Tag Archives: internship

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 won’t be mentioned (but please do research 🙂 ).  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 company’s about what interests you.

2. Dress to Impress.
This is easier said than done from my experience.  For …

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Don’t 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 state’s mission to reduce the “brain drain.”  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. 

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 – …

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Entry by Pat Patterson

Career fairs are fast-approaching – 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:

“Think about all the money AT&T, Coca-Cola, and Ford Motor Company put into national advertising and promotional campaigns,” explains Keever-Watts, president of The Keever Group. “In the arena of college recruiting, however, any company can be a ‘big fish’ on campus.”

She points out that this is due to employers dealing in a much smaller, more confined market. In addition, Keever-Watts adds, the target audience—which is composed of students—is buying what the employer is selling.

“To make things even more favorable, it’s an employers’ market, which means that students are casting a wider net when it comes to finding a job,” she notes. “While the economic downturn hurts us …

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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 “on the fence,” 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 …

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Entry by Pat Patterson

As 2010 comes to a close, I just want to thank all our past blog contributors for making our blog a success since its June 2010 launch date!

Thanks to Courtney Sampson who blogged about her marketing and communications internship with the Indiana State Fair.  Read her first blog entry here. 

Thanks to Ashley Cashen, Talent Acquisition and Retention Coordinator with digitalKnowledge, who blogged about digitalKnowledge’s first experience with an intern.  Read her first blog entry here. 

Thanks to Colleen Borgmeier and Andrew Stoelting who blogged about their summer coordinator internships with PACE Community Action Agency.  Read their first blog entry here. 

Thanks to Ali Norman who blogged about her career and technical education internship with the Department of Workforce Development.  Read her first blog entry here.

Thanks to the Wabash College Career Services Staff and Peer Career Advisors who blogged about their weekly activities preparing …

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Entry by Pat Patterson

What is your New Year’s resolution?  If your resolution is to enhance your professional workplace skills (or even if it is not), then I have the perfect web site for you – www.JobSTART101.org:

A free, first-of-its-kind course, JobSTART 101 covers topics ranging from how to communicate and solve problems to how to develop a professional persona that helps drive a career for long-term success. Designed to be engaging and fast-paced, students have the option to complete the entire course in approximately 90 minutes or tackle the six topical modules one at a time, and participate in interactive components, such as videos and workbooks.

“While our nation remains focused on job creation, it’s equally important to ensure that our workforce has the skills and training to succeed in today’s economy,” said William D. Green, chairman and chief executive officer of …

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Entry by Pat Patterson

In today’s workplace, employers are placing more emphasis on an employee’s ability to multi-task…and I don’t 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:

“The 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.”

Read more.

Knowing this information, at your current or upcoming internship, you may want to ask your supervisor for opportunities that may enhance any …

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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 state’s “brain drain.”

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 …

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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 employer’s 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 NACE’s 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 “soft” 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. 

To hone your verbal communication skills, make sure you practice your elevator …

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Entry by Pat Patterson (from the December INTERNnetwork)

Now that you have a need for an intern(s), it is important to advertise your opportunities properly to encourage students to apply. When writing a position description, be sure to include the following key elements:

Organization overview: It is helpful to provide the potential applicant with a brief overview of your organization, along with links to your company web site, blog, social media accounts, etc. Remember, internship postings are a form of advertising and students are searching for organizations that will be a good fit for them. 

Internship title: Be specific (e.g., “marketing intern,” “event planning intern,” “accounting intern”). Giving your internship a detailed title will help the student determine if he/she wants to learn more.

Minimum GPA: Based upon a 4.0 scale, determine the minimum GPA you will accept from applicants (4.0 = A; 3.0 = B; 2.0 …

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Entry by Valerie Petrey, Public Relations & Event Planning Intern, Purdue Liberal Arts Career Development

 1. Stay organized
Keep an agenda or calendar. Write down the days and times of when all of your papers, projects and exams are due. This will serve as a great outline for you to refer to, and will ensure you don’t accidentally mix up times or dates.

2. Don’t pull an all-nighter
If you did number one, you hopefully won’t be pulling all nighters! Know your grades beforehand, and know how well you have to do on the exam or final project to get the grade you want. Be realistic and manage your time wisely. Splitting up study hours will also allow you to rejuvenate yourself.

3. Wrap up final internship projects
It’s not a good idea to try and fit last minute meetings …

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Entry by Nicole Goble, Director of Recruiting and Development in the financial services industry in Zionsville, IN

Each month I have the opportunity to take someone from within our office (staff or financial representative) for breakfast and interview them for the monthly newsletter I write.  It is a neat deal; I ask them 5 pretty simple questions for the newsletter and spend the rest of the time focusing on them, how their business is going and what is new personally.  This week I sat down with a representative that has been with our company for 10 years and has really been a huge benefit to me as a recruiter; therefore, we talked recruiting for a good portion of the breakfast.  He told me a story about a former representative that found his dream job using our sales cycle.  It was so simple but so astounding, how had …

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Entry by Valerie Petrey, Public Relations & Event Planning Intern, Purdue Liberal Arts Career Development

Most of us intern during the summer because it’s less stressful – no classes, club meetings, group projects, etc. However, with the workforce being highly competitive, it’s good to be open to the possibility of interning the semester you plan to graduate.

If you’re a December graduate and have time to spare, interning in the spring is a great idea because not as many people are applying to internships then. If you are graduating in May, like me, you should still consider doing an internship during your last semester. Last semester internships are your final opportunities to show employers what you’ve learned while attending college, and what you can contribute as a full-time employee at their company. Employers are more likely to hire someone they have seen working in action.

Whether you’re graduating this month, …

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Entry by Pat Patterson

If you plan on hiring interns for the summer of 2011, plan to begin recruiting soon if you have not started already.  As a general rule of thumb, employers should begin recruiting for an internship six months in advance of its start date to allow for a large candidate pool.

Collaborating with high schools, colleges, and universities, is one of the best, most common ways to recruit interns. Indiana high schools, colleges, and universities offer many opportunities for intern recruiting on campus. Employers may participate in career/internship fairs, conduct presentations, perform on-campus interviewing and/or get involved with various career services sponsored events.  It may be best to target two to three schools in close proximity with academic programs that match your ideal criteria. 

Employer Presentations
Presenting on campus is a convenient way for students to learn about your organization and its job openings – both …

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Entry by Pat Patterson

From the November INTERNnetwork Intern in Action Spotlight.

Determining your future career is no easy task. While personality assessments can be extremely beneficial, practical experience in different industries and jobs may help narrow your choices even more. Just ask Alissa Fricke, a University of Evansville junior who has learned more about her interests and passions through interning.

As a communication student, Fricke first sought work experience to gain knowledge about various careers and boost her future hirability. “I want to be able to set myself apart when I begin job searching,” she remarks.

Since she has always enjoyed traveling, her first internship was with a local Evansville travel agency, where she worked with social networking and other new media marketing. Not completely sold on the travel industry, Fricke’s next internship was with the University of Evansville athletics department, where she …

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