This Guest Employer Blog was written by Chelsea Arme, an intern turned Event Coordinator for Haute Life PR. If you have any questions for Chelsea, comment below.

Having just graduated from college, I can honestly say that the “real world” has been good to me. I look around and see many of my former classmates struggling to find a job in the field they had hoped for in college. I see many of them struggling to find a job, period.

I feel very blessed to have fallen into an opportunity so quickly after college – but the truth is, I could not have done it without planning ahead – and by planning ahead, I mean an INTERNSHIP. I may sound like a broken record to you all, but let me explain just how important resources like ‘The Intern Queen’ are to your future.

I was a late bloomer (in comparison to Lauren Berger) in waiting to find an internship until I was a senior. When I realized how short on time I was to complete this requirement for my degree, I did what any college kid would do – jumped on Google. To my utmost satisfaction, ‘The Intern Queen’ helpfully popped onto my screen offering me the ability to send in my resume to multiple companies at once! So simple and easy? It was a dream come true.

Only two weeks later, I had been offered 3 different positions, in which I had the opportunity to choose from – Imagine that! I chose the one that best fit my interests (event planning and fashion), and needless to say, I am now a full time employee for Haute Life PR planning Sassy City Chicks events. I could not have asked for things to work out smoother!

Even if I had not landed the job at my first internship, I gained the skills, confidence, and contacts needed to plug me in somewhere else. I cannot explain how useful internships are (and I suggest having more than one) nor can I express how great it is that our generation has this resource that Lauren Berger has created to find them!

I just hope my success story motivates you to get started on your career while you’re still in college – and encourages you to GET AN INTERNSHIP!

Happy Hunting

This blog was written by Angela, our high school ambassador from St. Pete. If you attend St. Pete High School and would like to blog for us, comment below.

Attention seniors; time to wake up and smell the coffee. The college application process is among us. Don’t let yourself think you have plenty of time because, before you know it, college application deadlines will be next weekend. Start looking around now. Different schools offer different options for admission deadlines.

Your first choice school might have an Early Acceptance or Early Decision option which shows the school that they are your first choice. These deadlines are often before the regular application is due. Get familiar with these deadlines so you don’t have to stay up all night writing your essay just to make sure your application is on time.

Take your ACTs and SATs! These tests are vital and should be taken BEFORE your application deadline. Talk to your counselors at school to get score reports from any tests and get them to send your transcripts and teacher recommendations to your colleges of choice. It’s okay to bug them about this stuff, after all it’s your future.

When it comes to these applications, no one is going to be hounding you to let you know you forgot to fill out section 3A on page 22. It’s up to you to get everything complete to turn in. These admissions officers have thousands of applicants to look through! So, save yourself, and their time by being on top of your game and getting everything in on time!

With this economy and the depleting job market only a fool would utter the words “I can’t” to their superior.

When I applied to work at the Angel Orensanz Foundation, a cultural center on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, I went in there with gusto and conviction. I made them believe that I could accomplish any, and all, tasks they threw my way. I assumed my job would consist of writing, editing, and maybe a little research. But never, in a thousand years, would I have thought that after only two weeks on the job I would become the official tour guide of the foundation.

One morning, when I was still a timid little newbie, my boss approached me and asked me to a compile a short summary of our buildings long religious history. Eager to please, I inhaled all the information I could from every book we had available. After two days of organizing what I thought was a rather pristine historical outline I handed it to my boss. Without even looking at me he said, “Great, now memorize it and be ready to give a tour to visitors.”

Here is the issue, I am a writer. I prefer to hide myself, snarky comments, sardonic observations, and all, behind my writing. I hate public speaking. Feeling dozens of eyes pierce your skin, waiting in anticipation for you to say something revolutionary, makes me dizzy. It’s too much pressure. I much prefer to boldly point out the world’s flaws from behind the curtain. I’m a whimp, I’ll admit it.

But, like I said, saying to my boss “Sorry, but I would prefer something else, I’m too afraid of people” was one quip he was not going to tolerate. I’m an intern, I have to do what I am told, and gleefully.

Two days later, a couple from Paris walked through the doors of the foundation. Trembling, I came down from my office, a safe haven that now seemed miles away. As I showed the couple around the building I felt my legs quiver, my voice tremble. Every word was tongue tied. The ten minute tour seemed like a long impenetrable nightmare.

After the Parisian couple left the foundation I ran upstairs and sat in my chair. Like little girl, I began to brood, staring blankly at my computer screen. I felt like a complete failure. I needed to figure out how to make myself into a tour guide, and fast. I ended up revising my entire script. Hemming and hawing away all the extra unnecessary details.

Simplified to one page of bullet points, with all the years and important names bolded, I was determined to stay calm. The next group that walked in was from Venice. They stood wide eyed in front of the old ark that stands histrionically in the nave of our building. The foundations special lighting captivated their attention. They listened intently as I carefully glided from one topic to the next. When I finished I took a deep breathe, hoping that my speech was somewhat engaging. They turned to look at me, and began to ask questions! I sparked their interest, and more importantly I made sense.

I am now considered the “expert tour guide” of the Angel Orensanz Foundation. Granted, titles around this office are like post-it, they aren’t exactly heavily weighted. But, I do give approximately three tours a day to people from all over the world. If you come in for a tour, I will be your tour guide. I have learned to engage with my clientele, and deviously deviate from my precious script. Summer internships are supposed to be about crossing boundaries, and discovering new possibilities. They are supposed to teach us about perseverance, but never would I have thought that I would come to enjoy a mild version of public speaking.

Internships A foot in the door?

Meet Leah!

Time is wasting. That is why every day I think about how competitive it is for young adults, especially with our country’s high unemployment rates. Your resume needs to be just one step above the next person. As a graduating member of the Class of 2012, I hope to have something to show for all my efforts in high school. Not just grades in a file, but memories and experiences that will benefit me in the future. Since I am a senior this year friends and family are constantly asking me what I plan to do once I move on from high school. I have no answer. This year I have made it my goal to try and dabble in every field that has ever held my interest. I am exploring fields that range from Dentistry to Fashion or Marketing. I have participated in many activities such as Cheerleading (for the all boys’ school), Ambassador Program, Model UN club, and even Musical! I live in a small city where a lot of people have lost their jobs, so it is difficult for a teenager to get a job at the mall when someone else needs it for their entire family. So unfortunately there is no way to make a comparison between the opportunities that I have living here, and the opportunities I would have if I lived in New York or LA. Although, I have learned that if you open up your eyes and ears you will be surprised to learn what you can use to your advantage to build up that resume before college. Hopefully I will help others, especially those teens from smaller areas, because I am trying to pursue my dreams without losing a grip on life’s realities!

This Blog was written by Alyssa our Campus Ambassador from SUNY Plattsburgh. If you attend SUNY Plattsburgh and would like to blog for us, comment here.

As the fall semester is rapidly approaching for many of us students going back in the fall, it’s time to start thinking about the dreaded topic of textbooks. I know that you are going into the semester thinking you are going to spend a couple hundred dollars on books and materials for the semester, but not this year. The Intern Queen as introduced a new way to save money and get textbooks for a great price. It’s called the Intern Queen Bookstore where you can rent textbooks for the semester you need them for and at the end of the semester you simply return them.

The benefits of renting textbooks:

1. You don’t have to spend the outrageous price bookstores sell you the book for

2. When textbook buy back comes around you don’t cry because they only offer you a $1.00 for the book you bought for $100

3. There aren’t a pile of textbooks all over your dorm or apartment

4. The book is only rented for the time period you need it

5. GREAT PRICES.

How does it work?

- Go to http://internqueen.bookrenterstore.com/

- Put in either the ISBN number or the title of the book (Managerial Accounting ISBN:9780073379616)

- Pick how long you will need the book for ( My semester starts the 29th and finals are the week of the 12th, So I would pick 125 days)

- When your finished with the book send it back

SAVVY SAVER TIPS:

Most professors are willing to tell you when and how much they actually use the book so if you know your not going to use it until the end of the semester or vice verse rent the book for only the time you’ll need it and save money!

ALSO there is a deal going on right now if you order before August 20th all new semester rentals are extended until December 23rd & FREE shipping both ways!

This is such a great way to save money and get your books at a reasonable price. Let us know how your textbook renting goes for this semester and how much you save!

This blog was written by Caitlyn Ewals our Campus Ambassador from University of Louisville. If you attend University of Louisville and want to blog for us comment below.

If you are just beginning to start your search for the perfect internship it is going to be completely overwhelming! What company should I intern for? Should I look for an internship just for my major? What is the difference between a fall and summer internship program? All of these questions will be swirling your mind during your search.

When I first started searching for potential internships I had list upon lists of pretty much any company that offered an internship. There were so many to choose from it blew my mind! Everyone was unique in its own way and each offered different opportunities in different cities learning different tools. So how do you even begin your search? Since I have done the searching before I have come up with a few tips I used to help narrow down my options.

1)    Your Job: What type of tasks do you want to be performing? Are you wanting to eventually work as a museum curator or are you planning a career in music production? For me, I was a Theatre Arts major at the time of my internship so I chose to work in costume management.

2)    Location: A big thing that you need to think about when looking for an internship is where you see yourself. Also, what type of job you see yourself doing will affect where you should look. If you are in music production you could look to Tennessee for country music or you could be a museum curator in New York. I chose Orlando, FL because it was close to family and I got to experience a different setting than I am used to and also Disney was a great opportunity for me to learn back stage production.

3)    Fine Details: A very important thing you need to look for while searching for internships is the different times the internship is offered. Are you looking for a summer, fall, or spring internship? Also, are you wanting to be a paid intern or are you expecting school credit? I decided I wanted a spring internship so I could work for five months and it was a paid internship as well.

4)    References: Lastly, it is always good to try and talk to people who have participated in the internship before. I was lucky, I knew a few people who had been a part of the Disney College Program so I could discuss with them any concerns I was having and they also provided me with helpful tips and hints. If you can’t find anyone who has done the internship you are interested in look for someone who has done and internship in the same field or even someone who works in that field!

Beginning you search for you dream internship does not have to be a stressful experience, it can actually be fun! If you remember these helpful tips while on the hunt for internships they will make it a little bit easier, and hopefully cut out some of the stress. That way you can look back on your search with fond memories.