5 Tips for Locating or Creating Internships and Externships

Internships and externships are great experiences for learning, vetting out what career possibilities make sense to you, and establishing links for future employment.  But I get asked, “What is the difference between internship and externship?”  Typically, externships are much shorter and unpaid.  They can be a couple of days to a few weeks in length and are primarily job shadowing experiences.  The extern is an observer.  However, an internship is usually at least a semester in length and may or may not be a paid position. The intern is assigned duties that mirror what an employee in the position would be expected to do on a regular basis.

So how do you go about finding these great opportunities?  Here are 5 Tips for locating or creating an internship or externship:

#1 – Employers of your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles or any extended family member.  Activate your network!  Remember, it may mean you create the experience on paper and present the proposal.

#2 – Family friends and their businesses

#3 – Businesses you frequent and like their product or service

#4 – City or County government offices

#5 – Quintcareers is a great website with links to tons of opportunities, job skill and interview recommendations as well as a zip code activated link for locating internship opportunities in your desired hometown or college town.

Got a great internship story?  Comment here and generate ideas for others.

Handwriting on the Wall

For the past couple of weeks I have directed my subject matter to high school and college students who need to address their plan for the up-coming summer.  However, parents need to take note as well.  The value of creating a plan now provides increased opportunity for desired experiences, but it also provides increased opportunity for valuable profile or resume’ material.  Additionally, with applications to universities increasing, building value in you is a great way to separate yourself from the rest of the pack.

Whether you are a high school student applying to universities or a college student applying for a job, there is a common factor for both.  Universities, like employers, are looking for the “right fit” individual.  While you don’t come with a guarantee, they want to have some sense that you are a good investment for them.  So they are looking for people who stand out from the others in some way.  And as resources for universities are cut through state budgets or private foundations due to the current economy, the cost of college will increase.  The handwriting has been on the wall for years and the trend will continue.

In January of 2009, the Wall Street Journal ran an article, “States Weigh Cuts to Merit Scholarships.”  The article addresses the state programs that provide scholarships to students based on GPA, test scores and class rank.  But the trend over 5 years was indicating a tightening of criteria due to budget shortfalls.  Some states were even considering eliminating state funded scholarships.

Then in July 2010, the National Conference of State Legislatures reported the gaps, caps and enacted budget efforts to move toward balanced budgets.  In doing so, K-12, undergraduate and graduate programs experienced serious financial cuts and program impact.  The outcome was increased tuition and decreased scholarship opportunities.

Most recently, the Sun-Sentinel posted an article, “Bright Futures Scholarship Program Faces $100M Funding Cut.” While most of the article addresses the criteria of eligibility being debated as well as the number of students being affected, there is an alarming statistic regarding the increase of tuition.  In 2009, Legislature authorized Florida state universities to increase tuition 15% per year until they reached the national norm.   State by state you can Google search for your state name followed by the words, “cuts to higher education budget” and the story will be repeated.  In an effort to balance budgets, states are continuing to cut funding to education and universities are included in the casualties.

The costs to be educated will continue to escalate.  The trend is clear.  So while part of the plan has to be about your financial plan to pay for college, part of the plan has to be how you create the best possible you as that individual that is separate and unique from the rest of the pack.  That individual is created through class performance, athletic performance, and community service and leadership opportunities.  It takes time to accumulate those experiences and it takes commitment.  Planning helps to make it happen.  The debate over scholarship criteria will continue and will change.  As will the entrance criteria at universities.  Your efforts to create a “Complete Student Package” must remain constant.  The handwriting is on the wall.

Evaluate Your Needs

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.  The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks and then starting on the first one.”  –  Mark Twain

This quote rings true with me each time I hear someone ask, “Where do I start?”  My response is always, “Break it down.”  Unfortunately, that’s where a lot of people break down.  They have a fleeting idea of a goal; an immediate reaction to how to get there, and then an impulse act that they hope will bring about the end result they originally imagined.  Creating that successful summer experience requires that you have a plan though, not just an act of impulse.  Whether you are a high school student or a college student, you are on a path that can provide enormous opportunity and create background experiences that set you up for success.  So, as part of the plan, begin by evaluating your needs.

As a student, there are four “needs” to consider when planning your summer.  Keep in mind, your plan may include parallel paths to meet these needs.

1. Financial Need – Do you need to make money for spending cash or are you in need of making money to be able to make expenses when you return to school?  Do you need to make money to pay for college?  If “financial need” is a primary concern for your summer, then getting started on your pursuit of summer employment is immediate and last week’s blog included some informative and helpful websites for that search.

2. Experience Need – Experience presents itself in many forms.  It can be an internship, externship, or participation with an organization.  Internships may be with or without pay, but the big payoff is experience with a company that can build toward future employment with them or at least the benefit of learning what you do or don’t want to do in your future.  Participation with an organization may be in the form of an athletic team and building skills and stats toward college or professional opportunities.  Either way, the experience is your primary need.

3. Volunteer Need – This one is of particular importance to high school students but should not be dismissed by the college student.  Volunteering speaks to your character.  Many high schools require community service as part of their graduation requirements.  Universities look at volunteerism as one element of consideration when admitting students.  Companies look at your community involvement as commitment, community outreach and opportunities to be seen as a positive extension of their own business.  Assess your schedule and your need to increase your volunteer capacity.

4. Education Need – Do you need to take summer courses?  Does your graduation date indicate that you are on track with completing your diploma or degree on-time?  Do you want to get ahead on your timeline?  Assessing your summer needs for education requires that you know where you are today in your plan, seeing the end-date, and working backward on the calendar to ensure an on-time completion.

With these four identified needs, evaluating your potential summer activities now becomes more focused and allows you to take the steps essential to creating great opportunities.  Your path may be consumed by one of these “Needs” or you may be able to combine paths if you have multiple needs and a schedule that will accomodate.  Either way, by planning now you can design a unique opportunity setting yourself up for future success.

Remember, ” The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks…”  Need help breaking it down?  Contact me.

Get Started on Your Summer Plan

When I talk with people about their plans for their future, I get the range of reactions from “deer in the headlights” to totally engaged and “I know where I want to go.”  But it is no surprise.  We are all wired with different “Time Frame Orientations,” as identified through the Highlands Ability Battery. Some people are naturally better at completion of tasks within a 6 month time frame while others are naturally better with longer time frames of a year to five years.  Either way, for college and high school students who are thinking about summer employment or participation with organizations, the clock is ticking and it is time for a plan.  You know I am all about “The Plan.”

Over the course of the next couple of weeks I will focus on high school and college students and the considerations, time frames and helpful hints for summer employment/opportunities.  With a job market as tight as currently exists, you need to have a plan and be ahead of the competition.  Today, we start mapping the plan.

Whether your summer begins May 1st, June 1st or June 20th given extended calendars for weather make-up days, the landslide of summer workers/participants will hit in full force.  You need to be prepared to submit applications and do interviews before everyone else.  So work backwards.  Identify your target date for starting work and work backward with your plan.  You will need time for interviews, phone calls, application completion, Internet or local searches and networking.  That means you start now!

There are some terrific web tools for identifying summer employers as well as tips for effective interviews.  Here are just a few:

www.quintcareers.com                Great for searching College Internship Opportunities

www.getthatgig.com                     Opportunities for students 16-21 years

www.teenjobsection.com          Interactive map of opportunities across the country

www.snagajob.com                       Getting and making the most of your job

The important thing about starting now is you begin looking at the opportunities.  And opportunities do not apply only to work.  Opportunities may refer to athletic team participation,  experiences or internships.  What would you like to do?  Are there jobs/opportunities you are particularly interested in doing and things you just would not consider?  What transportation barriers exist or what options are available if a good opportunity presents itself?  How many hours a day will you be available to work/play/volunteer?  Is summer class part of the equation when figuring schedules for work?  Different employers will embrace your availability as a summer worker and as a student working to get ahead.  Others may find value in your performance and embrace the opportunity that you may be available for the next few seasons.  The here and now impacts tomorrow!

By starting your search now, you have some time to explore options and activate a network.  Yes, activate your network!  Just like business people network to expand and strengthen their own client base, students can network to find great summer opportunities through parents, relatives and family friends.  Now is the time to get started!   Define the plan!

Affirmations of Getting It Right

I love my work!

Can you say the same thing?

I have loved my work for over 30 years!

Can you say the same thing?

An article came across my computer recently and just lit up my day.  It was yet another affirmation for the work I do and love.  How wonderful that a major entity writes about the relevance of choosing majors wisely when my blog addressed it just a few weeks ago.  Is this a case of the chicken and the egg?

Life’s transitions affect us all.  Whether we are high school students transitioning to college, college students transitioning to the workforce, or already working and questioning our direction, the process remains the same.  Creating a plan for a career that will lead down a road of satisfaction, fulfillment and reward is not easy.  But it is do-able.

This article reiterates the importance of understanding yourself, the trends and making good decisions.  I love it!  I hope you will to.  Read it here and tell me what you think.

Just Do It

I have always believed that life is a balance.  It is a balance of work and pleasure, chocolate and vegetables, reality and fantasy.  Somewhere between all of them is a balance and something that fits for each one of us.  I know that I can indulge in those two chocolates a day that I so love, but I need to walk my four miles at least three times a week to keep wearing the same jeans!  I also need to commit a number of hours per week to reading and staying current in my field in order to remain productive with my clients.  It is a balance that does not occur automatically, but rather with a plan.

Last week I wrote about the NFL athletes who were reduced to financial ruin because they did not have a plan.  There had not been a plan as they entered college, and there had not been a plan as they proceeded through their career.  They are not unlike the vast majority of the population.  No goals, no plan.

But highly successful people know that their success did not occur without a plan.  A written document that included goals and strategies for achieving those goals.  Although there is not a documented source, I love the quote, “Some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it.”

I know people who dream of success, have great aspirations, but never achieve what they are looking for in their work or life.  They work hard, but they fail to meet their dreams because they don’t have a plan.  I also know that there are people who achieve greatness in spite of what others believe because they DO have a plan.

Can you imagine any researcher striking out in a lab to develop a new technology and not having a plan?  Can you imagine Ray Kroc without a business plan to launch his concept of franchising McDonalds?

Do you have a plan?  Do you have a plan that is loosely developed and hanging out there on a cloud or is it a real plan?  Has it been committed to paper?

In a response to last week’s blog, a friend and colleague sent an email telling me about how she works with middle school students to write their “Blueprint.”  The effort developed out of a lesson that included the reading of Dr. Martin Luther King’s, “Life’s Blueprint” speech.  How wonderful that those students should have the advantage of an educator who has the foresight to teach and guide them in the importance of creating a plan!  How unfortunate to think that statistically, only 3% of those students will continue in life’s journey with the habit of continuously reflecting and rewriting their plan in an effort to achieve their goals.  Will you be one of the 3%?  Have you created your plan?  That Nike slogan, “Just Do It” is vital when it comes to committing to writing a plan.

Playing and Planning for Success

A retired educator, I wish I had a penny for every student I have ever heard say, “I want to be a professional athlete.”  Not that I would be so wealthy, but the sheer volume would be impressive.  That volume struck me profoundly this week as I watched an HBO special sports presentation made by Bryant Gumbel.  During the hour long piece, he chronicled the lives of two athletes who had played in the NFL.

The athletes had each played for more than 4 years and each had contracts of over 5 million dollars per year in the 1990’s and early 2000.  Over 5 years, they had both made in excess of 20 million dollars.  However, both had since lost all of their money and one had filed for bankruptcy.  Neither had careers to fall back on and neither had a plan for moving forward.  Even more astounding was the frequency this story is repeated across the NFL.  Gumbel reported that over 60% of NFL players lose their fortune after retirement and most do not have a plan to recover.  Many have not completed their education so an immediate transition to another career is not even an option.

Imagine, 60% of retired NFL players lose their entire fortune.  That’s just the NFL.  What about the numbers in other sports?  How can that happen?  How can individuals perform at that level and then lose everything with no means to replace even part of their once highly lucrative earning power?

Students, this is the message I want you to hear loud and clear today.  Plan for your future.  Live your dreams, set your goals and have a plan for your future.  Your education is the key to transitioning throughout your life.  It can provide a satisfying and rewarding lifestyle and open doors when otherwise you may have thought them to be closed.  If you are a high school or college athlete dreaming and working hard to go professional, enjoy the ride.  Just remember, at some point, the ride comes to an end for everyone.  Your plan will provide the next opportunity and help to protect you from being an economic casualty.  It will provide your next great ride!

STARS and Secrets to a Successful Interview

In the last Blog, the theme was “Knowing What You Have to Offer.”  Whether you are interviewing for admissions to a university or sitting in a job interview, some of the standards for success are identical.  You must know what you have to offer the organization and you have to be able to articulate it to the individual or team asking the questions.

So, what are the STARS and Secrets to a successful school or job interview?

Secret #1 – Confidence – Look them in the eye, extend your hand for a firm handshake and flash an enthusiastic smile. Create a sense that this is the energetic and engaging person that they would want on their team.  Stand tall and sit tall, shoulders back and continue to maintain eye contact with everyone in the interview.  You won’t have to tell them you’re confident.  Demonstrate it!

Secret #2 – Toot Your Own Horn – Mom always said, “Sometimes you have to toot your own horn.”  Mom was right!  When you are working to secure admissions to a university or a job, you have to be able to promote yourself.  That means highlighting great examples of what makes you unique to the organization due to your past experiences or natural abilities.  There is a difference between being arrogant and tooting your horn.  Honesty and integrity are highly valued so promote yourself, but don’t embellish.

Secret #3 – STARS – Since past behavior may be a predictor of future performance, many organizations are turning to questions that require the interviewee to provide specific examples of situations that are indicators of how they may perform in the new environment.  That’s where the STAR comes in.   In answering a question that asks you to give an example, follow this formula:

     Situation – Identify the situation you are going to reference

Time frame – Identify the time frame that the situation required from start to finish

Action – State the actions that you took to resolve the situation

Results – State the results as they relate to your actions

Secret #4 – Do Your Own Interview – Make sure you have done your homework before the interview.  Know as much about the organization as you possible can and be prepared with your own questions.  Your interview is not just about what you can do for the organization, but also how good the organization is for you.  Questions that you ask should not have answers readily available on the website or literature about the organization.  They should be specific to the position, supporting positions and opportunities for growth.  Demonstrate your interest!

The competition for admissions to universities and the job market is challenging.  Being prepared for your opportunity means getting the work done ahead of time and following a strategy.   Activate the Secrets and STARS to land your big opportunity!

Know What You Have to Offer

Whether you are a high school student presenting yourself to a university market, a college student or adult looking to get in the work force, the question and need remain the same.  What do you have to offer?  In a recent homepage article for msn, the following article popped up, “How to Prepare for Your First Job Interview in 10 Years.”  The author, Anthony Balderrama, writes for CareerBuilder and this time his message was especially of interest to me and I hope to you.  He says, “The more you understand what you offer, the more confident you will be going in and the more focused you will be in sharing your skills and abilities.”

There is a distinct difference between skills and abilities.  Do you know the difference?  Did you know it is possible to measure abilities and quantify how they can influence job performance?  So, just as it is important to be able to give concrete examples of tasks or responsibilities and outcomes from a previous job in an interview, it is also important to know what the company’s expectations are and how your abilities can provide exactly what is needed to ensure a successful fit as an employee.

What is your personal marketability?  To measure your abilities and help you articulate what you have to offer….that’s my work!

Paying Attention to the Trends

Throughout history there have been individuals who proved they have a great sense of vision.  Not the 20/20 vision, but the kind that requires an ability to foresee what the future may look like in a particular frame of reference.  People who are visionaries in given fields have contributed significantly in the development of businesses and organizations in our country.

Peter Drucker was a business management visionary.  He was able to see the possibilities of individuals and organizations and lead them to greatness.  In his final book, Managing in the Next Society, he spoke about the factors that would be important in the “Information Age” as individuals considered career options.   One of those factors….look forward 50 years and imagine how your career will change.

Most of us do not possess a crystal ball nor have the capability to foresee the future.  But we do have the ability to access resources.  A great resource for keeping current on job trends is the website for the United Stated Department of Labor Statistics, http://bls.gov/home.htm.  This site provides information on the outlook of jobs and what the trends look like quarterly as well as long term.  This kind of information can assist in the process of “looking forward 50 years.”  While it shouldn’t be the only data used in decision-making about a career, it is an important factor to consider and worthy of spending some time checking out the website.