Recent News
Local Interns Receive Royal Treatment from the Intern Queen
Lauren Berger is changing the game when it comes to connecting and engaging young professionals with career development and internship opportunities across the country. She is not only the CEO and founder of her multi-faceted brand, Intern Queen, but is also a national best-selling author, public speaker, and âarguably the most in-demand career and internship expert.â Â She also has a new self-titled site, LaurenBergerInc.com, where you can find anything from career tips, entrepreneurial training and even fashion advice.
Back in 2009, Berger realized there was a great need for a more personalized way to connect students with internship opportunities so they could have a better chance of landing their dream job and creating a fulfilling professional life for themselves.
For these reasons, itâs clear why the Indiana INTERNnet team was thrilled to host a question and answer session here at the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. We invited local interns from …
Top 5 Interview Horrors
Itâs that time of year again. Leaves are starting to fall and thereâs a cold bite in the morning air. The sunny days are dwindling as our nights get longer and darker. While your friends are looking for a costume of Harley Quinn and that girl from Stranger Things (whereâs my Eggo?), you are spending Halloween alone at home preparing for a job interview. What a terrifying sight! But donât you fear, weâve mapped out the top five interview horrors to avoid and come out of the interview alive (and employed)!
1. Surely you thought making a pit stop at McDonalds before your interview was a great idea, but now your pressed shirt is covered in ketchup. Or is that blood?
2. You got lost in the company building and canât find where youâre supposed to go. The email said room 666 in Building B, but youâre only seeing rooms …
enFocus Guest Blog Series: Part 2
In 2015, Indiana INTERNnet (IIN) began working with four regions in the state to enhance our statewide efforts. These regions were selected based on opportunity and previous interest in partnerships with IIN and educational institutions in the selected area. The selected regions include Northwest Indiana, North Central Indiana, Indianapolis and surrounding counties, and Southwest Indiana. enFocus, a non-profit organization focused on innovative ways prevent brain drain, is IINâs North Central Indiana partner.
When I tell people that I moved from Chicago to South Bend I often get confused looks and questions as to why. However, in my past two years here I have grown to appreciate all that South Bend has to offer. Leaving Chicago pushed me to get out of my comfort zone and pop the âbubbleâ that surrounded me from my hometown into college, fifteen miles north from where I grew up. Working with enFocus has provided …
enFocus Guest Blog Series: Part 1
In 2015, Indiana INTERNnet (IIN) began working with four regions in the state to enhance our statewide efforts. These regions were selected based on opportunity and previous interest in partnerships with IIN and educational institutions in the selected area. The selected regions include Northwest Indiana, North Central Indiana, Indianapolis and surrounding counties, and Southwest Indiana. enFocus, a non-profit organization focused on innovative ways prevent brain drain, is IINâs North Central Indiana partner.
Iâve come a long way since my first footsteps with enFocus. Back in 2013, I was finishing up my degree at the University of Notre Dame and scrambling to get real-world experience. Up to that point, I had spent my summers dipping a toe into the waters of education – both as a teacherâs aide and a substitute teacher. While I enjoyed being in front of students, I couldnât help but wonder if I could use my talents to …
Decisions, Decisions, DecisionsâŠ
Should I get a part-time job? Should I go to the gym this morning, or just skip it and have pizza for lunch? Well, since I have a test tomorrow, maybe I should go to the library. But it looks way too nice outside to stay indoors. Should I start looking into graduate schools? Ugh! Decisions, decisions, decisionsâŠ
If youâre anything like me, then this is a typical day in your life. Letâs face it â every day we encounter choices in our lives. From the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep, weâve already made hundreds of decisions throughout the day. Some are conscious and intentional, like choosing outfits, deciding what to eat and when to walk the dog. Other decisions are made subconsciously and automatic, much like how our brain solves problems and processes memories from the day during our sleep and dream cycles. …
The Reality of the Post-Graduation Job Search
When I first graduated from IUPUI, I thought finding a job would be a breeze. I graduated with high distinction, completed two internships and held a part-time customer service job through college. In class, I was told that the public relations industry was growing rapidly. I thought I would walk across the stage at commencement with a diploma in one hand and a new career on the horizon.
Well, life doesnât always work out perfectly because the next thing I knew it was September, and I was still unemployed.
Just when I was feeling discouraged, my luck had turned around. First, Karissa Bash, Programs Assistant for Indiana INTERNnet, asked if I would write a guest blog post. I had multiple classes with Karissa at IUPUI, so I was happy to help her out.
After she heard I was still looking for a full-time position, she recommended that I apply to …
You Are What You Think
As the famous Henry Ford put it, âWhether you think you can or you think you canât â youâre right.â In so few words, this quote illuminates the idea that life isnât about whether you can or canât achieve your goals and find success. The key is to focus on whether you âthinkâ you can.
This mantra speaks on many levels about the true power of the human mind and the intentions of everyday thought. Throughout our young-adult lives, the anxiety and frantic thoughts about the future overwhelm our mental space and cloud our sense of confidence and purpose. Expectations rise with each year of our educational experience, and we may stumble along crossroads of emotional tolls and high-stake decisions. We ask ourselves questions surrounding the future of our career, health, love, and family. Every day, we strive for a better understanding of our personal goals and how to become …
Last Chance to Submit Nominations for IMPACT Awards
Indiana INTERNnet, managed by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, is a statewide organization focusing on talent retention through increased work-and-learn experiences. Over a decade ago, Indiana INTERNnet began the tradition of celebrating internship excellence by launching the annual IMPACT Awards program. Each year, the program continues to grow in size and success.
The IMPACT Awards, presented at an annual luncheon, honor three categories: Interns of the Year (high school, college and non-traditional), Employers of the Year (for-profit and not-for-profit) and a Career Development Professional of the Year. Indiana INTERNnet will celebrate its 11th group of awards, nominees and winners on February 8, 2017. Registration will be open soon.
Olympic gold medalist and Womenâs National Basketball Association (WNBA) All-Star Tamika Catchings will be the keynote speaker. Before finishing her final season with the Indiana Fever, Catchings interned with the National Basketball Association (NBA) in New York as part of a program …
Chelsea Kulesa: Making an IMPACT
Indiana INTERNnet celebrated internship excellence on Feb. 3, 2016, at the 10th 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.
Chelsea Kulesa completed a person services internship with Ontario Systems before graduating from Ball State University this year.
Indiana INTERNnet: How was your people services internship with Ontario Systems?
Chelsea Kulesa: It was phenomenal. The whole human resources team (I might be a bit biased as I was their intern) was so organized and they really, truly cared about making the experience as fulfilling as possible for all of us. They wanted to make sure we were able to do real purposeful work, and that we gained what we wanted/needed from the experience.
IIN: Did your internship experience prepare you for a career?
CK: Absolutely. You learn a lot in college and …
Learning While Teaching
Johnny Slivka is an HR/Business Development Intern with Milliner & Associates. He will graduate from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business this year.
Going into my summer internship, I believed this summer would be full of learning, strictly learning. What I soon discovered was far from only learning, I was teaching. Immediately, I was introduced to Jobs for Americaâs Graduates (JAG), and started learning and teaching. JAG, a program that before this summer meant nothing to me, has now ingrained itself in me. It has also really been an eye-opening experience.
Before I dive into why this program is so important to me, I want to describe it in a little more detail. JAG is a state-based, national non-profit organization dedicated to preventing dropouts among young people who are most at risk. JAG’s mission is to keep young people in school through graduation and provide work-based learning experiences …
Job vs. Career: The Choice is Yours
The path to finding a career winds through many twists and turns, before it brings passionate and successful purpose into your life. Everyone sets out on this path with a distinct plan about how they envision their future. But to their amazement, where they end up is far from where they started. Maybe you didnât get your dream job right after graduation and didnât move across the country like you planned. Donât give up! Remember that your journey is your own. Different opportunities will present themselves along the way, maybe in the form of part-time jobs or a chance to volunteer. Itâs important to know how these different jobs can help you realize your full potential and lead you to a fulfilling career, no matter how laboring it may seem. You should know when to move on and challenge yourself for something greater. There is a distinct difference between a …
Ben Verdi: Making an IMPACT
Indiana INTERNnet celebrated internship excellence on Feb. 3, 2016, at the 10th 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.
Ben Verdi is a second-year graduate student at Indiana University (Bloomington). He served as a Governorâs Public Service summer intern with the Department of Workforce Development.
Indiana INTERNnet: How did you become interested in government work?
Ben Verdi: I got interested in government for the same reasons I was initially interested in public service. I want to lend every skill and talent I’ve been fortunate enough to cultivate back to my community and country at large. Government work appeals to me as a wonderful way to go about making that kind of a difference in people’s lives, but it’s not the only way. People can be involved in public service …
Ontario Systems Grows Successful Internship Program
Indiana INTERNnet had the opportunity to hear Darla Brown and Andrea Weston present Ontario Systemsâ internship program model to the East Central Indiana HR Association. Ontario Systems is a software company in Muncie.
In the âwar on talent,â Darla Brown, director of talent acquisition and business partnerships with Ontario Systems, says internships are the best way to get students into your organization.
âThey can become your future employees,â she emphasizes. âThey come to love your culture and the work theyâre doing, and they want to stay. Then they share by word of mouth how great your organization is.â
In the fourth year of its internship program, Ontario Systems knows how to provide a great learning experience. The numbers speak for themselves.
40 interns in four years 46% working either part-time or full-time after their internship 110 applicants in 2013 249 applicants in 2016 (increase of over 126%)
Both Brown and …
Learning to Trust Your Abilities
Dylan Radford is a senior at Indiana Wesleyan University, studying Strategic Communication with a concentration in Public Relations. He plans to graduate in December of 2016. He is one of two Marketing & Public Relations interns at the Crossroads of America Council, Boy Scouts of America.
I canât begin to tell you the number of times that Iâve heard, âTake your student status as an opportunity to gain informational interviews, talk to professionals in the workforce and even shadow employers in their work environment. It wonât be as easy once you lose that status.â
Iâm currently more than halfway through my summer internship with one semester left of college. The amount of advice that Iâve received from a number of people in the office here at the Crossroads of America Council (CAC), Boy Scouts of America can sometimes be repetitive, but also rewarding in its own way. Sitting down …
Job-Ready Prep for College Students
Whether you are a bright-eyed freshman or a senior counting down the days until graduation, itâs never too late to learn the best techniques to prepare for the real world. And by real world, I mean the world outside of your dorms, where meal points disappear and your class schedule turns into a full-time work schedule.
When itâs time to transition from campus to career, students should understand that although a college degree can boost your earning potential and improve your resume, it is only a small part of the employment equation. Hiring managers look for applicants who not only have the skills necessary for the job, but also whether the applicant would be a good fit in their company culture. They look for professionalism, confidence, self-motivation and willingness to accept challenges. Many of these qualities arenât a pre-requisite for your diploma, but are learned through practice and experience. Internships, …