Category Archives: Young Professionals

Ashley Hager is a fall intern with Milliner & Associates, a staffing and recruiting agency for accounting, finance, HR and administrative employment positions.

What thoughts come to mind when you think about the word “internship”?

Are they positive, negative or somewhere in between? I never really had an opinion about them. My professors kept saying how important they were, but I just couldn’t see the value at the time. Now, I’m disappointed I waited until my senior year to even start applying for an internship, but there’s no point in regretting the past. I can only change the future.

I started applying for internships knowing that they were extremely important and that I needed one to put on my résumé. I knew I would gain experience and knowledge, but I had no idea to what extent. My time here at Milliner & Associates is unlike anything I could have imagined. …

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Firdas Abamislimova is a senior at IUPUI’s Kelley School of Business. She is studying Management, HR and International Studies.

My name is Firdas, and I am the first member of my family to go to college!

My family moved to the United States 10 years ago when I was only 13 years old.  At the time, I already knew that going to college would be a given for me. My parents gave up all their life savings and their loved ones in order to move to the land of opportunities. You see, my parents never had the opportunity to go to college, so they have always dreamed about being able to give the opportunity to their children. Where I am from, going to college was a dream that came true only for the wealthy. Finding a job upon graduation was for those of true Russian ethnicity. Why, you may …

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The answer to the question, “Is college worth it?” is a no-brainer for this grad. I answer with an emphatic, “Yes!”

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:

“If recent graduates strongly agree that they had any of three experiential learning opportunities — an internship related to their studies, active involvement in extracurricular activities or a project that took a semester or more to complete — their odds that they strongly agree that their education was worth the cost increase by 1.5 times.” – Gallup-Purdue Index 2015 Report

We are pleased but not exactly surprised by this figure. The …

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Ashley Hager is a fall intern with Milliner & Associates, a staffing and recruiting agency for accounting, finance, HR and administrative employment positions.

Stress. Overload. Pressure. Worry.

These are a few words that come to mind when I think about working 20 hours a week and taking 18 credit hours this semester.

You know what, though?

Experience. Mentor. Learning. Opportunity. Thankful.

These are a few words that come to mind when I think about my internship.

Still to this day, an entire month after my first day, I am shocked that I get to work at Milliner & Associates for a whole semester. This is an amazing opportunity.

I wake up at 5:30 a.m. and get home at 9:30 p.m. from my evening classes. I have never had problems with time management before. I’ve also never really had a full schedule like this before either. It is hard finding time …

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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 – 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 …

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The tenth time’s a charm!

Indiana INTERNnet began the tradition of celebrating internship excellence nearly a decade ago by launching the annual IMPACT Awards program.

Today, the IMPACT Awards are presented at an annual luncheon honoring Interns of the Year (high school, college and non-traditional categories), Employers of the Year (for-profit and not-for-profit categories) and a Career Development Professional of the Year. Indiana INTERNnet will honor its tenth group of award nominees and winners on Feb. 3, 2016. Co-founder and CMO Angie Hicks of Angie’s List will be the keynote speaker.

Honorees are nominated by the public, and winners are chosen by a panel of impartial judges. Click here to submit your nomination(s) in any or all of the categories by October 23.

The inaugural group of honorees set the standard for years of inspiring stories of accomplishments by – and on behalf of – interns. Here is a sampling …

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Admittedly, when I first considered applying to work with Indiana INTERNnet, I thought I was a bit aged to take on an internship.

That is until I watched the trailer for the upcoming movie “The Intern.” I am nowhere near 70, the age of the intern character played by one of my favorite actors, Robert De Niro. But I did wonder how I would compete against traditional college students. It goes to show that no matter your age, if you’re willing to learn, you can find opportunities.

I call this a non-traditional movie review for two reasons. First, non-traditional (a 37-year-old parent who works while attending college) is the type of student I am, and second, I’ve yet to see the movie, which is set for release Sept. 25. Based on the trailer, however, I expect to experience more than a few laughs and maybe even learn a life lesson …

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“Do what you are afraid of.”

These are the words of Caryl Auslander, VP of Education and Workforce Development Policy at the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. When she said this, she didn’t know I accepted this internship at Indiana INTERNnet for that very reason.

Prior to joining this team to help increase talent retention, I was a student plagued by writer’s block, and I had very little social media experience. I decided I wanted to face this head-on.

I was that guy, probably like your parents, who used Facebook just to see who wished me a happy birthday once a year. As far as I was concerned, hashtags were never the character displayed in front of a word to loop a post into a larger conversation. It was always just the number/pound sign to me.

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“This kind of growth could not be found in …

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It’s party time because you’ve almost made it through your summer internship! You’ve learned new things and grown professionally. You’ve become a significant part of the team. Whether you are sad to skedaddle or ready to roll, how you leave is just as important as how you arrived. Here are some tips for wrapping up your internship in a professional manner! What will they do without you?

Reflect

Internships are like swimming in the kiddie pool. It’s the same water the professional swimmers use, only it’s specifically constructed for learning. In other words, internships are the time to test the waters and even pick up some new strokes. After “splashing around,” perhaps you know that you are in the right area, or maybe you need to explore another career path.

Make a list and reflect on things you liked about your experience and things you didn’t. What did the …

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The journey Alex Eaton embarked on after his sophomore year has come full circle.

A recent Indiana University graduate, Eaton, utilized Indiana INTERNnet to apply for an internship position at Pete the Planner, a small financial wellness company based in Indianapolis founded by Peter Dunn. Dunn is an author, radio personality and financial expert.

Now, Eaton has transitioned into his new full-time role as the Director of eLearning at Pete the Planner.

While his job involves marketing Pete the Planner’s online platforms, he wears many hats during the day.

“I’m reaching out to a perspective client and starting the sales process, I’m running the actual product demos all the way to helping sign them on as clients, and I’m working with them once they are clients to make sure everything is working,” Eaton explains.

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“If you can find more situations where you don’t know what …

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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 nominees’ successes.

These are their stories.

Indiana INTERNnet: What do you love about sales and marketing?

Josh Valadez: I enjoy being involved in the company and knowing my role is part of a larger purpose. I am also a very talkative person, which being in sales allows me to talk without getting in trouble most of the time. I am a very creative person, and being in marketing empowers me to make my own decisions. I love being able to affect people’s lives in a positive way, and I can do that through understanding sales and marketing.

IIN: In your internship, you were a leader in so many ways, including with the group of interns. Did …

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Lynn Zeheralis is a recent graduate of Butler University and former development intern at Make-a-Wish Foundation.

As a new college graduate currently going through the job search process, I am grateful for the experiences and skills I gained through Butler’s internship program. Oftentimes, you gain more than just skills to put on a resume, and those turn out to be things you value most.

In March of my junior year, I was extended an offer to serve as the Development Intern for the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Indianapolis. I had no idea when accepting this internship that not only would I gain skills many future employers would find impressive, but I would also have to opportunity to directly impact the lives of kids and their families.

In the three months I spent working for Make-A-Wish, I became much more confident in the work I did and realized how much I …

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Do you know how depressing it is to spend a summer at an internship that’s not right for you?

Fortunately for me, I don’t have the answer to this question because I truly enjoyed my past internship experience. I have found something that I hope every intern finds this summer – internship happiness.

Last summer I was an intern for Building Tomorrow, an Indy-based non-profit that continues to have big impact in East Africa by supporting access to quality education.

My assignment: the 2nd Annual Indy Burger Battle. This would be the epic event where nine restaurants duke it out to be crowned the best burger in Indy.

I’ll be the first to admit that sunshine, live music, drinks and juicy burgers at an exclusive venue can cloud your view of what it is to be truly happy at your internship. Still, I realize the true key to internship …

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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 nominees’ successes.

These are their stories.

IIN: You were the first junior to serve as the Career Center for Opportunities (CCO) Ambassador Coordinator Intern. Tell us about your responsibilities in that role and what it meant to be trusted with that as a junior?

EL: As the Ambassador Coordinator Intern, I helped manage 12 student ambassadors to ensure proper training, growth and performance while they supported the Purdue student body with professional development. This included the planning of a two-day onboarding session, bi-weekly training sessions, schedule creation and monitoring, evaluations and goal setting, as well as project management.

Having all these responsibilities as a junior really grew my leadership abilities and taught me time management and …

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If I were given the chance to be everything I wanted to before I leave this Earth?

I wouldn’t mind being on the Today Show, or perhaps Late Night with Jordan Patterson. I would want to design BMW’s next flagship sedan and also be the leading architect in designing the perfect addition to Indy’s skyline. I would write and produce music for talented artists that would win me a record number of Grammy awards. Oh, and voice acting in a Pixar film would be awesome!

One might see why the question “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” poses a challenge to a guy like me with many ambitions. I have a hunch that I am not alone. When giving campus tours at Butler University, I always ask the question to perspective students, “How many of you know what you want to do with your life?”

Of course, …

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