Category Archives: Young Professionals

Happy Holidays; Welcome Home, Students!

Posted on December 13, 2011
by Courtney

Welcome home, college students! Congratulations on making it through finals, and happy holidays to you. We know your brain needs a break, and you’re ready to have some fun reminicsing with high school friends and family.

But, you’re still a college student on a budget, so we’ve put together a brief Top 5 list of things-to-do in Central Indiana while you’re home for the holidays.

Dec. 16, 2011
Indiana Pacers vs. Chicago Bulls
Conseco Fieldhouse (Downtown Indianapolis)
Tickets: Just $10 each! Portion of the proceeds to benefit United Way of Central Indiana
More info: http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/05004716A23B7BAE?did=uway

Nov. 25 thru Dec. 30
A Christmas Carol, Unscripted
ComedySportz Downtown Indianapolis
Tickets: $12
More Info: www.indycomedysportz.com

Nov. 25 thru Dec. 30
Christmas at the Zoo, presented by Donatos and Teachers Credit Union
The Indianapolis Zoo (Near Downtown Indianapolis)
Tickets: $7.50 to $9.50
…

A Volunteer Experience by Any Other Name…

Posted on May 6, 2011
by Ashton

Entry by Cynthia McCullough-accountant with 25 years experience; currently Corporate Accounting Manager with Grote Industries; senior-level Accounting Information Systems student in Woods External Degree program at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.

…is an internship when it is completed under the auspices of the “Social Marketing Experiment,” a new type of internship designed by Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) and funded by a Ball Brothers Foundation Venture Fund grant. SMWC is conducting a team internship program which brings together campus and distance students to work for local not-for-profit organizations.

The specific assignment for the interns is to create and implement new marketing strategies using social media to benefit the not-for-profit. A significant feature of these internships is the “virtual” meeting, in which Adobe Connect Pro web conference software is used to facilitate communication between team members, faculty advisers, and the not-for-profit contact person. The balance of communication is handled through emails and conference calls.

…

Making Your Internship Work for You

Posted on April 22, 2011
by Pat

Entry by Jennifer Weinmann – Student Employment Consultant for the IUPUI Office of Student Employment

Many times, students are focused on finding a part-time job or internship to “get experience”. However, once they’ve landed that position, they are not sure what to do to start gaining the skills they will need for their future career. Sure, the job itself will help them gain skills, but an active approach to learning transferable skills will add an even greater benefit in the long run. Here are my tips to gaining skills in an internship that will transfer to the professional work environment:

1. Learn what skills are needed for your future career field
Knowing the skills that will be valued in your career field will help you focus your energy on gaining the most valuable transferrable skills. I highly recommend visiting O*Net: http://online.onetcenter.org/. Simply enter an occupation in the search box, select …

It Pays to Intern

Posted on March 30, 2011
by Pat

Although wage should not be as important as experience when determining which internships to pursue, the idea of making a good chunk of change is always appealing.

When I was still an undergraduate student, I would ask my fraternity brothers if anyone else planned on interning in the summer. I remember asking a younger guy in the house if he planned on applying for any internships. He replied, “No, I plan on working at a factory like I do every summer where I can make $15/hr, so that’s way better.”

He, like many other students today, didn’t realize that internships pay fairly well:

On average, bachelor’s degree students taking part in internships in 2011 will earn an average of $16.68 an hour, according to results of NACE’s 2011 Internship & Co-op Survey.

At the master’s degree level, the average hourly rate is $24.21.

Aside from the possibility of making a …

“Winners don’t have to explain themselves. Only losers do.”

Posted on March 28, 2011
by Pat

As many of you may already be aware, actor Charlie Sheen has been working with internships.com to hire a “winning” summer 2011 social media intern to monitor and manage his social media marketing campaigns – imagine having that experience listed on your resume…

If this is your first time learning about the internship, don’t get too excited; the competition/interview process is already in its third round, narrowing the some 82,000 applicants down to 250 individuals who have proven to have #tigerblood thus far.

21-year-old Julia Hatmaker is one of the 250 left. She has made comments to The Patriot-News about her experience:

In the first round, she was asked to tell why she thought she should get the job. Her response was a twist on Sheen’s own words: “Winners don’t have to explain themselves. Only losers do.”

“I guess they liked that,” she said.

Although this answer is …

Internships Prove More Valuable Than Ever for Companies and Students

Posted on March 25, 2011
by Pat

From Inside INdiana Business

It’s easy to list specific reasons why an organization should start an internship program: increased productivity, enhanced creativity, effective recruitment – to name a few. But it’s the coveted notion of saving time and money while getting quality results that’s music to the ears of any employer.

In fact, these days when hiring for a full-time position, some organizations may not have the time or financial resources to recruit a seasoned individual. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ (NACE) 2010 Internship and Co-op Survey (based on 235 employer responses), 83% of employers said that they use internship programs as a tool for recruiting entry-level talent, an increase of approximately 5% from 2009.

NACE’s survey also indicated that 44.6% of respondents’ full-time entry level hires from the class of ’08-’09 were from their internship programs, an increase of approximately 10% from the prior year.

…

Still Searching for an Internship?

Posted on March 18, 2011
by Pat

Entry by Pat Patterson

Are you still having trouble finding a summer internship? With employers planning to hire more interns this year, perhaps you are just looking in the wrong places:

Employers expect to hire 7 percent more interns for 2010-11 than they hired in 2009-10, according to results of NACE’s latest internship survey.

Ninety-three percent of employers responding to the NACE 2011 Internship & Co-op Survey reported plans to hire interns.

The survey was conducted January 15 – March 1; 266 employers responded, for a 30.8 percent response rate.

Indiana INTERNnet has nearly 2,500 internship opportunities available from more than 3,800 employers across the state. If you have not done so recently, log on to your student account and search our database – or if you don’t have an account, get signed up with us today for free!

With most summer internships starting in …

College Student Explores Social Marketing With Virtual Internship

Posted on March 15, 2011
by Pat

Entry by Pat Patterson – from the February 2011 INTERNnetwork

For many employers, deciding whether to hire an intern is not easy. A lack of office space or time, for instance, may prevent some businesses from doing so. The same applies to students – because of time or distance, they may not be able to complete an internship when and where they desire.

A project at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College known as the “Social Marketing Experiment” addressed these issues. Funded through a $15,000 Ball Brothers Foundation Venture grant and the Lilly Endowment, it allowed on-campus and distance students to collaborate and construct social media marketing campaigns for local nonprofits.

As part of the “Social Marketing Experiment,” students worked virtually for various nonprofits, communicating either through phone or e-mail. This was an ideal arrangement for Annessa Rentschler, a Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College senior and mother of one. As an intern, she worked with …

Making Yourself Indispensible in the Workplace

Posted on March 8, 2011
by Pat

Entry by Jennifer Weinmann, Student Employment Consultant for the IUPUI Office of Student Employment in Indianapolis, IN

While working at a University, I have the opportunity to learn from both students and staff. Since many on-campus staff are also student employers, I hear about a variety of things that occur in the workplace. Because a part-time job or internship can often be the gateway to full-time employment, it is important that a student employee be aware of the way he or she behaves in the workplace.

For many students, they know that getting a job can be a challenge, but they don’t often think beyond this first step. Once they have secured a position, they may be at a loss for the next steps to take in their newly found position.

Here are a few things I have determined will make you stand out and show how …

New Contributing Blog Author: Jennifer Weinmann

Posted on March 7, 2011
by Pat

Jennifer is a 2008 Ball State University graduate with a degree in Human Resources Management. Throughout her college career, Jennifer worked for a business fellowship program through the Ball State Career Center. She has extensive internship experience, confirming her HR passion through internships with Aldi as a District Manager Intern and at Red Gold as a Human Resources Intern.

Jennifer accepted a full-time position with Red Gold upon graduation in a truly generalist role, as she managed payroll, benefits, employee recognition and recruitment. Then, after relocating to Indianapolis, Jennifer worked as a project manager for Walker Information, conducting large scale training sessions for global clients.

Now pursuing a graduate degree, Jennifer joined IUPUI as the Student Employment Consultant for the Office of Student Employment while enrolling in graduate courses for Adult Education. She works full-time with IUPUI students who are seeking part-time employment. Through presentations and one-on-one sessions, Jennifer mentors …

Want to Perform Your Best at Your Next Internship Interview?

Posted on March 4, 2011
by Pat

Entry by Pat Patterson

Aside from the usual interview preparation – researching the organization and opportunity, preparing answers to questions, dressing in appropriate professional attire, etc. – the key to performing your best at your next internship interview is to get enough sleep the night before, so be prepared to catch some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzs………

According to studies discussed in Brain Rules, a book by molecular biologist Dr. John Medina, sleep helps our brains function at peak performance:

To highlight this, Medina refers to a study in which math graduate students were given a problem and told the way to solve it.

“It was a bonehead solution,” Medina says. “Unbeknownst to students, there was a much more elegant way to solve the math problem.”

The researchers, who wanted to study the effect of sleep on cognition, broke the students into two groups, Group A and Group B. With 12 …

Networking for Introverts

Posted on February 15, 2011
by Pat

Entry by Jennifer Weinmann, Student Employment Consultant for the IUPUI Office of Student Employment in Indianapolis, IN

As a Student Employment Consultant, one of the biggest issues I come across is students who are uncomfortable networking. Whether it’s a part-time position, internship, or full-time position, networking is increasingly the best way to make connections that could land you a position.

If you’re like me, you may not consider yourself an extrovert…and that could mean anxiety at the thought of attending a networking event. For those who shy away at the thought of meeting and greeting in a room of strangers, I’d like to suggest a “baby step” to a public gathering: LinkedIn.com

Many of you may know of the site. For those who are not familiar, the main objective of the site is to bring professionals together and provide an online environment for networking. …

Indiana INTERNnet Honors Top Achievements in Internships

Posted on February 10, 2011
by Pat

From the Indiana Chamber

(INDIANAPOLIS) — Indiana INTERNnet, the statewide resource for internship opportunities from the Indiana Chamber, recognized achievements in internships and mentoring today at the 2010 IMPACT Awards Luncheon. The honorees are:

Outstanding Employer of the Year (not-for-profit) – International Center of Indianapolis
Outstanding Employer of the Year (for-profit) – ExactTarget
Career Services Professional of the Year – Jeremy Podany, School of Informatics and Computing at Indiana University – Bloomington
Outstanding Intern of the Year (High School) – Emily Miller, Brownsburg High School
Outstanding Intern of the Year (College) – Fangfang Li, University of Indianapolis
The awards were presented during the annual luncheon event in downtown Indianapolis.

Students who intern at the International Center of Indianapolis (ICI) participate in foreign dignitary visits. They help plan prestigious galas and accompany leaders from around the world to local events. Participants receive assignments …

Students: Why You Should Have a Mentor

Posted on February 7, 2011
by Pat

Entry by Pat Patterson

Let’s say you are a basketball player and would like to take your game to the next level. Now, let’s say you have an opportunity to practice your jump shot on a regular basis with Larry Bird as your coach. Would you pass up that opportunity? Of course not.

Now, apply that same logic to your career. It doesn’t make much sense to pass up an opportunity to learn from a professional who has the career you aspire to have one day. That’s where mentors come into play.

Mentors provide career and personal growth coaching. If you want more information about a particular industry or are hesitant about pursuing a certain career, you can benefit from working with a mentor.

A mentor can assist you in the following areas:

Identifying career interests and goals Assessing your strengths and weaknesses Understanding a particular industry …

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