Week 7 Blog Question
What
inspired you to apply for an internship?
Would you recommend the experience to others? Why or why not?
April 20: Interviewing, Part II-- PLEASE ANSWER AFTER MICHELLE'S MODULE
Now that we've discussed interviewing once, let's do it again WITH Michelle's take. Of Michelle's top 10 tips for successful interviews (available here ), which tips stuck out to you? I found myself resonating with #1. Being able to reflect on ourselves in addition to the organization helps us better recognize what we can offer to the organization. By taking a step back, I found myself better able to envision that future. Also, the STAR method (Tip #7) was pretty great, and it helped me conceptualize how to consider offering an answer with that method in mind. Next, give Big Interview a try (as noted on our assignment portal). You'll have to create an account, which took me all of 15 seconds. Once you're on, you'll note that there's a lot to explore there. I'd recommend at leave clicking on "Practice" and trying a few " General mock interview " questions. It's pretty cool because you have a human asking you the q...
What drew me most to this internship was the ability to work on open-ended projects. I’ve had the opportunity to work with projects like this in the past and I enjoyed having the flexibility and opportunity to be creative. It allows me to think explore alternative paths and collaborate more with the other interns and my site coordinator. Also, while reading the description, I felt that it combined what I’m learning through classes for both my ISC major and my English minor. The strategy behind when we communicate with our audience and how we communicate with them as well as our wording reflects both disciplines. In addition to this, I have been working on developing visual as well as written material for the Honors Program, specifically material that will aid in alumni outreach.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely recommend this internship to someone else, not only because my site coordinator has made this a great experience for me but also because of additional opportunities that I have been able to explore. I’ve been able to revisit skills in Adobe Creative Cloud and go through training with the Athena website software. These are transferable skills that I would not have had access to or a reason to utilize had it not been for this internship. Along with this, my site coordinator and the other interns have been incredibly supportive. Both with feedback regarding my work and questions/issues that I have run into.
If I'm being totally honest, the reason I decided to apply for an internship was because I knew logically, I was at the point in my college career where I should be partaking in one. During last year's fall meeting, I brushed it off since I was only a sophomore, but when I found out I would be graduating in three years, I figured it was important to get this experience under my belt.
ReplyDeleteThe Volume One internship specifically interested me because I had already had an experience working with a magazine, and thought those skills might be applicable. Additionally, I had talked with a contact in the publishing world last year who had recommended that Volume One might be a good place to start. When I was looking at the application options last fall, it seemed too good to pass up.
I would definitely recommend an internship to everyone. This semester has been crazy, trying to balance classwork, my job, my internship, and trying to still do things out of enjoyment for myself, but it's been busy in the best way. I've really cracked down on time management this semester and it's helped me get through each day methodically. Volume One has also given me the opportunity to learn about the Eau Claire community in a way I'd never known. Even after living here for three years, I don't know much about the place I'm calling home right now, so getting to learn about different businesses and entrepreneurs in the area has really opened my eyes to all Eau Claire has to offer. I understand that most internships are as community-based as mine might be, but any internship is still a good opportunity to learn and grow as a member of your community.
I wanted to apply for an internship because I wanted experience related to the field I wanted to go into after graduation. We learn a lot of valuable skills in our classes, and I’ve gotten plenty of hands-on experience with revising peer works in my creative writing classes, but I feel like employers are also looking for experiences gained outside the classroom, and I wanted to round out my resume. I’m really interested in working for an editing and publishing company in the future, so working with the McNair scholars in editing their research articles drew me to the McNair internship in particular. I interned for the program last spring, and I returned this year because I really enjoyed the experience and wanted to expand and strengthen the skills that I gained last year. I also returned again because I enjoyed working with my supervisors, and I wanted to build up our relationships to use for references, as well as a possible connection to a future job.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely recommend the internship experience to other English majors because of the benefits it adds to your resume and the opportunity it presents to hone the skills you learn in class, but also for developing new skills that you might not get the chance to take a class for. In my internship, for example, I have tackled some graphic design and website content projects in addition to the work I do in preparing the program’s printed research journal. In recommending internships to other students though, I would stress the importance of finding a paid position. I am fortunate to work in an internship that I enjoy and also am paid for my time. I understand that there is merit to gaining experience and improving skills for personal development’s sake, but I personally believe that if I’m going to be treated like an employee and expected to contribute to a workload, I should be compensated for the work I do for that employer. Others may certainly disagree with me on this issue, but for me, it was a significant factor in determining which internships I applied for.
I was inspired to apply to an internship for a number of reasons. First, I genuinely wanted the experience of applying skills I learned in the classroom to a "real world" environment. I felt I was ready for the challenge. I knew I would learn a plethora of valuable skills and make good connections. I was getting to a point in my life where I needed to gain experience in order to become a writer. The writing industry is like climbing a ladder, and I knew getting an intern ship would take me to the next rung. I also couldn't ignore the fact that I would be a (now) second-semester junior. I feel like a lot of students intern their junior year to prep for their future jobs after graduation. In addition, I definitely thought it would look good on a resume.
ReplyDeleteI would definitley recommend the internship experience to other people. Even if someone is unsure whether or not to apply, I say go for it. And you don't have to apply to ones that lie within your major. Even if it sounds interesting, go for it. Although there have been (omg I know this is such a cheesy line to say but it is true) ups and downs to my personal internship, I have learned quite a bit. I now have solid, pieces of writing I can add to my portfolio and resume for future employers to view! Not many people my age can say they worked at a news station during a pandemic and an important election. I am really grateful for this opportunity.
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ReplyDeleteEdit: I told myself when I started here in Spring of 2018 that I would have an internship by the beginning of my junior year. It's weird when goals you set for yourself way back actually work out.
ReplyDeleteExperience is the best teacher. In my interview for my internship they were more interested in my past experiences at work than where I go to school (not many places are going to go "OOooh! A Bachelor's Degree!"). And in today's more open-source gig economy, and I stand by this, experience is FAR more valuable than having a degree alone. The cool thing with UW- Eau Claire is that the community is very interested in retaining its alumni and throw internships our way (I still feel like I stole this opportunity). I'm getting an amazing deal out of this.
So my internship is technical writing. Incidentally, this happens to be exactly the field I want to be in. I've always enjoyed Research and Development type stuff. After nearly failing an engineering course in high school I learned that maybe I wouldn't be a very good engineer...
And then I learned that technical writing is a thing! It was a saving grace to learn this job exists. Yes, do an internship, you're silly to not want to do it. Because worst case scenario you will learn what you don't want to do; but the usual case scenario is that you will gain experience in your field and enjoy it!
I decided to apply for an internship because I feel that the experience is very valuable. Internships offer us opportunities to apply the knowledge we’ve gained in classes and apply that to the “real world.” They offer learning opportunities for some things that can’t be taught in a classroom setting. Additionally, they provide connections with established professionals and can help an intern figure out if the internship’s focus is an area they wish to pursue after the internship.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely recommend the experience to others! For me, having an internship has been a phenomenal learning opportunity, and we’re only at the halfway point. I’ve loved getting to contribute to an organization whose mission I really support and am passionate about myself. Getting to work alongside qualified writers and those who are invested in creative community has been inspiring for me. It's been wonderful to step outside of the university "bubble" we as students sometimes stay in; interacting more with the community has been really neat. I think it's important to get to know the community from a non-student perspective, too. To those who may be on the fence about applying for an internship, I would offer encouragement and advice to take a chance, because you can learn a great deal through an internship, have fun, and become more marketable for future employment.
I wanted an internship because I am always wanting to learn more about fields that I'm interested in. Originally I went for WEAU 13 because I wanted to experience a real world news station. I had experience with news already through The Spectator and with writing through The Flipside, but the only video production I had experience with was CJ 184 and TV 10. I wanted to be able to use all my skills in one setting.
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to understand what it took to be in the news business. I had heard it was stressful, and working at WEAU 13 definitely fit that, but it wasn't a bad kind of stress like I had originally expected. It was just a lot going on at once, and having to keep up and stay organized, which is something I do already when I can. It helped too that there were lulls in the day that made it easier to catch up when I did get behind, although that wasn't all that often.
I wanted to work at a news station to understand how stories were found, how they were reported, and how quick the turn around was. I learned all that while there and more, like how to quickly set up a camera, how to find people on scene to interview, and how to be polite in a panicked situation. I loved it. I thought it was amazing.