My internship with LACD has truly been an experience that has prepared me for my future career. In our office, we are consistently producing materials that are distributed to an audience of anywhere from 9,000-40,000. This exposure requires polished, thoughtful work that is at a level of professionalism that proudly represents Purdue Liberal Arts and Career Development. Though we do have to get our work approved, our materials represent our office. This is exactly how I envision my future career working, so it has exposed me to this environment in an internship setting. I feel I have learned the process of producing, editing, re-editing, and publishing. I have experienced having to produce work on a very tight deadline, for a variety of marketing opportunities, and in many different forms (email, web page, newsletter, flyers, ect).
I also think I have learned about the office dynamic and what it means to work successfully in a team. In creative fields such as design, public relations, and event planning, there are always going to be different artistic and professional opinions. Through my internship, we are constantly running into situations where interns have to explain or adapt their message to fit the visions of the rest of the group. I will always be working in an environment that requires feedback and team interaction, so I have learned how to compromise and also defend my positions. I have also learned that personalities in an office are varied; there are always different work ethics, opinions, and attitudes. This experience has exposed me to working in a very diverse team and showed me how to adapt my work style to different team members.
I have honed in on my critical thinking skills. In our team, we have run into interesting dilemmas that require thinking outside the box to come up with a solution. One main area I have learned from is communication. In our office, we had an overload of communication. There were times where the email loads were overwhelming, the communication felt invasive, and we were copying in the entire team when it wasn’t necessary. Instead of allowing this communication to continue, I learned to address the issue head on and come up with solutions. We were able to discuss our communication problems and suggest ways to improve. This exposed me to different communication styles and how to compromise.
Now that the semester is ending, we are considering potential interns for next semester. I am really proud of our team and what we have accomplished this fall. We have held several events that set a standard of excellence for our department, and have far surpassed our goals. I hope to continue this path of success next semester and find new ways to challenge our team. I am sad to see this semester's team go, but excited to welcome in our new interns and see what we can accomplish together!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Challenges and Favorites
The most challenging project I have managed as a senior intern for LACD was the newsletter. Writing and editing are two areas that I feel can constantly be improved on. I wanted to utilize the opportunity of project managing the newsletter to focus on my writing abilities and strengthen my critical eye for editing. However, this proved very challenging with the time I was allotted to complete this assignment. Not only did I have to write for an audience of ~9,000 (which made me anxious to begin with), but I had to perfect the 6 page letter in under 2 weeks. This daunting task challenged my writing abilities, editing skills, design talent, time and stress management.
Another thing that made it especially difficult was that the other interns were managing various projects and events, making them unable to contribute to the letter. This meant the content was completely my responsibility. As challenging as this project was, it was so rewarding to finish such a big task. I felt accomplished and that it was a project that was realistic to something I may encounter in the work place.
My favorite project that I have worked on with LACD was applying for a grant. This grant application required us to design a project that integrated Liberal Arts Career Development with a community organization. We chose to designate the grant money to providing professional development resources for the international community of Lafayette. Though we did not get awarded the grant, it was a fantastic opportunity to design a project, budget, and application. I found myself really drawn to the prospect of grant writing, community engagement, and professional development education. These are interests I don’t know that I would have discovered if I hadn’t had the opportunity to pursue this grant.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Professional Network
An internship is an ideal opportunity to network. Because you are only contracted to work with a company for 3-6 months, depending on the internship, it is crucial to use the internship as a networking opportunity for future employment. Whether or not the internship is compatible with your long-term career goals, you never know who you can meet, who they know, and what will come out of a professional relationship.
Throughout my internship with LACD, I have had the opportunity to network and meet recruiters, important faculty, and business people nation wide. While it may not seem important for a communications major to network with a financial group or insurance company, those connections are crucial for getting an intern’s name out there. A fantastic tool for this is Linked In. As a professional networking web site, Linked In allows for contacts to be made using professional similarities. I have found this incredibly helpful throughout my internship. Whenever we bring in a guest speaker or I meet someone new at LACD, I link to them on Linked In. This gives me access to all of their professional contacts, many of which have careers I would dream of having one day. This powerful, convenient tool allows me to contact them and exchange professional information.
I have also found that networking goes both ways. When meeting professional contacts, it is important to not only think about what their network can do for you, but what your network can do for them. Do you have a friend or classmate who would be a great fit for their company? Even if you are not a fit for an internship or position, it does not mean the networking should stop. When I network, I always am thinking of who I know that will be a good fit for their needs. These recommendations will benefit not only the recruiter and your contacts, but will highlight you as a professional networker. It will also help you stand out in a contact’s mind, so if they hear about a position that is right for your qualifications, they will be willing to pass on your name.
Throughout my internship with LACD, I have had the opportunity to network and meet recruiters, important faculty, and business people nation wide. While it may not seem important for a communications major to network with a financial group or insurance company, those connections are crucial for getting an intern’s name out there. A fantastic tool for this is Linked In. As a professional networking web site, Linked In allows for contacts to be made using professional similarities. I have found this incredibly helpful throughout my internship. Whenever we bring in a guest speaker or I meet someone new at LACD, I link to them on Linked In. This gives me access to all of their professional contacts, many of which have careers I would dream of having one day. This powerful, convenient tool allows me to contact them and exchange professional information.
I have also found that networking goes both ways. When meeting professional contacts, it is important to not only think about what their network can do for you, but what your network can do for them. Do you have a friend or classmate who would be a great fit for their company? Even if you are not a fit for an internship or position, it does not mean the networking should stop. When I network, I always am thinking of who I know that will be a good fit for their needs. These recommendations will benefit not only the recruiter and your contacts, but will highlight you as a professional networker. It will also help you stand out in a contact’s mind, so if they hear about a position that is right for your qualifications, they will be willing to pass on your name.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Office Loyalty...
Office loyalty is an imperative part of internships that establishes interns as professional team members. It is something I am very passionate about and always mindful of. To me, office loyalty encompasses three main qualities: respect, dedication, and representation.
Respect: I find respect to be a key ingredient in any company environment. I was raised on the “treat others how you want to be treated” motto, and feel it is applicable to a professional atmosphere. Loyalty in an office entails respecting your company, its brand, your team members, and all of your professional acquaintances. Whether you are in the office or not, respecting the privacy and details of your work is crucial. This is not to say talking about work is wrong. I believe there is a time and a place to have conversations of a sensitive nature, and it is an intern’s job to use discretion when discussing work topics.
Dedication: Office loyalty includes being actively engaged and dedicated to your company’s projects. During an internship, I think it is a student’s time to shine. They have a unique opportunity to dedicate themselves to a few select projects and put all of their schooling to use. Part of being loyal to an office is to complete every project you start, volunteer to participate, and dedicate yourself to the mission of the company. This shows your loyalty and will help distinguish you from students who do not put in the extra effort.
Representation: When you work for a company, the day does not end at 5pm. You may run into coworkers or contacts at any time of the day, so it is imperative to be mindful of your actions inside and outside of the office. Your actions do not only represent you and the work you do, but the entire company you are a part of. This is especially applicable to the internship I am doing with LACD. We live and work on a college campus. Though I am only in the office 5-10 hours a week, I am constantly running into coworkers, deans, professional contacts, and students who use the resources of Liberal Arts Career Development. I always am cognizant of this, whether I am in class, on the bus, or out with my friends. I represent LACD and never want an unflattering personal decision to reflect upon my work in the office. This is something I keep in mind through my use of social media as well. I am representing myself and LACD with my online identity, so I am mindful of my use of Facebook, twitter, and linked in.
Respect: I find respect to be a key ingredient in any company environment. I was raised on the “treat others how you want to be treated” motto, and feel it is applicable to a professional atmosphere. Loyalty in an office entails respecting your company, its brand, your team members, and all of your professional acquaintances. Whether you are in the office or not, respecting the privacy and details of your work is crucial. This is not to say talking about work is wrong. I believe there is a time and a place to have conversations of a sensitive nature, and it is an intern’s job to use discretion when discussing work topics.
Dedication: Office loyalty includes being actively engaged and dedicated to your company’s projects. During an internship, I think it is a student’s time to shine. They have a unique opportunity to dedicate themselves to a few select projects and put all of their schooling to use. Part of being loyal to an office is to complete every project you start, volunteer to participate, and dedicate yourself to the mission of the company. This shows your loyalty and will help distinguish you from students who do not put in the extra effort.
Representation: When you work for a company, the day does not end at 5pm. You may run into coworkers or contacts at any time of the day, so it is imperative to be mindful of your actions inside and outside of the office. Your actions do not only represent you and the work you do, but the entire company you are a part of. This is especially applicable to the internship I am doing with LACD. We live and work on a college campus. Though I am only in the office 5-10 hours a week, I am constantly running into coworkers, deans, professional contacts, and students who use the resources of Liberal Arts Career Development. I always am cognizant of this, whether I am in class, on the bus, or out with my friends. I represent LACD and never want an unflattering personal decision to reflect upon my work in the office. This is something I keep in mind through my use of social media as well. I am representing myself and LACD with my online identity, so I am mindful of my use of Facebook, twitter, and linked in.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Another Semester Begins...
I have returned for another semester with the Liberal Arts Career Development team. This semester, I have a new position: a senior intern. This new title comes with a great deal of responsibility that I am very much looking forward to.
Already I see the difficulty of my assignments increasing, which is encouraging me to step outside my comfort zone and improve on my weaknesses. My first assignment was to write, edit, and produce the LACD monthly newsletter. This task in itself would have been challenging for me, seeing as writing is not my strength. However, this task was especially intimidating because I had about 10 days to complete it. Although I was excited about the prospect of producing a document from start to finish, I knew it would be difficult. And I was right. After several late nights and countless edits, I finally produced a newsletter that I was proud to send out to almost 9,000 members of the Purdue community. I feel like this task really encouraged me to look at my strengths and weaknesses, finding new ways to challenge myself during the course of this internship.
I anticipate the semester being filled with unique and challenging projects. As a senior intern, I feel like I will have a greater amount of involvement in projects and have higher expectations from the department. These are responsibilities I am excited to take on and feel like by the end of the semester, I will have tangible, real world experience to bring to a full time position.
I am most looking forward to working with the LACD team. I am already impressed by the skills and dedication of the other LACD interns and feel like we are a compatible match. Every intern has unique visions, experiences, and strengths. This will not only benefit LACD, but I feel like we will all learn from each other. I am also looking forward to confronting some of my weaknesses and working with the team to improve.
This semester is already off to a wonderful start and I am looking forward to the coming months!
Already I see the difficulty of my assignments increasing, which is encouraging me to step outside my comfort zone and improve on my weaknesses. My first assignment was to write, edit, and produce the LACD monthly newsletter. This task in itself would have been challenging for me, seeing as writing is not my strength. However, this task was especially intimidating because I had about 10 days to complete it. Although I was excited about the prospect of producing a document from start to finish, I knew it would be difficult. And I was right. After several late nights and countless edits, I finally produced a newsletter that I was proud to send out to almost 9,000 members of the Purdue community. I feel like this task really encouraged me to look at my strengths and weaknesses, finding new ways to challenge myself during the course of this internship.
I anticipate the semester being filled with unique and challenging projects. As a senior intern, I feel like I will have a greater amount of involvement in projects and have higher expectations from the department. These are responsibilities I am excited to take on and feel like by the end of the semester, I will have tangible, real world experience to bring to a full time position.
I am most looking forward to working with the LACD team. I am already impressed by the skills and dedication of the other LACD interns and feel like we are a compatible match. Every intern has unique visions, experiences, and strengths. This will not only benefit LACD, but I feel like we will all learn from each other. I am also looking forward to confronting some of my weaknesses and working with the team to improve.
This semester is already off to a wonderful start and I am looking forward to the coming months!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The Professional Forum
Last week was the highlight of my internship. While I am an intern for the Career Development Office, the majority of my focus has been spent on an event called The Professional Forum. This is a premiere event focused specifically on Liberal Arts Students. The forum was an all day event including: company presentations, panel discussions, career/internship/graduate school fair, as well as a formal networking event at night. My job throughout this internship has been to promote the event through various marketing and advertising campaigns.
Last week, The Professional Forum finally came. I was very nervous before the event started, wondering if our efforts would be successful. I was confident that we had done a wonderful job marketing the event and students were aware of the resources available to them at the forum. I was very proud of a promotional campaign I instigated, which was handing out 500 fortune cookies to students that read inside "Find YOUR fortune at The Professional Forum" and gave details about the event. I got great feedback from students and felt it was an excellent way to advertise our event.
Unfortunately, we got off to a slow start on the morning of The Professional Forum. There were not many students attending the company presentations or the panel discussions, which I found to be disappointing. I felt these were the most beneficial part of the day and I learned a lot by attending. This is something I believe we should focus on next year... promoting these discussions and networking opportunities so students can benefit from the knowledge of employers.
After the panel discussions, I was able to network with many of the companies attending the Forum. We went out to lunch and discussed in depth the opportunities available for Purdue students. I received wonderful feedback from many of the recruiters who loved the format of the event and were excited to sign up for next year. It was great to know that the recruiters could see that this was a premiere event and were impressed enough to reserve a place for next year.
Then came the career/internship/graduate school fair. This was by far the most successful part of the day. We had great attendance from Liberal Arts students who were excited to be at the event. I was pleased with the amount of students who showed up, and also felt that the majority of attendees were polished and professional. This speaks to the success of Lisa and Kate's pre-forum workshops, explaining how to properly behave/dress/network at a career fair. I know personally, I had a lot of success at the career fair and made some wonderful contacts. I heard great feedback from the recruiters, saying they found potential candidates and were impressed by the Purdue students.
One thing we need to work on for next year with the career fair is promoting the graduate schools. I felt that many students didn't realize that there would be such a large number of professional schools. I am thinking a good idea for next year would be to create a brochure, almost a book, highlighting companies, jobs, schools, and internships. These should be handed out before the event so students have an adequate amount of time to prepare for the event.
Finally, there was the professional networking event at night. This was a unique opportunity to meet with recruiters, by invitation only, and get to know them on a more personal level. I think this was a great opportunity and hope that next year, more recruiters will stay and network with students.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome of The Professional Forum. Though there are many changes to be made for next year, I was impressed and pleased with our premiere event. I think that in the future this event will continue to grow and become widely known and anticipated among Liberal Arts students.
On a side note, something that this event helped showed me was my passion for event planning. I really enjoyed organizing the details of the day and helping make the day successful for Lisa, the recruiters, and the students. I think event planning is a wonderful field that this internship exposed me to, and I am interested in pursuing it further.
Last week, The Professional Forum finally came. I was very nervous before the event started, wondering if our efforts would be successful. I was confident that we had done a wonderful job marketing the event and students were aware of the resources available to them at the forum. I was very proud of a promotional campaign I instigated, which was handing out 500 fortune cookies to students that read inside "Find YOUR fortune at The Professional Forum" and gave details about the event. I got great feedback from students and felt it was an excellent way to advertise our event.
Unfortunately, we got off to a slow start on the morning of The Professional Forum. There were not many students attending the company presentations or the panel discussions, which I found to be disappointing. I felt these were the most beneficial part of the day and I learned a lot by attending. This is something I believe we should focus on next year... promoting these discussions and networking opportunities so students can benefit from the knowledge of employers.
After the panel discussions, I was able to network with many of the companies attending the Forum. We went out to lunch and discussed in depth the opportunities available for Purdue students. I received wonderful feedback from many of the recruiters who loved the format of the event and were excited to sign up for next year. It was great to know that the recruiters could see that this was a premiere event and were impressed enough to reserve a place for next year.
Then came the career/internship/graduate school fair. This was by far the most successful part of the day. We had great attendance from Liberal Arts students who were excited to be at the event. I was pleased with the amount of students who showed up, and also felt that the majority of attendees were polished and professional. This speaks to the success of Lisa and Kate's pre-forum workshops, explaining how to properly behave/dress/network at a career fair. I know personally, I had a lot of success at the career fair and made some wonderful contacts. I heard great feedback from the recruiters, saying they found potential candidates and were impressed by the Purdue students.
One thing we need to work on for next year with the career fair is promoting the graduate schools. I felt that many students didn't realize that there would be such a large number of professional schools. I am thinking a good idea for next year would be to create a brochure, almost a book, highlighting companies, jobs, schools, and internships. These should be handed out before the event so students have an adequate amount of time to prepare for the event.
Finally, there was the professional networking event at night. This was a unique opportunity to meet with recruiters, by invitation only, and get to know them on a more personal level. I think this was a great opportunity and hope that next year, more recruiters will stay and network with students.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome of The Professional Forum. Though there are many changes to be made for next year, I was impressed and pleased with our premiere event. I think that in the future this event will continue to grow and become widely known and anticipated among Liberal Arts students.
On a side note, something that this event helped showed me was my passion for event planning. I really enjoyed organizing the details of the day and helping make the day successful for Lisa, the recruiters, and the students. I think event planning is a wonderful field that this internship exposed me to, and I am interested in pursuing it further.
Monday, October 5, 2009
My First Weeks...
When I received the internship as a Liberal Arts Career Development marketing intern, I had no idea what my role was going to be in the office. Was it going to be a coffee fetching, copy making internship? Was I going to be prepared? Did I have enough training?
These anxieties were cleared up within moments of meeting my team of interns and staff. Over the past 6 weeks, this internship has shown me that the only way to really learn about your field of interest is by abandoning your insecurities and diving in head first. This internship has given me the freedom to explore public relations in a professional environment, and shown me that I am in the right field.
My main focus in this internship has been brainstorming marketing and public relations techniques that will target the Liberal Arts students. I have found this task to be both challenging and rewarding. As a student, I am very aware of what advertising my peers will absorb. Knowing how they respond to marketing techniques, I have been attempting to brainstorm unique ideas that will help them understand The Professional Forum and hopefully persuade them to attend.
These marketing techniques include customized fortune cookies that explain how the students can “find their fortune” at The Professional Forum, unique handouts folded like business shirts, and a large banner to hang in the main liberal arts building. I think that these projects will raise student’s awareness of the event and encourage them to attend.
I have been pleasently surprised as to how my ideas are being received by the other interns and staff at Career Development. It is very reassuring to have such positive reinforcement and support, knowing that I am on the right track. This internship has shown me that no idea is too outrageous, and it never hurts to try. It has also shown me that I am in the right field and will enjoy and succeed in marekting and public relations as a career.
One of the greatest things about the internship so far has been the team I am working with. We have such diverse talents, interests, and skills. I have learned so much watching the other interns and have a great deal of admiration for their strengths. Ashley, the other marketing intern, is incredibly skilled at recruiting companies to attend our career fair. She is very personable and is able to cold call companies and promote our event. I admire her ability to do this, and have found through the internship that this is not my strength. Angela, the art and design intern, is very talented and knowledgable in the area of graphic design. I often approach her with design problems, and she is able to solve them in a matter of minutes. Together, I think the three of us form a unique team, whose strengths compliment eachothers.
I am looking forward to the coming weeks, anxious to see how the event takes shape. I feel that we have put so much effort in to making The Professional Forum a successful event, and hope that these efforts are reflected in company and student participation.
These anxieties were cleared up within moments of meeting my team of interns and staff. Over the past 6 weeks, this internship has shown me that the only way to really learn about your field of interest is by abandoning your insecurities and diving in head first. This internship has given me the freedom to explore public relations in a professional environment, and shown me that I am in the right field.
My main focus in this internship has been brainstorming marketing and public relations techniques that will target the Liberal Arts students. I have found this task to be both challenging and rewarding. As a student, I am very aware of what advertising my peers will absorb. Knowing how they respond to marketing techniques, I have been attempting to brainstorm unique ideas that will help them understand The Professional Forum and hopefully persuade them to attend.
These marketing techniques include customized fortune cookies that explain how the students can “find their fortune” at The Professional Forum, unique handouts folded like business shirts, and a large banner to hang in the main liberal arts building. I think that these projects will raise student’s awareness of the event and encourage them to attend.
I have been pleasently surprised as to how my ideas are being received by the other interns and staff at Career Development. It is very reassuring to have such positive reinforcement and support, knowing that I am on the right track. This internship has shown me that no idea is too outrageous, and it never hurts to try. It has also shown me that I am in the right field and will enjoy and succeed in marekting and public relations as a career.
One of the greatest things about the internship so far has been the team I am working with. We have such diverse talents, interests, and skills. I have learned so much watching the other interns and have a great deal of admiration for their strengths. Ashley, the other marketing intern, is incredibly skilled at recruiting companies to attend our career fair. She is very personable and is able to cold call companies and promote our event. I admire her ability to do this, and have found through the internship that this is not my strength. Angela, the art and design intern, is very talented and knowledgable in the area of graphic design. I often approach her with design problems, and she is able to solve them in a matter of minutes. Together, I think the three of us form a unique team, whose strengths compliment eachothers.
I am looking forward to the coming weeks, anxious to see how the event takes shape. I feel that we have put so much effort in to making The Professional Forum a successful event, and hope that these efforts are reflected in company and student participation.
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