Blog Archives
New Year’s Resolutions to Make for Your Career
We’re in the midst of January, but you can still make New Year’s resolutions! Plenty of people want to lose weight, manage their money better, or learn a new hobby. But have you made New Year’s resolutions for your career? Just as you have yearly goals that guide your everyday life, you should make goals for your career. Your goal can be short- or long-term, just don’t let your professional life come to a standstill! Unsure of what resolutions to make? Here are some ideas.
Make one new professional contact per month.
One of the best resources you can give yourself is a network of professional connections. Reach out to professionals on LinkedIn, or just make an effort to get to know people! Whether you’re working in an office or in retail, there’s always opportunities available. In an office setting, you often have access to a network of contacts without …
Indiana INTERNnet Team: What We’re Thankful For
Now is the time when we start thinking about what we’re thankful for, and why. In this post, the Indiana INTERNnet team reflects on what we’re thankful for in our careers.
Allison Kuehr
I am thankful for my fantastic coworkers. I’m fortunate to enjoy what I do, but I’m even more fortunate to love the people I work with. During my time with Indiana INTERNnet, I’ve made some great friends and mentors. They’re always there to celebrate achievements and birthdays, share a laugh or dish some advice. As I’m still in the beginning stages of my career journey, it’s nice to have an amazing in-office support system guiding me and cheering me on along the way.
Caitlyn Beck
I’m so thankful for my amazing job and my colleagues. I’ve heard so many horror stories of how people dislike their first job out of …
How to Fight Burnout
The weather outside seems to be consistently cold, and not in a cute, Instagram-worthy seasonal kind of way. There’s been rain, and lots of gray skies. If you’re a student, you’re in the midst of a heavy workload. If you’re working, daylight hours are decreasing, and you’re probably waking up when it’s dark, and heading home when it’s nearing sunset. Everyone is likely feeling the effects of burnout, a state of physical or mental exhaustion after prolonged exposure to similar stressors. Here’s how to fight it.
Take breaks throughout your day.
Personally, I know that I’ve always tried not to take breaks, both when I was in college and now. I worried that they would distract me and ruin my productivity. It felt like a sign of weakness. This is the wrong perception of breaks.
Taking brief breaks is proven to help with your focus during prolonged work and fight …
The Job Search and Dating: More Similar Than You’d Think
After I graduated, I was still in the midst of my job search for an “adult” job/career. So I continued at my internship and working retail, searching for that coveted full-time position. At the same time, I navigated the dating world, trying both online dating sites and various events to meet people.
I noticed uncomfortable similarities between dating and my job search. Here are the two biggest lessons I learned.
Both parties won’t immediately reveal their true intentions.
Most of the time, on that first or second date, you won’t be completely honest with each other. You won’t say that you’re hung up on your ex, and you’re trying to date to forget them. Your date won’t say that they’re just lonely because they’re living by themselves, and have no intention of talking to you after this date because they have commitment issues. But you both feign interest, and warily …
Keep in Touch: A Guide to Following Up
You faced your fears and attended a networking event – perhaps it was one of Indiana INTERNnet’s summer engagement events – and made a great connection. You feel as though you navigated the conversation successfully, kept your stories relevant, and bonded with the person. You even went so far as to remember to ask for their card, so you have all the information necessary to follow up with them. How do you go about doing it?
Following up with someone, whether it is a stranger you met at a conference or a past supervisor you had for an internship, does not have to feel awkward. It can seem daunting to put yourself out on a limb and reach out to someone that you don’t know well or that you haven’t spoken to lately. The main thing that will help in either of those situations is to be confident in what …
Takeaways From Intern Day at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
Interns and supervisors from around Indianapolis came together on May 31 for Intern Day at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. This event was the first of five summer intern engagement events hosted by Indiana INTERNnet in partnership with local organizations.
The event kicked off with a networking game, designed to get interns mingling. The objective? Get to know two new people from outside of each one’s organization and be entered to win tickets to the museum’s exclusive collections tour. Afterwards, the attendees filed into the Lilly Theater for the event’s career development program, presented by Samantha Martin, assistant director of the Career Services Center at Ball State University.
Martin emphasized the power of storytelling, an uncommon notion in most professional development talks. She understands that networking is not easy, and often young professionals are not sure how to approach situations where they’re asked the dreaded, “Tell me about yourself.” That …
Intern Queen’s Tips for Graduation and Career Success
Lauren Berger, CEO and founder of InternQueen.com, is a highly sought after career and internship expert. She has published two books, “Welcome to the Real World” and “All Work, No Pay.” Earlier this month, Berger shared advice in a webinar about graduation and career success for recent and upcoming graduates. For more post-college and career advice, visit laurenbergerinc.com.
Preparing for graduation
If you don’t have a job lined up, calm down! The hiring process differs among industries, so your offer may come later than your roommate. You should set a three-month deadline to have a job after graduation. A deadline will help you stay on track to obtaining your goal.
Make sure you’re passing your classes and all of your credits are obtained. There are plenty of students who were forced to delay their graduation due to failed classes or a missed credit. If you’re participating in the graduation …
Office Life in Five Gifs from ‘The Office’
Completing projects at your internship is one thing, but adapting to office life is a whole different story. It may seem like such a tiny detail in the bigger picture of your internship, but the small skills you learn through working in an office like communication, teamwork and time management will help you in your future career. Here are some tips and gifs from The Office to get you excited about living the office life!
There will be days that feel longer than others
Sitting at a desk for four to eight hours per day is a lot different than sitting in hour and a half lectures throughout the week. Some days will fly by, while others will drag on for a what feels like an eternity. If you find yourself getting distracted or burnt out, get up from your desk for few minutes. Taking a short break from …
High School Internships & How To Get Involved
1. If you are a high school student, take time during every week of school to meet with your teachers, discuss topics that excite you, learn a new hobby and make new friends. Audition for the school play or try out for the soccer team. These experiences will stick with you throughout college.
2. Talk to your guidance counselor about how you can shape your future classes into a schedule that suits you and your career goals. There is nothing more important than learning to articulate your passions with the leaders who can help you get on the right path. You’d be surprised when you find that the classes you took in high school directly correlate with your major in college and even after graduation!
3. Ask teachers about internships and work-and-learn initiatives at your school. If your school doesn’t have an internship program, encourage your guidance …
Local Interns Receive Royal Treatment from the Intern Queen
Lauren Berger is changing the game when it comes to connecting and engaging young professionals with career development and internship opportunities across the country. She is not only the CEO and founder of her multi-faceted brand, Intern Queen, but is also a national best-selling author, public speaker, and “arguably the most in-demand career and internship expert.” She also has a new self-titled site, LaurenBergerInc.com, where you can find anything from career tips, entrepreneurial training and even fashion advice.
Back in 2009, Berger realized there was a great need for a more personalized way to connect students with internship opportunities so they could have a better chance of landing their dream job and creating a fulfilling professional life for themselves.
For these reasons, it’s clear why the Indiana INTERNnet team was thrilled to host a question and answer session here at the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. We invited local interns from …
The Reality of the Post-Graduation Job Search
When I first graduated from IUPUI, I thought finding a job would be a breeze. I graduated with high distinction, completed two internships and held a part-time customer service job through college. In class, I was told that the public relations industry was growing rapidly. I thought I would walk across the stage at commencement with a diploma in one hand and a new career on the horizon.
Well, life doesn’t always work out perfectly because the next thing I knew it was September, and I was still unemployed.
Just when I was feeling discouraged, my luck had turned around. First, Karissa Bash, Programs Assistant for Indiana INTERNnet, asked if I would write a guest blog post. I had multiple classes with Karissa at IUPUI, so I was happy to help her out.
After she heard I was still looking for a full-time position, she recommended that I apply to …
Job-Ready Prep for College Students
Whether you are a bright-eyed freshman or a senior counting down the days until graduation, it’s never too late to learn the best techniques to prepare for the real world. And by real world, I mean the world outside of your dorms, where meal points disappear and your class schedule turns into a full-time work schedule.
When it’s time to transition from campus to career, students should understand that although a college degree can boost your earning potential and improve your resume, it is only a small part of the employment equation. Hiring managers look for applicants who not only have the skills necessary for the job, but also whether the applicant would be a good fit in their company culture. They look for professionalism, confidence, self-motivation and willingness to accept challenges. Many of these qualities aren’t a pre-requisite for your diploma, but are learned through practice and experience. Internships, …
Sarah Post: Making an IMPACT
Indiana INTERNnet celebrated internship excellence on Feb. 3, 2016, at the 10th Annual IMPACT Awards luncheon. Though the event is over and the winners have been announced, we are continuing to celebrate the nominees’ successes.
These are their stories.
Sarah Post will graduate from the IU Kelley School of Business-Indianapolis this May.
Indiana INTERNnet: What are some of the projects you did for the Office of Student Employment?
Sarah Post: I came up with content such as pictures, videos, etc. and posted daily on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. I did this mainly to draw attention to our office and get more students to realize there is an office on campus that will help them find part-time work while they’re in college, and also to advertise all the free services that are available to students, such as resume/cover letter building, job searching, mock interviewing, etc. I really loved …
Intern to Full-Time Employee: What Does it Take?
Internships aren’t just for gaining real-world experience in your desired field. They are more than just programs to receive college credit, too.
Interns have an especially advantageous position within a company that has potential to turn into a full-time offer. It’s best for interns and employers to sit down at the beginning of their experience to discuss some goals they wish to accomplish with each other. If full-time employment is a possibility at the end of the internship, interns can treat their 10-12 weeks as an ongoing interview. Here is some more advice on how you can be remembered as the rock star intern who turned into their next full-time employee.
Be dependable. Employers want to see that you are arriving on time to work, successfully hitting your deadlines, and ready to help out whenever needed. Pay attention to detail and do your work consistently well. Network with your co-workers. …