Tag Archives: Indiana

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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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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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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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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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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Entry by Pat Patterson

Before you host your interns this summer, make sure you are prepared – appointing an individual as an intern supervisor will enhance the internship experience for both your organization and your interns. 

An intern supervisor will familiarize interns with your organization, provide assignments and serve as a “go-to” person for questions.  It is best if the intern supervisor is connected with the type of work the intern will perform (e.g., the marketing director supervising a marketing intern) to provide appropriate guidance for the intern’s assignments.

As a general guide, an intern supervisor’s responsibilities will include:

taking part in an intern’s application, screening and interview process; conducting an intern’s orientation; developing an intern’s work plan; periodically meeting with an intern to evaluate performance and if needs/goals are being met; and assessing the internship program’s success.

Are you …

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Entry by Jennifer Weinmann, Student Employment Consultant for the IUPUI Office of Student Employment in Indianapolis, IN

While working at a University, I have the opportunity to learn from both students and staff.  Since many on-campus staff are also student employers, I hear about a variety of things that occur in the workplace.  Because a part-time job or internship can often be the gateway to full-time employment, it is important that a student employee be aware of the way he or she behaves in the workplace. 

For many students, they know that getting a job can be a challenge, but they don’t often think beyond this first step.  Once they have secured a position, they may be at a loss for the next steps to take in their newly found position.

Here are a few things I have determined will make you stand out and show how …

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Entry by Pat Patterson

Aside from the usual interview preparation – researching the organization and opportunity, preparing answers to questions, dressing in appropriate professional attire, etc. – the key to performing your best at your next internship interview is to get enough sleep the night before, so be prepared to catch some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzs………

According to studies discussed in Brain Rules, a book by molecular biologist Dr. John Medina, sleep helps our brains function at peak performance:

To highlight this, Medina refers to a study in which math graduate students were given a problem and told the way to solve it. 

“It was a bonehead solution,” Medina says. “Unbeknownst to students, there was a much more elegant way to solve the math problem.”

The researchers, who wanted to study the effect of sleep on cognition, broke the students into two groups, Group A and Group B. With 12 …

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Indiana INTERNnet announced today the arrival of Janet Boston; she most recently was the director of marketing/director of regional services for the Arts Council of Indianapolis. Boston has a bachelor’s degree in business from Indiana University and an MBA from Butler University.

Boston brings extensive management, communications, marketing, planning and fundraising skills to the executive director position, according to Indiana Chamber President Kevin Brinegar. The Indiana Chamber has managed the Indiana INTERNnet program, which is funded by a grant from Lilly Endowment, since January 2006.

“In particular, we believe Janet’s track record of leadership and relationship-building in the community, non-profit and corporate worlds are ideal for working with the various interests involved in Indiana INTERNNet – be it the students, businesses or universities.”

Indiana INTERNnet was formed in 2001, shortly after a series of studies done in collaboration with the Indiana Chamber, the Indiana Commission of Higher Education and the …

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Entry by Jennifer Weinmann, Student Employment Consultant for the IUPUI Office of Student Employment in Indianapolis, IN

As a Student Employment Consultant, one of the biggest issues I come across is students who are uncomfortable networking.  Whether it’s a part-time position, internship, or full-time position, networking is increasingly the best way to make connections that could land you a position.

If you’re like me, you may not consider yourself an extrovert…and that could mean anxiety at the thought of attending a networking event.  For those who shy away at the thought of meeting and greeting in a room of strangers, I’d like to suggest a “baby step” to a public gathering: LinkedIn.com

Many of you may know of the site.  For those who are not familiar, the main objective of the site is to bring professionals together and provide an online environment for networking.  …

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From the Indiana Chamber

(INDIANAPOLIS) — Indiana INTERNnet, the statewide resource for internship opportunities from the Indiana Chamber, recognized achievements in internships and mentoring today at the 2010 IMPACT Awards Luncheon. The honorees are:

Outstanding Employer of the Year (not-for-profit) – International Center of Indianapolis
Outstanding Employer of the Year (for-profit) – ExactTarget
Career Services Professional of the Year – Jeremy Podany, School of Informatics and Computing at Indiana University – Bloomington
Outstanding Intern of the Year (High School) – Emily Miller, Brownsburg High School
Outstanding Intern of the Year (College) – Fangfang Li, University of Indianapolis
The awards were presented during the annual luncheon event in downtown Indianapolis.

Students who intern at the International Center of Indianapolis (ICI) participate in foreign dignitary visits. They help plan prestigious galas and accompany leaders from around the world to local events. Participants receive assignments …

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