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  • Erica Hilton 3:13 am on June 20, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: , intern, , VA, veterans affairs   

    Intern Until You Can’t Intern Anymore! 

    Week 2 at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was just as exciting as the first. I thought the pace I was moving my first week was at record speed… until I got to week 2! Ironically, no matter how much I have going on at my internship, I’m still fully enjoying myself there. That hasn’t always been the case for me.

    I’ve had about 6 internships  before my current one at VA. Honestly, I didn’t like them all. A couple I loved. A couple I liked. A couple made me realize what I did not want to do with my life, but that was the best part about the experience.It helped me to clarify what I want out of a career.

    My advice to you is to grab as much internship experience as you can. Don’t just do two and quit. Even if you don’t like what you’re doing, put your all into it anyways! Pay your dues! These experiences are about more than just gaining recommendation letters. I have taken so much from each of my past internships and have met some really incredible people at each of them. Each helped me to determine what I love to do, got me to where I am now and will help me to achieve my ultimate career goal.

     

     

    • Jennifer Carignan 4:21 pm on June 26, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply

      Erica, I really appreciate your perspective on how a less-than-ideal internship can help to clarify your career goals. With six internships, it’s clear that you’ve really had the chance to test your assumptions about what you do and do not enjoy. Even when things don’t turn out like you thought they would, there are almost always other positives, such as the new connections and relationships you mention above. And those are often just as important as completing your day-to-day work.

  • Zach C. Cohen 1:42 am on June 19, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: Apple, intern, iOS, Siri, ,   

    Another busy week! 

    Last week was another busy few days at USA Today. My supervisor, Charlie, was surprised there was so much news to handle, but it’s fine with me. I’d much rather be kept busy rather than waste my time being bored. I figure that’s why I decided to go into journalism in the first place!

    I’ve written a few more blog posts and even an article for the Tech site. But I’m hoping to move my byline to the print edition. I’m percolating a few ideas, but the key is finding an idea the editors will find important enough that hasn’t already been investigated. That’s even more difficult to achieve since I’m still learning the culture of USA Today and recognizing what news the editors are particularly looking for.

    (More …)

     

  • Emily 9:20 pm on April 27, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: , , Foreign Service Officer Test, intern,   

    On The Outside Looking In 

    Turning in my badge was difficult.  For the past three months, it has been my key to a door I’ve been itching to open for years.  Unlike “unsecured” workplaces, I can’t just walk in and say hi whenever I want.  I need to be invited, approved, and escorted.  Now that my internship is over, I’m an outsider.

    I know that sounds incredibly dramatic, but I was sad to leave my office.  The people are incredible, both in my office, and the foreign service officers passing through for training.  I made some great connections.  Being at the Foreign Service Institute, I learned a lot about myself and about how I proceed from here.  Although I am excited to catch up on sleep and go back to being a student for a few weeks.

    I plan to take the Foreign Service Officer Test this summer.  If I pass, my training would start shortly after graduation next year.  In the mean time, I plan to intern in the private sector and on the Hill so that I can have something to compare my first internship to.  This was an incredible experience, and I loved every minute!

     

  • Emily 11:51 pm on April 25, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: Diplomatic Reception Rooms, Frustration, intern, ,   

    Long Hours, Not For Pay, Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way… 

    …as the old intern saying goes.

    I wanted to take a minute to talk about internships in general.  In my Internship-For-Credit class, we read an article about the dangerous trend of internships in our society.  I think it brings up some very interesting points, and I was particularly surprised to learn of the regulations in place by the U.S. Department of Labor.  I wonder how many places that offer internship know of those rules… I checked, and my supervisor does, although I’m not really surprised because it’s the government who wrote them after all.

     

    The skills that I have gained are invaluable.  I’ve also learned a lot about myself at my internship.  The only time I felt any resentment at the unpaid part was in the first couple of week when I was invited to sit in on one of the classes with the new class of Foreign Service Officers.  Some of the Officers were rude to the instructors (my co-workers) because they were bored in the class.  I almost turned around and said “Look, you’re getting paid to be set up for my dream job.  I’m paying 6 credits of tuition just to be here for 12 weeks.”

     

    One of the best aspects of my internship is my incredible supervisor.  Before joining the State Department, she was an advisor at a prestigious university.  She makes sure I have opportunities to learn as much as I can, and network as much as possible.  My office even arranged for the interns to take a morning off and go on the Diplomatic Reception Room Tour at Main State.  If I had a less attentive supervisor, maybe I would not be so happy.

     

    On the Diplomatic Reception Rooms Tour!

    Overall, I think our society is going a little intern crazy.  I know there are graduate students applying for my position right now because they can’t get find a job yet.  It’s probably in part due to the economy.  But they are definitely not all bad.  There was a segment on the state of internships on the Colbert Report a few weeks ago that talked about the lawsuit in the article that put things into a good perspective.
     

  • Claire Wolfe 3:26 pm on April 3, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: , intern,   

    Improvisation 

    I only intern two days a week.  This leaves a lot of time in which I’m not in the office while the other interns are hard at work, working on projects and events that I may have no idea about.  I walked into the office last Tuesday and was told that there would be a press conference in an hour that I had no idea was occurring.  I also quickly realized that I would be responsible for signing in all of the visitors and providing them with answers to any questions they may have.  Immediately my heart began to race and my palms began to sweat. 

     I had no idea what I was doing.  I didn’t know anything about the press conference.

     Ten minutes later I found myself standing behind a table while men and women in suits came walking towards me.  I took a deep breath and smiled, deciding that I would do the best that I could with the information that I had.  I asked them to sign in and handed them the appropriate papers.  Honestly, there were questions asked that I didn’t know the answers to, but I (tried to) swiftly refer them to someone above me in the hierarchy. 

     After this stress, I was allowed to sit in on the press conference and listen to a few members of congress and the Director of the agency that I intern for speak.  It was honestly such a cool experience and probably one of the best moments of my internship.  In other words, it was totally worth the stress.  I find that it usually is.

     

  • ky1217a 6:10 pm on March 17, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: , intern,   

    Internship Perks 

    For those who did not know, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill and Ice Cube were in Georgetown quite a few days ago! Part of my internship entails working at free screenings that various movie theatres in the DC, Maryland and Virginia areas hold. In order to promote movies, it’s essential to get the word of mouth out about the film. Anyway, the three men made an appearance to promote their new film. The movie was hilarious and I highly recommend going to see it (although I am not allowed to disclose the name of the film).

    Since I intern at an amazing company, my friends and I were able to get great seats. They let us go in before the line of people filtered in hurring to get their seats. This is one of the perks about being in publicity and promotions.

    One of the students that I had promoted the film to ended up showing at the screening with his friends which made me feel like I had been successful in getting people there; it was a nice feeling.

     

  • Brittany Horowitz 6:11 pm on December 5, 2011 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: C.fox, intern, , ,   

    Farewell, C.Fox! 

    Unfortunately, this is my last week interning with C.Fox Communications. It has been a great semester, and I have learned so much! This week, I will be closing all of my projects for my various clients. The office is throwing me a farewell party on my last day, which is very nice. I am looking forward to it. Lastly, our staff holiday party is next week, so that should be fun!

    As mentioned in previous posts, I had never interned during the actual academic year, so this was new to me. I found it to be extremely  worth while, and it was a lot easier than I had imagined. It was all about time management and being flexible with my schedule. In the end, I did not find it overwhelming with balancing my class schedule. It became a routine, and I loved it.

    I am sad to leave this office, but I know I will stay connected with my coworkers and bosses. Even though my internship is ending I get to forever hold on to the lessons I learned and the relationships I built.

    Thanks for an amazing semester, C.Fox!

     

  • Brittany Horowitz 8:55 pm on November 28, 2011 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: , gossip, intern, , water cooler   

    Skip the Water Cooler 

    In movies and television, office environments always incorporate the water cooler scene. Employees are shown around the water cooler gossiping and chatting about coworkers or bosses. Let’s not make this into reality. Gossiping at work, especially about your coworkers or boss, is an extreme no no, in my book. I cringe at the thought of interns partaking in such behavior, so I thought I’d blog about it.

    Office gossip is something that happens in all different types of professional environments; however, ironically, it is the most unprofessional thing you can do. Luckily, my office has not fallen victim to office gossip. I am especially happy about that. However, there will be times when we will work in environments where people will gossip and bad mouth their coworkers or bosses. It’s important to stay clear of such behavior. It gives off the wrong impression, most importantly. It’ll show a bad trait in yourself to those you work with, and if your boss catches you, it will make you look unprofessional. You should be working, not chatting about irrelevant topics.

    It’s important to voice your opinions and concerns, however. So, don’t keep silent if you’re unhappy. My office conducts one-on-ones where everyone meets once a week with their supervisor. I get to chat with my supervisor about the work I am doing and about any concerns or questions I have about my tasks or assignments. By allotting this time to employees’ happiness, it shows how concerned my bosses are with the organization and happiness of their office environment. I find it very useful. So, skip the water cooler, and use your time for more important tasks, such as actually doing your work.

     

  • Brittany Horowitz 2:56 pm on November 28, 2011 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: , community service, intern, ,   

    Vacation: A Thing of the Past 

    As winter break gets closer, I am beginning to realize something every student dreads: the end of vacations. No more summer vacation? No more winter break? Not even spring break?! Each realization hits me harder than the last. NO MORE VACATION?! You mean I have to be an adult who works all the time? This winter break will be my last winter break – ever (ew!). Every senior reading this is probably asking, “Why is she talking about this?!” Well, there is a reason – while interning, I have realized that there is still hope for some time off even after our college years are over.

    Even though the times of three month vacations and mid-winter breaks are going to be over, there are components of careers that have perks as well. At my internship, full time employees are given days off to volunteer or to participate in community service. I didn’t even know employers offered such a thing. I think it’s awesome! Also, people are given vacation time, so that is something to look forward to as well. Most importantly, no homework! Sounds silly, right? But, it actually will be such a nice addition to our new lifestyles after graduating. After the work day is over, we will get to go home and relax. No worrying about future papers that are due or upcoming exams. Weekends off for some, or maybe even getting to work from home!

    This is a blog post for hope. Even though I still have to push away panic attacks over the idea of never getting to relax for months at a time in between semesters, I still have hope. The transition to a full time career will not be that overwhelming if you keep these components in mind. When college ends, we will realize that there are perks outside of our academic lives. We will be working in fields we love and using the knowledge we learned in college. Remember, just breathe. Oh, and enjoy every day of winter break!

     

  • Brittany Horowitz 6:05 pm on November 17, 2011 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: , , Image, intern, reputation,   

    Choosing an Internship: It’s Good to be Picky (Sometimes) 

    Nowadays, people are just happy if they can find a paying position, so being picky is not a luxury they can afford, which is completely understandable. However, I believe it is important to be picky when it comes to a certain aspect of a potential employer: image.

    How a company or organization represents themselves is important because once you become their employee your image suddenly shifts, and part of you becomes identified with the company, which is huge! You don’t want to be connected with an organization that conducts business that you disagree with or takes on clients you are not comfortable with. Also, it is important to choose an employer that focuses on professionalism and equality. It’s vital for a person on a job hunt to really know who they are applying to work for. Focusing on the small details is really important because when those little details are pieced together they translate the big picture of the company. How is their website? Is it professional, or does it look neglected? What is the office like? Is it clean and organized, or is it repulsive? How are the email exchanges? Are they professional, or are there spelling errors and typos? These might seem like meaningless factors, but they are actually important. They all reveal whether or not the employer is organized, a good time manager, concerned with their employee’s work environment and professional. I once interviewed with a really prestigious company that represents huge clients across the country, but their office in DC was messy, dirty, and extremely uninviting. I was actually offered the position, and the interviewer emailed this offer via email, “Brittany, you got the internship if you want it. Let me know.” I was shocked. I thought, “Is this what they believe is a professional offer?” I turned it down.

    It isn’t necessary to be picky about every last detail of an internship or job position, but it is important to take the image of the company you are contemplating to work for into consideration. Once you are hired, their image becomes your image. You want to be proud of who you work for, so choose wisely. Check out C.Fox’s website, and you will quickly see a great representation of what this company has to offer.

     

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