Benefits of Internships

There are some obvious advantages to obtaining an internship in your career field. Not only do they provide necessary experience in your chosen field while you're in school, they also allow you to keep your school schedule at the top of your priorities. In addition to those obvious advantages, there are several others to consider when deciding whether to look into getting a job, work study, or internship. The following are the main advantages of internships:

Apply new class materials to work situations.

Build more knowledge about general work functions in your specific field.

Realize whether particular field is right for you.

Investigate organizational cultures.

Learn career-related skills.

Enable you to work alongside a professional in your chosen career area.

Give you the opportunity to practice your communication and teamwork skills.

Identify transferable skills.

Strengthen written and oral skills.

Find out what it's like to work in a business environment.

Enhance and strengthen your resume.

Start networking.

Connect college and work experience.

Stimulate new interest in academic course work and frequently develop an interdisciplinary perspective.

Gain an increased awareness of skills, attributes, personal qualities and values.

Develop confidence in your particular field.

Provide evidence that you have initiative, are reliable and have a sense of responsibility.

Possibility of full-time job offer once internship is over.

Example from: http://content.monstertrak.monster.com/resources/archive/internships/matter/

"Eugenia Sozzi, a 21-year-old senior at the Catholic University of America, majoring in human resource management, says her recently completed internship at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Washington, DC, "Gave me many opportunities to test and refine my skills." She spent her summer creating, implementing and managing a new internship program for the organization.

As a visionary, she says, 'I had to create a program from scratch, setting down its foundations through a mission and vision statement and creating the core aspects of the program accompanied by the supporting details. As a saleswoman, I needed to sell this program to the supervisors and directors who had better things to be doing than supporting this program and even allocating resources to it.'

Now, Sozzi says she can demonstrate her leadership talents to future employers, her ability to work well with different types of people and her skills in seeing projects through from start to finish."

The experience and skills that Sozzi developed during her internship will be vital to her continuation in this career path, and she will have a step up above those who were not able to benefit from internships. As you can see, there are many advantages to utilizing the internship system while it's available to you. I applied and obtained an internship position during my Junior in college and was offered a full time job once the internship was over. So, I know from experience that internships are definitely worth your time if you get the opportunity.

If you have any questions or concerns about the benefits of internships feel free to comment.

Emily Martin, Intern at The Business Shrink: Understanding the psychology of business and money.

The different types of job interviews

The hiring process consists of more than the one-on-one interview. Here is a list of all the different types of interviews and what they consist of.

1) The screening interview:

A method used by employers to select the candidates with the minimal skills and experience requirement for the job position. The Human Resources will go over resumes and cover letter to find contradicted exaggerated information. At this stage the recruiters will decide which candidates are going to be contacted.

2) The phone interview:

Another type of screening interview, human resources calls potential candidates to check the resume and cover letter information. The interview will be judging the interest of the candidate for the position. At the end of the conversation the recruiter may conclude the conversation with scheduling a one-on-one interview. The goal of the phone interview is to get that face to face interview. The site collegegrad.com gives tips for the telephone interview preparation such as “Keep all of your employer research materials within easy reach of your phone. Have a notepad available to take notes.”

3) One-on-one interview:

At this point the main goal of recruiter during the one-on-one interview is to make sure that you fit in the organization. You are going to present or sell yourself to a company’s and show how you can fulfill their needs. At the interview you need to assure the company that you have the skills and motivation to be the right candidate. During the interview process there are some Do’s and Don’ts you need to be aware of. For example, “arrive 10 minutes early at your interview” and “don't act as though you would take any job or you are desperate for employment.”

4) Lunch Interview

This process is merely a one-on-one interview which takes place during lunch. You should apply the same rules for an office interview to the lunch interview. The only difference with the office interview you are in a more causal environment for the interview. “Choose a small, light meal” and “do not drink alcohol during your lunch interview” are tips for the job interview.

5) Stress interview

This is when recruiters do everything to stress out the candidate during the interview by asking many questions or with the non verbal strategy (such as long silence). Employers want to see how you hold yourself around stress by trying to demoralize you. In a stress interview it’s important for the candidate to remain calm.

6) Committee interview

The candidate will have the interview not only with one person in the company but with several people who will take part in the hiring decision. The rule of this type of interview the same even if you have to speak more than one person. The Ten Interviewing Rules by Monster.com can be applicable to the committee interview.

7) Group interview

Employers conduct an interview in groups. Recruiters attempt in a group interview to discover the leadership abilities of some candidates as well as see how they react in public. The group interview is done in an open discussion with the candidate. Employers will be watching how candidates act and stand out among the others.

No matter what type of job interview a candidate has, either phone, one-on-one, lunch or group, you should respect the main rules of any interview “be prepared” “listen” “answer the question asked” “ask questions” and “follow up.” Remember, your final goal is to get the job first. If you have any experience or suggestions about the different types of job interviews feel free to make comments.

Aigline, The Business Shrink Intern
The Business Shrink: Understanding the Psychology of Business and Money

Illegal questions asked at a job interview

There are questions that employers should not ask at the job interview, because they are illegal. Those questions are related to:

• Age
• Race
• Birthplace
• Sex
• Religion
• Disability
• Nationality
• Family and marital status

If you are asked about any of these subjects during an interview, with the intention to discriminate, you can file a claim of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Some recruiters ask illegal questions in innocence, because they are unaware of the laws regarding unrelated interview questions. Therefore, just because you are asked a question about one of the above subjects does not necessarily mean the employer’s intention is to discriminate. Also, you need to make sure the “illegal” question asked was not related to the job before you file a claim with the EEOC.

The hiring decisions made by an employer should not be based on anything personal that is not directly job-related, but in many cases employers will avoid the illegal interview questions by using legal alternative questions. For example, instead of asking “How old are you?” recruiters may ask “Are you over the age of 18?”, or instead of “Are you a US citizen?” they may inquire “Are you authorized to work in the United States?” Instead of asking “Are you married or how many children do you have?” they may ask “Do you have responsibilities or commitments that will prevent you from meeting specified work schedules?” As you can see, employers have tricky ways to get around the illegal questions, and you should be ready to answer these questions.

What should you do if you are asked an illegal question?

There are three ways to approach these questions:

• Answer the question. You can simply answer the question, but be aware that you are giving information probably not related to your job.
• Refuse to answer the question. You may notify the recruiter that the question is not related to the job. If you really want the job, it may not be in your best interest to tell the employer straight, “That question is illegal”, but you may simply say, "I'm sorry, but with all due respect, I don't see how that question is relevant to the position for which I am interviewing.”
• Do not answer the question straight, but answer indirectly to the meaning behind the question. Do this with tact and in a smart way. Ronald L. Krannich Ph.D, in his article, 38 Illegal, Sensitive, and Stupid Interview Questions...and How to Respond, said, “Do not be afraid to inject humor into your replies; it can sometimes relax the formality of the situation. Also, don't be afraid of a little confrontation, especially when you know you are correct. You might respond: "That's a (great) (strange) (different) question. No one has ever asked me that before. Why did you?”

One thing you should remember in a job interview is that the questions asked must be related to the job you are applying. In fact, the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states, “Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.”

If you have any suggestions about handling illegal questions asked at a job interview or if you have any questions feel free to leave a comment.

Aigline, The Business Shrink Intern
The Business Shrink: Understanding the Psychology of Business and Money

Tips for Your First Job

So you just graduated college and you're about to start your first job. You don't really know what to expect, and, of course, you're nervous, excited, overwhelmed or maybe a little bit of everything. Everyone has to go through this step and there are ways to make it a terrible first day, and there are definitely ways to make it a great first day. Let's try to help you achieve the latter. Remember, you only get one first impression; so you want to be your best on your first day! Here's a few tips that might help you enjoy your first day of your new job.

1. Be on time. Timeliness is very important in the business world, and it looks very irresponsible to be late on your first day.
   -"If you have any attendance/punctuality issues in the first few days or weeks, you've already lost a significant battle -- their confidence in you." says Russell, a 2001 psychology grad from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.


2. Dress conservatively and according to company policy. No flashy or revealing clothing should be worn at work. It can give you the wrong reputation and it's just not the time or place for trendier clothing.


3. Watch what you say and do. As said above, first impressions last, don't make yours a negative one.


4. Be a team player. You're a beginning, so don't try to be a "know-it-all", and don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it.


5. Try to learn coworkers' names quickly. There's nothing more uncomfortable than having to ask for their names over and over again. Write them down if you have to, because it shows that you care.


6. Take initiative. If you finish the work you are given, ask what else you can do. You want to show you're hardworking and motivated; they're trying to see how much you can handle, so impress them.


7. Steer away from gossip. You don't want to be associated with the office gossip if at all possible.
   -Magennis agrees: "Stay out of the office politics for as long as possible," he says. "It's inevitable that you will be exposed to them sooner or later, and you will most likely participate in them as well as it's human nature. But stay out of the game for the first few months."


8. Personal problems are not for work. Don't make personal problems work problems; try to keep them separate to avoid additional conflict.

If you keep these tips in mind once you start your first job you should have a better chance at making a great first impression. Just use common sense while interacting with your boss and coworkers and you should do just fine.

If you have any additional tips or questions feel free to leave a comment!

Emily Martin, Intern at The Business Shrink: Understanding the psychology of business and money.

Conflict resolutions at work

Conflicts with friends, relatives, coworkers and classmates are to be expected. If your job requires you to work with a team, you are more likely to face conflict. In general, conflict at work is inevitable if you deal with difficult managers, coworkers or clients who drive you crazy. Judith A. Cook, PhD and Carol A. Petersen, M.Ed define conflict in the article Managing Conflict with Customers and Co-workers as “a state of disagreement or opposition between two or more person regarding ideas, interests, needs, values, or wishes.” Dealing with difficult people at work tends to generate more tension and contribute to conflicts. No matter the nature of the conflict, it is important to find a solution to resolve it. Here are some crucial points to fix issues that arise at work:

1. Handle the conflict when it’s still hot. Do it as soon as possible.
2. Identify the consequences of the conflict for you, your coworkers and the company.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask your co-workers if you have done something that made them angry. Discuss the issue in order to understand each other’s point of view.
4. Don’t communicate by the phone or through emails. If you want to solve a problem it is better to talk about it face to face.
5. Apologize for what you have done wrong.

The website cooping.org notes some behaviors to manage conflict such as “Use ``I'' statements” in order to express your feeling to you co-worker, or “Speak calmly, coolly and rationally and be honest.”

What if all of this doesn’t work? To answer this question Alexander Kjerulf an expert on happiness at work said, “There is no guarantee that the method described here will resolve your conflict at work. It may or it may not. But even if it doesn’t work you have the satisfaction of knowing that you’ve tried. You have risen above the conflict for a while and tried to address it positively and constructively. No one can ask more of you.” There is nothing wrong with having different opinions from your managers or coworkers; it’s most important to resolve the problem diplomatically, and to find a compromise.

If you have any solution about resolving conflict at work or if you have any questions feel free to make comments.

Aigline, The Business Shrink Intern
The Business Shrink: Understanding the Psychology of Business and Money