I AM INTERN

This is a guest post from our new Campus Ambassador Series.  The author, Catherine Pylant, attends University of South Florida (USF) and is involved with PRSSA, wakeboarding, and field hockey.

Check out Cat’s video here: http://bit.ly/c9Lfg7

It’s not a secret that college kids are not made of money. Aside from the rising cost of tuition and going completely bankrupt buying books every semester, scrounging for lo0se coins in the couch never seems to add up to be enough dough!

So what is a college student to do in order to get some extra money? A lot of people would say, “Get a job!” but sometimes that may not even be an option to a student taking a full course load along with trying to manage an internship on the side. So the student finds his or herself right back where they started: What should I do?

I currently manage school, extracurricular activities, and an internship. Unfortunately there is not one easy sure shot way to land extra spending cash, but I have come up with some options to cut a few corners here and there in order to keep a few dollars in your bank:
1. BECOME A COUPON COLLECTOR! Usually on every business’s website they have a place to enter your email to sign up for newsletters and coupons. If you’re really against e-mails then do it the old fashion way, thumb through the local newspaper for coupons, or search for coupon websites online.

2. STOP EATING OUT SO MUCH! College students love to go out to eat; it’s easy and social! Personally, I am guilty of doing this a couple times per week. If this is really depleting your spending resources (like mine), try going to lunch instead of dinner. Usually the prices are less, but the portions are also smaller. When it comes to ordering a beverage, go for the FREE option, Water. If plain water is too bland, ask for a slice of lemon or lime for taste. Cutting a few bucks out of the check for ordering water accumulates! Also if you usually go home with a doggie bag at the end of the meal, try sharing! If you are someone with a bottomless stomach, check out “All you can eat,” nights at restaurants.

3.  FIND THE DEALS! No college student enjoys being stuck at home while his or her friends are out having a good time. When choosing where to go out for the night, do some research. I like to check out places that have specials or discount prices for students. Be sure to pull out that ID at most college area establishments because it could mean some real savings!

4. RENT YOUR TEXTBOOKS! This is a recently new option for college students, and it is a GREAT one. I did it this semester for the first time and needless to say I did not feel the need to cry when getting my books! There are numerous websites (Ex: http://www.Bookrenter.com) that offer this alternative. This service can save a student hundreds of dollars a semester!

5. KNOW YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA! With the huge craze of social media, I found businesses are using these popular sites to promote themselves. Check out the deal of the day on sites like http://www.Groupon.com, “Like” a place on Facebook for free products, or follow your favorite places on Twitter for instant updates on special prices, you can find a way to save!

So unless you are extremely lucky enough to win the lottery, or a miracle happens and tuition prices go down and books are free, hopefully my 5 easy steps can help you not die on the vine while just trying to live your everyday college life!

Excuse my cough, but listen to my radio show

I cover fall internships, virtual internships, and how employers can properly interview their interns. I speak about my virtual summer interns and how we run our day!

http://recruiterearth.com/forum/topics/the-intern-queen-with-lauren-3

If you are at your internship or job it’s important to bond with your fellow interns and/or co-workers. These relationships can stay with you for your entire career. Just to give you an idea of where some of my internship relationships have ended up – see below:

• Michael Menachem (my intern buddy from Backstage) is now a well-known music writer (http://twitter.com/menoxmusic)
• Alyson Campbell (my intern buddy from the NYU Summer Program) now runs her own PR Firm in NYC (http://twitter.com/alyamp3) Her internships are available on my site!
• Shannon Howard (my intern friend from Fox is now a fabulous comedy coordinator at ABC)
• Rob Forman (another Fox intern friend) is working on the new show Lonestar in Los Angeles.

We were all able to lock in our relationships and stay in touch beyond our internship summers. We are constantly resources for one another and the frienships we’ve created will last a lifetime. And we always have those summer to look back on.

This is your time to lock in your relationships. Hang out with your fellow interns or co-workers outside of the office. You never know when a contact will come in handy and if you can form a friendship out of it – even better!

If your office doesn’t do intern activities – be the one to create them. Put together after hours events where all of the interns can hang out in an environment outside of the office. Check out a baseball game or a hot local brunch spot. Make it happen – you won’t regret it. And as your internships come to an end in the coming weeks, make a note in your calendar to stay in touch with these people, friend them on facebook, keep them posted on what you are doing. I promise, many of them will end up in the same industry and location as you in the future.When I moved out to Los Angeles, the first two people I called were Shannon and Rob (from above). You never know….

As mentioned, you will read several blogs about time management on http://www.internqueen.com. It’s a favorite subject of mine to cover. Everyone needs to be mindful of how they spend their time and other people’s time. In the professional world, people come to work and have limited hours to get everything done. Most internship coordinators are also entry or mid-level employees at a company – meaning they have plenty of extra work in front of them besides just hiring the interns.

As an intern, here are a few rules to follow to make sure you aren’t the cause of any time wasting:

1. READ THE POSTING. Before applying to an internship or job, read the entire posting. Take a moment to soak it in and determine if this is a position you are interested in and would like to apply for.
2. CUSTOMIZE YOUR MATERIALS. I did a blog earlier in the week about Trash Can Resume. Again, don’t waste an employer’s time by sending them materials that aren’t customized for the specific position.
3. BE HONEST. If you get an email from an employer about a potential interview and you know you don’t want the position, email them back and tell them the truth. Be as positive and grateful for the opportunity as possible and explain you are no longer available.
4. ASK QUESTIONS DURING THE INTERVIEW. Make sure you get off the phone or out of the meeting with a clear understanding of your potential employer’s expectations. Ask them to describe a typical day at the internship.
5. RESPOND ASAP. If you are offered the internship, let the employer know if you will be accepting the position ASAP. The longer you wait, the more time you are wasting. Things come up and often times students are offered more than one position. Again, be honest and try to keep up the relationship as best you can.

Lauren Berger For Careerrookie.com

We are officially in Fall Internship Season! Many students don’t pay much attention to Fall Internships but I’m here to tell you to think twice about that.

Read more on my guest blog for CareerRookie.com

http://careerrookie.com/Article/CB-212-Blog-Consider-a-Fall-Internship/

Personally, some of my favorite television shows are on this summer. Many entrepreneurs don’t watch any television and claim it’s a waste of time. For  me, television is two things:

1. An escape from the day-to-day work ups and downs.

2. A great way to pass the time while I’m sending hundreds of resumes a few days per week.

For summer interns, if TV is your guilty pleasure, I hope it can be an escape as well. The question is, what shows are your summer obsessions? As I sit here and watch PRETTY LITTLE LIARS and MAKE IT OR BREAK IT on CW, I can’t help but think – are summer interns watching these shows?

Make me a list of your top 3-5 shows of this summer..can’t wait to read them all.

Intern Queen’s Top Shows of Summer 2010

1. MAD MEN

2. THE BACHELORETTE

3. PRETTY LITTLE LIARS

4. TRUE BLOOD

5. THE RACHEL ZOE PROJECT

Q: Hi Lauren,

I’m coming to the end of my internship at WGN News in Chicago, IL and I’m wondering what I should do for my supervisor? I’ve worked closely with him all summer and he’s really taught me a lot. Is a thank-you card enough? Or should I do something more personal? –I  want to make sure he remembers me so I can use him as a reference when I apply for jobs.Thanks!  – Katie

Answer:

Hi Katie,

Thanks for your note. I think student’s across the nation are asking themselves the same question this week. You do not need to buy your internship coordinator/supervisor a gift. If you feel that’s appropriate – that’s fine but it’s not expected or needed. Make sure you MAIL a HAND-WRITTEN Thank-You Note. If you want to go above and beyond, you could do something creative like baking cookies or find out your supervisor’s favorite candy and bring some in to say thank you on the last day. Let them know that this is a small token of your appreciation.

The best thing you can do is STAY IN TOUCH. After you send the Thank-You note, make a “keep in touch” plan on your calendar. Towards the end of each semester, make sure to send over an email to your contact. The goal is to not let them forget who you are. Good luck!

Feel free to bring this up during #internchat tomorrow night on Twitter at 7PM EST.

Lauren Berger

“The Intern Queen”

After spending the majority of my evening last night on the gorgeous rooftop of Hotel Erwin in Venice Beach for the Girls in Tech Los Angeles Summer Event (http://www.girlsintech.net), I had to write a blog on networking events. Personally, I’ve enjoyed  my time on the executive board for GITLA because let’s face it – everyone is in tech. Everyone uses technology in their day to day in some way or another. Tech spans from entertainment to web development to fashion, all fields that interest me. If you’ve stumbled across my blog, you are probably interestesd in the tech field in some way and I suggest you check out your local Girls in Tech chapter at http://www.girlsintech.net.

My advice for networking events is two fold depending on if you are an intern or a recent graduate/entry-level employee.

I suggest that interns get involved with everything they can on a trial basis. As an intern, constantly ask people about the networking groups they are involved with. When you have the opportunity to chat with executives and professionals at your company, ask them what networking groups they belong to. Also, ask them if you might be able to attend one of that organization’s events and who you should contact to try it out. In another city for the summer? This is the perfect time for you to check out new networking groups and see which are a fit.

Before you go, ask yourself the following:

1. What is my objective? What to I want to get out of this event?

2. What types of people do I want to meet and what do I want to make sure they know about me?

For entry-level employees & those who have been around networking events in the past, it’s time to be a little more selective. You will learn after time that it’s actually not that much fun to go to a different networking event every night and it actually costs lots of money and can prevent you from getting other work done. I encourage you to write out all of the groups that you currently have relationships with. Then take a moment and ask yourself, “what’s missing?” What are you NOT getting out of these groups, pretend you are an intern again, go back and experiment with new groups and find what you are looking for.

Remember, don’t be a part of a group because your friends are. Do this for yourself. Make sure that you see value in your time commitment. Decide which group is most important to you and become very involved and active – even seek out executive board positions. It’s the people who want to be involved in everything and who cannot say no that seem to have the most problems with networking events. Be selective. Come prepared. Take something away.

Drake University wrote some great coverage on Intern Queen recently !

Check it out ! http://drakej70.wordpress.com/2009/10/07/lauren-berger-the-self-professed-intern-queen

Check out my feature “Interns Wanted and Working Harder” below:

http://www.recessionwire.com/2009/08/17/internships-in-recession/