Tag Archives: Employment
Got a Minute? Reflect on your Internship!
As you wrap-up your internship, you may find that you have a few treasured weeks of summer left. What are going to do during this time? Maybe youâll vacation, eat pizza, catch up on the latest blockbusters, relax, or prepare your dorm room or apartment. While these are all great ideas, if you do have a few spare minutes, you should consider utilizing the time to work on documenting your professional experiences.
Here at the Freddie Factor, Iâm hoping for an upcoming school year packed with interviews for full-time employment. During those interviews, recruiters and other interviewers will want to hear about your internship, personal, and academic accomplishments. They also want to see and hear that youâve prepared for the interview by researching the company, the position, and tailoring your answers accordingly.
Now is the time to update your resumeâdemonstrating what you did during your internships and results that …
Why Intern?
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 allâŠyou survive because there is a light at the end of the tunnel: SUMMER!
But wait. In order to best prepare myself for the âreal world,â 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, Iâm 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 …
The Interview
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 …
What is Branding, and Why Do I Need It?
Branding, branding, branding. Itâs a popular buzzword in the college, internship, and job worlds, but what exactly is it?
Yes, branding can refer to âItâs so easy a caveman can do itââ 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 âbrandâ can involve many aspects of your lifeâfrom 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, …
Making your internship count!
With anything in life, the experience is what you make of it, and as an intern, itâs no different. You can only get out of an internship what you put into itâso consider your internship a chance to make a good impression, contribute fresh ideas, and âbe a spongeâ 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, Iâm guessing your internship is not going to be very fulfilling. You wonât have any fun, and you may walk away having not learned anything. I doubt you want to be âthat personâ who sits in his cubicle and watches YouTube all day!
It …
In an Intern Search, Timing is Everything
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 WorldâŠ
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 WorldâŠ
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 …
Students: Common Interviewing Mistakes
Entry by Pat Patterson
The âdead fish handshakeâ â Always shake your interviewerâs hand firmly and confidently (just make sure you donât over do it).Â
The âpoker faceâ â When you answer questions, do so with a smile on your face and at least appear as if you are enjoying yourself. A pleasant attitude is contagious, and your interviewer will remember you as a positive person if you are pleasant.Â
Forgetting to breathe â I donât mean literally forgetting to breathe and passing out (I hope no one is that nervous during an interview) â I mean try not to talk too quickly. Take some deep breaths and slow your speech enough to be understood. If you think you may be speaking too quickly, there is a good chance that you are. Practice answering questions with a friend to gauge a good talking speed.Â
âThanks Tom, uhhâŠI …
Employers: Non-traditional Interviewing Approaches
Entry by Pat Patterson – from the January 2011 INTERNnetwork
Non-traditional Interviews
Virtual Interview
With today’s technology, interviews do not necessarily need to be face-to-face. If you are unable to meet with students for interviews or vice versa, conducting an interview via video/audio equipment may be a viable option. Many career services offices have webcams and Skype accounts to accommodate students and employers for virtual interviews. If your organization typically conducts preliminary phone screening interviews, you may even consider a virtual interview as a substitute.
Meal Interview
If you have a client-focused organization that regularly involves interacting with different individuals, including lunch or dinner meetings, consider interviewing students over lunch or dinner. By doing so, you may be able to gauge a student’s social skills and mannerisms in a more relaxed setting. Even if you are not a client-focused organization, conducting interviews over meals may …
Interview Like a S.T.A.R.
Entry by Pat Patterson
From the January 2011 INTERNnetwork:
In internship interviews, employers commonly ask behavioral interview questions that focus on past events in your life and your responses. Since a student will typically not have much work experience, behavioral interview questions are open-ended questions that focus on past performances to assess behavior â in particular, how you may respond to similar situations in the future. âCan you tell me about a goal you accomplished at a previous job?â is an example of a behavioral interview question.
Since behavioral interview questions are open-ended, they can be difficult to answer. Therefore, you need to be prepared. The S.T.A.R. technique for interviewing is a method for thoroughly answering behavioral interview questions. Using the S.T.A.R. technique, you describe your actions in past situations to answer behavioral questions.Â
S.T.A.R. is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result.
Situation â Provide some …
Students: Are You Ready for Career Fairs?
Entry by Nicole Goble, Director of Recruiting and Development in the financial services industry in Zionsville, IN
It is that time of year again; spring, campus career fairs are right around the corner. If you are still in the hunt for a summer internship, making the best of your time at each one is highly important. I have drilled down on research, research, research so it wonât be mentioned (but please do research đ ). Here are a few things to separate you from the sea of students in line at company booths:
1. Go Alone.
It is ok to say hello and shake hands as you meet fellow classmates; however, steer away from going with a friend. This time is about talking with employers and companyâs about what interests you.
2. Dress to Impress.
This is easier said than done from my experience. For …
Employers: Don’t Forget to Register
Donât miss out on your chance to earn six Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) credits at one of three upcoming internship management workshops. Indiana INTERNnet has partnered with Intern Bridge, the nation’s leading college talent consulting and research firm, to deliver the Total Internship Management Roadshow in Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, and Evansville.
The Total Internship Management Workshops will provide national internship best practices to Indiana employers, strengthening the stateâs mission to reduce the âbrain drain.â Based on just-released data from over 100,000 students attending 500+ universities nationwide, the workshops will provide key data and metrics surrounding topics such as supervisor selection, work structure, compensation, working with universities, legal issues and much more.Â
All participants earn six Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) credits and receive a copy of Total Internship Management (a $40 value). To learn more, visit the following location specific web sites:
January 18, 2011: Fort Wayne, IN – …
Employers: Are You Ready?
Entry by Pat Patterson
Career fairs are fast-approaching â are you prepared to market your organization? Regardless of whether you are a large or small organization, career fairs are a great opportunity to recruit new talent:
âThink about all the money AT&T, Coca-Cola, and Ford Motor Company put into national advertising and promotional campaigns,â explains Keever-Watts, president of The Keever Group. âIn the arena of college recruiting, however, any company can be a âbig fishâ on campus.â
She points out that this is due to employers dealing in a much smaller, more confined market. In addition, Keever-Watts adds, the target audienceâwhich is composed of studentsâis buying what the employer is selling.
âTo make things even more favorable, itâs an employersâ market, which means that students are casting a wider net when it comes to finding a job,â she notes. âWhile the economic downturn hurts us …
Employers: Is 2011 the Year?
Entry by Pat Patterson
Is 2011 the year you will hire an intern for your organization? If you have hired an intern in the past, is 2011 the year you will host more than one. If you are still âon the fence,â consider the benefits:
Employer Benefits
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; influence school curriculum; encourage students to stay in their local community; gain short-term talent; increase diversity within your organization; offer management experience to employees working as intern supervisors; provide full-time employees more time to focus on important tasks, remain competitive within your industry; market your company via word of mouth; and begin training potential full-time employees (more …
Students: How Many Hats Can You Wear?
Entry by Pat Patterson
In todayâs workplace, employers are placing more emphasis on an employee’s ability to multi-taskâŠand I donât just mean texting and talking at the same time. A diverse collection of workspace-related skills may increase your likeliness of landing your dream job. According to research from Robert Half International, multi-tasking is a prominent attribute desired for the hottest jobs of 2011:
âThe common thread among the jobs highlighted in our research is that they help businesses improve efficiency and profits, and foster a more positive customer experience,” said Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International. “The most successful job candidates bring multiple skill sets, a track record of success and a strong sense of accountability to their roles.â
Read more.
Knowing this information, at your current or upcoming internship, you may want to ask your supervisor for opportunities that may enhance any …
Employers: Earn 6 HRCI Credits
Entry by Pat Patterson
Indiana INTERNnet is proud to reinforce its three year partnership with Intern Bridge through three Total Internship Management workshops. These workshops will provide national internship best practices to Indiana employers, further strengthening our mission to reduce the stateâs âbrain drain.â
Utilizing interns is the perfect way to conduct recruiting activities by identifying future hires, increasing retention rates, maintaining a pipeline of highly qualified candidates, creating and building relationships with local universities and organizations, and having short-term projects completed by an educated workforce. For the above to be true, organizations must host effective and meaningful programs. How is this done? What are students looking for? What are the expectations of universities? What can organizations do to make their programs the best they can be?
The Total Internship Management Workshop helps you build a win-win internship program within your organization. Based on the most in-depth research ever …