Tag Archives: Organization

Organization for Your Peace of Mind

It’s easy to neglect staying organized and planning ahead. The last thing you want to do when you’re busy is take time out of your day to make sure everything is in order. But organization truly helps your life go more smoothly, and investing a little bit of time now will make a big impact later.

Planners are Our Friends

Plan your day, plan your week, plan your life, the future you will thank you. I like the physical act of writing a to-do list and there’s something really satisfying about checking off tasks on your list.

It doesn’t have to be expensive either. You can go the traditional route and get a cheap planner. There are also tons of free printables and templates to create your own DIY planner. You could even get creative and design your planner using a blank notebook or journal, markers and colorful pens.

There …

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Who are you? Who? Who? Who? Who?

Stop and think for a moment.  When a potential employer is browsing your resume, what impression are they forming about you? What about in person, in the interview?

We all know first impressions mean a lot and developing your personal brand can help achieve a good, and hopefully lasting, impression. According to Forbes, “Your personal brand is all about who you are and what you want to be known for.” Personal branding is an ongoing process of forming an image about you.

Let’s discover how to develop your brand so that you can be assured what you have to offer shines.

Define who you are and who you want to be.

You know yourself and where you want to end up in life better than anyone. Remember those things during an interview and when you are networking. Let yourself and your passions shine!

What makes you unique?

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8th Annual IMPACT Winners, Part I

We recognized six individuals and organizations that dedicated their energy and expertise to successful internships in 2013 during the 8th Annual IMPACT Awards luncheon, sponsored by Ivy Tech Community College. These are the first three stories; we will post the other three in an upcoming blog.

Pam Plain Intern of the Year (College/University)

Pam Plain led an international public health initiative as a summer intern with Komen Tissue Bank (KTB) at the IU Simon Cancer Center in Indianapolis.

KTB began to collect breast tissue from women all over the world, and started in Kenya, Africa, where the prevalence of a particularly aggressive type of breast cancer is common.  Plain made arrangements for facilities and transportation of medical and surgical supplies and volunteer materials from the United States to Kenya.

“This involved tens of thousands of dollars, superb communication skills and organizational skills, and an understanding …

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Surviving the Unknown

 

Nothing is more nerve wracking than the unknown. Not knowing what to wear. Not knowing what time to wake up. Not knowing what to eat. Not knowing what time to leave your home.  All of these, plus some, went through my mind during the days leading up to my new position as the Marketing and Special Events intern for Indiana INTERNnet.

The unknown consumed my first day. Having to drive a little over an hour with Indiana’s unpredictable weather would pose a challenge. And it did. But who would have thought that I would begin my internship during the second round of the Polar Vortex? Because of the weather, I was nearly 2 hours late on my first day. I did not see that coming. Luckily, I am working with a group of caring and understanding people that admire the fact that I even drive as far as I do every day. However, it …

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Got a Minute? Reflect on your Internship!

As you wrap-up your internship, you may find that you have a few treasured weeks of summer left. What are going to do during this time? Maybe you’ll vacation, eat pizza, catch up on the latest blockbusters, relax, or prepare your dorm room or apartment. While these are all great ideas, if you do have a few spare minutes, you should consider utilizing the time to work on documenting your professional experiences.

Here at the Freddie Factor, I’m hoping for an upcoming school year packed with interviews for full-time employment. During those interviews, recruiters and other interviewers will want to hear about your internship, personal, and academic accomplishments. They also want to see and hear that you’ve prepared for the interview by researching the company, the position, and tailoring your answers accordingly.

Now is the time to update your resume—demonstrating what you did during your internships and results that …

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Indiana Interns Come Together, Give Back

Last weekend, interns working in Central Indiana came together to give back to our community by volunteering at Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana. Sponsored by ExactTarget, this event demonstrated how interns can use their “down time” to connect with their community, give back, and meet fellow interns.

                  

It was also a challenge to ExactTarget’s Slingshot interns to implement a community-wide event. Because the event was such a success—about 50 interns attended—we’re hoping to see other Indiana companies consider sponsoring similar events. (Are you an employer interested in thinking about ways to bring interns together to give back or have fun in their community? Please leave a comment so we can contact you.)

If you’re not interning in Central Indiana, we have some great partners in the Ft. Wayne area, too. The Live, Learn & Intern series is a part of the Graduate Retention Program—an initiative designed to …

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Indy Interns 2011

What’s better than meeting fellow interns and giving back to the community? (Nothing, we would argue!). We all know internships provide excellent opportunities to develop professional skills, gain experience and create a network of contacts, but the importance of networking with fellow interns is often overlooked. With more than 800 internship positions throughout the state listed on Indiana INTERNnet, reasons to network among your peers are abundant! You never know who you’ll meet and how you may connect with people in the future.

Maybe you need to find out about concerts and events taking place in Indianapolis. Perhaps you want to get a group of friends together to check out a new restaurant. Or, you might even need to find a roommate if you plan to live or work in Central Indiana after graduation.

Indy Interns 2011 can help!

Indy Interns is a great place to get involved …

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Employers: Is 2011 the Year?

Entry by Pat Patterson

Is 2011 the year you will hire an intern for your organization?  If you have hired an intern in the past, is 2011 the year you will host more than one.  If you are still “on the fence,” consider the benefits:

Employer Benefits

Interns can:

complete project work that may be on the backburner; increase productivity; reduce recruiting costs; and bring fresh, innovative perspectives to your organization.

Hosting an intern can allow you to:

provide a student with a rich learning experience; influence school curriculum; encourage students to stay in their local community; gain short-term talent; increase diversity within your organization; offer management experience to employees working as intern supervisors; provide full-time employees more time to focus on important tasks, remain competitive within your industry; market your company via word of mouth; and begin training potential full-time employees (more …

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Employers: Earn 6 HRCI Credits

Entry by Pat Patterson

Indiana INTERNnet is proud to reinforce its three year partnership with Intern Bridge through three Total Internship Management workshops. These workshops will provide national internship best practices to Indiana employers, further strengthening our mission to reduce the state’s “brain drain.”

Utilizing interns is the perfect way to conduct recruiting activities by identifying future hires, increasing retention rates, maintaining a pipeline of highly qualified candidates, creating and building relationships with local universities and organizations, and having short-term projects completed by an educated workforce. For the above to be true, organizations must host effective and meaningful programs. How is this done? What are students looking for? What are the expectations of universities? What can organizations do to make their programs the best they can be?

The Total Internship Management Workshop helps you build a win-win internship program within your organization. Based on the most in-depth research ever …

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An Event You Won’t Want to Miss

Entry by Pam Norman, Indiana INTERNnet Executive Director

No matter how large or small, your company can benefit from hiring an intern. Now more than ever, today’s challenging business environment offers opportunity to access talented student interns willing to put their creative energy to work for your organization. Learn how easy it is to get an internship program designed and implemented!

On October 7th, Indiana INTERNnet joins forces with IndySHRM to present a workshop designed with you in mind.  An interactive panel of experienced internship employers, former interns, and career services staff will highlight how to make a solid business case for hiring an intern.

Hiring managers, career services professionals, and students are invited to attend the event in downtown Indy which includes time for networking, six easy steps to creating an internships program, practical tools to help you get started and lively conversation from panelists with internship experience.

We …

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Career Fairs 101: After the Career Fair

Entry by Pat Patterson

Students

After a career fair (From the 2010 September INTERNnetwork):

Jot down your notes and organize the information you collected (including contact information – it is a good idea to note where you met certain individuals and what you talked about), write thank you notes to those you met, apply for positions you are interested in, and follow up with employers about applications you submitted.

Remember, making a positive impression with people greatly influences your internship and career search.  When recruiters sift through resumes and decide who they plan to interview, you are more likely to stand out if the recruiters remember who you are and the interest you showed in their particular organization. 

Employers

After the Career Fair (From the National Association of Colleges and Employers NACE)

Post-fair activities do help with your recruiting efforts. Here are some ideas:

Host a networking …

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Career Fairs 101: Selling Your Company to Potential Interns

Entry by Pat Patterson

From the 2010 September INTERNnetwork:

Now that you have established a need for interns in your organization, you need to make sure you have students that are interested in your internship opportunities.  And although having too many interested candidates may not be a bad thing, it is important that the candidates you attract are qualified for your positions and are the right fit for your organization. 

Conveying a clear, concise message about your organization and its mission is vital in attracting the type of talent you would like to fill your internships.  Here are some tips on how to sell your company to interns, specifically at career fairs:

Have a section of your website dedicated to your internship opportunities, including detailed descriptions, which you can direct interns to visit (the link can be included on any literature students are provided before the career fair), attend those …

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