greek. But… through it all…you survive because there is a light at the end of the tunnel: SUMMER!

But wait. In order to best prepare myself for the “real world,” everyone suggested I take advantage of the summertime to work and gain experience through an internship. This is the process that I and many of my peers have gone through this year. But, I’m here to tell you, your summer internship will be worth every minute!

First, if you are unsure of what you want to do, having an internship can help narrow your field …

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This past weekend, I went to the theaters and saw the big blockbuster Transformers: Dark of the Moon. One part that got me thinking (not a major spoiler alert) was when Sam, a character from the movie, had to interview for jobs. He graduated from college and has no job, and his dad makes fun of him while chauffeuring him to job interviews all around the city. Each boss asks Sam different questions, and he answers them in a way that is opposite what the employer is looking for. It got me thinking about my interview experiences and what I have learned thus far. So, I thought I would share with you some advice I have about interviewing for a job or internship.

Interviews occur for employers to evaluate potential employees for prospective employment. Each company may have a slightly different way of conducting interviews. The basics of each …

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