Category Archives: Young Professionals
Internship Woes? Speak Up!
After weeks of searching, applying and interviewing, you finally receive an internship offer! Youâre super excited about the projects youâre going to complete and the people youâll be working with. However, after the first month of interning, you realize that your role and responsibilities are not what you expected. You might feel like your skills are not being utilized or developed, but what can you do?
Talk to your internship supervisor
Your supervisor is the person who is tasked with providing you with the resources you need to have a successful internship. If youâre unhappy, theyâre the first person you should speak with. Review your internshipâs description, and if it doesnât match up with the work youâre doing, let them know.
Express your eagerness to take on more projects. Then, work with your supervisor to come up with a workplan so you have a structured outline of what you …
Winter Finals Are Coming
Itâs beginning to feel a lot like winter, and finals are coming. Since you donât have dragons like Daenerys Targaryen, youâll have to slay those exams on your own. Fear not, my friends, we have excellent tips to help you survive winter finals.
Prepare for Battle
Gather all of your class notes and study material and actually review it. If your professor provides a study guide, use it as a tool to map out your studies. You should schedule a few times for studying the week before the exam to prevent cramming it in the night before. Find a quiet spot in the library to study alone, or form a study group to divide and conquer the material.
Ask Questions
If you are struggling with a concept or think your notes might be incorrect, ask your professor or a fellow student. Some professors will …
Four Ways to Make Your College Experience Less Stressful
Moira Keating is a human resources marketing/employee engagement intern at Milliner & Associates. She will graduate from Marian University in December 2018.Â
Anyone who has met a college student, knows college can be is stressful. Trying to find the perfect balance between schoolwork, clubs, friends, jobs, athletics, family and more can really take a toll on a person. Most college students do not hesitate to let others know how much homework they have this week or how little sleep they got last night by posting it to all social media platforms. I am not mad about this, since I too have posted about my busy schedule, but I have realized there are ways to avoid these posts.
ACTUALLY PAYING ATTENTION IN CLASS: This should be a pretty simple rule to follow, since most of us are paying to be in that chair, but the constant advancements of technology can …
Networking at Night
Most networking events are held during typical working hours (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). However, there are the occasional evening events. While some events may be more casual than others, itâs important to maintain a professional demeanor at all times. Check out these helpful tips for how to rock the room and make connections.
Cards for Contacts
Make sure you bring plenty of business cards, and can easily grab it out of your pocket or purse. You donât want to be fumbling around in your jacket, or throwing things out of your purse to find a card. The business cards that you collect should also be put in an appropriate place.
Pro tip: Bring a pen to write notes about the conversations you had with people. If you donât have a small notepad, you can write on the back of their business cards. Your phone is also a great …
National Staffing Employee Week as an Intern
Moira Keating is a human resources marketing/employee engagement intern at Milliner & Associates. She will graduate from Marian University in December 2018.Â
National Staffing Employee Week was one of the most exciting weeks in my working career thus far! This special occasion was celebrated September 18, 2017 â September 22, 2017, and was my first time meeting my companyâs employees and clients. Milliner & Associates (M&A) was super excited to show appreciation for our #StaffingStars (I used that hashtag a lot the past week!). National Staffing Employee Week was a huge learning opportunity for me as well.
Since beginning my internship with M&A, I have learned an infinite amount of information regarding the staffing industry. Once this internship started, it has been a whirlpool of information regarding such a fast-growing industry. Staffing is projected to reach $142.4 billion in revenue, and that is no surprise considering how thrilling and …
Networking Nightmares
In celebration of Halloween, letâs discuss a few scary things that can happen while networking. These horrors can occur in person, phone, email or social media. Itâs always best to double check any communication youâre sending and be prepared for conversation.
Social Media Scares
Social media can be a great way to network with professionals in your industry. However, you should be cautious with what you post, share and like. If you are posting negatively about a certain organization and then try to network with its employees, they could potentially read your rants. Also, not everyone has the same sense of humor, so be careful posts including jokes. Check your posts using the mom or supervisor test. If they might find it offensive or inappropriate, do not post it.
Freddy vs. Jason
Incorrectly addressing someone in a message can cause a gut-wrenching affect. It could happen accidently; maybe …
Dress to Impress for Less
Earlier this year at one of Indiana INTERNnetâs intern engagement events, Pete the Planner explained that after graduation, youâre going to need to spend quite a bit of money to develop a professional wardrobe. You canât show up to job interviews wearing oversized college sweatshirts, jeans and Converse shoes! But, what if you donât have the money for a snazzy suit? Luckily, there are plenty of ways to find affordable and stylish options.
Thrift Stores
You can find many hidden gems at your local thrift store! Places like Goodwill offer a variety of menâs and womenâs suit separates, dresses, shoes and ties. Since blazers are about $5, slacks are $4 and a full suit is $10, you may be able to afford alterations. Tailoring can totally transform your look and have people thinking you spent hundreds. ShhâŠyour secret is safe with me!
Consignment/Resale Stores
Most of my professional …
Be Aggressive, but Not Too Aggressive
Sofia Grimsgard is a junior at Indiana University in Bloomington, studying Journalism with specializations in broadcast journalism, public relations and graphic communications. She completed an internship with KXAN â a NBC affiliate in Austin, Texas.
Growing up as a naturally motivated individual made me very aware of the effects that my actions would have on my future. I was always thinking about where I wanted to end up, what I wanted to do and what kind of career I wanted to have. I also knew none of my dreams would come true without hard work and persistence â including valuable work experience from a young age. After having three internships so far, I have one piece of advice that seems to have carried more weight than any other: be aggressive, but not too aggressive.
Getting your name out there is of the utmost importance. Tread carefully though: itâs as …
Three Tips on Finding the Perfect Internship
Moira Keating is a human resources marketing/employee engagement intern at Milliner & Associates. She will graduate from Marian University in December 2018.Â
Most college students know that getting an internship is an integral part of expanding their professional career. Some universities, including mine, even require it. There are websites dedicated to helping studentâs find the perfect internship for their majors and/or skill sets, which makes for an easy and comfortable application process. Even uploading your resume to sites such as IndianaINTERN.net or LinkedIn could potentially lead to a recruiter contacting you, and from experience, it is exciting when that happens.
Just because there are plenty of places to see postings for an internship these days, doesnât mean it is easy to get one. Your resume needs to be perfect and sometimes references, a cover letter, and/or a writing sample are required during the application process, and that is …
In the Middle of the Semester
While you may have finally settled in to the swing of fall semester, youâre about to be shook with midterm exams. Take some advice from the cast of The Middle to help you prepare.
First off, donât let midterms catch you by surprise and cause you to fail. Keep track of all the deadlines for exams and assignments. Itâs best to schedule these important dates in your calendar or planner.
Once youâve scheduled all of your deadlines, avoid procrastination. Create a workplan to help you break large projects into smaller, more manageable chunks. If youâre writing an essay, donât forget to add at least a day for proofreading and revision. Nothing is worse than submitting a paper last minute, only to realize you forgot typos.
Do your best to eliminate distractions. There are helpful apps and web browser extensions like StayFocused, Time Out and Cold …
Employerâs Guide to Career Fairs
Itâs that time of year again, career fair season! Recruiters and human resources professionals gather at colleges and universities to search for potential interns and full-time employees. While being out of the office may seem fun, attending multiple fairs a week and talking to hundreds of students can be overwhelming to even seasoned professionals. Here are some tips to help you prepare and maintain your stamina throughout the semester.
Packing and Prep Work
First, confirm you have completed registration and paid any outstanding balances. This will make the check-in process much easier. Most colleges will send reminder emails with information regarding check-in, parking, timeline, etc. Use this information to create a schedule for the day including travel and meals. Google or iPhone maps are excellent ways to plan your route!
Be sure to prepare what youâre planning to say to students. You could provide information about your company, …
8 Months of Learning
Hattie Hynes is a Recruiting/HR Marketing Intern with Milliner & Associates. She will graduate from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in 2018.
This summer, I was surrounded by the staffing industry through my internship with Milliner & Associates (a staffing firm, go figure). Prior to my internship, I didnât even know staffing firms existed. I sort of knew what temporary workers were (mostly just from watching Ryan on âThe Officeâ), but had no clue how they got there or that they were employed by a third-party agency. For those of you who may not know, a staffing firm forms relationships with area businesses and when the business has a personnel need, they call a staffing firm and they (hopefully) find or already have a job seeker who fits what theyâre looking for.
There are many different paths you can take in the Human Resources world (recruiting, employee engagement, training & …
Internships: Communicating and Learning the Odd Soft Skills
Noah Simpson is a project manager based out of Indianapolis. He graduated this previous May from the University of Indianapolis with a Bachelors in Human Resources. During his time at the Uindy, he was the founder of water polo and entrepreneurship clubs. Noah also served as a business liaison for the University and completed three internships with corporations across Indiana.
Any college student who has gone through orientation should know that getting an internship is important. However, it is not always made clear to students why an internship is important. My first year at the University of Indianapolis, I was blessed to have a faculty mentor hold me accountable on developing myself not just as a student, but as a communicator. My education and mentors provided me with a base skill set to succeed. However, I have found that the huge difference in my abilities as a communicator today …
Wes Wagner: Making an IMPACT
Indiana INTERNnet celebrated internship excellence on February 8, 2017, at the 11th 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
Wes Wagner is pursuing a Bachelorâs degree in entrepreneurship and corporate innovation at Indiana University. Last year, he completed a digital marketing internship with Torchlite Marketing.
Indiana INTERNnet: How was your internship experience with Torchlite Marketing?
Wes Wagner: I started at Torchlite in February 2016 as a remote intern, worked in their temporary offices from May-August, and I resumed working as a remote intern until I left in October 2016. During my internship, the company went from 10 to about 25 employees and almost tripled their annual recurring revenue. It was a ârocket shipâ to say the least!
My favorite aspects of my experience with Torchlite were the flexibility of my …
Tips from a Career Fair (not so) Expert
Hattie Hynes is a Recruiting/HR Marketing Intern with Milliner & Associates. She will graduate from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in 2018.
I went to a career fair last fall as a college sophomore. I was nervous, terrified, uncomfortable, and sweaty the entire time I was there and even worse, I had no idea what to expect. The good news is that my friend that made me go had already visited our IUPUI Kelley School of Business career advisor and asked about career fair etiquette. So now I was equipped with a little bit of secondhand preparation from my friend and a resume. No professional experience whatsoever, not even admitted to the Kelley School of Business yet, I went⊠blissfully unaware of what I was walking into. I would have liked to have been more prepared but hey, it was fine!
I have that career fair to thank for my …