InternshipRatings.com

By Laura Jacobs, Internship Coordinator
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Career & Leadership Development

As the spring semester wraps up, thoughts begin to turn towards summer internships. No doubt the most popular time to intern, summer provides ample opportunity for gaining career-related experience. Here are some tips for starting your summer internship off on the right foot.

• Contact your supervisor at least a week before your first day.
It is a good idea to check in with your supervisor in advance of your first day, especially if you secured the internship before or early in the spring semester. Confirm your start date, hours you are scheduled to work, and where to report when you arrive. You might also ask what the organization’s summer work attire expectations are for interns. If you ask about clothing far enough in advance, it leaves time to shop for a few more basics should you need them.

• Develop good habits right away.
It is much easier to establish good habits from the beginning of your internship than trying to erase bad habits later on. A good habit to establish is arriving to work a little early, so start this on your first day. This conveys responsibility and enthusiasm, and it will make a good impression on your supervisor and co-workers. How early is early? For one of my summer jobs in college, getting to work five minutes early was considered on time and arriving at the actual start time was considered late. I established really good habits that summer; you can, too.

• Observe everything.
Workplace insight is one benefit of an internship. Your internship site is your learning lab for the summer, so find out everything you can about it. Pick up on the workplace culture by taking note of how people interact with one another and how people dress. You will begin to learn what is expected of you and how to conduct yourself at work. What’s more, workplace fit is an important consideration for your permanent job search, and workplace culture is an important part of personal fit. Identify what you like and don’t like in your internship environment so you can figure out what you do and don’t want for your future jobs.

• Meet one-on-one with your supervisor during the first week.
You probably had reasons for seeking out this particular summer internship. Keeping those intentions in mind, schedule a meeting with your supervisor during the first week of your internship. Discuss your job duties and your supervisor’s expectations for your work. While it’s helpful to know what your supervisor expects of you, it is also important to let your supervisor know what you expect of the internship. Discuss YOUR goals for the experience. You may wish to write up a learning contract that outlines all of these areas (work details, expectations, and goals). Many of the internships I’ve observed that develop problems are ones in which there was not open communication between intern and supervisor. Get on the same page as your supervisor and hopefully ensure a positive experience.

• Practice work-life balance.
It’s summer. This is the season for spending time outside, hanging out with friends, and relaxing. However, you’re an intern now. Resist the temptation to relax too much in your internship. If you want to be a successful intern, it is important to put work first. You might have some pre-planned activities that you’ll need time off for, like a wedding or family vacation. This is alright as long as you inform your supervisor about it early on and keep time off requests to a minimum. Summer is short and it flies by quickly. You want to be able to spend as much time as you can at your internship in order to make the most of it.

By Phillip Merrick
Co-founder
VisualCV, Inc.

With the summer and graduation right around the corner, you are sure to see a lot of students in the midst of updating their resumes. As someone who has hired thousands (literally) of people, I know how frustrating resumes can be. It’s hard to demonstrate your experience in black and white on one page. And, it’s very hard for hiring managers to determine a good fit when evaluating that one page document. This frustration is one of the many reasons my co-founder and I created VisualCV, Inc.

A VisualCV is an online resume that best represents professionals by bringing their skills and backgrounds to life where you can include graphics, photos, video and relevant links to showcase educational achievements, internships, work experience, volunteer work, interesting projects, professor recommendations. Additionally, you can have multiple VisualCVs and are in control of their privacy settings. This means that you’re in control of your information…not us.

Typically the posts on Take Note offer a piece of internship advice. Not surprisingly, my advice is around your resume (or VisualCV). Hiring managers and HR representatives are busy individuals. You are wise to help make their lives easier. Give them all the information they might need the first time they review your information. If the internship description says that writing skills are important, include a writing sample in your VisualCV to back up your claim to being a solid writer. If the position requires references, include that information in your VisualCV. If you need to send in work samples of previous designs, add them along side the text within your VisualCV. Do what you can to give the hiring manager all the information they need to know about you up front.

And, remember to highlight certain non-work and non-academic activities, in particular sporting or community involvement. I think this goes a long way, because employers hire people, not resumes, and anything you can do to show your well roundedness will help you stand out. And many hiring managers like to see participation in sports or community activities, because they promote values like team building that are important in the workplace.

Writing a resume of any sort can be difficult which is why we had career expert Louise Kursmark write a free instructional e-book, available at www.visualcv.com/insidersguide. The book explains how to write a powerful resume and also has a special chapter for recent and pending graduates.

We’re often asked what kinds of professionals use VisualCV and how they use it. I for one am astounded at the great uses of our product by our members. VisualCV is gaining significant traction among job seekers, recruiters and corporate HR execs alike. With the number of layoffs expected to continue to rise in the coming months, standing out from the crowd has never been more important for candidates – regardless of which step in the corporate ladder they are on. VisualCV helps all types of job seekers including:

• Pending college graduates. Helps them get a “leg-up” on the competition and create a solid online resume—even thought they might be light in the job “experience” department.
• Senior executives, to musicians, to reporters etc. Helps established workers distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack.
• Stay-at-home moms and dads. Helps them to re-enter the workforce and fill in resume gaps by highlighting non-traditional skills that may have been learned from volunteer work, online training, etc.
• Passive job seekers. Allows people who are currently employed to prepare for a possible layoff as VisualCV allows them to network and market themselves as publicly or privately as they feel comfortable.

You can see all kinds of professionals in our Member Examples Directory.

The incredible talent coming out of schools in the coming years means a competitive environment for the foreseeable future. To help you get ahead of the competition, a VisualCV (as one tool in your toolbox) is a smart and easy investment to make. And, it’s a tool that you can use for lifetime, altering it as you advance your career. If you do try the entirely free service, please let us know what you think. And, to see what we’re talking about these days, please check out our blog.

By Joe Bucher, Career Consultant -Student Internship Specialist
San Jose State University Career Center
www.joebucher.wordpress.com

Informational interviews are something that I am a huge proponent of. I got started in career counseling by doing an informational interview with a family friend who was a career counselor. I gained useful insight from my informational interview and was able to use what I learned to get an internship.
Besides being relatively quick, informative and a great way to network - informational interviews are still underutilized by job seekers. I believe informational interviews are a great way to stand out from the pack and help students get started on their internship search.

What is an informational interview?

– An opportunity to meet with someone who works in a field that you have interest in.

– A chance to ask questions about corporate culture, challenges on the job, trends in the industry, how the professional got involved in the field, and more.
– A way to explore different industries and organizations in order to help you target your internship search and application materials.

An informational interview is not:

– A job interview - while you should be prepared to market yourself with a resume, knowledge of the organization/industry, and perhaps a portfolio - only offer if asked!!

– A free ride. Offer to buy the person a cup of coffee or lunch if the interview is done in person.

Questions to ask:

Think about the questions you genuinely have about the industry, organization, or position as this is your opportunity to ask someone who is currently working in your potential field of interest. However, remember that your interaction creates the first impression that this person will have of you. Therefore, do some research on the organization and possibly the person you will be speaking with. Check-in with your school’s career center or search online to review some potential questions. For instance, my school has a list of suggested informational interview questions.

Setting it up:

Step 1: Identify some possible organizations or jobs that you would like to learn more about.
Step 2: Do some homework. Research online to get the basics of the job/organization then figure out what sort of questions you would like to ask of an interviewee.
Step 3: Find possible interviewees by:

– Asking friends, family, co-workers, and professors if they know anyone in your desired field that might do an informational interview with you.
– Visiting your career center for resources or asking if they have an alumni group that would be willing to do informational interviews.

– Contacting the HR department of an organization that you would like to learn more about and ask “If it would be possible to conduct a 20 minute informational interview with one of your
employees?”

– Using your social media outlets to contact prospective interviewees.

Step 4: Be flexible. You may find that some professionals simply do not have the time to conduct an informational interview while others may be willing to do a phone or email version rather than in person. The main point when dealing with a potential interviewee is to be clear about the reasons why you are contacting them and be prepared.

After the Informational Interview:

– Follow up with a thank you email or letter.

– Ask the interviewee if they know of any other people who they would suggest that you could do an informational interview with.

– Utilize the information that was gained to incorporate into your internship search.

The informational interview is not only a tool to learn more about a specific career path or industry but also a chance to meet people in your potential field. You may get helpful information on what to include on a resume, an idea for a class project, or insight into how a particular organization works. Still not convinced? Check out Owlnotes.com for some great examples of informational interviews.

This article provides insight about building a meaningful internship program. Internship opportunities can often arise through the due diligence of motivated students. Build a network, and a great internship, all at the same time. The Total Internship Management book presents a best practices model that builds on the research of over 50,000 students. Using the book, you can create a worthwhile and exciting experiential education.
–Richard Bottner, President, Intern Bridge, Inc.

By Heather Huhman
Entry Level Careers Examiner

In every internship (or job) search, it’s always best to create a plan that identifies two or three ideal geographic locations and 10 “I would do anything to work there” organizations within each city. That way, you’re not blindly blasting out your résumé. But, what do you do if one or more of the organizations on your list doesn’t have formal a internship program? Propose one.

Perhaps not an entire program—just focus on yourself for now. The book “Total Internship Management: The Employer’s Guide to Building the Ultimate Internship Program” by Richard Bottner, president of Intern Bridge, Inc., would make a great read to start formulating ideas (plus it would make a great gift to the organization that takes you up on your offer down the road).

When contemplating a program, organizations should conduct internal audits to assure the internship is mutually beneficial, according to Bottner. (I agree!) So, while you can’t answer all the questions he puts forth because you are not yet an insider, researching a few of the key points and organizing the results in an expanded cover letter could get your foot in the door.

“Does my organization have meaningful work for interns to complete?” This is key—for both you and the employer. Research the organization; its products, services and clients; and what it’s currently doing (or not doing) where you might be able to help. From that, write up a position description—example projects and activities, the department(s) in which you would work and potentially to whom you might report.

“What should the duration of individual internships be?” Typically, internships last approximately 12 weeks, but you can outline in your cover letter the exact timeframe you are available. Be sure to also include the number of hours each week you would be available—possibly even a suggested schedule (i.e., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays).

“Will my organization be able to afford to pay a salary to interns? If so, how much? What remuneration, instead of salary can we provide?” If an organization does not already have an established internship program, I wouldn’t get your hopes up for the position to be paid. However, Bottner raises a number of good alternative compensation ideas:

* Free/subsidized parking
* Discounted/free organization merchandise or services
* Transportation stipend
* Fitness center membership
* Meal allowance
* Sporting event/theater tickets
* Partial/complete housing/relocation assistance
* Commission on sales (when applicable)
* Tuition reimbursement
* Opportunity to attend professional development seminars/workshops
* Offsite organization functions

So, how should you approach the organization with your ideas? “The proposal can simply be an expanded cover letter along with your résumé,” said Shane Mazzella, director of U.S. programs at The Fund for American Studies. “In the cover letter, describe your qualifications and desired internship parameters such as available dates, number of hours each week, department of interest and compensation—an unpaid internship is always easier secure. Be sure to stress how you can add value to that specific department as well as the overall organization.”

Mazella recommends e-mailing as a PDF attachment (or snail mailing) both your résumé and expanded cover letter.

And, just like you typically would when submitting an internship application, follow-up! (Read my article about following up on a job application for some ideas.) Mazella also adds you should “be prepared with a 60-second elevator pitch of your proposal.”

As an employer, I would be floored by the amount of thought you’ve put into the needs of my organization and how you would be a value-add to my team. Is it possible to take this idea one step even further?

“Consider creating a legacy once you have the internship by proposing an established program or role,” said Mazella. “Start by noting ways of formalizing the internship, note tasks and projects that can be delegated just to interns, identify departments or areas where interns can be of assistance and suggest means of growing it into a program that you can pitch to key decision-makers. Be sure, though, that you are not neglecting your own internship work in this process. Your actions and behavior are more convincing than a nice proposal and big speech.”

By Becky Steinberg
Boston University 2010
Mass Communication, Public Relations & Spanish

Hola! I am a junior at Boston University, majoring in PR and currently studying abroad in Madrid, Spain. My study abroad program allows me to take an internship for credit, giving me a unique opportunity to observe office-culture outside the States. I work in a small marketing firm, Elipse Iniciativas and these are just a few of the cultural differences I wanted to share:

·    Kisses. I love the Spanish two-kiss salutation (also prevalent in other European countries). In general, I think it makes Spaniards less socially awkward and starts any relationship off on positive footing. In my experience, it also affects office culture. My 30-something boss greeted me with two cheek kisses my first day, immediately establishing a friendly relationship and making me feel like “one of them” rather than a foreign, temporary intern. I greatly appreciated it, and as a result felt more comfortable participating in the office banter and asking questions about everything from my assignments to Madrid nightlife. While this may not sound revolutionary, think about how long it takes to develop equally informal relationships with co-workers in the U.S when both parties speak English fluently.

·    Siesta. A two-hour lunch break. At my last internship in Boston, my boss wouldn’t take lunch breaks most days, sending me to get a salad and Diet Coke from the Au Bon Pain downstairs instead, which she would eat at her computer. Here, the siesta allows professionals to eat with co-workers, go home to eat with their families and even take a quick nap. I don’t have time to go back to my apartment, so I spend the time eating a three-course-meal with my co-workers or grabbing a sandwich and sitting on the patio with them, ultimately allowing us to be friends in addition to co-workers. Siesta also provides a break from the stresses that accompany deadlines, last-minute changes and computer malfunctions. My boss, for example, at the height of the craziness of planning the Madrid Marathon, would still come out to a long lunch. The siesta seems to help everyone stay sane, even amid event-planning frustrations. They say Spaniards have generally long lifespans, and it’s definitely not because the smoking restrictions (smoking in restaurants the university hallways is still custom). My money is on the siesta.

·    Politically Correct—the Spanish are not, or so I’ve been told. While I’ve never had a personal experience that speaks to this, in preparation for our entrance into the work force here, our internship-director shared one of her experiences. Apparently, her co-worker didn’t know she was pregnant and told her frankly that she looked like she was gaining weight and should probably stop eating so much. She told him she was indeed pregnant, to which he replied she should still maybe think about eating less.

To sum up, my experience at Elipse definitely verifies how my host-brother describes the Spanish attitude towards work: “We work to live, not live to work.”

By Catharine Bennett
Boston University 2010
Mass Communication, Public Relations & French

My internship at an international corporate event planning firm through a study abroad program in Paris, France, began six weeks ago, and will last a total of eight weeks. Coming into this company and knowing very little—except what I could find on their website– I had some ideas of how my internship would play out, most of which were wrong. I’ve learned a lot in the past few weeks, and I’ve compiled the most pertinent lessons to help students who plan to participate in study abroad programs with an internship component.

1. Internships are not the same everywhere. Starting an internship in a foreign country and thinking that it’ll be the same as your internship at home makes it really difficult to adjust to a foreign office’s day to day activities. I thought that I would have it all figured out, since I’ve interned for large companies in the States. However, my office experience in France in no way resembles my offices in New York. This office is very interactive and social. Given the seriousness of their work, I was surprised to find fellow employees sharing a cigarette in the parking lot, gossiping by the espresso machine, playing practical jokes on one another during lunch break, and taking long lunches at the local Japanese restaurants.

2. Make the cultural differences work to your advantage. My work day in France is much longer than in the United States; I work from 9:00-6:30 every day, but I get a 90-minute lunch break. Often, other employees opt to take an even longer lunch and stay later into the night. Take the time to learn the office culture and get involved. Find other interns, practice your language skills or help them with English during lunch. If the mood is very serious, act as professionally as possible. If not, engage in office banter (but tread lightly). You need not take up smoking or pretend to like sushi in order to fit in. Just be personable and friendly to co-workers and managers.

3. Don’t be afraid to bring what you know to the company. Especially in the context of an international business, employers will be looking to you in many cases to deal with their English-speaking or American clients. At the very least, bring your excellent English grammar. I offered to work with the clients in the United Kingdom and North America from the beginning, and doing so has made me a valuable member of this team. If you are working in an English-speaking country, you can bring your knowledge of American businesses and appropriate business language to the office. Just because companies share a common language does not mean that they share a common approach to business affairs.

4. At the end of the day, take your internship experience abroad in stride. You might love your co-workers and your job, or you might hate it. It’s all a learning experience. Take advantage of every aspect of your time in a foreign office: go to every meeting, answer every phone call, take on challenging projects and make friends with your co-workers. In non-English speaking countries, an internship is the easiest way to apply your language skills outside of the classroom. Being able to communicate effectively with native speakers in a professional environment speaks volumes, while sitting in class in the United States might not. It’s been my experience, in applying to summer internships, that American employers are very impressed with the fact that I’m interning in a non-English speaking country.

The advantage of a study abroad internship experience will definitely help you out in the future. As I begin to wrap up my internship in Paris, I am taking stock of the lessons learned, contacts made, and new experiences. I wouldn’t have been able to achieve such feats had I stayed in Boston for the semester and completed an internship there.