Recent News

It’s the unofficial summer of virtual internships — we’ve been celebrating the successes and sharing the struggles that come with it. This post concludes our summer blog series about virtual internships.

For many of us, the next month will include finishing virtual/hybrid internships and beginning classes in a virtual/hybrid setting. As we make this transition, it will be helpful for us to reflect on the lessons we’ve learned this summer and consider how they could transfer to our classes this fall. Here are a few that come to my mind:

Adaptability is everything

If you had told me (or probably anyone on the planet) a year ago what life would be like this summer, I wouldn’t have believed you. I would have doubted that I’d be able to transition to such a different lifestyle in such a short time. But here we are now, and I’ve recognized a resilience in both …

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During both March and April, 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 and April’s here. With fall internship season fast approaching, Indiana INTERNnet wanted to gauge employers’ feelings toward hiring fall 2020 interns. Also, now that summer internship season is concluding, we wanted to understand Hoosier employers’ experiences with hiring summer 2020 interns.

The survey was distributed to all employers registered on IndianaINTERN.net. In addition, it was shared with employer networks by Indiana colleges/universities and economic development organizations. A total of 121 responses were received.

Of those surveyed, 68% (82 employers) indicated that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, they typically hired fall interns. Five percent (6 employers) indicated that they were unsure if their company typically hired interns.

Forty-one percent (34 employers) of the 82 employers that typically hire fall interns prior to COVID-19 said they …

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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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Believe it or not, we’re already nearing the end of another summer internship season. And though this summer hasn’t been without its challenges, it has still been something to celebrate! Many of us completed our first virtual internships this summer, and many completed their first internships ever! Do you have a summer internship story to share? Are you completing a project you’re especially passionate about or proud of? Then our newest event is for you! Register now for the Indiana Intern Showcase on Wednesday, August 5 from 2-4pm. 

What is the Indiana Intern Showcase?

It’s an opportunity for interns around the state to share their summer internship experiences with the community. Through a virtual presentation, interns will showcase their work to an audience of peers, supervisors, mentors, professors, friends, and even family members!

Each intern will have five minutes to present a slide about their experience, which could include …

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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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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: I am a rising senior at IUPUI. I am majoring in Finance and International Studies and minoring in Economics and Philanthropic Studies. I am currently a project manager and business analyst for the TechPoint S.O.S. (Summer Opportunities for Students) Challenge, where I am working with a team to develop a website to help parents and students with elementary education. ­

My summer, like many students’ around the nation, has not worked out as I expected. For several months I excitedly planned to intern with a corporate funds service in Indianapolis as a loan agent, but everything changed when the pandemic hit. I scrambled to find new opportunities and felt the pressure of needing to build …

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Shoutout to the finance interns who understand portfolio diversification much better than I do! Here, we’re talking about diversifying a different kind of portfolio: your internship portfolio. This is a compilation of the work you’ve completed as an intern for one or several companies. It can be a formal, physical, or digital collection – or, it can be a more informal mental list. Either way, it’s helpful to have more than one type of internship experience to put on your resume and talk about during interviews. So, what are some major classifications of experience to consider?

Type

Whether they planned to or not, many students have recently added a virtual internship to their portfolio. If you’re not one of them, don’t worry! As employers become more comfortable hosting interns virtually, more opportunities will become available. This is a valuable experience to have, especially as work continues to move home. At …

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If you’re anything like me, you’re looking for something to do in from the Indiana heat right now. And what better way to spend a summer day than with a good book? Since many of us are still learning how to work effectively at home, it seems like a good topic for some summer reading. Here are nine suggestions to help you be a better virtual intern (or supervisor!) this summer:

1. Work from Home Superstar: How to Stay Focused and Rock Your Day

We all know that distraction is one of the worst enemies of working from home. This book understands the struggle and offers advice about how to be just as productive at home as in the office.

2. Effective Virtual Conversations: Engaging Digital Dialogue for Better Learning, Relationships and Results

Another real challenge of working remotely is communicating virtually. This book focuses on digital communication and provides …

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Join Indiana INTERNnet and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education in celebrating Indiana’s interns on social media for Indiana Intern Day on July 30, 2020! The occasion is modeled after National Intern Day – a movement to honor interns and the employers that provide meaningful internship opportunities.

Make sure your company or school makes the pledge by filling out the online pledge form. We’ll send you a digital content kit with sample social media posts, graphics and ways to celebrate interns.

Employers, we know that during the time of COVID-19 internships may look a little different. But we believe that it’s more important than ever to highlight the impact of internships. Whether you have a virtual intern, or if you had to take a break from hosting interns, you can still participate. When we send you our digital content kit, we’ll include ways to recognize virtual interns too. If you don’t currently …

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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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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!

Brooke Hazel is a Digital Media Intern at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis this summer – rather, for The Children’s Museum, as Brooke is working at home like many interns in Indiana. Brooke is from Brownsburg and attends Butler University as a member of the class of 2022. With double majors in Strategic Communication and Human Communication & Organizational Leadership and double minors in Spanish and Education, Brooke already learned the value of time management before it became more important than ever this year.

She started her summer internship search early – and it paid off. Not only did she land an internship that aligns well with her career goals, but she also made it through the hiring …

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Here at Indiana INTERNnet, we’re all about experiential learning. Our focus is internships, but we recognize that sometimes students have to get creative and find other opportunities – especially this summer. As some internship programs have been cancelled or changed due to COVID-19, volunteer opportunities have only increased to help communities through this crisis. If your summer internship has been cancelled or shortened, consider spending some of your extra time serving!

Why Volunteer

Recent months have made us all more aware of the needs within our communities – why not help to meet them? Not only will you be making a difference during this historic time, but you’ll also be gaining valuable experience to learn from and add to your resume. Can you say win-win?!

Finding Opportunities

There are so many needs that it can be hard to know where to start. But there are several resources to help you …

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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: I am a rising junior at Indiana University – Bloomington (Class of 2022). I am majoring in Finance and Accounting with minors in Economics, Mathematics, and Spanish. I am currently an Investment Analyst Intern at Valeo Financial Advisors in Indianapolis, where I conduct research to support our advisors on the investments portion of their comprehensive financial planning service for their clients.

Last Thursday, I got out of my car and headed up the stairs to the third floor to start my day with the obligatory waves, head nods, and good-mornings, just like every other day at the office. The only difference was that I hadn’t been to the office in nearly three months. …

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