Category Archives: Internship

So, you landed your first internship this summer, congrats!

Internships are a great way to network and get your foot in the door in the world of the corporate job market, but were you aware of the things you should be doing now? You may be thinking to yourself, “I just started, what could I possibly need to do?” Well, I am here to tell you that by starting now, you set yourself up to have a plethora of key takeaways at the end of your internship experience.

First things first, keep track of your projects! Big or small, doesn’t matter, what matters is having enough pieces to fill your portfolio and resume with, so that future employers can get the best idea for how your skills would fit with their team. The best advice I can give is to start healthy/helpful habits now. Create weekly lists of specific tasks you …

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In this new era of virtual jobs and remote learning, it’s crucial to find new ways to stay focused. I speak from experience when I say that having a hybrid internship comes with tons of perks, like wearing sweatpants or spending the day with your pet, but it’s key to stay on top of your work. The comfort of home quickly can distract you from your weekly tasks, but we’re sharing a few pointers that will help you to keep your momentum while working from home.

Have a dedicated workspace
This may seem arbitrary to some, but the truth is, where you do your work matters. An article by the American College of Healthcare Sciences indicates that if you do most of your work in bed, you will have trouble sleeping at night. Our bodies are trained to associate sleep with our beds. When you begin using your bed …

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Indiana INTERNnet celebrated internship excellence on February 23, 2021 at the virtual 15th Annual IMPACT Awards Celebration. While the event may be over, it’s still important to recognize the successes of our nominees! Did you miss the program? Watch it here.

Indiana INTERNnet: Congratulations on winning College Intern of the Year! To start off, what school do you attend, and when do you plan on graduating?

Mason Gordon: Currently, I’m a student at the National University of Ireland, Galway, and I’m pursuing a master’s degree in rural futures planning and innovation. I’ll be graduating from there in May, it’s a one-year master’s degree program.

I’m there on a Mitchell Scholarship, which sends 12 U.S. students each year to Ireland to pursue a year of graduate studies. To my knowledge, I’m the first person in Indiana to win that.

Before this, I was a student at Purdue University, and …

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Over the spring and summer, Indiana INTERNnet  surveyed employers to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their summer 2020 internships. You may view March’s executive summary here, April’s here and July’s here. As we end 2020, Indiana INTERNnet wanted to better understand employers’ plans to host interns in 2021. 

Indiana INTERNnet distributed the survey to all registered employers on its web site. Also, Indiana colleges/universities and economic development organizations shared it with their employer networks. A total of 154 responses were received from November 4 to November 18. 

Of those surveyed, 56% (86 employers) indicated that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, they typically hired spring interns. Nine percent (14 employers) indicated that they were unsure if their company typically hired interns.  

With their current knowledge of events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, 64% (64 employers) of the 100 employers who either typically hire spring interns or were unsure, said they still plan on hiring spring interns. Of that 64% who still plan on hiring, 34 employers said they still plan on hiring interns without changes to plans. Thirty employers said they plan on hiring spring 2021 interns, but with changes to plans. 

…

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In order to combat the spread of COVID-19, many Indiana colleges and universities moved to eliminating fall and spring breaks while extending winter breaks. While a longer break can provide a much-needed period of relaxation for students, it also can be the perfect time to explore micro-internships.

Micro-internships are short-term, project-based experiences that provide individuals opportunities to increase their skills, explore new career paths and build their networks. They’re an excellent opportunity for employers to hire students specifically for the purpose of completing a singular project. It’s important to note, however, that micro-internships are not eligible for the EARN Indiana program.

Unlike traditional internships, micro-internships take place over a range of hours as opposed to a set timeframe. They typically last from 10 to 80 hours of work with most projects due within a week to a month after assignment. Their short timeframes make micro-internships a great fit for this …

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Don’t underestimate the value of high school internships. We’re shining a light on these valuable experiences by telling the stories of students around the state. Be on the lookout for additional blog posts about high school internships.

Author Bio: My name is Nick Wilson and I am a 2020 Center Grove High School graduate from Greenwood, Indiana. I plan on studying civil engineering next year at Purdue University. I am the Development Intern at The Garrett Companies this summer.

Earlier this year, I knew I would have to find a job to fill my time for this summer. Not only that, but I needed to begin saving money for my time away from home in the near future. Instinctively, I decided that looking into a job that relates to what I want to do would be much more beneficial to my future than flipping patties at a burger joint. It would …

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Collin Roach is completing his first internship this summer at Artisan Electronics. He is a rising senior at Indiana State University (ISU), where he studies Electronics Engineering Technology and Automotive Technology, making him the perfect fit for the engineering intern position at Artisan this summer. In his role, he has gained not only vast experience in the technology field, but also a cherished sense of community with the team at Artisan.

Artisan made its first impression on Collin when he went to the company’s website and read its core values: “We value people, innovation and technology.” This stuck with him as he explored the work Artisan does. When he received an email from Indiana INTERNnet about the company’s summer internships, it was a no-brainer – Collin applied and accepted a position for the summer.

Although Collin says his coursework at ISU prepared him well for both the practical tasks …

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It’s the unofficial summer of virtual internships — we’re celebrating the successes and sharing the struggles that come with it. Be on the lookout for a blog post about virtual internships every Friday!

Author Bio: Joy Burton is the marketing and public relations intern at Artisan Electronics, Inc. She is a recent journalism/public relations graduate from Indiana University Bloomington in the Class of 2020. Joy will be a first-year Master’s student at Syracuse University this fall.

I was plagued with uncertainty applying for a summer internship in the midst of a pandemic. As a public relations and advertising student, I’m accustomed to the internship hiring process taking place between March and April. This year by the middle of March, many internships were off the table. When I found Artisan Electronics, the number of interviews I’d already participated in reached the double digits, and many programs had cancelled their …

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Don’t underestimate the value of high school internships. We’re shining a light on these valuable experiences by telling the stories of students around the state. Be on the lookout for additional blog posts about high school internships.

For many students, the summer between high school and college feels like a time of waiting and anticipation, but for Archit Malik, it’s a time of doing and learning. He’s working as a legal intern at The Garrett Companies this summer, where he’s gaining experience in real estate development before starting his freshman year at IUPUI next month.

Born in India, Archit moved to the United States when he was five years old and has lived in five different cities around the nation since then. Perhaps this resilience is what helped give him the confidence to jump into an opportunity at The Garrett Companies this year. He was connected to the company through its …

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Don’t underestimate the value of high school internships. We’re shining a light on these valuable experiences by telling the stories of students around the state. Be on the lookout for additional blog posts about high school internships.

Dear high school student,

If you’re wondering if you should pursue an internship, the answer is yes.

Maybe you don’t know where it will take place, because it’s nothing more than an idea right now. No problem! The process of finding an internship may teach you just as much as the experience itself. It may feel daunting to search for an opportunity as a high school student, but you’ll find that there are more offerings than you’d expect. Your school, community and Indiana INTERNnet want to help prepare you for the workforce; internships are one of the best ways to do so.

Even an unpaid position likely will benefit you financially over the next few …

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Whether you’ve hosted interns for years or weeks, chances are you’re still not a mind-reader. You care about making this internship the best possible experience for everyone involved, but your intern may not know how to communicate their goals to you just yet. To make things easier, here’s a list of ten things your intern probably wishes you knew:

1. I’m here to work

If I wanted to be paid to do nothing, I would get a job as a house sitter. I’m here to gain experience in my field of interest, and I’d rather be busy than bored.

2. That said, I know my limits

And you probably do, too. I don’t expect every task you assign me to be incredibly important or challenging, because I understand there are some things I’m just not qualified to do. I’ll learn from the small things, too.

3. I’m always observing

Because …

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I’m so excited to announce that I am back on the Indiana INTERNnet team for the summer! If you remember my name, you know I was an intern last year through the summer and fall semesters. I am now back as the interim program assistant. It’s good to be back.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many internships around the state. Despite the challenges, employers throughout Indiana aren’t letting this stop professional development. Instead, they’re providing virtual opportunities as they strive to prepare the state’s future workforce.

Indiana INTERNet and other Indiana organizations are offering free events to enjoy from the comfort of your own home while learning from career professionals in a wide range of areas. Young professionals can use these opportunities to understand and develop new skills by understanding personal branding, learning how to utilize LinkedIn and much more.

While these experiences may be different than what many are …

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It’s the unofficial summer of virtual internships — we’re celebrating the successes and sharing the struggles that come with it. Be on the lookout for a blog post about virtual internships every Friday!

As I mentioned in my introductory post, Indiana INTERNnet is the fifth place I’ve been an intern. But it’s the first place I’ve been a fully virtual intern, which makes it a unique experience for me. I know I’m in good company, though – many of you have just started your first virtual summer internship too. So, now seems like a good time to reflect on the first week or two of telecommuting and let you know you’re not the only one who’s had some of these thoughts recently:

1. I miss company Keurigs. Remember the drawers full of fun K-Cup flavors we didn’t have to pay for? Well, I certainly do.

2. So much for the …

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Dear Indiana INTERNnet,

The opportunity to intern with this company has been a delightful learning experience. Throughout the semester, I’ve learned and grown in many ways.

Most notably, I had the opportunity to plan and execute an Instagram-based social media campaign. The goal of the campaign was to create engaging content for students on our Instagram. I wrote out a full plan, created graphics, and produced videos through Tik-Tok for the platform. The result was an increase in followers and student engagement on our account!

Mike, our executive director, gave me full creative freedom to do this project.  Thank you for being a fearless leader during these uncertain times.

Allison, you were super welcoming from the beginning. You’ve been my go-to whenever I needed guidance or a question answered. I’ll miss our chats about Beyoncè, sociology, and Ball State.

Caitlyn, I’ve learned so …

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With the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, Indiana INTERNnet wanted to get a clear idea of Indiana employers’ initial reactions to hosting summer 2020 interns. Who received the survey? All employers registered on IndianaINTERN.net. In addition, it was shared to employer networks by Indiana colleges/universities and economic development organizations. A total of 224 responses were received.

Of those surveyed, 93% (208 employers) indicated that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, they were planning on hiring interns for summer 2020.

The majority of respondents 66% (138 employers) said they were planning on hiring between one to three interns before the pandemic.

With their current knowledge of events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, 72% (161 employers) said they still plan on hiring interns. Of that 72%, 74 employers said they still plan on hiring interns with no changes to plans. Eighty-seven employers said they plan on hiring summer 2020 interns, but with changes …

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