It's so rewarding as an educator to keep in touch with our interns. We love to hear how their high school internship jump-started a career or helped with a college acceptance.
I was honored to help our former student, Jennifer Pierre from Roslindale, MA. We secured a government internship for Jen when she was a student at BB&N. She then went on to become class president at Bryn Mawr. I came to bat several times for her, recommending her as applied for and was accepted to several internships during her college years, from a position with the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development to an internship at the UN.
Ben Prawdzik, formerly a student at Philips Andover wrote to say that he is enjoying his freshman year at Yale. We placed Ben on an internship as a sophomore in high school with the VP of Technology at the fastest growing e-commerce business in the US. Ben was offered a paying job there his junior summer and made fabulous career connections.
I recently heard from Lauren Cohen. When she was the editor of the Newton North High School newspaper, we matched her to a journalism internship at Women's Business, Boston. She then went on to U Wisconsin and told us that her high school experience led to an internship at Dateline NBC in NYC.
As I tell my friends and colleagues, this is certainly the most rewarding work that I have experienced in my professional career. To my former interns, keep in touch and let me know if I can help you as you embark on your career paths.
-Dr. Internship
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Winter is the time to think about a Summer Internship.
November has been a very busy month in our office, with many inquiries coming from college students home for Thanksgiving. The job market is still very tight for college graduates and those students in the know realize how important it is to describe internship experiences on their resume. These days, employers expect students to have multiple internships before they graduate.
For high school students, December and January are the perfect time to meet with Internship Connection to discuss career interests. Often students are not returning to summer camp, they may have already spent a summer traveling and college applications loom ahead.
We suggest taking advantage of Winter Break to begin the process of establishing an internship. Why so soon? The process is time consuming and actually involves the same steps as looking for a job:
We look forward to hearing from you!
-Dr. Internship
For high school students, December and January are the perfect time to meet with Internship Connection to discuss career interests. Often students are not returning to summer camp, they may have already spent a summer traveling and college applications loom ahead.
We suggest taking advantage of Winter Break to begin the process of establishing an internship. Why so soon? The process is time consuming and actually involves the same steps as looking for a job:
- Thinking about your innate talents and/or academic interests.
- Researching which career fields would be relevant.
- Creating and sending a business resume.
- Prepping for a workplace interview
- Contacting businesses and organizations.
We look forward to hearing from you!
-Dr. Internship
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
A Sampling of 3 New York Internships- Summer, 2010
Divya, from Old Westbury NY is a junior at Boston University and contacted Internship Connection about a summer internship in Public Relations. We matched her to an internship at Publishers Clearing House where her mentor crafted a thoughtful letter of recommendation. Certainly this letter will be valuable as she applies for jobs after graduation. "Divya has taken on individual responsibilities more often assigned to a full time associate. She diligently prepared the team for projects and attended numerous meetings, both internal tactical meetings and vendor appointments.Divya is not only intelligent, but she also possesses the intangible qualities of being adaptable, dependable and passionate about new opportunities."
Tanna, a high school sophomore from New York City, was interested in antique books. After much research, we connected her to a rare book dealer. In her recommendation letter, the owner described Tanna's experiences there. Tanna catalogued new arrivals and wrote catalogue descriptions, archived a NYC poet's body of work and personal library, working on location in the poet's residence. She participated in rare book field trips around the city, meeting professionals in the field. She went on book-buying trips and visited a professional paper conservator and book binder and even attended an auction of books and manuscripts at a prominent New York auction house. Her mentor wrote, "Tanna has the intelligence and ambition necessary to make a valuable contribution to the field of literature and rare books, or whatever field she chooses to pursue."
Jared, a high school sophomore from New York City, was interested in "helping people" and social justice. We matched him to a famous non-profit that empowers young people to change the world. In his Internship Connection Journal, Jared wrote that he executed write-ups on social networking, prepared for an award show on VH1, and researched and contacted every minor baseball team! He especially enjoyed the intern scavenger hunt because it was a great bonding experience.
Tanna, a high school sophomore from New York City, was interested in antique books. After much research, we connected her to a rare book dealer. In her recommendation letter, the owner described Tanna's experiences there. Tanna catalogued new arrivals and wrote catalogue descriptions, archived a NYC poet's body of work and personal library, working on location in the poet's residence. She participated in rare book field trips around the city, meeting professionals in the field. She went on book-buying trips and visited a professional paper conservator and book binder and even attended an auction of books and manuscripts at a prominent New York auction house. Her mentor wrote, "Tanna has the intelligence and ambition necessary to make a valuable contribution to the field of literature and rare books, or whatever field she chooses to pursue."
Jared, a high school sophomore from New York City, was interested in "helping people" and social justice. We matched him to a famous non-profit that empowers young people to change the world. In his Internship Connection Journal, Jared wrote that he executed write-ups on social networking, prepared for an award show on VH1, and researched and contacted every minor baseball team! He especially enjoyed the intern scavenger hunt because it was a great bonding experience.
Engineering 101
Harry, a junior at Hingham High is an outstanding student athlete with particular strengths in math and science. Interested in engineering and manufacturing operations, we matched Harry to a manufacturing internship. Harry's mentor was the company's CEO, a graduate of MIT who wrote Harry's letter of recommendation:
"I have been impressed with Harry’s engaging personality, intelligence and maturity throughout his internship. He quickly grasped the necessary concepts involved in our operation and excelled on every task that he was assigned to. His responsibilities included: attending all manufacturing meetings, learning ISO requirements and the operating procedure for all machines. Once I understood his advanced level of competence, I assigned Harry the task of developing procedural documents for maintaining each piece of equipment. Harry became aware of vendor issues and wrote up a thoughtful report concerning quality control. I found his interest in engineering and quick grasp of manufacturing issues unusual for a high school student.
With the intelligence and drive that Harry brought to our company as a high school intern, I can only imagine what he would have to offer to MIT and his chosen profession."
In addition, Internship Connection contacted another CEO of a prestigious engineering consulting firm in downtown Boston, who was happy to arrange a visit. Harry spent several hours touring the offices and meeting all types of engineers. He learned about engineering as a profession, the various types of engineering fields and enjoyed lunch and camaraderie with professionals immersed in the field.
Lights, Camera, Action!
Nick, an Austin Prep junior, is learning the ropes of television production. Internship Connection established an internship for Nick that reflected his interests in television and his previous experiences in theater.
He has created a stellar marketing piece for a community theater group, while at the same time, he learned all facets of TV production- camera work, interviewing, filming, writing and editing.
Nick is pictured with his mentor, an extraordinary educator and Executive Director of the station.
Fashion Internship, Summer 2010
Newbury Street Fashion Internship, Boston
Hannah Orenstein, a junior at Needham High, is passionate about writing and fashion. We matched Hannah's blogging talents to the hottest designer in Boston, Daniela Corte.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Internships for January Freshman
As the Director of Internship Connection, I have just finished arranging a fall government internship and homestay in Boston for a January freshman from Mexico. Joaquin has been accepted to Babson College starting in January.
"J-Frosh" is a concept that's gaining popularity at many colleges including the Ivy League. There are so many wonderful students that colleges would like to accept but dorm rooms are at a premium. Space opens up when juniors take a semester abroad in the Spring- thus freeing up campus housing.
Joaquin wisely felt that the fall semester would give him the opportunity to build his resume, get familiar with Boston and brush up on his English. I look forward to welcoming him at the airport, giving him a tour of Boston (including Fenway Park of course)and taking him to his homestay.
Never too soon to create a Boston sports fan!
-Dr. Internship
"J-Frosh" is a concept that's gaining popularity at many colleges including the Ivy League. There are so many wonderful students that colleges would like to accept but dorm rooms are at a premium. Space opens up when juniors take a semester abroad in the Spring- thus freeing up campus housing.
Joaquin wisely felt that the fall semester would give him the opportunity to build his resume, get familiar with Boston and brush up on his English. I look forward to welcoming him at the airport, giving him a tour of Boston (including Fenway Park of course)and taking him to his homestay.
Never too soon to create a Boston sports fan!
-Dr. Internship
Friday, May 28, 2010
A List of Internship Positions still available in Boston and NYC
We have placed students in amazing internships for the summer, and we are still hearing from businesses who would love a high school or college intern from our Internship Connection Program. The following positions are still open.
Boston:
1. Medical research in Waltham relating to the cure of a disease
2. For students interested in writing- a fabulous scholarly organization
3. Cable TV under the station director
4. Education position in Cambridge
5. Environmental education
6. Music Production- in their library cataloging
7. With the Director of Business for the State of MA in Lawrence
8. The arts in Somerville
9. Event planning
New York City:
1. Sports Marketing at a prestigious university
2. Human Resources at a famous Fortune 500 company in the financial district
3. Sales and marketing at a Fortune 500 company in the financial district
Contact Dr. Carole Jabbawy:
carole@internshipconnection.com
Boston:
1. Medical research in Waltham relating to the cure of a disease
2. For students interested in writing- a fabulous scholarly organization
3. Cable TV under the station director
4. Education position in Cambridge
5. Environmental education
6. Music Production- in their library cataloging
7. With the Director of Business for the State of MA in Lawrence
8. The arts in Somerville
9. Event planning
New York City:
1. Sports Marketing at a prestigious university
2. Human Resources at a famous Fortune 500 company in the financial district
3. Sales and marketing at a Fortune 500 company in the financial district
Contact Dr. Carole Jabbawy:
carole@internshipconnection.com
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Give your Internship Time to Develop
Now that many of our interns have started their internships, it's important to stress that an intern should give the internship a bit of time to develop. Sometimes a student jumps to the conclusion on the very first day that the internship may not meet their expectations. That can be a crucial mistake.
Often in the beginning the two parties are just starting to get to know each other. Mentors need to appraise a student's strengths and talents and interns need to learn about the organization. Simple assigned tasks will allow the student to get to know the office routines and employees' roles in the company. At the same time, the mentor will learn which projects would best utilize the student's skills.
After a while, mentors will be able to assign more meaningful projects and the interns will feel more confident about letting the mentor know the types of assignments they would like to work on.
Patience is the best policy!
-Dr. Internship
Often in the beginning the two parties are just starting to get to know each other. Mentors need to appraise a student's strengths and talents and interns need to learn about the organization. Simple assigned tasks will allow the student to get to know the office routines and employees' roles in the company. At the same time, the mentor will learn which projects would best utilize the student's skills.
After a while, mentors will be able to assign more meaningful projects and the interns will feel more confident about letting the mentor know the types of assignments they would like to work on.
Patience is the best policy!
-Dr. Internship
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Internships illegal according to the NY Times?
New York Times Article: "The Unpaid Intern, Legal or Not"
Lately, the legality of unpaid internships is being discussed in the news.It's common knowledge that employers expect students to have completed more than one internship before graduation. The National Association of Colleges and Employers survey found that 50 percent of graduating students had participated in internships.Yet, state and federal government are now looking at certain legal criteria that must be satisfied for internships to be unpaid.
The bottom line is, "Is the internship educational?" When I talk to a potential internship mentor, the first question I ask is "What type of projects and activities would our student be involved with?" The experiences must be meaningful and educational or I would never place a student there. Both the student and mentor should benefit equally.The article mentions Trudy Steinfeld, director of N.Y.U.’s Office of Career Services, who said she increasingly had to ride herd on employers to make sure their unpaid internships were educational.
The interns in our program would never experience what this article describes:
"One Ivy League student said she spent an unpaid three-month internship at a magazine packaging and shipping 20 or 40 apparel samples a day back to fashion houses that had provided them for photo shoots. In a second case, a N.Y.U. student who hoped to work in animation at a Manhattan children’s film company was assigned to the facilities department and ordered to wipe the door handles each day to minimize the spread of swine flu. If that happened in our program, I would pull the intern out immediately and arrange for a different placement!
Personally, I have seen so many benefits for our students. A high school internship leads to a more prestigious one in college which leads to a meaningful job after graduation.Internships — paid or unpaid — serve as valuable steppingstones that help young people land future jobs. "Internships have become the gateway into the white-collar work force,” said Ross Perlin, a Stanford graduate and onetime unpaid intern who is writing a book on the subject.
As always, the deciding factor must be, "Is the internship educational?" which of course, is core of our Internship Connection program.
-Dr.Internship
Lately, the legality of unpaid internships is being discussed in the news.It's common knowledge that employers expect students to have completed more than one internship before graduation. The National Association of Colleges and Employers survey found that 50 percent of graduating students had participated in internships.Yet, state and federal government are now looking at certain legal criteria that must be satisfied for internships to be unpaid.
The bottom line is, "Is the internship educational?" When I talk to a potential internship mentor, the first question I ask is "What type of projects and activities would our student be involved with?" The experiences must be meaningful and educational or I would never place a student there. Both the student and mentor should benefit equally.The article mentions Trudy Steinfeld, director of N.Y.U.’s Office of Career Services, who said she increasingly had to ride herd on employers to make sure their unpaid internships were educational.
The interns in our program would never experience what this article describes:
"One Ivy League student said she spent an unpaid three-month internship at a magazine packaging and shipping 20 or 40 apparel samples a day back to fashion houses that had provided them for photo shoots. In a second case, a N.Y.U. student who hoped to work in animation at a Manhattan children’s film company was assigned to the facilities department and ordered to wipe the door handles each day to minimize the spread of swine flu. If that happened in our program, I would pull the intern out immediately and arrange for a different placement!
Personally, I have seen so many benefits for our students. A high school internship leads to a more prestigious one in college which leads to a meaningful job after graduation.Internships — paid or unpaid — serve as valuable steppingstones that help young people land future jobs. "Internships have become the gateway into the white-collar work force,” said Ross Perlin, a Stanford graduate and onetime unpaid intern who is writing a book on the subject.
As always, the deciding factor must be, "Is the internship educational?" which of course, is core of our Internship Connection program.
-Dr.Internship
Friday, April 16, 2010
Internships: Enjoy the Unexpected
I just had an interesting conversation with a parent that I wanted to share. Sometimes the best part of an internship is what happens "between the lines." When high school students and their parents are so hyper-focused on achieving an internship placement limited to a very narrow career choice, they may be missing the point. Students benefit from all aspects of an internship.
While on a college internship in production at MTV, my own son, when filing the contracts of the VJ's (yes, that dreaded activity) he realized that he wanted to become the lawyer who drew up those contracts- hence his current career as a corporate lawyer in NYC.
Another son, while in high school, interned at a science start-up in Boston. He was fortunate to participate in many science-related activities, but what he found most interesting was learning about the VC firm that provided their initial round of funding- hence his current career in venture capital.
So, my advice is to be open to all types of internships- interning at a non-profit cooking program for inner-city kids may peak your interest in culinary, social work, marketing or fund raising. Expect the unexpected and run with it!
-Dr. Internship
While on a college internship in production at MTV, my own son, when filing the contracts of the VJ's (yes, that dreaded activity) he realized that he wanted to become the lawyer who drew up those contracts- hence his current career as a corporate lawyer in NYC.
Another son, while in high school, interned at a science start-up in Boston. He was fortunate to participate in many science-related activities, but what he found most interesting was learning about the VC firm that provided their initial round of funding- hence his current career in venture capital.
So, my advice is to be open to all types of internships- interning at a non-profit cooking program for inner-city kids may peak your interest in culinary, social work, marketing or fund raising. Expect the unexpected and run with it!
-Dr. Internship
Monday, March 15, 2010
Resume Tips for High School Students
Often the high school students we meet wonder if they have enough experience to list on a resume. The answer is yes! Activities outside of school that show responsibility may include mowing lawns, baby sitting, delivering newspapers, life guarding, camp CIT, etc. Activities in school may be newspaper staff, band member, a school trip to to Washington, D.C., Model UN, debate, etc.
Many of the students in our program have volunteer experience at a soup kitchen or at the Special Olympics, have participated in walks for charity, or delivered meals to the elderly. The best way way to describe these experiences is to use action verbs and "resume language". If you were a lifeguard at the Dedham Racket Club, you might say: Responsible for monitoring pool area for violations and potential hazardous situations, maintaining pool and recreation areas, and teaching swimming classes.
Students tell us that once they have their resume, they simply add new experiences. More tips to come!
-Dr. Internship
Many of the students in our program have volunteer experience at a soup kitchen or at the Special Olympics, have participated in walks for charity, or delivered meals to the elderly. The best way way to describe these experiences is to use action verbs and "resume language". If you were a lifeguard at the Dedham Racket Club, you might say: Responsible for monitoring pool area for violations and potential hazardous situations, maintaining pool and recreation areas, and teaching swimming classes.
Students tell us that once they have their resume, they simply add new experiences. More tips to come!
-Dr. Internship
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Internships for College Graduates
Lately, I 've been contacted by graduates from prestigious colleges who haven't been able to secure a job related to their college major. Well let me emphasize this; there is no shame, for in this economy, many of you are in the same boat. An internship after college, paid or unpaid, gives you career exposure, builds your resume and provides valuable networking contacts that often lead to a job.
Recently I placed an Ivy League English major on a prestigious government internship where she is using her writing talents, communicating to constituents. I connected a RISD furniture design major to a set design company for theater and trade shows. We brainstormed together and thought about different career fields that would make use of their talents and skills. A little tweaking of their resumes and voila- they were off in a new career direction. All it took was a little "out of the box" thinking.
-Dr. Internship
Recently I placed an Ivy League English major on a prestigious government internship where she is using her writing talents, communicating to constituents. I connected a RISD furniture design major to a set design company for theater and trade shows. We brainstormed together and thought about different career fields that would make use of their talents and skills. A little tweaking of their resumes and voila- they were off in a new career direction. All it took was a little "out of the box" thinking.
-Dr. Internship
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Spring Break in Acapulco vs. Interviewing for your Summer Internship
A no-brainer you say? Well let's see college students. Maybe you can do both. It takes quite a bit of planning, but here's how our current students are making it happen. We started taking calls and emails beginning in November, getting to know all of you from Emory, Vanderbilt, Boston University and even Seoul, South Korea.
You sent us your resumes- some great, some not so great. We started from scratch for some of you and polished them up for others. Next we sent them out to our contacts for summer internships in Boston and New York City and set up interviews for you in March. It's amazing to me the far flung places you go for Spring break, but at least for those of you who were nice enough to squeeze in a few days to come back home to visit your parents (or high school buddies), you'll know that you've got a jump start on your internship search.
Don't forget to pack that suntan lotion!
-Dr. Internship
You sent us your resumes- some great, some not so great. We started from scratch for some of you and polished them up for others. Next we sent them out to our contacts for summer internships in Boston and New York City and set up interviews for you in March. It's amazing to me the far flung places you go for Spring break, but at least for those of you who were nice enough to squeeze in a few days to come back home to visit your parents (or high school buddies), you'll know that you've got a jump start on your internship search.
Don't forget to pack that suntan lotion!
-Dr. Internship
Biomedical Internship for an 8th grader?
Believe it or not, I've had more than one request for this ...and the answer is..... no! Which brings up a very important point. What is the best age for an internship?
It really depends on the maturity of the student. Sometimes a high school freshman can be more mature and ready for an internship than a high school senior. One very young student in our program did so well at her internship at an arts organization, the director told me that she was better than interns they've had from Harvard.
Ideally, sophomore and junior summer is ideal for a high school student. By then, they may have had an interesting course that sparked their interest or a school or family trip that inspired them. One mom told me that she thought her daughter would enjoy interior design but when we met with her, she spoke enthusiastically about a school trip to Washington, D.C. We placed her on a government internship at the State House where she was exposed to a myriad of experiences- everything from seeing how legislation is passed to attending hearings and lectures from mayors and governors.
With the internships fresh in their minds, students talk about their experiences during college interviews and on college essays.
So.... to our 8th graders (and their parents) - not this summer, but it's always good to plan ahead.
-Dr. Internship
It really depends on the maturity of the student. Sometimes a high school freshman can be more mature and ready for an internship than a high school senior. One very young student in our program did so well at her internship at an arts organization, the director told me that she was better than interns they've had from Harvard.
Ideally, sophomore and junior summer is ideal for a high school student. By then, they may have had an interesting course that sparked their interest or a school or family trip that inspired them. One mom told me that she thought her daughter would enjoy interior design but when we met with her, she spoke enthusiastically about a school trip to Washington, D.C. We placed her on a government internship at the State House where she was exposed to a myriad of experiences- everything from seeing how legislation is passed to attending hearings and lectures from mayors and governors.
With the internships fresh in their minds, students talk about their experiences during college interviews and on college essays.
So.... to our 8th graders (and their parents) - not this summer, but it's always good to plan ahead.
-Dr. Internship
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Where do you begin?
Winter is the time to get serious about a summer internship. Stop day dreaming and swing into action! Many high school and college students have an idea about their "fantasy" internship - The Daily Show, Teen Vogue, the White House. I suggest another approach. It's always best to be a bit more realistic and think about your very first experience as a way to start to build your resume.
What are your interests (other than Xbox)? Do you have a special talent? Are you passionate about politics? Perhaps you write for your school newspaper. After we established an internship for a high school student with the editor of a local newspaper,she was able to land an internship in college at Dateline NBC in New York City.
Baby steps will lead to big results.
-Dr. Internship
What are your interests (other than Xbox)? Do you have a special talent? Are you passionate about politics? Perhaps you write for your school newspaper. After we established an internship for a high school student with the editor of a local newspaper,she was able to land an internship in college at Dateline NBC in New York City.
Baby steps will lead to big results.
-Dr. Internship
15 Years of Internship Knowledge
Personal experiences led me to create the Internship Connection. As a former teacher, college professor and parent, I learned the importance of encouraging each of my students and children to explore and develop their own strengths and talents. Once my children were in high school, I helped them secure internships relating to their academic and career interests. Through their experiences, they discovered on their own, the path and direction that they most enjoyed, enabling them to be more certain about career choice before committing to a tremendous investment of time and money. Each had very different interests, from computer animation, to medicine to engineering. When I saw how important their internships were for college, graduate school and beyond, I established the Internship Connection, in order to help more students learn about themselves through career exploration. It’s extremely rewarding to work with students to provide opportunities that have such an impact on their lives.
-Dr. Internship
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