Tag Archives: Lauren Burdick
Baldwin & Lyonsâ intern uses his interests to find career fit
Mike Starr, actuarial services intern at Baldwin & Lyons, Inc., is not your average intern. Starr earned his master’s degree in student affairs and spent time in the professional world before an internship sparked a career change.
While Mike Starr did not always know what he wanted to do as a career, he always knew what he liked.
The actuarial services intern at Baldwin & Lyons, Inc. in Carmel realized early on that he liked math and science as well as a team environment. Blending those interests, however, proved more difficult before his current internship.
As a physics major at The Ohio State University, Starr assumed that medical school was in his future. When those plans fell through, Starr went back to the drawing board.
âWhile I was in school, I was extremely involved in different campus activities, so thatâs when I became aware of student affairs as a …
Use emails as a valuable internship search tool
Many job and internship searches today begin at a computer. Whether it is following up with a recruiter from a career fair or sending a blind email after seeing a posting on a job board, chances are youâll send your resume and cover letter via email.
Great Resumes Fast recently compiled a list of errors people make when sending their application information online. Be sure to avoid these costly mistakes to keep your email out of the trash folder.
Donât get attached: While it makes sense to attach both your resume and cover letter to an email, itâs likely that the recruiter will ignore your cover letter entirely. Theyâll opt to view your resume only. Instead, copy and paste it to the body of your email below your message, where itâs much more accessible. Keep it short and sweet: Recruitersâ time is precious. Donât waste it on unnecessary details. Include …
Don’t let experience keep you from a job
Nothing should stop you from going after your dream internship or job.
That being said, professional experience does not always match job requirements, especially for new graduates. Even if you have little to no relevant experience or are applying for your first internship, you can make your resume stand out to potential employers. The Muse offers these tips to impress when looking for a position in a brand new industry:
Focus on transferable skills: Let your past jobs and academic work speak for themselves. Skills like communication and collaboration are universal, and should be a focal point of your resume. If you are proficient in certain types of software, this is the place to tell employers. Once they know your capabilities, they can integrate them into the position to build on your strengths. Donât disregard the classroom: Long-term projects and academic work are particularly important resume points for new …
Last call for IMPACT Awards nominations
Each year, Indiana INTERNnet aims to celebrate the interns, employers and career development professionals that make internships exceptional at the IMPACT Awards.
Nominations for the 2014 IMPACT Awards are due on Oct. 24 by 5 p.m. EST, and time is running out to nominate your colleagues! The Feb. 4, 2015 IMPACT Awards luncheon will honor three interns of the year (high school, college and non-traditional), two employers of the year (for-profit and nonprofit) and one career development professional of the year.
To fill out our online nomination form, visit http://bit.ly/1qGHeIh and tell us how your nominee made the internship experience valuable for all those involved. Help us celebrate the benefits of internships by filling out a nomination form today!
Keep distractions to a minimum when working remotely
Remote internships are gaining popularity with each season. These are even more prevalent during the academic year, when remote interns can work on their own time in between classes. While there are many benefits to working from home, the temptations are obvious. With Netflix and friends beckoning, it is important to keep focused and productive when youâve set aside time strictly for work.
Establish a routine: Just like you have a classroom and office routine, you should employ the same practices when working from home. Start your day by checking your email or another small task to set the stage for an efficient few hours of work.
Find your own âofficeâ: If you know you wonât be able to get any productive work done lying in your bed, establish an âofficeâ elsewhere. Whether itâs your dining room or even a coffee shop, have a set space for work that is …
Don’t forget to say thank you
Small details make a big difference.
If there is one place this holds especially true itâs during a job or internship search. Landing an interview may seem like half the battle, but your job as a potential hire is far from over once you leave the office. A recent Forbes article (onforb.es/1nMGfpt) provides tips for a thoughtful follow-up that will separate you from other job candidates.
Thank everyone who interviewed you individually. Be sure to make each follow-up original, as they may share them with each other. The initial thank you should be handwritten, though any additional questions can be sent via email. Pay close attention and take good notes during the interview, as these will come in handy when writing your follow-up. Talk about anecdotes or conversations from the interview. Not only does this show that you paid attention, but it can be a subtle way to remind them …
Talk up studying abroad in your next interview
The summer after my sophomore year, I interned and studied in Londonâan opportunity that left me academic and life skills I take with me each day. During my time in London, I worked for a corporate public relations firm. The internship gave me obvious work experience, but studying abroad offers so much more. Brazen Careeristâs recent blog (bit.ly/1rLjusY) shows how to convey the benefits of time overseas to future employers during an interview.
Talk up your communication skills: Even if you studied in an English-speaking country, travel abroad exposes you to people from all walks of life. Chances are you honed in on valuable communication skills that go far beyond polite conversation. Communication is indispensible in nearly every field, so bringing up what you learned during an interview signals that you could handle even the most difficult client.
Budget, budget, budget: Between tricky conversions and strange currency, handling your finances abroad …
Internship experiences emphasize soft skills
The busiest time for interns often comes as they near the end of their internships. With projects to finish, resumes to update and thank you notes to write, most begin to look toward the school year or full-time job search that looms ahead.
Your updated resume may be full of great quantitative gains from your internship, but it is important to remember the soft skills you learned on the job so you can discuss them in your next interview.
Many new graduates and interns struggle with soft skills, according to this Forbes article. Chances are you developed many of these during your internship, but articulating soft skills can be difficult. You may know that you are an effective communicator and team player, but emphasize this during an interview by recalling a project that required group collaboration. Communication skills are vital in any industry, and using an example from your internship …
Advancing our workforce through internships
âAlign,â âengageâ and âadvanceâ turned out to be more than just political buzzwords on Tuesday.
I had the opportunity to attend Align, Engage, Advance: Transforming Indianaâs Workforce cohosted by the Center for Education and Career Innovation and Education Workforce Innovation Network. The conference presented the Indiana Career Councilâs strategic plan, and opened my eyes to the challenges Indiana faces with employment. It also reassured me the Indiana INTERNnet will play a significant role in helping provide paths for career success in Indiana.
The biggest lesson I took away from the day is that experiential learning is a driving force in the efforts to elevate Indianaâs workforce.
Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann said that she and the rest of the Indiana Career Council hope 60% of Indianaâs workforce will have postsecondary credentials by 2025. This includes industry-recognized certifications, apprenticeships and certificates, among others. Internships provide hands-on, real-world context to classroom studies and …
The easiest (and best) ways to stand out
Organizations, large and small alike, are frequently spread thin. Especially as an intern, it can even be tempting to fly under the radar. Come in, do your assigned tasks and make as few ripples as possible before the end of the day.
Getting noticed for the right reasons, however, can dramatically improve your career trajectory. As Brazen Careerist explains, small actions elicit big rewards.
One of the easiest ways to draw all the right kinds of attention is to start each day on time. Very few people (Iâd argue no sane people) enjoy waking up before the sun to head to a job, no matter how fulfilling their careers are. That being said, arriving on time shows dedication and boosts your efficiencyâmake an effort to be prompt.
The minor details that send impressive messages donât stop with your morning routine. Make eye contact with your boss and other coworkers; it …
Making the most of Millennials
Generation Y âMillennialsâ may receive some criticism from the media and employers, but many possess skills that can increase the depth of an organization. Every generation has its quirks, and Gen-Y is no different. If employers know how to best work with them and utilize their burgeoning talents, however, Millennials can add great value to the office.
As the first generation to grow up with computers, cell phones and tablets at the ready, Millennials are primed to augment an organizationâs technological skills. They can be the go-to candidates for starting a new social media platform or finding new technology resources to help your organization get ahead.
In addition to bringing new technology to the tools in your organizationâs arsenal, Gen-Y interns and employees bring increased social awareness to the table. Todayâs twenty-something employee is attracted to socially-conscious organizations and can help develop office volunteering plans. Beyond making an impact at …
The 3 R’s of motivation
By now, the shine has worn off of many summer internships. The first week butterflies are gone, and the faces in the office are more familiar than fresh. As the days grow longer and warmer, it is prime time for motivation to wane. However, there are some easy ways to keep enthusiasm and productivity high when dragging yourself out of bed and into the office seems like a chore.
Review your goals: Chances are, you came into your internship with a list of skills you wanted to improve or tasks you wanted to accomplish. Assess how many of those goals youâve reached and what you still need to do to finish the others. This will give you a sense of accomplishment in what youâve done so far while inspiring you to reach for your remaining goals. Mid-internship reviews with your supervisor and mentor can also be a good time to …
Answering the hardest question
Interviews are notoriously stressful. From your resume to your clothes and posture, it is no wonder interviewees often get little sleep before the big day. Augmenting this stress is the fact that one of the hardest questions always comes at the end.
âWhat questions do you have for us?â
Every job candidate expects it, but it still presents a challenge, especially if the recruiter already covered some of the ones you had prepared. While saying that all of your questions have been answered is clearly not the right response, many find it difficult to think on their feet. Luckily, there are some tried and true themes that can help guide your questions and show the recruiter that you want to know more about the position and organization.
Any place where you spend the majority of your days should share your values, so it helps to ask the recruiter what values …
Working in the “social generation”
âSocialâ often describes millennial interns. Plenty of studies and begrudging comments from adults note that Gen-Y can hardly take a step without tweeting about it. Rather than being born into the social media era, we grew up with it, and are therefore more likely to embrace new platforms of telling people what we are doing and with whom.
For young interns, âsocialâ must take on a second meaning in the workplace. Clearly, it is important to be friendly with coworkers, but our social media presence must evolve as well. A recent article from Careerealism (http://bit.ly/1p78WQa) boldly claims that while social media cannot replace your resume, it is an additional virtual component that employers look at.
Toward this end, make sure your Twitter account is professional. While it may be fun to livetweet the latest episode of âThe Bacheloretteâ (guilty), use your professional twitter to engage in conversations about your field …
Summertime brings new Indiana INTERNnet intern
As we begin to finally thaw out from what seemed like the longest and coldest winter, signs of spring and summer are everywhere. The trees are green, the air is fresh and the pollen count is high.
With these new beginnings comes a new season of summer interns, including myself. Now that my first days as Indiana INTERNnetâs Marketing and Special Events Intern is under my belt, I am ready for the learning experiences that await me this summer.
Having just finished my junior year at Indiana University in Bloomington, I am excited to return home to Indianapolis for the summer to continue the learning process. My previous internships in marketing and public relations at home in Indianapolis and abroad in London helped greatly strengthen my workplace experience, and I know those experiences will only grow during …