6 Ways to Make Your Internship Count

Published by: Deborah Federico

Congratulations on landing that internship. Now comes the hard part, following 6 guidelines will help you make the best out of your Internship

Social Media Mores

You may be dying to find out who posted on your wall or see who just texted you, but don’t log into Facebook and don’t take out your cell phone until you know what the office policy is. Some companies forbid using the internet for personal reasons. Also, never post anything negative about your internship or employer on any social media site–ever!  Not even things like, “Had an awful day at work today.”  If you do post about your internship, keep it positive: “Awesome day at work. Learning so much!” Learn from the Twitter goofs by these employees who were axed for their inappropriate tweets.

Should you “friend” your boss or your coworkers on Facebook? Many students ask me this question. In general, I say no. Of course, every situation is different. A good alternative would be to connect with them on LinkedIn.

Can do and will do

Eagerly do whatever is asked of you, including making copies, getting the coffee or answering the phone. Prove to management that you can do these menial tasks with a smile and you’ll be seen as a cooperative team player. At a recent internship panel, a student shared that he was asked to get coffee by his boss. No problem! he thought. By cheerfully getting coffee for his boss, his boss soon returned the favor.

There was another student interning on Wall Street who spoke of how he had to put together 40 binders at midnight for a client presentation the following morning. Not only that, he also had to find a way to get them to the hotel where the presentation was taking place, and by 6:00 AM. Well, he was able to get the binders there by 4:00 AM. His manager was quite impressed with his attitude of doing whatever it takes to get the job done, and he offered him a full-time job.

Get iniquisitive

Students will tell me that they were afraid to ask questions for fear of admitting ignorance. Think of it this way: It’s much better to ask questions than do something wrong or waste time trying to figure things out on your own. Companies don’t expect interns to know everything. If you did, you wouldn’t be an intern!

If you finish your assignments early and have nothing to do, don’t just sit there. Go find something to do—an assignment, a project, something. Approach your direct supervisor. If he or she doesn’t have anything for you at the moment, ask to do a project for someone else in the office. Many overworked employees would readily welcome the assistance of an eager intern—and you’ll be earning lots of kudos from the staff.

Find ways to impress,

Go above and beyond what is required of you. Give 100 percent in everything that you do. Make a note of any measurable accomplishments you achieve along the way, then be sure to include them on your resume. Be on the lookout for new, creative, cost-effective ways to do things. As an intern, you bring a fresh perspective and may readily find solutions to problems that full-time employees can’t see. The ability to problem-solve is a key skill that employers are looking for in full-time hires. So if you can hone this skill during your internship, you’ll be able to highlight it on your resume and in your future interviews.

Meet, talk, connect

Get to know as many people as possible during your internship and conduct informational interviews with people who are doing the jobs that you would like to do. As I mentioned above, you probably don’t want to friend your co-workers or supervisor on Facebook, but LinkedIn is the perfect place for you to connect with them. Make sure to stay in touch with these people throughout your senior year and in the future.

A grand exit

Some companies have a formal evaluation process for interns. If your company doesn’t, you should ask for one. You will impress your supervisor with your proactive approach and your openness to receiving constructive feedback.

Make sure to update your resume with your internship details while it is fresh in your mind. Remember to make note of any key accomplishments you achieved, problems you solved or ways you make an impact. Many students will see me after the summer so I can review what they have written about their internships. I would recommend that you do the same with your career counselor, especially if you are a senior who needs to gear up for fall recruiting.

Six factors to consider in a job offer

By Saumya Bhattacharya 

When the job market is good, companies are often looking to strengthen their talent pool. If an offer comes your way, that is great news. You are considered a high performing individual in the job market. If you are comfortable in your current job and have no ‘push’ factor to move on, you have a difficult task deciding on the offer. Here’s a checklist of six factors to consider.

Role vs. Designation

It is important to understand what the job is all about. HR heads often talk about employees wanting to come back to their earlier jobs because these employees did not understand their role and made the mistake of moving into roles they were not suited for. Succumbing to the lure of fancy designations is a definite no. Ask the organisation about the role, expectations from that role and then decide whether you can take up the challenge or not.

Career path

So, you like the role, but where is it going to take you two years down the line? Ask your potential employer about the growth prospects. If you want to work across functions, ask whether the organisation is open to such an idea. Ask about the promotion policy of the organisation. On an average, how often are employees given promotions at your level?

Salary

Talking salary hike is one of the most important and sometimes trickiest parts of the job switch. HR heads say it is acceptable to negotiate a salary offer across most levels. A pay hike of 25% to 30% is considered reasonable, but one size does not fit all.  If you are not comfortable with the offer, you can convey that it is not up to the expectations. Do not, however, base your decision to switch jobs solely on the basis of salary offered.

Working hours

Do not underestimate the working hours of your potential workplace. Perhaps your current organisation is not a stickler when it comes to clocking those nine-and-a-half hours. That may not be the case in your next organisation. Giving up a five-day work week may also be difficult because your family may be well-adjusted to that. So, be clear what you are getting into. Also, ask about the leave policy before you join.

Development programmes

Re-skilling is a necessity of modern careers. If you are an engineer, you may want to acquire that coveted MBA. Or may be your job requires you to learn a new technology. You may also have plans of joining a course in a new skill few months down the line. Ask your organisation whether it helps with such initiatives.

Brand matters

Career choices are governed by our expectations from the career. Do you want to work in a company that gives you the comfort of a big brand, a known name? Or do you want to rough it out in a start-up kind of an environment? Or may be you want to venture into a sector that is growing and offers big challenges. Be clear about the choice you are making. 

Foreign Direct Investment in Indian Retail Sector – An Analysis

BY:-Pulkit Agarwal

http://www.legalindia.in/foreign-direct-investment-in-indian-retail-sector-%E2%80%93-an-analysis

A must read for all the management students

HR Trends In Startups: How To Attract And Retain Talent

An interactive session targeted at helping entrepreneurs overcome challenges in attracting and retaining talented employees who can take their businesses to the next level!

follow the link http://bit.ly/Aw8bBz to register

Job-Search Tips for New College Graduates

The labor market may be tough for new college grads – but it’s not hopeless. Here are some of the popular tips university career experts offered for those who are still searching.
Don’t quit before you’ve started. Some students are so frustrated by the state of the economy they haven’t bothered to look for a job. “I tell them, ‘Look that’s a self-fulfilling prophesy,’” said Kitty McGrath, executive director of career services at Arizona State University. “If you don’t look then you know you won’t have a job.”
Prioritize. “Is it likely that you’re going to get your A, No. 1, first job and see lots of those? No,” said ASU’s McGrath. Decide in advance how much time you’ll spend pursuing your first choice — a month for example — and then expand the search to include other positions, McGrath said.
Search across industries. “The major doesn’t necessarily equal their career,” said Katharine Brooks, director of the career center for the Liberal Arts college at the University of Texas at Austin. “They really need to focus on the value of what they’ve learned and be able to articulate that to an employer.”
Rely on networking. “More and more of our employers are providing full-time job offers to their interns as a first choice,” Wayne Wallace, director of the career resources center at the University of Florida in Gainesville. So stay in touch with former internship employers and devote more time to expanding your professional network than searching online job sites.
Only opt for graduate school if you have a plan. “There are students who are, what I would say, punting and saying ‘Why don’t I get the graduate degree?’” said Matthew Berndt, director of career services for the Communications school at the University of Texas at Austin. But that only makes sense if students know what they’re going to study and how it will help them get a better position once they’re finished. If that’s not clear, then “you’re still not any more capable of telling an employer what you want to do and why you want to work for them,” Berndt said.
Be willing to relocate. “Those students who are willing to migrate and to take a chance on a new part of the country and take a chance on a brand new job have more options,” said Florida’s Wallace.
Do your research. If you’re meeting with an employer, be knowledgeable about the business and be able to articulate why you’re a good fit for the position and the company.
Remember: A new job is only the first step. “The first job they get out of college in almost every single case is just one step on the path to their eventual career,” said Rebecca Sparrow, director of career services at Cornell University. So don’t “try to think too much about this needing to be the perfect thing. Most people are not going to stay in that first job for 10 years,” Sparrow said.

This is an article from WSJ.You may follow the link below for more info.
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2010/04/03/job-search-tips-for-new-college-graduates/