Tag Archives: Interview

As you know, this time of year brings the chance to transform into someone or something else. To maintain course on the education and career front, however, there are some “spooky” behaviors that do not translate well in the workplace.

You’ve nailed the interview and landed the internship that will be vital to your education and future career. Now, it’s time to avoid turning the opportunity into a horror story. Based on Universal Studios’ classic monsters, these are the kinds of interns you don’t want to be.

The Invisible Man intern: Being present is not enough. While on the job, strive to impress. One way to do this is by not displaying the bad temperament of the H. G. Wells character. Accept assignments with enthusiasm and offer your assistance regularly. Smiling while exchanging greetings with those you encounter in the workplace is also a good idea.

The Frankenstein …

Continue Reading »

The importance of a simple thank you – it may seem nominal, but the more I read about job interview follow ups, the more I understand why it is essential.

There are a lot of people that take time out of their schedules for interviewing purposes: the person that has to filter through the resumes, the person that conducts the phone interviews and the people that conduct the actual interview, and don’t forget the individual that you may have networked with to learn of the open position. The least we can do is say thanks.

Thanking the interview team

The general rule of thumb is to send a thank you note within 24 hours after your interview. The thank you note could be a simple thank you, but it could also be used to reiterate your interest in the company and position, remind the interviewer who you are or mention …

Continue Reading »

Spring has sprung. Finally!

After my battle with the winter weather, I couldn’t be more excited about spring. Besides enjoying the warmth, we all know that spring is a busy time with cleaning and making way for new things by getting rid of the old.

It’s also the time of the season where some college students will be graduating soon or closing in on the last day of their internship. If you’re like me, you are going through both of these. So, there’s no better time than now to start sprucing things up a bit for the job search. You know, spring clean it.

Where to start? What needs to be done? Here are some things we all can do.

____________________________________________________

Tidy up the résumé

Remove all of the unnecessary items. Make sure your résumé fits the position that you are applying for. And remember, …

Continue Reading »

Modesty and Marketability: Can they co-exist?

This is Part II in the five-part Quiet but Mighty blog series exploring ways introverts can remain true to themselves and still experience a satisfying professional life.

Ever find yourself thinking: “I want a good job, but how can I showcase my abilities when I’m not comfortable tooting my own horn?”

You’re not alone. Modesty is a hallmark characteristic of the introvert population and one that is much-admired; however, it is often considered counterproductive in the competitive job market.

One piece of career advice that I struggle with is “selling yourself.” This concept tends to invoke fear in those of us who try to avoid the spotlight.

The simple truth is people don’t like solicitors. Solicitors sensationalize and feign enthusiasm in order to sell a product for the sole purpose of advancing their own self interests. People do, however, like teammates – those …

Continue Reading »

This article is from the Indiana Business Journal titled, “Look Beyond Résumé 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 résumé 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. …

Continue Reading »

A couple weeks ago, I posted ways to develop a good mentality for your internship from my perspective as an intern. This week, I asked a few intern employers what qualities they most desire in an intern. Here’s what they had to say.

“Thirst for knowledge and patience – I want them to be eager to help and seek out projects but also know that it is a balancing act for us to delegate and come up with one-time projects.” — Sarah Waninger, Assistant Controller, Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana, Inc.

“Be an enthusiastic sponge. Ask clarifying questions only after some legwork has been done. Don’t hesitate to ask for more assignments if you don’t have enough to do. Volunteering shows enthusiasm, leadership and interest in the organization and is definitely a plus.” — Kathy Humphrey, Chief Operating Officer, The International Center

“I look for an intern who has the passion to succeed and …

Continue Reading »

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.  …

Continue Reading »

So, it’s now officially August, and if you’re anything like me, you’re looking at your summer reflecting on everything you’ve accomplished.  My full-time internship at Slingshot SEO has definitely been a contributing factor to my fast paced summer–but I honestly don’t mind.  It’s crazy to think that I worked forty hour weeks and actually enjoyed it!

Back in December when I was frantically applying for internships, IndianaINTERN.net helped me find exactly what I was looking for. The countless hours I spent searching for internships, researching companies, submitting my resume and hitting “repeat” on that very process finally paid off when Slingshot SEO offered me an internship. When I received the call from my (current) boss, I was elated! Little did I know how much I would learn in a few short months…
When I applied for the internship at Slingshot SEO, I figured it would be like the “typical …

Continue Reading »

As a college student, you are given a lot of freedom in how you choose to spend your time.  There are classes to attend and homework to finish.  But as you decide how to spend your time, many students have to choose whether or not working fits into their school schedule.  Before deciding whether a part-time job or internship experience is worth your time, consider the following:

The National Center for Education Statistics (Horn & Malizio, 1998) found that students who worked 1–15 hours per week had the lowest risk for enrollment interruption, even when compared with students who did not work.

Retrieved from: http://rer.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/76/1/63

What does this mean?

Working students are more likely to graduate on time vs. those who don’t work.

In a study by Van de Water (1996), student grades tended to improve as students worked more hours per week, up to a total of …

Continue Reading »

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 …

Continue Reading »

Branding, branding, branding. It’s a popular buzzword in the college, internship, and job worlds, but what exactly is it?

Yes, branding can refer to “It’s so easy a caveman can do it”— 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 “brand” can involve many aspects of your life—from 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, …

Continue Reading »

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 …

Continue Reading »

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 …

Continue Reading »

Entry by Pat Patterson

The “dead fish handshake” – Always shake your interviewer’s hand firmly and confidently (just make sure you don’t over do it). 

The “poker face” – 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. 

Forgetting to breathe – I don’t mean literally forgetting to breathe and passing out (I hope no one is that nervous during an interview) – 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. 

“Thanks Tom, uhh…I …

Continue Reading »

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 …

Continue Reading »