Recent News

It’s the latter half of July. Where does the time go? For some of you, your internship may be wrapping up in the near future. You should consider how you will finish your internship experience. For example—Do you need to begin “tying up loose ends” on projects? Should you schedule a “thank you” coffee or lunch with your boss? Have you kept a portfolio of your work thus far?

Your internship experience may lead to a job within the company, or it may be the last time you work for them. No matter the result, make sure you have networked with the people with whom you are working. When your internship ends, you will need references, and having a solid group of people who will provide you with positive references is an important final step in your internship experience. However—take note—references should be people who know you personally and can …

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What’s better than meeting fellow interns and giving back to the community? (Nothing, we would argue!). We all know internships provide excellent opportunities to develop professional skills, gain experience and create a network of contacts, but the importance of networking with fellow interns is often overlooked. With more than 800 internship positions throughout the state listed on Indiana INTERNnet, reasons to network among your peers are abundant! You never know who you’ll meet and how you may connect with people in the future.

Maybe you need to find out about concerts and events taking place in Indianapolis. Perhaps you want to get a group of friends together to check out a new restaurant. Or, you might even need to find a roommate if you plan to live or work in Central Indiana after graduation.

Indy Interns 2011 can help!

Indy Interns is a great place to get involved …

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As a college student, you put in a lot of time, effort and work during the school year. There are many late nights involving lots of studying, lots of pizza, lots of energy drinks, and little sleep. Some weeks seem like a year… and some tests seem like they were probably written in ancient Greek. But… through it all…you survive because there is a light at the end of the tunnel: SUMMER!

But wait. In order to best prepare myself for the “real world,” everyone suggested I take advantage of the summertime to work and gain experience through an internship. This is the process that I and many of my peers have gone through this year. But, I’m here to tell you, your summer internship will be worth every minute!

First, if you are unsure of what you want to do, having an internship can help narrow your field …

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This past weekend, I went to the theaters and saw the big blockbuster Transformers: Dark of the Moon. One part that got me thinking (not a major spoiler alert) was when Sam, a character from the movie, had to interview for jobs. He graduated from college and has no job, and his dad makes fun of him while chauffeuring him to job interviews all around the city. Each boss asks Sam different questions, and he answers them in a way that is opposite what the employer is looking for. It got me thinking about my interview experiences and what I have learned thus far. So, I thought I would share with you some advice I have about interviewing for a job or internship.

Interviews occur for employers to evaluate potential employees for prospective employment. Each company may have a slightly different way of conducting interviews. The basics of each …

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Chances are, you’ve heard about virtual internships—but have any of you actually been a virtual intern? (I’m guessing no, but if the answer is yes, please leave a comment below, and tell us about your experience!) Personally, I was never a virtual intern, but I’ve had friends with great virtual internship stories to share, so I thought I’d do a little research and explain to you what I’ve learned.

Both The Wall Street Journal and USA Today recently covered the increasing popularity of virtual internships—specifically opportunities with start-up companies, which are more likely to be found on the coasts and in Silicon Valley. The articles indicate, as a result of the struggling economy, the job market is extremely competitive. Therefore, completing internships—virtual or in-person—is more important than ever. In addition, companies are trying to find ways to reduce their costs, so having a virtual intern is a win-win for both …

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Branding, branding, branding. It’s a popular buzzword in the college, internship, and job worlds, but what exactly is it?

Yes, branding can refer to “It’s so easy a caveman can do it”— thank you, GEICO. The branding to which I am referring is personal branding. This type of branding has many different definitions, but simply put, it is the personal identity you wish to convey to schools and employers. Your “brand” can involve many aspects of your life—from your appearance, your knowledge, and your resume, to your online presence with Facebook and LinkedIn. All of these elements are visible to potential schools or employers, and knowing how to create and manage your personal brand is important to future success.

So, how do you create a brand and manage it? In creating a brand, you first need to identify your goals. If you are trying to snag a specific job, …

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With anything in life, the experience is what you make of it, and as an intern, it’s no different. You can only get out of an internship what you put into it—so consider your internship a chance to make a good impression, contribute fresh ideas, and “be a sponge” by learning from everyone with whom you work.

If you are proactive with the company and take charge of your own internship experience by seeking out mentors and using all of your resources for your work, you may have a great experience. However, if you stay put in your cubicle and never seek out help and advice, I’m guessing your internship is not going to be very fulfilling. You won’t have any fun, and you may walk away having not learned anything. I doubt you want to be “that person” who sits in his cubicle and watches YouTube all day!

It …

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The summer is a popular time for students to pursue internships.  Just like any other job search, timing plays a key role in whether or not a student will land a sought after position.  Here is my insight on the recruiting process and what students should know to help prepare them for a successful job search.

In an Ideal World…
You are a student looking for a summer job, you read a job description, love the details of the position, meet all the requirements, and submit your application. Then, you wait for that phone call where an employer tells you that you are a perfect match and they want you to start ASAP!

In the Real World…
The same scenario could play out many ways:
1.  You find an ideal job, apply, get called for an interview, and hopefully land the position. This is …

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An internship, as defined by Webster’s Dictionary, is “a student or recent graduate who works for a period of time at a job in order to gain experience.” The goal of Indiana INTERNnet is to be an internship-matching program linking employers, students, high schools, colleges and universities. It works—well, it did for me!

Here’s how:

Ever since my arrival as a freshman student at Indiana University, internships have been stressed by faculty and staff as important learning experiences. Not wanting to disappoint, that very year, I went on- the-hunt for the mighty internship. The process seemed straight forward: make a great resume, apply, and interview. How do you find the internship, though? Most colleges have career services, which provide help locating internships and jobs, as well as preparing your resume for career fairs and interviews. These services are invaluable. In addition to checking out my college’s career services offerings, I …

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You may have noticed a few changes taking place here at Indiana INTERNnet, and we’d like to take a moment to share them with you.

In the past two weeks, we’ve welcomed Courtney Sampson, our new program coordinator, and Fredrick Starks, our summer intern. Part of Courtney’s role is to manage Indiana INTERNnet’s social media presence, so in the coming months, you’ll see exciting changes and more activity within the social media space—especially this blog!

If we’re not yet connected, please take a moment to follow us:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/IndianaINTERNnet
Twitter: @IndianaINTERN
LinkedIn Group: Search Indiana INTERNnet 

We’ve also launched a new website and freshened-up our logo to help celebrate our 10th anniversary! During the past ten years, we’ve helped retain Indiana’s talented students by matching employers, universities, and students with Indiana-based internships and experiential learning opportunities. (Don’t forget-our services are free for everyone!)
 
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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.

…

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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.

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