Internship Orientation

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Internship Orientation

• Interim Career Exploration 2009
• Spring Internship 2009

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Internship Program Staff

• Heather Banks Brian Koeneman
• Internship Assistant Internship Director
• hbanks_at_gac.edu koeneman_at_gac.edu
• 507-933-7523 507-933-7532

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Agenda

• Reflection
• Professionalism
• Assignments to complete
• Evaluation criteria
• Successful internships

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• You learn nothing from experience alone, you
  only learn from reflection on your experiences.

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Before you begin your Internship describe

• Your hopes
• Your fears

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Common Fears

• Adjusting to working in addition to everything
  else.
• I will hate it and will end up being uncertain
  about future career.
• Not knowing what to do.
• Do not have adequate knowledge or experience to
  complete the task.
• I will not succeed.

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Professionalism

• Before you arrive at your internship site
  confirm
• Your exact start and end dates
• Your scheduled work hours
• Appropriate work attire
• Be sure to thank them again
• for this opportunity!

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Professionalism

• Set the tone for a positive experience.
• Arrange to meet with your site supervisor
• during the first few days to review projects,
• goals and expectations.
• Keep personal business to a minimum.
• Confidentiality/Non-disclosure agreements.

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Update your G-Net Profile
Go to Career Center Home Page, double click on
Username 234234_gustavus
Password12121988
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GNET Profile
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January Interim Career ExplorationAssignments to
complete

• Reflection Questions
• January Interim - Emailed out each Wednesday
• Four sets of questions 01/07, 01/14, 01/22,
  01/28
• Reflection questions to be completed as they are
  received. Once you have responded to all four
  sets of questions, send responses by email to
  Brian and copy to your Faculty Sponsor, due by
  Friday, January 30, 2008.
• Two Informational Interviews
• Summary Essay (Topic of your choice)
• Other assignments vary check with your faculty
  sponsor!

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Spring InternshipAssignments to complete

• Reflection Questions
• Emailed out every three weeks.
• Send response by email to Brian and
  copy to your Faculty Sponsor during your
  experience.
• Two informational interviews
• Other assignments vary so check in with faculty
  sponsor!
• Final Essay (Topic of your choice)

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Informational Interviews (two)

• The point of the informational interview is to
  discover whether or not this type of work is a
  good fit.
• Develop your career network (still the most
  effective way to find a position).
• Think of specific questions related to your
  career options.
• Dont ask the obvious.

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Example Questions for an Informational Interview

• How did you obtain your position?
• What do you enjoy most about this position?
• What is a typical day like?
• What are the entry-level opportunities in this
  field?
• What are the trends in this field?
• What qualifications, skills, personalities does
  your organization look for?
• What advice do you have for me?

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Site Supervisor Evaluation

• Evaluation Criteria
• Relations with others
• Judgment
• Ability to learn
• Attitude
• Dependability
• Quality of work
• Attendance
• Punctuality
• Overall Rating
• January Interim mailed Monday, January 19, 2009
• Spring Internship mailed Monday, May 4, 2009

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Positive Evaluation examples

• Wonderful personality gets along great with
  everyone.
• Has set the bar high for future interns.
• Great initiative, seeks out tasks without having
  to be told.
• Often going above and beyond to find the answer
  to questions.

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Not so positive comments

• Gets along satisfactorily with others.
• Average in diligence and interest.
• Usually dependable.
• Average quality of work.
• Professional skills need improvement.
• Needs to take more initiative.

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MN Survey 221 organizations

• Skills Most Importation for Students to Possess
• Top 5
• 1. Honesty/Integrity
• 2. Communication (Verbal and Written)
• 3. Interpersonal (relates well to others)
• 4. Teamwork (works well with others)
• 5. Strong Work Ethic
• 5. Motivation/initiative

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MN Survey 221 organizations

• Skills Students Most Need to Improve upon
• Top 6
• 1. Realistic job expectations
• 2. Work Ethic
• 3. Communication (written and verbal)
• 4. Knowledge of company /work environment
• 5. Lose sense of entitlement
• 6. Professionalism/etiquette

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Making it Work

• What if you have nothing to do?How will you deal
  with this?
• The internship is NOT what you expected now
  what?

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Site Visit

• Faculty Sponsor- Will you visit your student at
  the site?
• Yes No Maybe
• Internship Staff- Brian Koeneman or Heather Banks
• Purpose of Site Visit
• To learn more about your site and experience
• See your work environment
• Meet Site Supervisor
• Hear about your learning goals and
  responsibilities
• Help you to articulate this experience and
  reflect
• See if there are ways we can be of assistance

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Support from us!!!

• Site Visits (Faculty Sponsor /or Career
  Center)
• Email or phone call
• Heather Banks Brian Koeneman
• Internship Assistant Internship Director
• hbanks_at_gac.edu koeneman_at_gac.edu
• 507-933-7523 507-933-7532

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Keys to Internship Success

• Initiative Communication
• Ask Questions every day
• Ask for feedback on your performance
• Reflection
• Networking Job offers
• Professional References