It's time to set the record straight about interns. I can't vouch for every intern. I can tell you in the eight years since I started my professional career I can count more outstanding interns then years of work experience on my resume.
If this were facebook I would @ tag each of them at this point in the post. It isn't and there is no need to perpetuate that facebook mania of "friending" everyone you have every heard mentioned.
The point I want to make is about the quality of work done by these young people, their tenacity and accountability, all in the name of tasting a profession of interest.
Two interns I worked with most recently created the event, Caution: Gingerbread Construction from scratch to raise money for On Belay.
Right now I am working with a women who is professionally accomplished and eager to pursue a career as a professional climbing guide. She is kicking butt and taking names to put on an ice climbing festival for over 200 people.
These women impacted their internships in profound ways at no direct cost to the organization's hosting them and in exchange they gained meaningful professional experience.
This is what internships are meant to be.
In the interest of "the feedback sandwich", I put the best stories first.
I have also been witness to interns who are brought into organizations with the promise of a quality educational experience, read internship and what they got was all together different.
Upon arrival the fresh intern is ask to perform all sorts of tasks which have nothing to do with their internships. The intern becomes the catch all for the crap other people don't have time or interest in doing. This is not an internship.
To illustrate my point I'll share a moment of my professional career that I am not proud, don't worry it ends well.
It was the summer of 2007, the week before I put on a Kayak Regatta for 35 donors to a small nonprofit. This Regatta was a-typical. Think traveling drummers, massage therapists, lobster bakes and island with no running water or electricity.
Logistically intense? Yeah you could say that.
I was at least a few Americano's into my day. My summer intern
(who later played violin at my wedding processional) and our organization's second summer intern popped their heads into my office to ask if they could help.
My brain was working overtime...donations logged, special dietary needs to report, where are those face paints...all swirling the moment the girls offered to help.
"Uhhhh. Ummm. Just take my dog for a walk ok!" And I shut my office door.
Click for unbearably cute dog photo
A few moments later there was a knock on my door, it was my intern.
"Can we talk?" she said.
I could tell from the look on her face I was out of line. She walked in and I asked her directly,
"OK, how bad was that? Honestly."
She smiled sweetly, paused.
"You know Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada...
"THAT BAD!" I exclaimed and started laughing, so did she.
"Yup." She said between giggles "And, just so you know Catherine is afraid of dogs."
I pulled $20 from my wallet, apologized for being a jerk and sent the girls to grab themselves a coffee and something sweet while I collected myself and thought of an appropriate way for them to support the event planning efforts.
I won't argue, there are unflattering, unappealing tasks in every job and they need to get done. My suggestion, lay that out ahead of time and tackle those tasks as a team.
Don't take interns for granted. Love them , appreciate them, treat them well.
To all the under appreciated interns out there, may the light within me honor the light with in you.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Attention Job Seekers.
No not me, I am still content running my business here in New Hampshire.
This is the second time in six months I've worked with an organization as part of a hiring team. In the summer of 2010 I managed the hiring of a part-time program staff person for a small nonprofit. Right now I am in the middle of the search process for an Executive Director, again for a small nonprofit.
When applications arrived this summer for a part-time program coordinator, my expectations were rooted by entry level nature of the position. I was pleasantly surprised by the caliber of the candidates and simultaneously shocked at the number of applications which were assembled carelessly. I wrote off the amazement reminding myself, you are hiring for an entry level position. I won't leave you wondering, we hired an extraordinary young women who has mastered her job and then some in less then six months.
I am back to the hiring game. This time the stakes are higher. I am on a team working to fill the shoes of women who started her work with this institution doing part-time administrative duties and today she is now a power house fundraiser, manager and leader.
This hire is a year in the making. The group brainstormed, planned, convened ad hoc committees and in December the posting went out. Credit where it is due, we received many strong applications. In addition we received others that stopped me in my tracks, several applications arrived screaming for a reminder about simple measures which can make or break an application.
I am not a career coach or a veteran HR professional.
I have a background in visual arts drilled into my brain, an obsession with detail and the ability to find value and intrigue in a-typical candidates, so long as they present themselves well.
Here are a handful of tips I wrote down while reflecting on these two hiring processes, share them, use them personally or to help evaluate your next hire.
1) Don't try to be cute
I love the color pink, dresses and small bossy dogs. I am completely turned off by applications: on colored paper, which included clip art graphics, catchy slogans or cheesy fonts. Even if you are working with small children or animals a hiring committee expects professional applicants, be one.
2) Formatting Nightmares: Don't be one
Imagine twenty plus applications (resumes, cover letters, letters of reference) sitting in your inbox. Now imagine opening the documents to find these documents are a formatting disaster. Regardless of the content these candidates start out at a deficit or don't start the process at all.
What can you do?
Save as a PDF! It's simple and will ensure what you see on the screen is what the hiring team sees.
Use bold, underline or italicized text for emphasis when appropriate and if you use it be consistent.
(Ex: Bold one company you worked for....bold them all)
Only send what your asked for and offer access to further information if requested. A pile of attachments takes time to print and organize, if you weren't asked to provide them you are likely adding more work and frustrating someone.
3) Proof Read
No one is perfect. Second only to my mother, I am pretty sure I am the world's worst speller so I am especially attentive in grant writing, applications and professional writing to triple check for errors. Cook dinner for a trusted friend, babysit for a professor, bake cookies for a co-worker....bottom line make sure your eyes are not the only eyes to fall on these documents.
4) Right Resume, Right Time
This one may cause you to sigh deeply and stop reading...I'm not sure who perpetuated the idea that one resume works for every job but it doesn't in my world. Consider carefully the wording of the job you are applying to, highlight the skills you have that match that job specifically. Edit your resume so it presents the education and experience that will serve you well in the position for which you are applying.
5) Your time and mine
If you are applying for jobs that doesn't just mean sending out applications and going back to business as usual. After your applications go out, be attentive to your email and voice mail messages. If you know you will be away or unavailable, be proactive and include a note in your application with the details on when you will return or how to contact you while you are away. Return calls or emails within 24 hours, great general rule of business and critical in a hiring process.
6) First rule of sales: Know the product
Applying for a new job is about sales. You are selling yourself to a future employers with the promise of being a future sales person for their company or organization. You will find lots of information out there about how to present yourself and significantly less about the impotence of knowing the company or organization you would like to work for.
Do your research - check their website, look at staff profiles, check their social media sites for photos, comments and any other information that can provide insight into the culture, values and vision of the company.
7) Voice on the machine
Like many people many I only have one phone, a cell phone and I hold great disdain for cutesy voicemails messages. I outgrew my taste for entertaining voice mails in highs school. This isn't a judgment just fact, I spent untold hours of my youth recording creative, musical messages on my home answering machine. Be sure your contact information and associated replies are professional.
I'll sign off with a lucky seven. Happy hiring, good luck applying and feel free to add your own best practices in the comments section of this blog.
This is the second time in six months I've worked with an organization as part of a hiring team. In the summer of 2010 I managed the hiring of a part-time program staff person for a small nonprofit. Right now I am in the middle of the search process for an Executive Director, again for a small nonprofit.
When applications arrived this summer for a part-time program coordinator, my expectations were rooted by entry level nature of the position. I was pleasantly surprised by the caliber of the candidates and simultaneously shocked at the number of applications which were assembled carelessly. I wrote off the amazement reminding myself, you are hiring for an entry level position. I won't leave you wondering, we hired an extraordinary young women who has mastered her job and then some in less then six months.
I am back to the hiring game. This time the stakes are higher. I am on a team working to fill the shoes of women who started her work with this institution doing part-time administrative duties and today she is now a power house fundraiser, manager and leader.
This hire is a year in the making. The group brainstormed, planned, convened ad hoc committees and in December the posting went out. Credit where it is due, we received many strong applications. In addition we received others that stopped me in my tracks, several applications arrived screaming for a reminder about simple measures which can make or break an application.
I am not a career coach or a veteran HR professional.
I have a background in visual arts drilled into my brain, an obsession with detail and the ability to find value and intrigue in a-typical candidates, so long as they present themselves well.
Here are a handful of tips I wrote down while reflecting on these two hiring processes, share them, use them personally or to help evaluate your next hire.
1) Don't try to be cute
I love the color pink, dresses and small bossy dogs. I am completely turned off by applications: on colored paper, which included clip art graphics, catchy slogans or cheesy fonts. Even if you are working with small children or animals a hiring committee expects professional applicants, be one.
2) Formatting Nightmares: Don't be one
Imagine twenty plus applications (resumes, cover letters, letters of reference) sitting in your inbox. Now imagine opening the documents to find these documents are a formatting disaster. Regardless of the content these candidates start out at a deficit or don't start the process at all.
What can you do?
Save as a PDF! It's simple and will ensure what you see on the screen is what the hiring team sees.
Use bold, underline or italicized text for emphasis when appropriate and if you use it be consistent.
(Ex: Bold one company you worked for....bold them all)
Only send what your asked for and offer access to further information if requested. A pile of attachments takes time to print and organize, if you weren't asked to provide them you are likely adding more work and frustrating someone.
3) Proof Read
No one is perfect. Second only to my mother, I am pretty sure I am the world's worst speller so I am especially attentive in grant writing, applications and professional writing to triple check for errors. Cook dinner for a trusted friend, babysit for a professor, bake cookies for a co-worker....bottom line make sure your eyes are not the only eyes to fall on these documents.
4) Right Resume, Right Time
This one may cause you to sigh deeply and stop reading...I'm not sure who perpetuated the idea that one resume works for every job but it doesn't in my world. Consider carefully the wording of the job you are applying to, highlight the skills you have that match that job specifically. Edit your resume so it presents the education and experience that will serve you well in the position for which you are applying.
5) Your time and mine
If you are applying for jobs that doesn't just mean sending out applications and going back to business as usual. After your applications go out, be attentive to your email and voice mail messages. If you know you will be away or unavailable, be proactive and include a note in your application with the details on when you will return or how to contact you while you are away. Return calls or emails within 24 hours, great general rule of business and critical in a hiring process.
6) First rule of sales: Know the product
Applying for a new job is about sales. You are selling yourself to a future employers with the promise of being a future sales person for their company or organization. You will find lots of information out there about how to present yourself and significantly less about the impotence of knowing the company or organization you would like to work for.
Do your research - check their website, look at staff profiles, check their social media sites for photos, comments and any other information that can provide insight into the culture, values and vision of the company.
7) Voice on the machine
Like many people many I only have one phone, a cell phone and I hold great disdain for cutesy voicemails messages. I outgrew my taste for entertaining voice mails in highs school. This isn't a judgment just fact, I spent untold hours of my youth recording creative, musical messages on my home answering machine. Be sure your contact information and associated replies are professional.
I'll sign off with a lucky seven. Happy hiring, good luck applying and feel free to add your own best practices in the comments section of this blog.
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