Recent News
Employers: Total Internship Management Roadshow Jan. 18, 19, & 20
Entry by Pat Patterson
Attend one of three nationally recognized recruiting seminars about successfully implementing internship programs to utilize affordable college talent. Indiana INTERNnet has partnered with Intern Bridge to deliver the Indiana INTERNnet Total Internship Management Roadshow in the following locations:
January 18, 2011: Fort Wayne, IN
January 19, 2011: Indianapolis, IN
January 20, 2011: Evansville, IN
The workshops are designed to help employers build world-class internship programs that have a direct impact on your organizationâs bottom line. The workshops will introduce attendees to best practices for building a talent pipeline through the use of effectively managed internship programs. Whether your organization is considering hiring one college student, or one hundred, these workshops will demonstrate how to do it creatively and efficiently. Based on just-released data from over 100,000 students attending 500+ universities nationwide, the programs will provide key data and metrics surrounding topics such as supervisor …
Networking to the Right Internship for YOU
Entry by Nicole Goble, Director of Recruiting and Development in the financial services industry in Zionsville, IN
Each month I have the opportunity to take someone from within our office (staff or financial representative) for breakfast and interview them for the monthly newsletter I write. It is a neat deal; I ask them 5 pretty simple questions for the newsletter and spend the rest of the time focusing on them, how their business is going and what is new personally. This week I sat down with a representative that has been with our company for 10 years and has really been a huge benefit to me as a recruiter; therefore, we talked recruiting for a good portion of the breakfast. He told me a story about a former representative that found his dream job using our sales cycle. It was so simple but so astounding, how had …
Questions to Consider when Interning during the School Year
Entry by Valerie Petrey, Public Relations & Event Planning Intern, Purdue Liberal Arts Career Development
Most of us intern during the summer because itâs less stressful â no classes, club meetings, group projects, etc. However, with the workforce being highly competitive, itâs good to be open to the possibility of interning the semester you plan to graduate.
If youâre a December graduate and have time to spare, interning in the spring is a great idea because not as many people are applying to internships then. If you are graduating in May, like me, you should still consider doing an internship during your last semester. Last semester internships are your final opportunities to show employers what youâve learned while attending college, and what you can contribute as a full-time employee at their company. Employers are more likely to hire someone they have seen working in action.
Whether youâre graduating this month, …
Employers: Recruiting Your Interns
Entry by Pat Patterson
If you plan on hiring interns for the summer of 2011, plan to begin recruiting soon if you have not started already. As a general rule of thumb, employers should begin recruiting for an internship six months in advance of its start date to allow for a large candidate pool.
Collaborating with high schools, colleges, and universities, is one of the best, most common ways to recruit interns. Indiana high schools, colleges, and universities offer many opportunities for intern recruiting on campus. Employers may participate in career/internship fairs, conduct presentations, perform on-campus interviewing and/or get involved with various career services sponsored events. It may be best to target two to three schools in close proximity with academic programs that match your ideal criteria.Â
Employer Presentations
Presenting on campus is a convenient way for students to learn about your organization and its job openings â both …
An Internship May be Your Best Personality Assessment
Entry by Pat Patterson
From the November INTERNnetwork Intern in Action Spotlight.
Determining your future career is no easy task. While personality assessments can be extremely beneficial, practical experience in different industries and jobs may help narrow your choices even more. Just ask Alissa Fricke, a University of Evansville junior who has learned more about her interests and passions through interning.
As a communication student, Fricke first sought work experience to gain knowledge about various careers and boost her future hirability. âI want to be able to set myself apart when I begin job searching,â she remarks.
Since she has always enjoyed traveling, her first internship was with a local Evansville travel agency, where she worked with social networking and other new media marketing. Not completely sold on the travel industry, Frickeâs next internship was with the University of Evansville athletics department, where she …
Letâs Wrap It Up
Entry by Brittney Horn, Membership Intern, Greater Lafayette Commerce
And Iâm not talking gifts here people! Though the holidays are coming up quickly, for some of you that fateful time that your precious internship ends is looming in the near future as well. Yes, I know Iâm excited for all of the traditions I celebrate, but donât let these last few weeks go by without accomplishing any work with your internship! These last few weeks are the time to make all of your hard work count by following these few tips:
Wrap up any projects/assignments you have. Please do not be that intern that leaves unfinished work left for a new intern to finish. Itâs hard enough on your first day at your internship and they really donât need to be tidying up your leftovers. Get a recommendation letter. Any notable intern supervisor will gladly write you …
Turkey Break: You Can Never Overcook Your Intership Search
Entry by Pat Patterson
Students and employers, Thanksgiving break is a great opportunity to prepare for upcoming career fairs. Although it may not sound like fun, researching and preparing for career fairs will help all you students land internships and all you employers find the perfect internsâŠnot to mention, make you feel better after stuffing your face. After all, what else are you going to do for the six to eight hours that your turkey is cooking?
Students and employers, check out Indiana INTERNnetâs event page to view upcoming career fairs near you.
Students, check out past blog entries for career fair advice:Â Students: Preparing for a Career Fair, Career Fair Game Plan, Career Fairs 101: Create Customized Resumes, Career Fairs 101: Avoid the Herd Mentality, and Career Fairs 101: After the Career Fair.
Employers, check out our past blog entry: Career Fairs 101: Selling Your Company …
Homework for the Holidays
Entry by Brittney Horn, Membership Intern, Greater Lafayette Commerce
So I realize the title of this post may scare most readers away because who really wants to do homework over the holidays? But I promise you if you do just a little work, it will pay off tremendously in the end.
Anyone still reading out there? Moving onâŠ
The homework I am assigning to you is looking for that summer internship! (See itâs not so badâŠ). A summer internship is your time to shine and show off all that knowledge that you learn during school. Internships also provide an excuse to get away for 2-3 months to wherever you want to go! Participating in a summer internship can help you find what you want to do for the rest of your life, which is pretty important to happiness if you ask me. You can learn so much from other co-workers …
Students: Looking for Something to do this Weekend?
Entry by Pat Patterson
Are you looking for something to do this weekend? Why not polish up your resume? Now, I bet youâre all thinking, âYeah, rightâŠI thought this blog entry was going to be about some fun event or promotion.â Just keep readingâŠ
Iâm not suggesting you spend all weekend working on your resume, but it may be a good idea to add recent internships that you have not yet added. The more time that elapses after your internship, the more you will forget important details. You never know when an opportunity may arise when you will need to submit your resume, especially given the fact that college hiring and recruiting is expected to increase: Â
NACEâs current hiring index shows college hiring at 126.4, compared with 86.8 last year at this time. The October poll also found that nearly half of responding employers expect to increase …
Passion Trumps Salary When Looking for a Job or Internship
Entry by Valerie Petrey, Public Relations & Event Planning Intern, Purdue Liberal Arts Career Development
When job and internship searching there is one important question we must ask ourselves: am I going to LOVE this position? Salary, benefits, location and values all count when choosing the right position, but passion really trumps them all.
For my current internship with Purdue Liberal Arts Career Development, I conducted a survey, which circulated among liberal arts students. 89.4% of students who responded to the survey (536 students responded) said passion matters most to them in job. I couldnât agree more. While salary and location are also extremely important to my particular job search, passion is by far the number one thing that drives me.
Picture your life one year from now. Do you really want to be sitting at a desk with nothing to do, a boss you donât like …
Employers: Is Your Organization Ready for Your Intern’s Arrival?
Entry by Pat Patterson
Preparing your office for an intern’s arrival
If you have already decided you would like an intern or even have hired someone to begin soon, consider following these steps:
Orientation
Before an intern reports to work for the first time, it is recommended that the employer establish an orientation schedule. This helps the student feel like he or she is a member of a professional team and cultivates a sense of camaraderie.
Be sure your plan includes the following:
Confirmation of intern’s work schedule Introduction to staff Meeting with intern mentor Meetings with individuals at the organization with whom the intern will interact frequently Tour of the facility HR paperwork Paperwork for intern’s academic credit Parking arrangements Discussing project work in detail, assigning priority and setting deadlines Arranging any necessary training
Anything I left out? Leave your …
Employers: Is Your Organization Ready for an Intern?
Entry by Pat Patterson; from the November INTERNnetwork
Before you decide to host an intern, you should consider the benefits and whether it’s practical for your organization.
Interns can:
complete project work that may be on the backburner; increase productivity; reduce recruiting costs; and bring fresh, innovative perspectives to your organization.
Hosting an intern can allow you to:
provide a student with a rich learning experience; offer management experience to employees working as intern supervisors; market your company via word of mouth; and begin training potential full-time employees.
Is it practical?
Do you have the appropriate staff to support an intern? Do you have meaningful project work to assign? What will be the duration of the internship? What is the best time of year to host an intern? Do you plan on potentially hiring an intern full-time? Do you have difficulty finding qualified …
The Secret to Finding the Perfect Job (Er, Internship)
Entry by Brittney Horn, Membership Intern, Greater Lafayette Commerce
Okay well maybe not the secret because letâs be honest, itâs still really hard to find a job at all. Iâve searched high and low, far and wide for almost a year now and itâs still a rough economy. That doesnât mean that everyone that is graduating within the year is doomed to be jobless for the rest of their lives but it does mean the more experience you have (ahem, internships), the better chance you have of getting a job. But searching for internships can be pretty frightening too. It can be a daunting task to search through websites, internship postings, and company profiles to find the perfect internship. I have become a self-proclaimed âproâ at finding great resources for finding pretty much any kind of internship you can imagine. Hopefully youâll be able to use one …
Weekend Food for Thought: How Do I Choose an Internship?
Entry by Pat Patterson
If you are convinced that pursuing an internship is a good idea, but you are not sure what type of internship to search for, the following information from the November INTERNnetwork may be helpful. (If you would like to subscribe to Indiana INTERNnet’s montly e-newsletter, click here.)
Here are a few ways to discover your passions and explore different careers:
Career/personality assessments
Career/personality assessments can help provide a clearer understanding of the type of professional work you may enjoy doing by helping you to identify your interests, motivations, work habits and personality traits. Ask your career services office if it administers them. Three of the most popular are Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Keirsey Temperament Sorter, and Strong Interest Inventory.
What can I do with a major in …?
If you have decided on your major (or even if you are …
Email and Texting: The Technology That Knows No Boundaries
Entry by Valerie Petrey, Public Relations & Event Planning Intern, Purdue Liberal Arts Career Development
All of my weeks tend to have a topic that consistently comes up in classes and at my internship. This week the trending topic is email and texting.
Our generation would much rather send an email or text than talk on the phone, and thatâs okay for most people because time is precious and itâs nice to read something at oneâs leisure. However, where do you draw the line?
Is it acceptable to text your boss and tell him or her you arenât coming to work? What about emailing a future prospective employer and addressing him or her with a âHey whatâs up?â Should you secretly blind copy (BCC) a person on an email, or copy someone who hasnât been on that particular email string? The ethics behind email and texting …