Weekly Internship Posting

Summer Internship

ABC - Hollywood, CA

Paid TV Research Internship

Sony Picture - Westwood, CA

Environmental Regulatory Internship

Bayer - Baytown, TX

Technical Support Internship

IBM - Austin, TX

Audit Internship

RSM McGladery - Dallas, TX

Weekly Internship Posting

Finance Internship
Burger King Brands, Inc. - Miami, FL

Wildlife Management Internship and Naturalist Internship
Kellogg Biological Station - Augusta, MI

Fitness Internship
CHD Meridian Healthcare, LLC - USA

Finance Internship
Scottrade - Blaine, MN

Management Internship - Culinary
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts - Lake Buena Vista, FL

Weekly Internship Posting

Internship
HEICO Aerospace Corporation - Hollywood, FL

Internship
United Health Group - Duluth, GA

Financial Services Internship
UBS - Newport Beach, CA

Internship
CBS Corporation - New York, NY

Internet Advertising Internship
LogicalSolutions.net - Rochester, NY

The Reality of Career Fairs

Many schools typically put on multiple career fairs a year providing the opportunity to students to apply for internships and jobs. However, the success rate most students have with finding a position through a career fair is quite low. For example a university will have on average 50 companies show up to their career fair each trying to fill on average one or two positions. Now if we assume that they are planning to hire someone out of that particular university that’s 50 to 100 positions available to any students attending the career fair. Typically 2,000 students will attend a career fair and submit their resume to recruiters. Assuming 100 positions are available to students, only 5% of those students will end up with a position. Though this is a rough estimate, the reality is that many students will not be able to solely use career fairs to find a job or internship.

What then is the point of attending a career fair? Networking. Career fairs will give you an opportunity to meet face to face with recruiters and learn more about the company. Even though you may not be able to get a position with a certain company, that doesn’t mean other positions won’t open at the same company. By using the career fair success strategies, you will be able to turn the recruiter into a contact for the future. Being able to provide contact information during an interview process will further enhance your prospects.

Though there is no guarantee towards getting a job or internship, you can still make the career fair experience a productive one.

Weekly Internship Posting

Disney Interactive Media Group Summer Internship
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts - North Hollywood, CA

Marketing Internship
Pageflakes - San Francisco, CA

Film Research Internship
Sony Pictures - New York, NY

College Financial Representative Internship
Northwestern Mutual Financial Network - Englewood, CO

Graduate Student Internship
Monsanto - Woodland, CA

Weekly Internship Posting

Marketing Internship
Philadelphia Insurance Companies - Tigard, OR

Internship
PLUS Entertainment - New York, NY

Student Internship
Amerisure - US

Spring Internship 2009 - Finance
Liz Claiborne - New York, NY

Research Internship
Climate Lab - Washington, DC

Weekly Internship Posting

Finance Internship
Assurant - Milwaukee, WI

Internship
Saint Mary's Health Care - Grand Rapids, MI

Engineering Internship
Terracon - Kansas

Marketing Communications Specialist Internship
IBM - Somers, IA

Marketing Internship
Kaplan - Chicago, IL

Weekly Internship Posting

Paid Business Internship
Mountbatten Internship Programme - London, UK

Summer Internship Job
Department of State - Washington D.C.

Internship
American Diabetes Association - Austin, TX

Quality Internship
Abbot Labratories - Lake County, IL

Internship
A-Line Pictures - New York, New York

Weekly Internship Posting

As a follow up to a posting made last week about applying for summer internships earlier, Red Sprouts will be posting summer internships on a weekly basis.

Fox Sports/IGN Mobile Intern (Unpaid)

Intern Program - Los Angeles, CA

Photobucket Marketing Intern (UNPAID)

Intern Program - San Francisco, CA

Software Intern

HP - Roseville, CA

Intern

Allstate - Northbrook, IL

Events/Trade Marketing Intern (PAID)

Intern Program - New York, NY

Who Will You Be This Summer?

It may seem early to be asking what you'll be doing this upcoming summer but based on an article written by the NY Times, it doesn't seem early enough. This article was written earlier this year in January and had a very bold statement: "If you haven't applied for your [internship] yet, you are late" . I am hoping that posting this article in advance will remind prospective interview candidates that application season is fast approaching. Some interesting points made in the article:

• Recruitment for the top 10% of internships start 10 months in advance
• Competition for summer internships is getting higher every year, Google received 5,000 applications for fewer than 1,000 positions
• Having completed a summer internship before graduation is now a necessity
• Using your network (ie. parents, family friends, relatives) is an acceptable way of trying to get any job experience

This article is worth a read to understand how competitive it has become to get an internship. Moral of the story, keep your grades, get experience in school, and start applying early.

Who Will You Be This Summer? [via NY Times]

Resume Building Internship Experience

One of the great things that a summer internship can do is beef up your resume in many different areas. My first internship was a position in the environmental department of an oil refinery. I was involved in projects that allowed me to learn new skills and understand how my degree would help me in the real world. When I sat down to fill out my resume, I realized how much more I could include other than adding a new section under job descriptions. In addition to improving my skills with Microsoft Excel, I also learned how to use specific environmental and plant operation software which I added to the list of the computer software I was familiar with. One of my projects required me to use a sampling analyzer which I became proficient in using and could now add to my resume under laboratory equipment device I was capable in using.

Your internship can not only benefit you with great job experience but it can also help you build familiarity with specific software and equipment that other companies are looking to hire people with skills for. Many companies that offer internships are very proactive about training their interns with every aspect of their job. I always made it a point at my other internships to try to get training on relevant tools and skills to add to my resume as I knew that other companies would be looking for these skill sets. The more software and equipment skills you can learn at your internship the more appealing you will be to the next company looking to hire you.

Interview Quick Guide

Being successful at an interview to get an internship or a full time job can really become a full time job itself. There are many ways to prepare for an interivew, but for those who need a quick guide to getting past an interview, I have listed some pointers below:

Do your Homework

The sure fire way to bomb an interview is walking in blind. Not doing research about the company or organization tells the interviewer you don't care enough about the position to learn more about them. I would advise doing as much research as possible about the company through their company website, annual reports, or third party research.

Always Asks Questions

At the end of any interview the recruiter will always ask, "Do you have any questions for me?". If you answer no, you might as well give up your interview spot and stayed home. This is another sign for the recruiter that you didn't care enough about the position to inquire more about it. This is the best time for you to turn the tables on the interviewer and ask some well pointed questions. Can't think of any you really want to ask? Generic questions such as benefits, work-life balance, and social environment are good ways to start a conversation with a recruiter.

Dress to Impress

There's nothing that says, "I am wasting your time" more than coming in slopily dressed. This of course should be a no brainer but just in case, guys: dress slacks, dress shirt, and tie at a minimum, and girls: dress slacks and a blouse.

This is just a basic list of interview tips just to get by. Redsprouts is working on a series of articles designed around acing the interview. Until then, good luck!

School Started - Now What?

As students return back to the college lecture halls and freshmen begin a life long journey getting acquainted in their new dorm rooms, a common question always comes up, “Now what?” For the upper classmen, they’re halfway through their college career and the idea of getting a job is finally sinking in. For the lower classmen, they’re wondering how they get started and where college might take them. Below is a great way getting started for every level.

Freshmen

In retrospect, freshmen year is really the time for student to explore their options and have some fun. Now just don’t let it get out of hand or you’ll end up where I was trying to play catch up for the rest of the year. Transitioning from high school to college can be quite difficult since for many of you it’s your first time on your own and like I had mentioned in a previous article, high school study skills are sub-par. This is also the time to back track and make sure the major you have chosen is the right one for you. Take classes in other fields that interest you as a way to explore other majors. If you want to switch majors this is the best time to do it as you haven’t taken many classes and transitioning from one to another will be quite simple. The most important thing that a freshman can accomplish is to establish steady study skills and get your GPA up. If you’re really ambitious, go visit a career fair and just orient yourself with companies that show up. There’s no pressure to talk to recruiters and it’s a great way to get some free stationary items.

Sophomore

Now that you’re back from your first year of college and finally ready to take the world on, you’re wondering what to do next. My suggestion? Start networking! Join a professional club related to your field on campus and start socializing with other students. It never hurts to get started and you can even get a leg up on the competition. Another great way to begin networking is meeting recruiters. Now many companies don’t tend to hire interns who have only completed their sophomore year, but sometimes they’ll find the need for someone to complete less glamorous jobs. But hey, job experience is job experience and any recruiter can see the effort you’re putting into your own career. Even if you can’t find an internship with a particular company it never hurts to ask more about their company and what kind of steps you should take between now and when you’re looking for an internship to better secure one.

Junior

To me junior year is where your career really begins to take off. Now that you’re going to complete some upper division course work, you’ve finally qualified to play in the big game of internship hunting. This is the year to get serious about your resume and hitting the career fairs hard. As the job market gets flooded with more and more graduating students, the harder the competition for securing a full time job. Job experience is a big indicator of your skill set and your potential, so obtaining one is very important. Just as important as internships are research positions as many companies see research as the future and if a candidate shows interest, it’s a very big positive. Networking opportunities from this point on will become very important so attending more professional events is a must.

Senior

It’s the last year of a long and wonderful journey and regardless if a full time job or a slot in graduate school is at the end, you should all congratulate yourself for getting this far. Hopefully you have some job experience tucked away and you’re ready to take on the world. Access your network that you’ve built up for opportunities you’re interested in and try to have some fun your last year. If you’ve been successful thus far, you’ll know exactly who to ask and where to look for any opportunity. Most importantly though, go on vacation! You’ve earned it and it’ll be a great way to unwind before moving on to the next part of you life.

Choices - 4 Years or 5 Years

I already knew before I started college that I was going to take the 5 year route. My main reason was due to my engineering major and also being financially sound enough to not worry about paying for college. I could have probably finished in less time, but knowing that I could graduate in 5 years allowed me to fit in internships, balance out my work load, and re-take classes I had failed. If you’re wondering whether it is worth graduating sooner and getting into the work force, there are a couple things to consider.

As the price of tuition increases every quarter/semester it is harder and harder to justify staying in school any longer than needed. Unless you are forced to stay longer because you have to re-take classes, I would suggest trying to get into the work force as soon as you can. The more work experience you can gain, the faster it will help towards a promotion, salary increase, and extra vacation time. The only situation that bears some thought is getting an offer for an internship that will extend your stay at college an extra quarter/semester. Even though your internship may not pay enough to cover a quarter/semester of school, it will pay dividends forward as a resume building experience. Having that internship under your belt will help with your job search and give you leverage during offer negotiations.

For those you who have the time and money and are looking to graduate in 4.5 years, I would suggest staying for that last part of the year and enjoying the college life. Take a fun class you couldn’t fit in during the school year or work on getting a research paper published. Whatever it might be, it will be a nice break before you enter the real world and realize how wonderful it was being in college.

Career - Getting Your First Job

Many people that I have known found it difficult to pick up a job when they graduated from college. In retrospect, I don’t find that hard to believe. Without work experience, internships, and undergraduate research, it is difficult to present yourself purposefully in a resume when looking for the perfect job. So my advice to you – start early and don’t lose confidence.

When I was a Junior in college, I found it difficult to secure an internship for myself. I tried applying all over the place – mostly whatever I found on my college’s internship and career center webpage, however, much to no avail. I was fortunate to be invited to several interviews that seemed promising, but they never amounted to anything. I wanted to give up, but my aunt suggested that I apply for an internship position at her company. With her recommendation, I was able to secure a position as a food science intern. Although it was far from my engineering curriculum, I thought I might as well give it a shot. As it turns out, I enjoyed my experience away from engineering, being able to work from a non-technical perspective. I learned how to conduct myself within a corporate environment as well as becoming familiar with a 9 to 5 job.

As it turns out, my internship experience helped me get my current job at an environmental firm. Although seemingly irrelevant, I presented my perspective of learning to be highly detail oriented as well as being accountable to my work as an intern. Additionally, my internship experience gave me valuable prior work references that I was able to present at my interview.

When you are searching for an internship or on-campus job, find something that you enjoy and aim for that as your goal. If you aren’t able to obtain that yet, keep trying. Don’t expect to get everything the way you want easily. I had to send my resume to dozens of recruiters before I even heard back from one. If you’ve given a good attempt to get something you desire and still fail, don’t be afraid of taking a job out of your major field. Experience is a crucial tool that you can use to leverage yourself into a job that you really want. After all, its not like you have to stick with it forever. I was content enough with the extra pocket money and the right to claim I was paid to eat.