Recent News
Students: Here’s Essential Advice for Virtual Career Fairs
Most people don’t have a whole lot of experience with virtual career fairs. Up until now, no one had that much of a reason to host or attend one. But amid COVID-19, most career fairs are going completely virtual. It’s easy to be intimidated by this foreign environment when in-person career fairs were already nerve-wracking. But use this advice on how to handle a career fair so you can set yourself up for success!
Most virtual career fairs use video platforms, so be prepared.
All the career fairs I’ve attended so far this season had employers plug in their meeting information for whatever video platform they want to use with students. What this means is you’ll probably encounter a variety of different video call applications. To make sure you don’t have any delays as you try to speak with employers during the fair, try to download the video programs ahead …
2021 IMPACT Awards Nominations Now Open
Indiana INTERNnet is now accepting nominations for the 15th annual IMPACT Awards, an annual celebration of internship excellence. We encourage you to complete the online nomination form, and share how this person has made an impact by committing to internship excellence. The deadline for nominations is November 6, 2020 at 5 p.m. EST. We don’t accept late entries!
Have a question about the nominations process or awards luncheon? Check out the answers to our frequently asked IMPACT Awards questions. If you canât find the answer youâre looking for, please email INTERNnet@indianachamber.com.
What are the awards categories? Intern of the Year (3) High School College Non-Traditional *High school and college interns must be enrolled in school during the time of their internship in 2019. The non-traditional category is for an intern who was not an enrolled student at the time of the internship or was 26 years old or older during the internship. …
Farewell from the Intern
Itâs hard to believe Iâm already saying goodbye to my summer internship at Indiana INTERNnet â and to the team that made it so enjoyable! Iâm grateful for the opportunity Iâve had to promote work-based learning in Indiana the past couple months, and I know Iâve learned a great deal from it myself, too.
This experience has been a unique one for me, because I had never been a fully virtual intern before. Although itâs been strange to work with people Iâve never met in person, everyone has still managed to make me feel like part of the team this summer.
The focus of my work here has been promoting high school internships, which was an interest of mine when I came into this experience. I appreciate the freedom and support Iâve had to complete the project this summer. Iâve been able to create an outreach plan and begin executing …
Student Survey: COVID-19 and Fall Internships
Recently, Indiana INTERNnet shared the results of an employer survey about fall internships. Now we have results to share from a student survey as well. Because COVID-19 changed many schoolsâ academic schedules, Indiana INTERNnet wanted to understand how students may have likewise changed their internship plans. The student survey also collected information about completed summer internships. The survey was sent to all of the active students on IndianaINTERN.net (8,301 students) and received 382 responses (4.6% response rate).
Of those surveyed, 17% (66 students) had completed a summer internship. The 83% (316 students) who hadnât completed a summer internship selected the reason(s) they hadnât: 1) working a part- or full-time job instead (120 students); 2) not being able to find an internship (84 students); 3) taking summer classes instead (67 students). Sixty-three students said they hadnât planned to complete a summer internship in the first place, and 60 students said they …
Indiana Intern Showcase Recap
Earlier this week, Indiana INTERNnet hosted its inaugural Indiana Intern Showcase, a virtual event that featured 17 interns from around the state. During the showcase, interns shared about the experiences they had this summer. Many discussed large projects and favorite traditions they participated in throughout their internships. The nearly 50 showcase attendees also had the opportunity to ask questions during several Q&A sessions with presenters. Here are a few of the highlights from the showcase:
Developing skills
Every intern who presented in the showcase spoke to some degree about the skills they had learned and developed over their summer internships. Presenting interns were from a variety of industries, college majors, and educational levels, but they all gave testimony to the educational power of an internship. Students talked about developing skills that ranged from research and writing to engineering and cold calls, human resources and event planning to teaching and accounting. …
High School Internships: Nick Wilson
Donât underestimate the value of high school internships. Weâre shining a light on these valuable experiences by telling the stories of students around the state. Be on the lookout for additional blog posts about high school internships.
Author Bio: My name is Nick Wilson and I am a 2020 Center Grove High School graduate from Greenwood, Indiana. I plan on studying civil engineering next year at Purdue University. I am the Development Intern at The Garrett Companies this summer.
Earlier this year, I knew I would have to find a job to fill my time for this summer. Not only that, but I needed to begin saving money for my time away from home in the near future. Instinctively, I decided that looking into a job that relates to what I want to do would be much more beneficial to my future than flipping patties at a burger joint. It would …
Virtual Internships: Lessons Learned
Itâs the unofficial summer of virtual internships â weâve been celebrating the successes and sharing the struggles that come with it. This post concludes our summer blog series about virtual internships.
For many of us, the next month will include finishing virtual/hybrid internships and beginning classes in a virtual/hybrid setting. As we make this transition, it will be helpful for us to reflect on the lessons we’ve learned this summer and consider how they could transfer to our classes this fall. Here are a few that come to my mind:
Adaptability is everything
If you had told me (or probably anyone on the planet) a year ago what life would be like this summer, I wouldnât have believed you. I would have doubted that Iâd be able to transition to such a different lifestyle in such a short time. But here we are now, and Iâve recognized a resilience in both …
Employer Survey: The Impact COVID-19 has on Fall 2020 Internships
During both March and April, Indiana INTERNnet surveyed employers to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their summer 2020 internships. You may view Marchâs executive summary here and Aprilâs here. With fall internship season fast approaching, Indiana INTERNnet wanted to gauge employersâ feelings toward hiring fall 2020 interns. Also, now that summer internship season is concluding, we wanted to understand Hoosier employersâ experiences with hiring summer 2020 interns.
The survey was distributed to all employers registered on IndianaINTERN.net. In addition, it was shared with employer networks by Indiana colleges/universities and economic development organizations. A total of 121 responses were received.
Of those surveyed, 68% (82 employers) indicated that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, they typically hired fall interns. Five percent (6 employers) indicated that they were unsure if their company typically hired interns.
Forty-one percent (34 employers) of the 82 employers that typically hire fall interns prior to COVID-19 said they …
Collin’s Artisan Experience
Collin Roach is completing his first internship this summer at Artisan Electronics. He is a rising senior at Indiana State University (ISU), where he studies Electronics Engineering Technology and Automotive Technology, making him the perfect fit for the engineering intern position at Artisan this summer. In his role, he has gained not only vast experience in the technology field, but also a cherished sense of community with the team at Artisan.
Artisan made its first impression on Collin when he went to the companyâs website and read its core values: âWe value people, innovation and technology.â This stuck with him as he explored the work Artisan does. When he received an email from Indiana INTERNnet about the companyâs summer internships, it was a no-brainer â Collin applied and accepted a position for the summer.
Although Collin says his coursework at ISU prepared him well for both the practical tasks …
Virtual Internships: A Game-Changer
Itâs the unofficial summer of virtual internships â weâre celebrating the successes and sharing the struggles that come with it. Be on the lookout for a blog post about virtual internships every Friday!
Author Bio: Joy Burton is the marketing and public relations intern at Artisan Electronics, Inc. She is a recent journalism/public relations graduate from Indiana University Bloomington in the Class of 2020. Joy will be a first-year Masterâs student at Syracuse University this fall.
I was plagued with uncertainty applying for a summer internship in the midst of a pandemic. As a public relations and advertising student, Iâm accustomed to the internship hiring process taking place between March and April. This year by the middle of March, many internships were off the table. When I found Artisan Electronics, the number of interviews Iâd already participated in reached the double digits, and many programs had cancelled their …
Indiana Intern Showcase
Believe it or not, weâre already nearing the end of another summer internship season. And though this summer hasnât been without its challenges, it has still been something to celebrate! Many of us completed our first virtual internships this summer, and many completed their first internships ever! Do you have a summer internship story to share? Are you completing a project youâre especially passionate about or proud of? Then our newest event is for you! Register now for the Indiana Intern Showcase on Wednesday, August 5 from 2-4pm.Â
What is the Indiana Intern Showcase?
Itâs an opportunity for interns around the state to share their summer internship experiences with the community. Through a virtual presentation, interns will showcase their work to an audience of peers, supervisors, mentors, professors, friends, and even family members!
Each intern will have five minutes to present a slide about their experience, which could include …
High School Internships: Archit Malik
Donât underestimate the value of high school internships. Weâre shining a light on these valuable experiences by telling the stories of students around the state. Be on the lookout for additional blog posts about high school internships.
For many students, the summer between high school and college feels like a time of waiting and anticipation, but for Archit Malik, itâs a time of doing and learning. Heâs working as a legal intern at The Garrett Companies this summer, where heâs gaining experience in real estate development before starting his freshman year at IUPUI next month.
Born in India, Archit moved to the United States when he was five years old and has lived in five different cities around the nation since then. Perhaps this resilience is what helped give him the confidence to jump into an opportunity at The Garrett Companies this year. He was connected to the company through its …
Virtual Internships: Challenge Accepted
Itâs the unofficial summer of virtual internships â weâre celebrating the successes and sharing the struggles that come with it. Be on the lookout for a blog post about virtual internships every Friday!
Author Bio: I am a rising senior at IUPUI. I am majoring in Finance and International Studies and minoring in Economics and Philanthropic Studies. I am currently a project manager and business analyst for the TechPoint S.O.S. (Summer Opportunities for Students) Challenge, where I am working with a team to develop a website to help parents and students with elementary education. Â
My summer, like many studentsâ around the nation, has not worked out as I expected. For several months I excitedly planned to intern with a corporate funds service in Indianapolis as a loan agent, but everything changed when the pandemic hit. I scrambled to find new opportunities and felt the pressure of needing to build …
Diversify Your (Internship) Portfolio
Shoutout to the finance interns who understand portfolio diversification much better than I do! Here, weâre talking about diversifying a different kind of portfolio: your internship portfolio. This is a compilation of the work youâve completed as an intern for one or several companies. It can be a formal, physical, or digital collection â or, it can be a more informal mental list. Either way, itâs helpful to have more than one type of internship experience to put on your resume and talk about during interviews. So, what are some major classifications of experience to consider?
Type
Whether they planned to or not, many students have recently added a virtual internship to their portfolio. If youâre not one of them, donât worry! As employers become more comfortable hosting interns virtually, more opportunities will become available. This is a valuable experience to have, especially as work continues to move home. At …
Virtual Internships: Summer Reading
If youâre anything like me, youâre looking for something to do in from the Indiana heat right now. And what better way to spend a summer day than with a good book? Since many of us are still learning how to work effectively at home, it seems like a good topic for some summer reading. Here are nine suggestions to help you be a better virtual intern (or supervisor!) this summer:
1. Work from Home Superstar: How to Stay Focused and Rock Your Day
We all know that distraction is one of the worst enemies of working from home. This book understands the struggle and offers advice about how to be just as productive at home as in the office.
2. Effective Virtual Conversations: Engaging Digital Dialogue for Better Learning, Relationships and Results
Another real challenge of working remotely is communicating virtually. This book focuses on digital communication and provides …