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
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
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
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