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AC Internship Workshop
This document provides guidance for students completing internships. It outlines the internship process, including maintaining contact with a faculty sponsor and completing a minimum number of hours. Students are advised to set goals, follow professional standards of dress and conduct, and take initiative during their internship through tasks like asking questions, offering help, networking, and keeping records. The document also addresses addressing any problems and provides contacts for career advisors.
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AC Internship Workshop
- 1. So You’re DoingAn Internship PRE - INTERNSHIP WORKSHOP JANNA D’AMICO DIRECTOR OF CAREER PLANNING KELLIE CARNAHAN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF CAREER PLANNING
- 2. Outline Review theInternship Process What Will Your Internship be Like? What do you think is expected of you during the Internship? Dress/Appearance Professionalism in the Workplace Actions I should Take During the Internship Goal-Setting Resources and Questions
- 3. Internship Process • Eachof you has a site supervisor and a faculty sponsor. • Students are responsible staying in contact with their faculty sponsor during the internship. • In order to receive all the credits you have registered for, you must have completed 40 hours on site for every 1 credit (example 3 credit internship = 120 hours on site).
- 4. Preparing For TheInternship • Formulate goals and objectives • Internships experiences can and will be very diverse • Attitude is key
- 5. Professionalism In theWorkplace • Learn the company culture right away. • Follow the employee handbook or other office guidelines. • If you are not given a handbook, request one from your site supervisor. • Follow the chain of command. • Keep customer/client information confidential. • Respect and follow the same rules that are in place for the companies employees. • Be enthusiastic about the work and dedication to the job. • Dress appropriately for the for the work setting. • This is the number one complete we get from internship sites. If you have not asked for a clear explanation of what the dress code is, make sure to contact your supervisor before your first day. • Do not conduct personal business during work hours. • Be cordial and smile; basic social skills • Arrive on time
- 6. How To Dress Believe it or not but this is the biggest complaint from our internship sites! Your dress is EXTREMELY important, in order to receive a positive evaluation. Think about the following things before arriving at your internship site.
- 7. Women’s Dress Some guidelinesto follow Tops Shoes/Other Pants Neckline should be 2 inches above your bust. Closed toe shoes should be worn at all times. Jeans should be WITHOUT holes. Your chest should be covered even when leaning over. Make sure your heal is not over 2 inches. Casual shoes should be clean and NO Leggings (They are to form fitting and sometimes see through). When bending over your underwear SHOULD NOT be showing. Dresses should be knee length. (nylons) Shirts should not be shear, or to tight. The bottom of your shirt should fall at your hip bone and not bare your midriff .
- 8. Men’s Dress Some guidelinesto follow Tops Collared shirt that is pressed. If casual dress is allowed, no t-shirts with insensitive statements. Pants Jeans should be WITHOUT holes. Shoes Calf length dress socks should always be worn. NO sagging jeans; wear a belt if necessary When bending over or squatting, your underwear SHOULD NOT be showing. No shorts. No flip flops should be worn or dirty tennis shoes.
- 9. Professionalism In theWorkplace Appearance and Communication Don’t wear anything that distracts from your appearance. Professional Communication • Communicate – keep people informed, listen and ask questions. • Keep email communication professional. • Follow through on commitments and deadlines. • Be polite and friendly if your answering phones. • • • • • • Do not use work phones for personal matters, this also applies to computer usage. Do not use your cell phone during work hours. Accept constructive criticism and continually strive to improve performance. Do not gossip around the office. Assert your ideas in an appropriate manner. Lose the lingo: Hey, cool!
- 10. Professionalism Checklist IGreet people with a good morning or good afternoon I do not take personal buisness at work I am on task while at my site I am at the site during the times I am scheduled and always arrive on time I use professional language I do not gossip I ask appropriate questions I take responsibility for my mistakes I proofread my documentation/work
- 11. Professionalism Checklist I donot surf the internet at work I ask for feedback I dress appropriately I do not answer my cell phone or text while working I go above and beyond I listen while others are speaking, including customers I keep a record of my accomplishments I respond to e-mails or voicemails within 24 hours I say “thank you” when someone assists me
- 12. What Should ITake With Me To My Site? Pens, pencils, and writing materials A small spiral notebook to keep notes and questions and a place to refer to for answers A wrist watch that keeps accurate time just in case you are in a room without a clock- Don’t use your cell phone Set schedule
- 13. Actions I ShouldTake During Internship • Ask Questions: Your site supervisor will be eager and willing to answer your questions, so you can be a valuable asset to the team. • Offer To Help: If your office needs help; offer to pitch in. Being eager and willing goes a long way. • Get To Know Everyone: This will make you more comfortable. Great way to start building relationships and networking. • Keep Track Of Your Work: Keeping track of the projects you work on as well as your daily tasks will help you when you need to update your resume and create a professional portfolio for interviews.
- 14. Actions I ShouldTake During Internship • Get Involved: If the company is taking part in events such as Relay for Life, ask if you can help out. • Keep an Open Mind: avoid jumping to conclusions; try to make informed judgments. • Follow Code of Conduct: Adhere to the same code of conduct that you are expected to follow on campus. • Keep in Mind: Your supervisor is not expecting you to be a student. Rather they expect you to act as a professional in their line of work.
- 15. Translating Internships IntoCareer Paths Employers relate that “soft” skills can often differentiate between a candidate that will receive an offer, and those that will not. On a Resume: Individual Traits Teamwork Leadership Written Communication Problem-Solving Work Ethic Analytical Skills Verbal Communication Skills Initiative Technical Skills Detail Oriented Ability to work in a team Ability to verbally communicate Ability to make decisions/problems solve Ability to obtain and process information Ability to plan, organize, and prioritize Ability to analyze quantitative data Technical knowledge related to the job Proficiency with computer software Ability to create and/or edit written reports Ability to sell or influence others National Association of Colleges and Employers, (NACE) 2011
- 16. Internship Concerns Ifyou feel victimized by a work-related incident, contact the Office of Career Planning right away. Any problems at your site should be talked about with your site supervisor and the Office of Career Planning. The Office of Career Planning is here to help you along the way.
- 17. Whom Do IContact With Questions? If you have questions during your internship please contact: Janna D’Amico Director of Career Planning – jdamico@adrian.edu Kellie Carnahan Assistant Director of Career Planning - kcarnahan@adrian.edu Career Planning – (517) 265-5161, ext. 4392 careerplanning@adrian.edu
Editor's Notes
- #2 Congratulations on receiving your internship experience. We look forward to working with you throughout your experience, and would like to take a moment to review a few details before you begin your experience.
- #3 THROUGHOUT THE POWERPOINT WE WILL BE REVIEWING THE FOLLOWING POINTS TO HELP YOU MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR EXPERIENCE:We will be revewing the internship process and who you should be reporting toTalking about what your can expect from your internship and what will be expected of youHow you should be dressing and your appearanceHow to be a professional in the workplaceAnd finally the actions, goals and different resources your should take to help you make the most of the experience
- #4 As you know from filling out your internship paperwork, each of your has a on stie supervisor, faculty sponsor and support through the institute for career planningSite supervisors gives professional guidance in your field and assigns on-the-job responsibilities. The faculty sponsor monitors your progress during the internship and assigns academic responsibilities to complement the workplace learning experience. Your faculyt sponsor has provided you with a syllabus which you will be responsible to adhering to, in addition to the responsibilities that your on site supervisor assigns to you. Mid semester and at the end of the semester, site supervisors provide feedback on your performance and that evaluation is sent to your faculty sponsor to evaluate a grade.You are responsible for keeping track for your own hours. You should be touching base with your site supervisor each week on the status of your hours and to make sure you are both on the same page. These logs will be turned in at the end of the semester to the institute for career planning. In order to revieve all the credits your have registered for you must have completed 40 hours on the site for every 1 credit you registered. For example, if you registered for 3 credits, you will need to complete 120 hours onsite. Finally, the institue for career planning collects all time sheets at the end of your internship. We also send out the evlautions both midterm and end of term to your site supervisors.
- #5 Before starting your internship, think of some goals now that you would like to achieve over the semester. Ask yourself:Question: What goals and Objectives have you thought about for your upcoming internship.What do you hope to get out of this experience?When formulating your goals think of your strengths and weaknesses: To help you develop these, here are some themes to help you brainstorm. Leadership, ethics, thinking outside the box, thinking critically, challenging your assumptionsInternships experiences can and will be very diverseSome internships are more formal, organized and structured, it may have specific tasks or projects. Alternatively, it maybe very informal, disorganized and unstructured, making the tasks or projects unclear.Most students prefer and expect the first scenario and are disappointed with the second. The fact is, no matter what the circumstances of the project or tasks are the expectation to participate and successfully complete an internship to the best of your ability as well as making the best of your experience. This leads to keeping a positive attitude. Keeping a positive attitude makes a great situation even better and a bad situation productive and valuable. A “poor” attitude is a recipe for disaster and failure. Even if you have a bad experience, it’s still a learning experience on what you can do to make your next experience better!
- #6 Learn the company culture right away:On the first few days of the internship, take a minutes to soak in the atmosphere, are employees quite and formal or is it a more informal atmosphere. What are the employees wearing?If you haven’t already, ask for an employee handbook. Generally, the handbook will clearly lay out what the company culture is, what the rules are and what the dress code is expected. Asking for a handbook and reviewing it, is a great way to start out on the right foot!Follow the chain of command; this means knowing who to go to for what question or problem that you have. For example, if there is a problem with an employee at the company it would not be proper to go straight to the Vice President, in fact taking that route would make you look unprofessional. Your site supervisor should be able to provide you with the proper process. Keep customer/client information confidential. This is especially important if you are working in a medical setting. Please understand that discussing any information with unauthorized people both in and outside of work could be grounds for dismissal. Respect and follow the same rules that are in place for the companies employees. Even though you are a student and you are learning, people outside of the business do not know that. It is important to follow all of the guidelines set out for the employees so you are setting a professional presence for the business and Adrian College. Be enthusiastic about the work and dedication to the job. Many times, internship placemates can lead to fulltime jobs. It’s good to think of it as a trial run for the employeer to see how you represent yoruself. If you have downtime or run out of things to do, make sure to ask if there is anything you can help with. Dress appropriately for the for the work setting.This is the number one complete we get from internship sites. If you have not asked for a clear explanation of what the dress code is, make sure to contact your supervisor before your first day. Do not conduct personal business during work hours. This means, taking phone calls, texting or checking personal emails on a work computer!Be cordial and smile; and use basic social skills with both customers and employees of the site. Think about your interaction with others, say hello, good-bye, good afternoon. Don’t go into someone’s office until you are invited to do so. Don’t put your feet on the furniture. Take your hat off, don’t chew gum.Please arrive on time, however if you are running less than 5 minutes late. Call your supervisor and let them know you are running behind and what time you will be in. Keep in mind that if you don’t follow the rules or holdyourslef to the business’s standards, you will have a poor experience which can lead to a poor evaluation.
- #7 Our office wanted to spend a little more time on how to dress for your internship site. Believe it or not, this is the biggest complaint we get. There are a few places that we are more apt to get complaints from which is from students working in the court or criminal justice setting and students who are working with students or juveniles. However, the compliants are not limited to these sites. When going into your site make sure you take a look around and see what the employees are wearing, especially the upper level management. In addition, a good rule of thumb, is if you would wear it out on the weekend with your friends, it’s not a good idea to wear to your internship. Again the goal is for your to blend in not stick out! In the following slides, we will go over what you should and should not wear to your site.
- #8 When attendingyour internship site, women should adhere to the following guidelines.Shirts should be at least 2 inches above your bust. It is important to make sure that if you are leaning over, your shirt properly on your chest and keeps you covered. You shirt should not be shear or be to tight to your body. In addition, make sure that you raise your hands above your head before leaving to check and make sure the bottom of your stays near your hip bone and does not show your midriff. A nice sweater, collard shirt or blouse is appropriate for a business casual environment. If you are able to wear comfertable clothing, make sure your t-shirt or long sleaved shirt is in nice shape, free of stains or holes and that the saying or logo on the shirt is not offensive to anyone. Depending on the industry your shoes can vary. If you are in the medical setting usually tennis shoes or other comfortable shoes are acceptable. Even though tennis shoes can be worn, they should be in good condition and free of mud or hard outdoor wear and tear. If you are in a more business professional type of setting, make sure you wear closed toed shoes and that your heal is not any more than 2 inches. If you are unable to walk properly in your shoes because they are to tall or are not proper for your environment, you will not be taken seriously. Finally, you pants will follow a lot of the same rules as your shirt. You want to make sure that they are not too tight! This means that leggings and really skinny jeans should not be worn. Your jeans should be without holes if you are allowed to wear them. In addition, you should bend over to make sure that your underwear do not show. If necessary put on a belt! Finally if you are wearing a dress to your site, they should be knee length. It is not ok to wear a dress that you would wear out on the weekends, and put on a blazer to make it appear more dressy. In addition, nylons should be worn at all times. This is especially important if you are working in the courtroom setting. Some business’s have a different take on nylons in the summer, however it is important to ask beforehand.
- #9 Men’s dress is a little easier than the womens dress. You hsould have a collard shirt on that is pressed. Make sure you ask if a tie is required. If your site is casual, make sure again that you are not wearing a tshirt or other form of casual dress that has an insensitive message on it. Jeans again should be without holes and clean. If your jeans are sagging make sure you put on a belt and that your underwear is not showing. IN the warmer months shorts should not be worn at anytime. We often seen male students with white athletic socks on with their dress clothes. You should always be wearing calf length dress socks with your pants. If you have balck shoes and a belt on stick to balck sock, if they are brown shoes and brown belt, wear brown socks. In addition, your shoes should be either black or brown with a shinnier finish for dressier settings. No flip flops or dirty tennis shoes should be worn.
- #10 Professionalism in the workplaceNot only will dressing professionally help you gain credibility and respect from your new colleagues, it will also make you feel more confident about your role in your internship. Some other advice to follow is don’t wear anything that distracts from your appearance. This means maintaing your personal hygeiene: Make sure you are bathing, brushing your teeth, and using your deodorant. It’s especially important if you have an athletic practice before you internship that you allow yourself enough time to get ready. Watch the number of piercings and make sure jewlery is appropriate. Many times, the number of peircings allowed will be listed in the dress code section of the handbook. Know the tobacco guielines and do not wear too much cologne or perfume. One of the most important things to do during your internship is to keep your supervisor informed. Let them know what is going on! What are you learning or have questions about! If you are using a computer at your internship or communicating with your supervisor via email, remember to use a business format. Always have a greeting, body and a signature line. Stay away from using texting language. Make sure you understand your office’s documentation requirements, because this is an important legal and confidentiality matter in the medical profession.In your sites employee handbook, make sure to check the office’s computer usage policy and always err on the professional side. The computers at work are meant to be used for work, not professional communication or research.Office phone usage should follow the same rules. Do not instruct others to call you, nor call out unless it is for an emergency situation or you have specific and special permission.Be on time; your site is graciously hosting you as a student, and you need to respect their willingness to play an important role in your education. Please accept their constructive criticism and continually strive to improve your performance. Do not participate in office gossip. It’s an easy way to have your professionalism thrown out!And make sure you watch your choice of language. What is acceptable in your day to day college life and a natural response is not what is accepted on the job.
- #11 On the follow two pages we have provided a checklist for you to utulize when starting your internship. Please take a moment and read through them.
- #13 When showing up to your site, don’t go empty handed. Just like your classes you will want to take the basics with you. We recommended taking a small professional looking bag that include, pens, pencils and writing materials, a small notebook to keep notes and jotdown questions so that you can ask questions later. A watch that will allow you to keep accurate time if your site does not have clocks on the walls. It is important that you do not use your cell phone to keep track of the time. You do not want them to suspect that you are using your phone to text or check messages. In addition, it helps to set your watch to your supervisors clock so that you are running on the same time as them. In addition, we recommend making a set schedule with your supervisor. This will allow consistency and for no miscommunication between you and your supervisor. It will also make keeping track of your hours easier.
- #14 Asking questions will help you understand you office, the culture among the people you work with, and how you can contribute best and gain the most experience during your internshipIf you complete your projects early offer to help out. Ask if anyone else needs help or if there is something more you can start working on. Your eagerness and willing to help with go a long way. Getting to know everyone will not only make you a intrical part of the office, but it will also help you to start building more relationships and growing your network. Don’t’ forget to add these contacts to linkedin!By keeping track of the work you have completed or been involved in, you will be able to refresh your memory so interviews in the future will be easier and it will allow you take a professional portfolio for interviews.
- #15 Getting involved shows that you are taking interest not only in your internship but also for the beterment of their business. It will also show them more about your character. It’s important to keep an open mind. As we stated earlier in the workshop every experience is a learning experience. Don’t be to pushy or demanding. Some information may be confidential. Take a moment and make informed judgments and decisions!You are expected to follow the same rules that are asked of you on campus. Please remember this is not only a relfection on your, but adrian college and we want to maintain a good relationship with the sites so other students will be able to take advantage of the experience in the future. You are expected to act as a professional not a student.
- #17 If you are having difficulties or feel victomized at anypoint during your internship. Please make sure to contact our office right away. We are here to help guide you throughout your internship experience.
- #18 If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at any time.