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Internship Description Refresh
Youâve posted your internship onto IndianaINTERN.net, and you start waiting for the applications to roll in. However, after a few weeks youâve yet to get a response. What could be going on?
If you find yourself in this predicament, the first place you should check is your internshipâs description. Poorly written and vague descriptions leave students unclear of what your internship has to offer. Your internshipâs description needs to clearly state what it entails and what type of student you are looking for. It should attract students to work for your company and leave them eager to apply.
Promote your organization
The description section of your internship is the perfect place to include details about your organization. Share some information about what your company does, where itâs located, any awards it may have received, etc. Really sell your organization to potential applicants.
In this section, you can also include information …
Common Interview Questions & How to Answer Them
Interviews are often the deciding factor for whether you get a position, no matter how well-qualified you may appear on your resume. It is very normal to feel nervous before your interview, especially since a lot of the common questions asked can feel like trick questions. The best way to excel in an interview is to come across as confident. To accomplish that, you should prepare for the interview as much as possible. Start out by simply considering what your answers might be to common questions like the ones below.
âSo, tell me about yourself.â
Almost every interview will start off with this type of prompt; do not be thrown off by the apparent open-endedness of it. Employers want to understand why youâre there, sitting before them. An easy way to answer this question is to backtrack: start off with the earliest fact about you that is still relevant to …
Keep in Touch: A Guide to Following Up
You faced your fears and attended a networking event â perhaps it was one of Indiana INTERNnetâs summer engagement events â and made a great connection. You feel as though you navigated the conversation successfully, kept your stories relevant, and bonded with the person. You even went so far as to remember to ask for their card, so you have all the information necessary to follow up with them. How do you go about doing it?
Following up with someone, whether it is a stranger you met at a conference or a past supervisor you had for an internship, does not have to feel awkward. It can seem daunting to put yourself out on a limb and reach out to someone that you donât know well or that you havenât spoken to lately. The main thing that will help in either of those situations is to be confident in what …
How to Dress for Your Summer Internship
You got the summer internship. Itâs relevant to your skill set, works with your schedule, and (BONUS!) itâs paid. It is an excellent opportunity for your professional development, and youâre super excited for the first day. The only problem? You donât know what to wear. Outside, the humidity will turn you to an exasperated blob of moisture and inside, the office air conditioner will freeze you solid. Hereâs what you do:
1. Ask your supervisor
If you havenât already, it is important that you familiarize yourself with the companyâs dress code. Every office has its own idea of whatâs appropriate, and business casual can mean a lot of different things. If you havenât started the position yet, send your new boss a polite email asking them to clarify what the appearance expectations are. For example:
Good morning [Name],
I am looking forward to my …
Connecting Interns to Indy
More than 75 interns from companies in the Indianapolis area gathered at the historic Fountain Square Theatre building on June 1 to take advantage of Indy Intern Connect. Our second intern engagement event of the summer was a casual evening event, hosted by the Indy Chamber. Attendees had an opportunity to network with Indianapolis business leaders and fellow interns while enjoying free drinks, duckpin bowling and a view of the city skyline from the Rooftop Garden.
A welcoming host, longtime Fountain Square Theatre owner Linton Calvert, shared the story of the building with the crowd. Originally constructed in 1928, it has hosted many types of businesses and witnessed the surrounding neighborhood continuously change. It stands tall today after being restored by Calvert and is an Indianapolis landmark.
It was a truly fitting venue for the night, which was all about encouraging interns who are not native to Indianapolis to see …
Takeaways From Intern Day at The Childrenâs Museum of Indianapolis
Interns and supervisors from around Indianapolis came together on May 31 for Intern Day at The Childrenâs Museum of Indianapolis. This event was the first of five summer intern engagement events hosted by Indiana INTERNnet in partnership with local organizations.
The event kicked off with a networking game, designed to get interns mingling. The objective? Get to know two new people from outside of each oneâs organization and be entered to win tickets to the museumâs exclusive collections tour. Afterwards, the attendees filed into the Lilly Theater for the eventâs career development program, presented by Samantha Martin, assistant director of the Career Services Center at Ball State University.
Martin emphasized the power of storytelling, an uncommon notion in most professional development talks. She understands that networking is not easy, and often young professionals are not sure how to approach situations where theyâre asked the dreaded, âTell me about yourself.â That …
Post-Graduation Internships
Perhaps you were busy with other responsibilities during undergrad and you didnât have time for an internship. Or maybe you changed majors part of the way through your college career, and it set you back a little bit. Many students pursue internship positions during college, and assume that once they graduate, they will be done with them. While that is the case most of the time, there is nothing wrong with accepting an internship post-graduation. Hereâs why:
The job market can be tough, especially if youâre are seeking employment in a small city where there is lots of competition â namely, your fellow graduates. Full-time positions can be scarce, depending on the economy, your profession and the area in which you live. An internship can help to provide you with some money and additional experience as you search for a salaried role.
Oftentimes, graduates instinctively accept job offers that do …
Timing Your Internship Search Right
Many degree programs require students to obtain an internship experience for credit. It is something that is expressed in the graduation requirements that freshmen learn about, but at that point junior or senior year can feel very far off. It is important to keep internships in the back of your mind, no matter what point youâre at in your college career. It can be difficult to work these types of roles into your schedule, and if you wait until the last chance to get an internship under your belt it may not be an experience that proves helpful for your post-graduation pursuits.
Here are three tips to help keep you on track:
Keep tabs on your favorite companies
Do some research on companies in your area and figure out which ones youâd like to look for. Keep a spreadsheet handy and record all the details you can find about their …
How Important is Networking, Really?
College students hear it again and again â network, network, network! However, building and maintaining professional relationships is often not high on a studentâs list of priorities. The thought of initiating a conversation can be intimidating. Even once introductions and connections have been made, it is difficult for individuals to keep in touch. Schedules are typically overflowing with academic, financial, and personal responsibilities, which does not leave a lot of room for attending networking events. It can be easy to put off networking and ignore event opportunities, with the hopes your schedule will be less full later. That is not the case. Forty-nine percent of todayâs professionals say that it is difficult to maintain relationships with their network due to a lack of free time, according to a 2017 LinkedIn survey.
Ignoring networking events and failing to create connections is a much easier route, but the truth is that taking …
Meet the Intern: Marissa Smith
Hello, my name is Marissa and I am excited to be Indiana INTERNnetâs intern for the summer of 2018. I have just wrapped up my junior year at IUPUI, where I study journalism, public relations and advertising.
Prior to relocating to Indianapolis for college, I attended high school near my hometown of Losantville, Ind. Though Indy is a relatively small city, it is huge compared to Losantville, which has a population of less than 300 people! I definitely prefer city living and plan to move somewhere even larger later on in my career.
My previous positions have all been communications or event management related, taking place at locally-based organizations such as the Indiana State Museum, Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis, and Indiana Futsal. In addition to my new position here, I am also currently interning with HWC Engineering as part of the firmâs pilot program creating public relations plans for …
Joseph Slaby: Making an IMPACT
Indiana INTERNnet celebrated internship excellence on February 7, 2018 at the 12th 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.
Joseph Slaby graduated from Indiana State University in the spring of 2017 with a degree in accounting. He completed an internship with Kemper CPA Group in Terre Haute.
Indiana INTERNnet: What made you interested in going back to school for accounting?
Joseph Slaby: I graduated from Indiana State University in spring of 2017. I initially attended Ivy Tech and earned a two-year degree and later decided to go back to school in order to order to have more opportunities with a four-year degree. Accounting was a field I was drawn to because my senior year of high school was in 2008-2009âwhich is when the massive economic downturn occurred. During those months I …
Emma Fort: Making an IMPACT
Indiana INTERNnet celebrated internship excellence on February 7, 2018 at the 12th 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
Emma Fort is a recent graduate at IUPUI double majoring in Biology and Forensic & Investigative Science. She completed an internship with The Childrenâs Museum of Indianapolis.
Indiana INTERNnet: Describe your experience with The Childrenâs Museum of Indianapolis (TCM). What were your favorite aspects?
Emma Fort: I interned with The Childrenâs Museum of Indianapolis in the STEMLab and SciencePort area as a science programs intern, where I designed a program to teach kids about medical diagnostic testing. Easily one of my favorite aspects was the wonderful people I got to meet and work with during my time at The Museum. In addition, I loved how much freedom I had on the project …
Kaitlin Carroll: Making an IMPACT
Indiana INTERNnet celebrated internship excellence on February 7, 2018 at the 12th 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 storiesKaitlin Carroll is a senior at Ball State University studying Natural Resources and Environmental Management with a minor in Communications. She completed an internship with Bowman Creek Educational Ecosystem in South Bend, IN.
Indiana INTERNnet: What made you interested in pursuing Natural Resources and Environmental Management?
Kaitlin Carroll: I am majoring in Natural Resources and Environmental Management and minoring in Communication. Iâve always loved being outside and as I got older, I realized I could make a career out of protecting Indianaâs beautiful resources. I also love people, which is why I pursued a minor in Communication.
IIN: Describe your experience with BCe2.
KC: Interns, including myself, worked on various sustainability projects …
Rachel Moore: Making an IMPACT
Indiana INTERNnet celebrated internship excellence on February 7, 2018 at the 12th 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
Rachel Moore is a sophomore at DePauw University in Greencastle, IN. She is studying Environmental Geosciences. Rachel completed an internship during the summer with the Indiana State Fair in their Entry and Competitions Department.
Indiana INTERNnet: What was your experience like with the Indiana State Fair? What were your favorite aspects?
Rachel Moore: Throughout this experience, I was able to meet and network with many young professional college students like myself and build relationships. From this internship, I gained a better understanding of event planning skills, customer relations, as well as the ability to keep pushing through hard times no matter what. The overall takeaways I earned from this internship is an increase …
Four Email Examples That Will Keep Your Network Strong
As spring internships begin to wrap up, one of the most important things  you can do before departing is to record your supervisorâs, mentorâs, fellow co-workersâ, etc. contact information. The connections  you make during your internship can become extremely valuable down the line.
But collecting contacts isnât enough. You have to actually stay in touch with them! The Intern Queen recommends reaching out to your professional contacts at least three times per year. This will help ensure that your connections remain strong.
Use these email examples if youâre struggling to figure out what to say:
____________________________________________
“A good network is like a garden â if you want it to thrive, you have to put in a little effort.”
____________________________________________
You notice your connection accomplished something
Hi XXXX,
I happened to  see on LinkedIn that you received a promotion! Congratulations! What does …