Category Archives: Young Professionals

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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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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This guest post is written by Elizabeth P. Cipolla, a business communications professional specializing in the areas of leadership training, creative recruitment strategies, professional development and executive coaching for more than 13 years. Cipolla is featured weekly in the Jamestown Post-Journal’s business section, where this column was published orginally on March 10, 2013.

Each year, millions of students and adults race to find the perfect internship in the industry of their dreams. What many fail to understand is the simple truth behind what they can do to get the most out of their experience at any internship assignment, every time.

Truth No. 1: Despite what you’ve been told, studying hard and getting good grades is not the only path to career success.

As a seasoned human resource management professional, I can assure you that savvy hiring managers want something more than good grades. In fact, many will not even consider hiring a …

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Editor’s Note: Thomas P. Miller and Associates  (TPMA) is and Indianapolis-based company with a mission to align people, technology and initiatives to enhance the economic value of communities, educational institutions and companies. Former TPMA Intern Calli Duggins reflects on her internship and what she learned while at TPMA.  Duggins is now a graduate student at IUPUI.

Working with TPMA as an intern was a critical part of my professional development during my undergraduate work at Butler University.  Prior to this internship, I had interned at a large non-profit organization and a state government agency.  While both of those experiences were valuable because they introduced me into the work environment and helped me improve my interpersonal skills, TPMA afforded me an incredibly well-rounded experience.

The projects assigned to me in the first summer included the development of a new website for TPMA and the creation of community asset inventories to be used in …

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This is a blog post from Kelli Vorndran, the Communications and Media Intern for EmployIndy. Kelli will graduate from IUPUI in the spring with a bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in Creative Writing.

Most of today’s college students understand the value of an internship. Interning has become so commonplace that many employers actually expect to see this kind of experience on a college grad’s resume. In addition to this newer idea of a “required” internship, I was eager to enter the professional world as an intern just to gain experience.

One thing that may turn students away from an internship is the idea that it is all work­—with no pay. This is never the case! As cliché as it sounds, an internship pays you in experience, if not only as a résumé booster. If you are lucky enough to land a paid internship, hooray! Bask in it for a …

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This story was posted on Inside INdiana Business.

The largest group of engineering educators in the world has selected Kirk Barber, a School of Engineering and Technology student at IUPUI, as its intern of the year. Barber received a $500 cash award and a recognition plaque, and he attended the American Society for Engineering Education‘s Conference for Industry and Education Collaboration in Mesa, Ariz.

Barber, who is expected to graduate in May with degrees in mechanical engineering and motorsports engineering, has completed three internships, including two consecutive summer internships at Allison Transmission Inc. in Indianapolis.

“Kirk is very capable and can achieve anything he sets out to do,” Bill Klenk, executive director of off highway and hybrid operations at Allison Transmission, wrote in a letter nominating Barber for the American Society for Engineering Education’s Intern of the Year Award. “He has an extremely high level of self-motivation and a strong …

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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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This article is from the Indiana Business Journal titled, “Look Beyond Résumé to Predict Hiring Success” by Jenny Vance, President of LeadJen.

Here is some insight into the mind of an employer. It is important to remember that although your résumé may not have a lot of relevant experience to a job you are applying for, companies still look for transferable skills and qualities. Don’t get discouraged when applying for jobs or internships because your background doesn’t necessarily reflect the description. Instead, try to highlight other qualifications that might show the company why you would make a great fit. See Indiana INTERNnet’s blog where other Indiana employers provide intern tidbits: Take it from the internship supervisors.

I hate resumes. Okay, “hate” may be a little strong, but I do think resumes are overrated. They tend to put prospective hires into a box and possibly limit companies from hiring outstanding employees. …

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Megan Nelson is a student at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College in Terre Haute, Indiana. She is an employee at Lake Land College (LLC) in Mattoon, Illinois.

The goal of my internship was to use online marketing to increase the college’s non-traditional audience, expand its brand, and get noticed on the Internet. Part of my assignments involved using avenues like Google AdWords to reach this goal. I spent the majority of my first two weeks researching Google AdWords and how it worked before I determined the best way to learn was to “dive in head first” and create one. I generated three text ads on AdWords and conceptualized a single video ad to reach adult students from start to finish. I also explored the possibility of advertising on Pandora Radio by gathering demographic information and creating a survey via SurveyMonkey.com  to help determine if that opportunity would be worth the investment.

During …

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This guest post is written by Jennie Faker, a criminal justice major and psychology, sociology, and women’s studies minor at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.

Since the Criminal Justice program started at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College about six years ago, there has never been an intern at the Terre Haute Police Department – until now. As the City Department’s first SMWC intern I was excited to pave the way for future interns.

The Terre Haute Police Department has 136 sworn officers ranging from the uniform division to investigations. The main goal of the department is to protect and serve the people of Terre Haute as well as providing safety. I did not sit at a desk filing paperwork, stapling, mailing, or typing. I was in the middle of all the action! I rode with uniformed officers and conducted traffic stops, responded to domestic disputes, and served warrants. With the investigations division I sat …

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I invite you to clear your mind of any pre-conceived notions about internships. Now, more than ever, employers have options when selecting an intern to fit your company’s particular needs. The word “internship” is expanding to include all types of structured and supervised experiential learning beyond the traditional 12-week college internship. Each type offers a distinct approach that can produce innumerable benefits for your organization, the student and our state.

Maybe you’ve dismissed the idea of hosting an intern because you don’t have the resources to manage a semester-long office internship. Or maybe your company’s work lends itself to a different internship approach. There are several new internship trends that can address specific goals you have, help you tap into fresh talent and even recruit full-time employees. There are also different demographics you can consider for internships beyond the 20-year-old college student.

New Types

• Virtual internships: Low on office …

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This is Part I of a four-part series discussing ways to narrow down what jobs you’d like to pursue post-graduation.

“So, what do you want to do after you graduate?”

It’s a question you’ve probably fielded several times in your life. It’s a difficult one to answer, especially at the ripe old age of 19 or 20. You may have your major solidified, but many fields of study open up an infinite number of career possibilities. How can you narrow it down?

A good place to start is with an in-depth personality test, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment. Through a series of preference and situational questions, the test breaks your personality down into four categories that dissect what makes you tick. It’s a little eerie how this test knows you better than you know yourself!

By understanding how you function and how you naturally approach situations, …

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It seems the Class of 2013 has much to look forward to once their tassels are turned. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), employers expect to hire 13 percent more new college graduates from this school year than they did from the Class of 2012 (see Job Outlook 2013).

Take a look at what jobs are most in demand:

Source: NACE Job Outlook 2013

How can you meet representatives from companies in these and other industries? Career fairs at your school’s campus are a great place to start. Visit your school’s career services office and check out the Events Page on our website for opportunities near you.

When you do attend a career fair, you will get much more from it if you are prepared. Check out this post about Do’s and Don’ts at career fairs.

Here are five tips to make the most of …

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A couple weeks ago, I posted ways to develop a good mentality for your internship from my perspective as an intern. This week, I asked a few intern employers what qualities they most desire in an intern. Here’s what they had to say.

“Thirst for knowledge and patience – I want them to be eager to help and seek out projects but also know that it is a balancing act for us to delegate and come up with one-time projects.” — Sarah Waninger, Assistant Controller, Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana, Inc.

“Be an enthusiastic sponge. Ask clarifying questions only after some legwork has been done. Don’t hesitate to ask for more assignments if you don’t have enough to do. Volunteering shows enthusiasm, leadership and interest in the organization and is definitely a plus.” — Kathy Humphrey, Chief Operating Officer, The International Center

“I look for an intern who has the passion to succeed and …

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