Going Green Internships

GOING GREEN, internees!
Since the country is pushing the green scene, (and my best friend is an advocate for going green!) I am offering advice on green internships.
Considering I have little knowledge of this "green scene", I am gathering advice from the best and providing it to you, my little environmental internees!

Here are a few sites to visit when searching for a green internship!
GreenDaily.com - Ellen Slattery writes an article "Want a Green Internship". It offers advice on leadership programs for green peeps!
GreenAmericaToday.org - They offer, like Monster.com, a list of job/intern opportunities. They also include volunteering!
GreenOptions.com - Green Options gives tips on finding green internships!
Drexel University - They have a list of PAID, green internships for the summer!

Need more information on the "green scene"? Check out a few of these other websites!
The Big Green Internship Book
API/Exxon Mobile Environmental Internships
GreenForAll
GreenCorps

Also, read up on your "green scene" internships with articles all about them!
How green internships are a win-win.
Washington Internship Institute on green internships.
Summer Interns Green Fortune 500 Companies.

The green scene needs you! And if you're interested in environmental internships, you should definitely check out these sites and articles to help you in finding the perfect green internship.

Happy green interning!
Love, Alice

What are Employers Looking For in Interns?

Good afternoon, Internees!
If you're looking for a spring semester internship, you're probably on the lookout for job/intern openings. You've checked Monster, LinkedIn, all over. You know what the description of the internship says but you're unsure of what the employers are really looking for. How do you know what an employer is looking for in an intern?

For starters, you'll want to read up. Explore Baltimore County's Catonsville Times recently posted an article on employers receiving education on hiring interns. Check out what employers are reading up on, find articles about hiring interns and what to do with them. Google.com is always a great place to look. Click the news tab on the upper left hand corner!

After you've checked out what the news is saying, take a look at other sites. The Internet is WONDERFUL.

• Business.com - Q&A on hiring interns for your business.
• Berkeley - The University offers tips from employers on interning at a non-profit organization.
• University of Washington - "Finding Gold", an article on hiring great interns.
• Career Builder - Explains to employers why hiring an intern is a good choice.
• Michigan state University's Career Services - Offers insight on hiring interns.
• The Human Resources Blog - How to make your business's internship program a success.

Research, research, research! You'll have to do it at your internship, so you should start now! Researching what your employer/employers are looking for offers you a foot up when it comes to walking into an interview. Really look into what tips employers are taking in hiring interns.

Best tip: If you know where you might be interning, check out the company's website and their careers tab. You'll often find a list of what employers are looking for in employees. Research them! (Then you will know what their company stands for as well!)

Happy interning!

Love, Alice

5 More Things to Know About Interning

Here is the second list of Intern Alice's 5 More Things to Know About Interning!

1. Make sure you're getting college credit! - An internship is great, but without college credit (or pay), you're offering free labor to the company. It is your choice to stick around longer, if the internship is offering great experience, however, keep in mind that they are getting free work out of you! (And everyone is looking for free work these days!)
2. EXPLORE! - Sit in on group projects, even if you're not in your department; Observe how the "big-wigs" work, watch how they interact with others; Check out how their computer programs work! Don't be afraid to explore how the company works, it will help you to gain experience and knowledge of the in's and out's.
3. Ask for a reference! - Make sure that before your final days at your internship, you ask for a reference. As EverydayPublicRelations points out, you should not expect to get a letter of recommendation in the mail. Don't be afraid to ask for one!
4. Phone calls - Don't be afraid to ask for guidance when it comes to making phone calls. There's no shame in using a script when calling people!
5. Be memorable! - Check out Ithaca College's "How to Be a Memorable Mentor" and be awesome!

Remember, use common sense, smile, and always arrive on time! Need more helpful hints on interning? Leave a message and Intern Alice will be glad to answer all of your questions!

Happy Interning!

Love, Alice

The First 5 Things to Know About Interning

Internees, you have learned the fashion, the behavior, and most importantly the do's and don'ts of internships. But what about those little tips you may need to know? Those questions you think are silly so you refuse to ask? Da-da-daaaaaaah! I give you:

Intern Alice's Five Things You Should Know About Interning

(No matter where you are, these probably apply!)

1. Know Your Company - Is there a mission statement? A set of goals your company has? Rules and regulations? If they have clients, know your clients! Know it all! When you go into a meeting on the first day and shock your boss because you've done you're homework and read up on their clients, it'll be a great feeling. You can thank me later.
2. Bring a sweater! - You're office is probably cold and according to BNET, studies have shown that this could affect your productivity.
3. Your opinion does matter! - If you're brainstorming in a meeting, don't be afraid to put in your two cents! No matter how outrageous your idea may be, it is always worth offering to the group!
4. Become familiar with your building - Some corporate buildings are like mazes others are tiny! You'll want to make sure you know your way around. (Especially where the bathroom is!!)
5. Always write down your passwords! - Write down and keep all your passwords in a safe place and keep them together, just in case you ever forget them. If you're in charge of social media, make sure you alert the other employees who may be using the sites. Plus, you will probably get a password to get on the company's site and that you will not want to forget.

Seem like common sense? Make sure to write down those passwords, bring sweaters, and don't be afraid to put in your two cents! Keep your eyes peeled for the second list of things you should know about interning, coming soon!

Happy Interning!

Love, Alice

Internship Success Stories!

Good morning, internees!

As we have learned, sometimes internships can be difficult, whether you figure out you don't like the career choice or your co-workers aren't nice. However, there are PLENTY of instances where interns have had some amazing success stories! Instead of sharing my stories with you (some of which you already know!), here are some examples of fabulous internship experiences throughout the country!

(Just think, this could be you!!)

• University of Tennessee's Jasmine Davis worked on The Late Show with David Letterman.


• Grand Valley State University's Alyssa Ruedisueli interned for Oscar de la Renta in New York.


• UC Santa Cruz's Jenny Jiang has worked with a variety of top law firms.


• UNC- Charlotte's Levonda Norman interned for (then) Senator Barack Obama.


• American University's Emily Creveling found what she was passionate about with her internship.


• BusinessWeek has featured multiple Intern Success Stories!


• Read about IMPACT 2007's Intern of the Year Award (PDF). (Maybe you are eligible to apply!)

And there are countless other students who have posted their success story, spoke to a class, or were interviewed for their school paper.

The great thing about a successful internship, whether it was a cake-walk or rough and tumble, is you are able to share your experiences with others. This is extremely helpful for the many students who are unsure if an internship is right for them. You have the ability to help guide them, let them know what they are in for, and give them tips and pointers, just as I am doing for you! So, not only you are benefited by the experience, but you allow others to benefit too.

This means...

Happy internees and pre-internees! (And one happy Alice as well.)

In other words, your internship may be good or bad or just plain ugly, but the experiences you gain don't just help you! They help those "pre-internees" who are in need of guidance! (Yes, you can call them internees, I will allow it.) So share! After your internship tell your success story and be a mentor to someone who wants to intern!

Happy interning!

Love, Alice

The Good, the Bad, the Internship Experience.

Have I mentioned internships are important to your growth and development as an individual and a professional? That internships are great for gaining real-life work experience?
OF COURSE I HAVE, MY FINE INTERNEES!
Dear 'ole Alice has been giving you advice, tips, and information on how to find, get, and keep an internship. Hopefully, they have been helpful, whether you're searching for an internship or at an internship now and you're struggling with any ethical decisions.

What I have failed to mention, however, is that in reality sometimes...
SOMETIMES
...internships don't always have the fabulous outcome you were hoping for.

Whether you realize you didn't like the job/career/field, you and the boss man did not get along, or perhaps you're like me, and you just set your expectations a little to high. The truth: sometimes internships just aren't what you were looking for.

Here are a few examples of some peeps who had terrible internships and lived to tell about them.

• Richard Bottner - He interned at one of Boston's largest companies and had a tough time. He makes an awesome point when he discusses the moral of the story!
• Dan Marley - He writes about an internship at The New York Sun, where he expected it to be completely...different. (He is an insanely hilarious writer!)
• "The Atlantic" - Offers jobs to interns with requirements that really shock them!
• The Gawker - Writes about the worst internship ever.

Now that you've read about bad internships, it's time to put you in the middle of the madness! You are an intern (if you're not already), you are interning for a company you thought you would love but you HATE. Despise. Loathe. Not only do you have to get coffee everyday but, excuse my french because I'm going to say it, you're their little intern bitch. That's right, it's not just coffee, it's lunch, cleaning, printing, mail, errands. (I consider this the "stereotypical internship" because I know for a FACT not all internships are like this, but most TV shows, movies, books, all make internships sound like this.) So, you're interning and it is the pits. How do you deal?

Have no fear, miserable internees! Quint Careers is here to help you! They offer you advise on how to make the most of your internship, even when it sucks.

The key is to make it your own. So you have to get coffee everyday and hand out mail and bla bla bla. Say you're at a TV station, as I was, and you want to learn the ins and outs but your boss is only interested in you answering phones and running prompter. Yes, you are learning something, but you want to edit and record and all that good stuff! What do you do? YOU TAKE MATTERS INTO YOUR OWN HANDS, INTERNEES! You want to make sure you're getting what you want out of the internship! Make friends who will teach you about the career and help you learn programs, explore on your own! As Quint Careers explains, take initiative, ask questions, NETWORK. It may suck, but you could get a better internship out of meeting the peeps in the office and getting to know them and who they know.

DEFINITELY read the full article on Making the Most of Your Internship, it will help you whether you love or hate your internship! (Especially hate.)

So, your internship is crap. Take the advice of Quint Careers and don't be afraid to take matters into your own hands. Your internship is what YOU make it. Plus, the important thing is what YOU get out of it, and if you don't want to leave with permanent burns from coffee and paper cuts from mail, then do something about it!

Lastly, if you really really really REALLY hate your internship and there is absolutely no way to fix it and make it better for you, talk to your boss/advisor and see what other options there are available for you. If worst come to worst, you can always leave. Because sometimes, as you know, internships just don't work out.

Happy interning!
Love, Alice

The Best Places to Intern!

Dearest internees,

If you're on the prowl for a grade A internship, you're probably wondering where the best place is to look for one. Luckily enough for you, precious internees, look no further!
BusinessWeek is one of the country's prime business magazine, ranking with Fortune and Forbes magazines.


Every year, BusinessWeek releases an annual list of the Top 50 Best Places to Intern and I have for YOU the 2008 list! (As 2009 comes to a close, keep your eyes open for a '09 list in early '10!) BusinessWeek ranks these companies according to pay, the percentage of interns who get full-time jobs, student feedback, as well as research. YAHOO!

For you, internees, I will supply you with the COMPLETE list but I want to highlight the top 10.

1. Goldman Sachs - An investment banking company who (in 2007) offered 79% of their interns a full-time job. This rate is not the highest, however, their PAY RATE is what you really should jump up and down about. In 2007 their hourly pay rate was almost $30.




2. PriceWaterHouseCoopers - PWHC is an accounting firm who reached BusinessWeek's number two spot because in 2008, the percentage of interns who received full-time job offers reached an astounding 93%. This rate was 3% higher than in 2007. Accounting anyone?




3. Ernst & Young LLP - This is another accounting firm and although their pay is not as high as Goldman Sachs and PWHC, their intern hiring rate was extremely high. In 2007, it reached 98% and in 2008 it was 90+%. CALLING ALL ACCOUNTING INTERNEES! This is the place to be!


4. Deloitte - Keeping it steady with the accounting firms, this company (in 2007) had a pay rate of approximately $25 an hour with an 85% full-time job offer to interns in both 2007 and 2008.
   
5. KPMG - Again, accounting. Full-time job offer rate? 95% in 2007. AND 95% in 2008.
   
6. JPMorgan - Investment banking. Although their full-time job offer rate was only 80% in 2007 and 70% in 2008, their pay rate is rather high at almost $30 an hour.
7. Microsoft - A technology driven company (as we are all aware) that continues to have a pretty stable full-time job offer rate. In 2007 it was 83% and in 2008, 85%.



8. IBM - Information technology products and services: approximately a 50% full-time job offer rate for both 2007 and 2008. Their pay rate is at $22 per hour.
   
9. General Electric - Good ole' GE and their manufacturing of all sorts of products! GE's full-time job offer rate and pay rate are both significantly lower than previous companies. Though, their job offer rate was 60% in 2007, it was only 30% in 2008. Their pay? $19 per hour.


10. Walt Disney - The happiest place on Earth! Which means you'll be the happiest intern on Earth, working here! At number ten, the media/entertainment company has more rates significantly lower than the other companies. A staggering 17% of interns were offered full time jobs in 2007 and it only raised to 22% in 2008.

Not satisfied with the JUST the top 10 best internships of 2008, according to BusinessWeek? See the complete list with links, percentages and both rankings to compare from '07 and '08.

You can also check out lists of the best places to intern by MSNBC, Fortune/CNN/Money, and, for those of you internees who are looking for a little laugh, CollegeHumor also has a list.

And remember, keep your eyes peeled for the 2009 lists in early 2010!

Good luck and happy interning!
Love, Alice