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How to Use Twitter for your Internship Search
Entry by Pat Patterson
In the July INTERNnetwork, I included some tips on how to use Twitter for marketing, networking, and research. Here is a recap:
Some tips to build a professional Twitter profile:
–Â Use your real name,
–Â use a head shot photo as your profile picture,
–Â create a Twitter name that is appropriate and easy to remember,
–Â list a website for yourself â a professional profile such as LinkedIn, an online resume, an online portfolio, or your blog,
–Â customize your profile with a clean, professional design, and
–Â tweet about your interests, internship/career search process, articles related to your industries of interest, opinion on current events in your industries of interest, etc.
Besides acting as a marketing tool, Twitter is great for networking and conducting research. Some tips on how to use Twitter to network and research:
–Â Follow individuals with similar interests,
–Â follow Twitter …
Half-way there: Ensuring Your Intern has the Best Experience Possible
Entry by Ashley Cashen, Talent Acquisition and Retention Coordinator, digitalKnowledge
I canât believe that Bartâs internship is at the halfway mark. While he has plenty of work to show for his time with us, time really has flown by. I was sitting at my desk a week or two ago and realized that with the halfway point approaching, our mid-internship evaluation would be soon. I created an evaluation form prior to the start of the internship, but I wanted to make sure that the evaluation process was not just about filling out a form and filing it away â I wanted to use this experience to make sure that Bartâs second half of the internship was even better than the first.
I want to take the time to fully prepare for the evaluation with Bart and make sure that he is getting the most value from his time with us. …
Students: Donât Let Facebook Cost You Your Next Internship
Entry by Pat Patterson
Although you may perceive Facebook as a personal social media tool, donât think that your friends are the only ones searching for you. I have heard countless âhorrorâ stories of students who did not get a job or an internship or who have even been fired because of the content in their Facebook profile. Many organizations also routinely search for students on Facebook after reviewing their resumes â this is becoming a more and more common practice.Â
In the July INTERNnetwork, I included some tips on how to create a professional Facebook profile. To recap:
–Â Use a head shot photo for your profile picture and delete, un-tag, or hide unprofessional/inappropriate pictures,
–Â in the âAbout Meâ section, list networking as something you are interested in,
–Â include interests relevant to your career goals in the âInterestsâ section,
–Â join groups or âLikeâ pages that are related …
An Internship: What Itâs Really Worth
Entry by Colleen Borgmeier and Andrew Stoelting, Summer Coordinator Interns, PACE Community Action Agency
For all of you skeptics out there who are wondering whether or not an internship is worth your time, we are here to tell you that it is most definitely worth your time, and money in some cases! Some universities, like Ball State, require that you have an internship for most majors. Other universities donât require it, but it is highly recommended. Anything that can add to your resume, especially an internship, shows that you have more specific job skills in your career area.Â
Andrew and I are working to organize a volunteer day, Race to PACE, where the community comes in and volunteers their time to help benefit Early Head Start and Head Start. We were given this opportunity to coordinate this event about two weeks into our internship. With no prior …
Reaching Audiences using Social Media
Entry by Courtney Sampson, Marketing and Communications Intern, Indiana State Fair
Social media â talk about a âbuzz phrase.â The mere thought of social media evokes some serious emotion from people â You either seem to love and embrace it, or you dread the thought of âtweeting,â âtipping,â or âtagging.â
NEWSFLASH! Hereâs the thing: social media is not for every person or every single thing. Well, I guess thatâs my opinion, but hereâs why: You have to actively update your presence online! Online time = real time. If youâre not willing to update and participate, you might as well stay offline.
The best part about social media is connecting with a virtual community; granted, some of your âfriendsâ and âfollowersâ are neighbors, best buds, and co-workers, but face it, you probably havenât met face-to-face with a significant portion of your social media community. Why then, would any person (or company, …
Take Me Out to the Career Game
Entry by Pam Norman, Indiana INTERNnet Executive Director
Last week I had the good fortune to enjoy baseball, hotdogs and career conversation.  A beautiful Indiana evening at Victory Field proved to be the perfect setting as university career services professionals and employers met to further relationships to benefit the students of Indiana. Sponsored by Career Development Professionals of Indiana, the College Career Center Consortium, Harrison College, Indiana University Career Development Center, and Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, the event attracted 106 attendees representing 59 employers and 25 college career centers. While networking was the ultimate goal of the evening, many stayed to cheer the Indians on to a 9-1 victory over the Durham Bulls.Â
As I think about the conversations I participated in, it was evident that higher education staff members work as advocates for Indiana students in a variety of ways. Discussions surrounding employer campus visits, internships, and talent …
Students: How to Communicate Successfully during a Virtual Internship
Entry by Anastasiya Elaeva, Indiana INTERNnet Intern
In Mondayâs blog entry, I provided you with Interactive Intelligenceâs perspective on virtual internships. I also recently spoke with one of Interactive Intelligenceâs virtual interns, Courtney Guard, who would like to share her advice on having a successful internship experience. An economics major at Purdue University with minors in business management and political science, she is currently doing an internship in the office of Interactive Intelligence, a global provider of business communications solutions. However, last fall she worked for the company from her campus, assisting with the management of Interactive Intelligenceâs customer accounts.
Courtneyâs started as a regular summer intern in Interactive Intelligenceâs office. When her term at the company was over, she talked to her manager about the possibility of keeping her job over the fall while working from home. Courtney really wanted to have a professional job in the fall semester, …
Communicating Effectively at Your Internship
Entry by Courtney Sampson, Marketing and Communications Intern, Indiana State Fair
Last Tuesday, I shared with you a âTop 10 List of Things Iâve Learned about the Indiana State Fairgrounds.â While there is plenty more where that list came from, this week Iâm shifting my focus to writing. Sounds thrilling, doesnât it?
Seriously, whether or not youâre studying communications (like me), employers across the board will take you more seriously if you can write well. But how can you write well if you donât know where to begin?
Well, you can start by reading and asking a lot of questions. Just ask my boss â Iâm sure heâd confirm that I ask plenty of questions. Because Iâm an inquisitive person, I feel like Iâve learned a lot about the State Fair, agriculture education, the 4-H, FFA, and even musical acts set to perform at this yearâs fair, like Drake! As …
Pace Community Action Agency’s Internship Program
Entry by Colleen Borgmeier, Summer Coordinator Intern, PACE Community Action Agency
Pace has always wanted to implement an internship program, but the funds were not available until 2009 when stimulus dollars became available through the American Recovery Reinvestment Act. This Internship Program is providing summer employment opportunities for college students, giving us the opportunity to acquire skills, gain valuable work experience, and help finance our return to school. Opportunities are being offered within Pace facilities in Washington and Vincennes and will run for a 13-week period beginning May 11th and completing August 6th.
As summer coordinator interns, Andrew and I have already learned valuable skills to use next year after graduation. We have been working to monitor the high school workers who have been placed around various small businesses in Vincennes and Washington. We are also organizing and implementing a volunteer day and researching and creating surveys and other documents …
âEmployers, be brave, donât rule anything out, and youâll be surprised by the level of work of your virtual internsâŠâ
Entry by Anastasiya Elaeva, Indiana INTERNnet Intern
Still not feeling ready to start a virtual internship program at your organization? Maybe reading another organizationâs success story may persuade you. Interactive Intelligence Inc., a global provider of IP unified business communications solutions, headquartered in Indianapolis, has been hosting virtual interns for several years. Their corporate recruiter, Debbie Linville, shared with me how the idea of running a virtual internship program was born and what types of projects interns were working on remotely.
Interactive Intelligence launched their summer internship program in 2006. That year the company hosted six bright interns from different schools in Indiana. When the summer was coming to an end, and it was almost time for the students to return to their universities, one of the companyâs managers came up with the idea that the interns could keep contributing to Interactive Intelligence projects by working remotely from their …
Educators: Creating Virtual Internship Opportunities
Entry by Pat Patterson
In the June INTERNnetwork, we included an article about virtual internships, employers hiring an intern to work outside of their organizationâs office. As an educator, when recruiting employers to offer internship opportunities for your students, it would be wise of you to discuss the possibility of such employers offering virtual internships.
A virtual internship may be an ideal situation for an employer who may not have the office space for a student. Just yesterday, I visited an intern who is interning for an advertisement agency in downtown Indianapolis. The studentâs supervisor mentioned that the only challenge she encountered was finding office space for the student. A virtual internship eliminates the need for more space or additional office equipment.
Another reason why employers may be hesitant to host an intern may be the lack of personnel that they have available to supervise the student. With a virtual …
The Art of Consulting
Entry by Ashley Cashen, Talent Acquisition and Retention Coordinator, digitalKnowledge
This past week, Bart had the opportunity to not only take part in a client meeting but to also do some traveling with our Co-Founder and Vice President, Sean. With digitalKnowledge being a consulting firm, we made the decision early on that it was imperative that we expose our intern to the client side, not just the internal works. Bart traveled to a small town in Ohio and had the opportunity to observe, meet a variety of people, and get a taste of the art of consulting.
Bart shared his experienceâŠ
âRecently I was given the opportunity to attend my first client meeting! When I was approached I wasnât sure where I would be heading, or what digitalKnowledge was doing for the client. I was excited for a few reasons. I was given the chance to see what consulting does …
Students: Are You Ready for a Virtual Internship?
In the June INTERNnetwork, we included an article about virtual internships, working for an organization outside of an organizationâs office. Although there are benefits of being a virtual intern (no office commute, flexible work schedule, no dress code, more personal freedom, etc.), not every student can excel as a virtual intern.
Before you apply for a virtual internship, consider these questions:
– Do you have previous internship experience in an office setting?
– Are you interested in working for a web-based organization?
– Are you interested in electronic outreach, including email pitching and social media communication?
– Are you self-motivated?
– Are you independent enough to work with minimal supervision?
– Are you technology savvy?
– Are you able to meet important deadlines?
A virtual internship may be ideal for a student who may not have the opportunity or funds for a traditional internship …
Top 10 Things I’ve Learned Working for the Indiana State Fair
Entry by Courtney Sampson, Marketing and Communications Intern, Indiana State Fair
Our Great Indiana State Fair is all about food, family, fun, and farmers â I added the farmers. Weâre more than just sweet corn and midway rides â although I enjoy both! Education is one of the values the Indiana State Fair holds near-and-dear â the young, the old, and everyone in-between can learn something while attending the fair. Iâm 2 Âœ weeks into my internship with the fair, and Iâd love to share with you some of the things I have learned thus far!
Top Ten Things Iâve Learned Working for the Indiana State Fair
10.) Thereâs such a thing as deep-fried butter & deep-fried sushi. On the other hand, the Indiana State Fair was the first state fair in the nation to eliminate trans-fat cooking oil.
9.) Horses (and their trainers) are weather-resistantâŠor maybe weather resilient
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Employers: How Do You Choose the Right Candidate for a Virtual Internship?
Entry by Pat Patterson
In the June INTERNnetwork, we included an article about virtual internships, hiring on an intern to work outside of your organizationâs office. Although there are many benefits associated with hiring a virtual intern (no office space or personnel needed for constant supervision), not every student can excel as a virtual intern.
I included this checklist in the e-newsletter, which identifies some key characteristics of a student who may be more likely to excel as a virtual intern:
Checklist of Ideal Virtual Intern Characteristics Previous internship experience Self-motivated Independent/ability to thrive with minimal supervision Technology savvy Interest in electronic communication Flexible Value/goal driven Trustworthy Timely/ability to meet deadlines More certain of career aspirations
Although this list may not be an exhaustive list of characteristics, and all students are unique, it may be a beneficial reference to use when deciding who you may hire.
With the growth of …