Tag Archives: employer

Internship offers experience to students of all backgrounds

This is a guest post by Amy Laznik, former intern at Target Marketing. She is a student at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.

Target Marketing is a marketing agency located in Terre Haute, Ind. They specialize in all aspects of marketing. They design flyers, ads, logos, websites and postcards, and they produce television and radio commercials. They create all of their designs and production in-house.

Throughout my internship experience, I have grown as a designer and a person. I have created ads and billboards for major companies, worked on websites, and I am in the process of learning production. I have learned how to meet deadlines and work with clients. I have also learned great communication skills, organization skills and how to transition from a college student to a professional in the work force.

During my time at Target Marketing, I have faced many challenges, but I have also experienced some wonderful …

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Virtual internships: a case study

This is a Q&A with Ativio Executive Vice President Susan Nierste about how their company benefits from virtual internships. Be sure to also check out our blog about the potential of virtual internships.

1.  How long has Ativio been offering virtual internships? How many interns do you typically work with at one time?

We started in Fall 2011. More than 500 United States (domestic and foreign), African and Indian students have participated in the internship. The number of students working at the same time on teams varies. Our team sizes range between 8 – 12 on a team, plus team management.

2. Can you briefly explain how your virtual internships work? What work do your interns complete?

We have different levels of participation within the virtual team environment. We start out by teaching a class on how to work within international virtual team environments at area Indiana universities. In the classroom, the team works on a static project with …

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Behind the Scenes of the IMPACT Awards

The IMPACT Awards Luncheon was a great way to see some of Indiana’s brightest interns, professionals and companies. I had the opportunity to learn why Indiana is such a great place to work and intern.

Caroline Dowd-Higgins’ speech was very moving and inspired me to create my own career plan path. She stated that 70% of employees are disengaged and unhappy. This really spoke to me because I’ve always believed in finding a career I will love going to each day and where I can make a difference.  Her speech was relatable–stating that it’s okay to change your mind and that we are each a “work in progress.”

As an intern myself, it was great to listen to three different rock star interns’ (high school, college and nontraditional) success stories. It demonstrates the work you put forth in internships directly affects your career path, making it that much easier to land …

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Look Beyond Résumé to Predict Hiring Success

This article is from the Indiana Business Journal titled, “Look Beyond RĂ©sumĂ© to Predict Hiring Success” by Jenny Vance, President of LeadJen.

Here is some insight into the mind of an employer. It is important to remember that although your rĂ©sumĂ© may not have a lot of relevant experience to a job you are applying for, companies still look for transferable skills and qualities. Don’t get discouraged when applying for jobs or internships because your background doesn’t necessarily reflect the description. Instead, try to highlight other qualifications that might show the company why you would make a great fit. See Indiana INTERNnet’s blog where other Indiana employers provide intern tidbits: Take it from the internship supervisors.

I hate resumes. Okay, “hate” may be a little strong, but I do think resumes are overrated. They tend to put prospective hires into a box and possibly limit companies from hiring outstanding employees. …

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Marketing internship provides applicable work experience

Megan Nelson is a student at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College in Terre Haute, Indiana. She is an employee at Lake Land College (LLC) in Mattoon, Illinois.

The goal of my internship was to use online marketing to increase the college’s non-traditional audience, expand its brand, and get noticed on the Internet. Part of my assignments involved using avenues like Google AdWords to reach this goal. I spent the majority of my first two weeks researching Google AdWords and how it worked before I determined the best way to learn was to “dive in head first” and create one. I generated three text ads on AdWords and conceptualized a single video ad to reach adult students from start to finish. I also explored the possibility of advertising on Pandora Radio by gathering demographic information and creating a survey via SurveyMonkey.com  to help determine if that opportunity would be worth the investment.

During …

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Employers: A New Age of Internship Possibilities

I invite you to clear your mind of any pre-conceived notions about internships. Now, more than ever, employers have options when selecting an intern to fit your company’s particular needs. The word “internship” is expanding to include all types of structured and supervised experiential learning beyond the traditional 12-week college internship. Each type offers a distinct approach that can produce innumerable benefits for your organization, the student and our state.

Maybe you’ve dismissed the idea of hosting an intern because you don’t have the resources to manage a semester-long office internship. Or maybe your company’s work lends itself to a different internship approach. There are several new internship trends that can address specific goals you have, help you tap into fresh talent and even recruit full-time employees. There are also different demographics you can consider for internships beyond the 20-year-old college student.

New Types

‱ Virtual internships: Low on office …

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Considering an intern as a full-time employee

This is a guest post from Megan Crowley, an associate consultant at FlashPoint. With a background in industrial/organizational psychology, Megan contributes a unique perspective based on some of the newest research and techniques in her field. Megan also interned with FlashPoint.

I’m a little biased because I enjoyed my intern experience with FlashPoint, but the savviest recruiters know the benefits interns bring to your company. In case you’re not familiar with FlashPoint, we provide customized talent management consulting in three practice areas: organizational performance, talent development, and compensation. Bottom line: we help you leverage your talent. FlashPoint partners with mid-size to large organizations to help leverage talent and develop leaders in order to accomplish strategic business objectives. We consider interns a vital part of the talent management strategy!

So, if you don’t have interns, here are some benefits:

Complete project work that may be on the backburner Increase productivity Reduce …

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6th Annual IMPACT Awards Wrap Up

February 21st marked the date of the 6th annual Indiana INTERNnet IMPACT awards, honoring outstanding employers, career development professionals, and interns. This year, the awards luncheon was held at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in downtown Indianapolis. The awards were such a popular event this year that it sold out!

The afternoon began with a delicious soup, salad, and dessert lunch. Nancy Ahlrichs, vice president of talent management at United Way of Central Indiana, spoke about the importance of interns and the outstanding employers willing to mentor interns. Next came a short video featuring interns and employers talking about their internship experiences.

The awards followed the keynote address. The first category was for outstanding career development professional. Several mentors were nominated for their excellence in assisting students with their career paths, however the award went to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods’ Susan Gresham. Susan is the director of the …

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Reconnecting With Your Internship Network

This guest post is from Jennifer Weinmann, Student Employment Consultant at IUPUI.

In recent weeks, I have been helping my sister (who will soon be graduating) implement strategies for her upcoming job search.  In my recent conversations with her, networking has come up time and again.  As many of us are aware, networking today most often consists of LinkedIn and other electronic sources of reaching out to individuals.  Striking up a conversation with an old contact sometimes seems hard to do in an online environment.

 That is the question I wanted to help answer:

How do I reach out to my internship network for help with my job search?

In my sister’s final years of her undergraduate degree, she completed two internships and two immersive learning projects.  All of which have left her with a great deal of knowledge and an excellent group of contacts in her LinkedIn profile.  …

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A “Mental Health” Internship – Challenging, Unique, Fulfilling

This is a guest blog post, written by Saint Mary-of-the-Woods student, Shandi Gerkin, who interned with IU Health Bloomington Hospital Behavioral Health Unit.

For many of you, a behavior health clinic is not something with which you are familiar, so first, let me share my perspective on my internship environment. The IU Health Bloomington Hospital Behavioral Health Unit is an acute care facility that services Central and Southern Indiana.  The Behavioral Health Unit provides acute care to individuals who are experiencing crisis or extreme stress in their daily lives and who need a positive healing environment in which to recover their own stability.  The Access Center of the Behavioral Health Unit addresses calls for admission made to the unit.  The Access Counselors provide an initial assessment of the patient’s problem in order to identify the type of help that is needed.  When a patient requires acute inpatient care, they …

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WGU Indiana features Indiana INTERNnet program

Happy Tuesday, INTERNnet fans!

Did you know Indiana has 53 colleges and universities — many with multiple locations — from which you can choose to attend? With a plethora of options, there is one that may best fit your needs: our state’s newest college, WGU Indiana.

WGU Indiana is a fully-accredited online university and is specifically geared towards working adults and/or career changers. Our own Janet Boston spoke with the folks at WGU about how Indiana INTERNnet can help both traditional and non-traditional students by providing a free resource to locate an internship.

Check out the video to learn more: Janet Boston WGU Indiana Interview

Are you a non-traditional student who needs assistance in locating an internship? Leave a comment or feel free to contact us!

Ft. Wayne Graduate Retention Program to Host Breakfast

Our partners at the Ft. Wayne Graduate Retention Program will host a breakfast in November, and we want you to attend! Read below for all the details:

Who: You and the Graduate Retention Program of the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce

What: Annual Graduate Retention Breakfast

When: Wednesday, November 2nd from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Eastern Time

Where: The Ft. Wayne Chamber of Commerce, 826 Ewing Street, Fort Wayne, IN 46802-2182
 
Why: To celebrate internships!

The keynote speaker for the morning is Dr. Michael Hicks, Associate Professor of Economics and Director of Ball State University’s Center for Business and Economic Research. Dr. Hicks will provide attendees with a great perspective on Northeast Indiana and its future. Amy Johnson from Northwestern Mutual and Matt Toler from Group Dekko, two regional employers, will speak about their internship programs.

This breakfast is FREE of charge and provides a great opportunity to …

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Indiana INTERNnet’s take on Career Fair “Do’s and Don’ts”

If you’ve seen the Indiana INTERNnet staff out-and-about during the last few weeks, it’s because we’ve been on-the-road, attending career fairs throughout the state. We’ve seen everything from South Bend to Bloomington to Evansville, and it’s not over yet!

Now that we’ve seen several different types of career and job fairs, we’re here to offer a few thoughts on the “Do’s and Don’ts.” Let’s face it – career fairs can be intimidating and overwhelming. There are tons of companies from which you can choose, and the recruiters can practically interview you on-the-spot. But never fear – check out our tips so career fairs do not overwhelm you!

The Do’s

Do find out which businesses will be at the event and thoroughly research those that interest you in advance. Do check out social media profiles, forums such as Glassdoor.com and company websites.

Do maximize your time by only visiting recruiters from …

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Indiana INTERNnet crew hits the road!

Happy Thursday, Indiana INTERNnet readers. We know it’s been a few weeks since we last posted, but that’s because both we’ve been traveling throughout Indiana to present the new website to employers, and we’ve made the rounds to a few job fairs in August.

Are you interested in finding the perfect internship match; putting together a customized internship program for your company, or having the Indiana INTERNnet team provide a website demonstration, class presentation, or attend your job/internship/career fair? If so, please contact me, Courtney Sampson — csampson@indianachamber.com or 317.264.6863.

In the meantime, check out where we’re headed in September and October, and let us know if we’ve missed an event or if we’ll be in your neighborhood sometime soon!

Happy (almost) Labor Day weekend –

Your Indiana INTERNnet team

 

The Finale Factor: Reflections on my internship at Indiana INTERNnet

This week marks the end of my internship here with Indiana INTERNnet, and just by coincidence, it signifies a close to the Freddie Factor blog series. My goal with this blog series was to inform peers, employers, and educators about the opportunities that arise from interning.  

Hopefully, you’ve found this blog to be informative and gained a better understanding of why internships are beneficial. I’ve tried to give tips and tricks relating to interviews, resumes, and the latest-and-greatest Indiana INTERNnet website technology. The Freddie Factor or “FF,” as it is referred to in the “factor fan circles,” was also helpful to me
yes, there are factor fans. I did quite a bit of research when writing these blogs and learned a great deal about interning, as a result. With this final blog, I thought I’d recap my internship experience.

During my internship at Indiana INTERNnet, one of my assignments was …

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