Tag Archives: Internship Search
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. Â
Hopefully, youâve found this blog to be informative and gained a better understanding of why internships are beneficial. Iâve tried to give tips and tricks relating to interviews, resumes, and the latest-and-greatest Indiana INTERNnet website technology. The Freddie Factor or âFF,â as it is referred to in the âfactor fan circles,â was also helpful to meâŠyes, 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 Iâd recap my internship experience.
During my internship at Indiana INTERNnet, one of my assignments was …
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 …
Costs, Benefits of Virtual Internships
Chances are, youâve heard about virtual internshipsâbut have any of you actually been a virtual intern? (Iâm 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 Iâve had friends with great virtual internship stories to share, so I thought Iâd do a little research and explain to you what Iâve learned.
Both The Wall Street Journal and USA Today recently covered the increasing popularity of virtual internshipsâspecifically 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 internshipsâvirtual or in-personâis 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 …
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 …
The Freddie Factor: Tales from one of Indiana INTERNnet’s own
An internship, as defined by Websterâs Dictionary, is âa student or recent graduate who works for a period of time at a job in order to gain experience.â The goal of Indiana INTERNnet is to be an internship-matching program linking employers, students, high schools, colleges and universities. It worksâwell, it did for me!
Hereâs 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 collegeâs career services offerings, I …
New blog, website, and staff members!
You may have noticed a few changes taking place here at Indiana INTERNnet, and weâd like to take a moment to share them with you.
In the past two weeks, weâve welcomed Courtney Sampson, our new program coordinator, and Fredrick Starks, our summer intern. Part of Courtneyâs role is to manage Indiana INTERNnetâs social media presence, so in the coming months, youâll see exciting changes and more activity within the social media spaceâespecially this blog!
If weâre not yet connected, please take a moment to follow us:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/IndianaINTERNnet
Twitter: @IndianaINTERN
LinkedIn Group: Search Indiana INTERNnetÂ
Weâve 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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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 …
Students: What Employers Want
Entry by Pat Patterson
Before an internship or job interview, it is important to learn as much as you can about the particular opportunity and organization. The more you know about an opportunity and organization, the more you can understand an employerâs needs, and how you may address such needs if hired. However, in general, employers will look for certain skills/qualities in potential hires. According to NACEâs Job Outlook 2011 survey, employers listed verbal communication skills as the top quality they look for:
Survey respondents indicate that verbal communication skills topped the list of âsoftâ skills they seek in new college graduates looking to join their organizations, followed by strong work ethic, teamwork skills, analytical skills, and initiative.
Employers Rank Top 5 Candidate Skills/Qualities
Verbal Communication Skills Strong Work Ethic Teamwork Skills Analytical Skills Initiative
Read more.Â
To hone your verbal communication skills, make sure you practice your elevator …
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 …
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 …
Landing an Internship in a Tough Economy
Entry by Courtney Sampson, Marketing and Communications Intern, Indiana State Fair
No matter what the economists say, weâve got to face it. Times are still tough for Americans, and many companies simply arenât hiring full-time employees. With that said, I feel pretty lucky to be a Hoosier; many of my friends who live in other states have had a difficult time finding minimum-wage jobs, and they have college degrees!
Iâve had plenty of phone and face-to-face conversations with friends about âlife after college.â What are the options if you donât have a full-time job after graduation? Well, if youâre a fan of waking up early, you could head down to the local Starbucks and see if theyâre hiring any baristas. For night owls, perhaps thereâs a local 24-hour diner or even the corner pub!
But if youâre trying to enter the âprofessional world,â maybe Starbucks isnât your best betâŠor maybe …
Goinâ Hog Wild for the Great Indiana State Fair
Entry by Courtney Sampson, Marketing and Communications Intern, Indiana State Fair
Iâd like to consider myself a âresearch queen.â Really, I love reading and surfing the Internet; this trait bodes well for me when researching potential internships or future jobs. When I stumbled across the Publicity/Media Relations internship for the Indiana State Fair, I learned that it is the âYear of Pigs.â Iâm a Hoosier gal, so the idea of celebrating pork didnât faze me much. After all, Indiana pork production contributes $3 billion to Indianaâs economy annually! See â told you I like research. Needless to say, my first day on the job really brought the âYear of Pigsâ to lifeâŠso-to-speak.
One of my responsibilities is to assist Andy Klotz, Director of Publicity & Media Relations for the State Fair, escorting the media to various events at the fairgrounds. My first day coincided with the Indiana …
Students: Internships Serve As Catalysts
Entry by Pat Patterson, Chief Blogger
Welcome to Indiana INTERNnation, a blog dedicated to decreasing the “brain drain” in Indiana!
As Indiana INTERNnet launches its blog, I feel that there are still some students who are unaware of the value of internships or who may be unsure where to find one. That being said, perhaps highlighting the importance of internships and describing how to acquire one through IndianaINTERN.net is an appropriate starting point for our blog.
To help all students with their internship apprehension and search, I provided a list of frequently asked questions with answers to such concerns in our February INTERNnetwork e-newsletter. The article is reprinted below. To subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter, click the link at the bottom of the page: https://www.workandlearnindiana.com/newsletters.asp. Please feel free to add any comments or questions.
1. Why are internships important?
As a student, it is easy to become preoccupied with …