Internship Yak

Quicken Companies to Hire 500 Interns in Detriot

2012-01-27T07:10:00.000-08:00

Check out this article on how the Quicken companies are planning on hiring 500 interns in the Detroit area this summer. It sure would be great if some of the large companies headquartered in Boston, MA would develop similar plans to help stop the brain drain. Below is the link.

http://www.freep.com/article/20120127/BUSINESS06/201270352/Quicken-family-of-companies-to-hire-500-interns?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cs

Finding a Great Internship Takes Smarts and Persistence

2012-01-18T16:56:00.000-08:00

One mistake students make when looking for an internship is that they think there is someone at their college that will place them in an internship. Most schools do not run placement agencies for internships (or for jobs.) It is up to the student to learn who to search, how to make contacts, and how to respond to leads in a positive, timely, and effective way.

Over the last six years I have worked with hundreds of students who are eager to find the internship that will help launch their careers. Some of these students have had phenomenal results. Others haven't landed anything worthwhile. What separates the students who land a great internship from the ones who come away empty handed? Well it is a combination of smarts and persistence.

The "smarts" part is the starting point. You must learn how to search - using keywords. Our accounting students search for "accounting internships" within a 30 mile radius of campus using Indeed.com. They also attend accounting club functions and meet employers. They tell their professors, their parents, their neighbors, and their friends that they are looking for an internship and they send targeted emails and "snail" mail to prospective employers. Other students talk to current employers and ask to structure a new learning experience and they bring me (internship director) into the loop to help assure that it will all work out.

Other eager beavers go to nonprofits like their local credit unions, the Chamber of Commerce, museums, hospitals, theatres, and government agencies - volunteering their time and energy to work 10 hours a week in an internship. In the nonprofit arena and government agencies, the possibilities are almost endless as for just with service learning or community service, there are so many entities that are in need of student help and there is certainly a business side to nonprofits and government that are crying out for internship help.

Smart students also understand the trends. There is a great demand right now for social networking/marketing which students know how to do better than us old folks. Mastering Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. and making these services work to promote the business goals of profit seeking entities and the missions of nonprofits is a very hot area and one that interns could easily fill.

Start by writing down some goals and then prepare a 5 minute plan that details how you will reach those goals. Be specific and persistent. For example, if your goal is to get an internship, refine that goal a bit. What kind of internship? In which functional area: accounting, finance, MIS, Marketing, general management, HR, or operations management. And realize that an internship in a particular area could involve anyone of a number of concentrations. Take marketing for example. It could be sales, customer service, network marketing, social media, SEO, etc. Take accounting. The internship could be at a CPA firm helping with tax season or it could be in the auditing area. At a large corporation you could be working as a staff accountant or an internal auditor. I have students working at Textron in Providence RI and they are involved in government reporting of accounting data. The point is that the possibilities are quite wide and you may need to do some homework to fine tune your thinking on this.

You may need to look at full-time job postings for ideas. Let's say you are interested in a marketing internship but you are not sure what to focus on. Search for marketing positions on a service like Monster.com or Indeed.com. For example, if you search on Marketing on one of the major job sites, your search will probably turn up position titles such as marketing manager, Internet channel manager, SEO Manager, regional marketing representative, and marketing communication specialists among many others. Reading those position descriptions may lead you to a few select areas that you may want to focus upon when you search for an internship.

Fastenal Internship

2011-04-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

Fastenal (www.fastenal.com) has internship positions in a few Massachusetts locations. Contact the following person for more information and to apply:

Becky Anderson

District Sales Manager RI/MA/CT

Fastenal Company

Office: 401-737-4675

Cell: 401-219-1544

E-Fax: 507-494-7961

www.fastenal.com

InternshipKing.com

2011-01-06T16:55:00.000-08:00

A relatively new internship web site called InternshipKing.com is looking to establish an online community of interns. The site will offer feedback from students on internship providers. Major internship employers are covered on the site. The founder of the site and blog is Ted Williams (not the Splendid Splinter). Ted is a follower of our internship blogs (Internship Yak and the Business Internships blog http://www.businessinternships.blogspot.com/

Check out InternshipKing at: http://www.internshipking.com/ and their blog is at: http://www.internshipking.com/blog/

Finance Internships KSA

2011-01-06T05:50:00.000-08:00

KSA stands for knowledge skills and ability. Here's the KSA for a recent finance internship (financial planning) at a local hospital:

1. Excellent Excel skills. 2. Ability to work independently and with minimal supervision. 3. Accounting/Finance background preferred. 4. Excellent interpersonal skills, ambitious attitude and a fast learner. 5. Excellent organizational and multi-tasking skills. Ability to meet multiple deadlines. 6. Medicare reimbursement experience preferred. Excellent customer service skills. 7. Desire to assist in other department areas on an as needed basis.

Don't let a KSA like #6 (Medicare reimbursement experience preferred) stop you from applying for an internship. It says preferred but if the provider don't find someone with that experience, they will hire the best candidate and that could very well be you!

Testing the Waters

2011-01-05T17:26:00.000-08:00

Testing the Waters and Career Clarity

So many first and second year students (and often third and fourth year students) have no clear career plans. They can’t arrive at any real career clarity when looking forward. The answer classic interview question: “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” is as confusing and hazy to many students as “What is the meaning of life?” What can be done to clear your vision?

How do you begin to make obvious your career plans? Since it is quite difficult for anyone to define what job or which precise career path will make you happy and successful, one strategy is to experiment – to test the waters and see what happens. I think that you will agree that so much learning comes from trial-and –error and although experiments do tend to be an inefficient and time consuming way of learning there is often no better way to proceed than with that type of discovery.

So it is true that career clarification may come from the internship testing ground. Some people believe you shouldn’t leave school without an internship; without a chance to experiment in the laboratory called the workplace. When you complete an internship, the hope is that you will have a better idea of what you want to do for a living – at least when you first graduate from school. Career clarity through an internship may also have a much unexpected but equally as valuable outcome. You may finish your internship and decide that your career path is headed in the wrong direction. You may learn that some adjustments need to be made in your pursuit of a career. That too is valuable.

I never completed an internship when I was in school but I always held a job during college. For all of my years in undergraduate school and part of grad school I worked for Sears, the large retailer. I performed a variety of jobs there including working in the receiving department, men’s clothing, carpeting and floor covering, and I even did stints in the TV and stereo department, automotive and sporting goods. Some of those assignments were fun and I loved the variety. I actually could see myself becoming a manager of a few of those departments. I liked the fact that I got to meet people, didn’t have to sit behind a desk, was always busy and was fascinated by some of the products and services we sold. To this day, I use some of my experiences from retailing when I try to illuminate accounting principles in my classes. I am accounting professor and all of my work experiences, including those as a part-timer at Sears, help me with my current job.

When I went to graduate school for my MBA, I also worked as a substitute teacher as I could work until mid afternoon and then go to my classes in the late afternoon and evening. It was a perfect match and I loved the job immensely, the day went by fast, I was dealing with young people which I enjoyed, and in many ways, was my own boss.

When I landed my first full-time job after college, I enjoyed some of the work I did as a professional in the financial services field but I didn’t enjoy sitting behind a desk all day. There also wasn’t enough variety for me. I would think about how happy I was working in retailing at Sears, how each day was different and I would especially think about all the satisfaction I had as a substitute teacher helping students. Those memories made me gravitate towards teaching at the college level. I found my way to a happy career because of my part-time job experiences and coming to terms with what I liked and disliked about jobs. I changed direction and became a college professor and other than the fact that I probably would have made much more money in the private sector, I have never looked back because I have been happy.

Can an internship lead the happiness in your career? I think so. If your internship experience presents more dissatisfaction than joy, isn’t it best to make a change in direction rather than committing to something that will make you unhappy? There are few things worse than being stuck in an uninspiring career or job you hate. Life is too short to dread going to work each day. Use your internship experience to find yourself or to at least find a suitable career path.

When I think about career path choices and finding your way and I think about the career choices I have made, I often think about Robert Frost’s poem entitled: The Road Not Taken. My thoughts hearken back to the last few lines of the poem:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference[1]

Sometimes the “road not taken” is the best move you can make with a career. An internship may guide you away from your first choice for a career and there is nothing wrong with that. The key thing is that you should make progress towards a career that will make you happy and provide you with a good standard of living. I really believe that an internship is a good first step.

[1] Frost, Robert. Mountain Interval. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1920.

Why do an internship?

2011-01-05T17:25:00.001-08:00

Reasons Why Students Complete Internships

Are you sold on the idea of an internship? If you are in an internship and trying to earn academic credit then obviously, the answer to my question is – Yes I am sold on the idea. If you are reading this book as preparation to begin the process of landing a great internship but are not quite sure of yourself then I suggest you examine the reasons why students are interested in internships and why many employers see the value of internships.

I am always asking students to email me to let why they want to do an internship. Here are some of the common responses from college students to that question.

To gain hands-on work experience
To learn new skills
To become better prepared to be employed in a specific field
To make professional contacts for future networking
To be given a realistic preview of the work world
To explore a new organization or industry.
To earn money
To receive a full-time job offer from an employer
To receive college credit
To fulfill degree requirements
To take part in community service

The above reasons are all great reasons and motivations to do an internship. Employers also provide motivations when they repeatedly explain that a good GPA, a track record of part-time and summer jobs, and participation in student activities and organizations are not enough to help students land a good full-time job. In today’s competitive job market, the students with career-related work experience (internship) are the students who get the best interviews and job offers.

More and more job postings on services such as Monster or Indeed.com mention the expectations or in some cases, the requirement of internship experiences. Students who have completed internships are simply more employment ready than the majority of students who have not completed an internship.

While any one of the above reasons to do an internship are compelling, I advise students to adopt a set of internship goals – objectives to be accomplished during the semester-long journey of an internship. I suggest that these goals be documented – set down in writing so they can become guiding lights. I also suggest that a final term paper for the internship include these goals, how they were accomplished or why they were not seen through to fruition. I try to drive home the idea that the best type of internship is one that is goal driven.

Avoid Internship Farce

2011-01-05T17:22:00.000-08:00

Avoid Internship Farce
A farce is an often humorous improbable and absurd situation. A farce can make for good TV, movie scenes or acts of a play. Some internships can be farces and there is nothing funny about wasting your time interning in an absurd situation where most of your time is spent doing menial or routine tasks or sitting idle.

The best type of internship requires the student to perform such skills as researching, organizing, writing, and managing projects. Internships that require lots of photocopying, filing, and or respective data entry are not meaty enough to challenge you, to help you learn, and to transform you into a business professional. Internships that offer you lots of idle time, where you surf the web or do your homework are not truly internships. They also don’t contain enough learning to truly justify college credit.

In a very funny (farcical) Seinfeld episode called The Voice (which first aired in October of 1997), Jerry’s oddball neighbor Cosmo Kramer, hires an intern from New York University (NYU) to help him run his fledgling company named Kramerica Industries – which Kramer runs out of his apartment.

As you can imagine, it is a very questionable internship. In the episode, Darren-the-intern performs mundane activities such as setting appointments for Kramer – such as coffee at the local diner with Jerry and taking notes while Kramer and Jerry converse over coffee.
When Jerry first meets Darren, he asks Kramer about the internship.

Here’s the dialog.
KRAMER: Well, apparently NYU is very enthusiastic about their students getting some real world corporate experience.

JERRY: But you only provide fantasy world corporate experience.
And Jerry was right; the internship at Kramerica Industries was nothing more than a fantasy.

Eventually, Kramer, as the intern sponsor, must meet with the student’s Dean at NYU to discuss Darren’s internship. Here’s the hilarious dialog from the scene at NYU.

Scene: Meeting between Kramer and Dean Jones at New York University

KRAMER: Dean Jones, you wanting to talk to me?
DEAN JONES: I’ve been reviewing Darren’s internship journal. Doing laundry…
KRAMER: …Yeah.
DEAN JONES: …Mending chicken wire, hi-tea with a Mr. Newman.
KRAMER: I know it sounds pretty glamorous, but it’s business as usual at Kramerica.
DEAN JONES: As far as I can tell your entire enterprise is more than a solitary man with a messy apartment which may or may not contain a chicken.
KRAMER: And with Darren’s help, we’ll get that chicken.
DEAN JONES: I’m sorry, but we can’t allow Darren to continue working with you.
KRAMER: Well, I have to say this seems capricious and arbitrary.
DEAN JONES: Your fly is open.
Source: (Seinfeld episode called The Voice (which first aired in October of 1997)

To Kramer, the Dean’s demand that the internship be ended seems capricious and arbitrary but any application of common sense should tell us that the internship was a farce. The last thing I want to learn is that a student’s internship turned out to be a light weight experience. Colleges and universities must work to put standards in place and develop curriculum that helps assure a quality internship experience. And students must also demand that companies challenge them and that mentors teach them the practical applications of book theory that will lead to a successful career.

Introduction to Internships

2011-01-05T17:10:00.000-08:00

College students have been interning for more than 100 years. Back before the turn of the 20th century, schools like the University of Cincinnati and MIT were utilizing co-operative education so students could gain real world experience before they hit the job market. Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts has long been known for its internship and co-op programs; a major selling point of their recruiting efforts.

At the Charlton College of Business at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth where I am the internship director, we have been offering internships-for-credit for several years and have worked with both employers and students to develop powerful partnerships yielding great benefits to both parties.

Employers are keen on internships and why not? Research shows that organizations with established internship programs report higher retention rates among employees who started as interns. Many intern employers use internships as a means to recruit future managers.

Parents and students are fond of internships. The most frequent question at our college open houses is: “Do you have an internship program?” Students overwhelmingly view internships as critical to their career plans and many students factor in the possibility of internships when they select a business school. Parents like to think that once their child is established at college, the next logical step will be getting real world experience through an internship and networking with professionals who can offer career advice and connections.

At the Charlton College of Business, our students are interning with a variety of companies including manufacturers, CPA firms, retailers, museums, nonprofits and companies in the restaurant and hospitality fields. Many of our employers are located on the south coast of Massachusetts and on Cape Cod but in the summer, many of our students return to their home towns and secure exciting internships. Others might travel many miles to places like Boston, New York City or London to gain real world work experience with hopes of coming back to our region a bit transformed.

We have had students working for well- known companies such as Putnam Investments, KPMG, Nestle Waters (Poland Springs) and Johnson and Johnson. Summer internships allow students to immerse themselves in the experience without the distraction of heavy course load. We have accounting students working in the summer for the big accounting firms, such as PricewaterhouseCoopers and students completing sports oriented internships with the Boston Bruins, the Kraft Sports Group (New England Patriots), Pawtucket Red Sox (the triple A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox) and the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Recruiting for full-time employment can begin with a good internship. Interning allows for an extended and low-risk tryout. So much more can be learned about a job candidate during a 10 or 15 week internship than in a half hour interview. As the baby boom generation retires, companies are ramping up their internship programs as a tool to recruit the next generation of workers and fill critical skill gaps.

A survey by Veritude reported in Workforce Data Insights found that an overwhelming majority of respondents (83 percent) believe that internship programs are either important or very important for their companies’ long term workforce development. Internships are recruiting tools – there can be no doubt about that. According to a survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), 98 percent of companies that have internship programs reported using them as a recruitment tool for full-time employees.

Internships come in all shapes and sizes. Our students work for large and small firms, for profit enterprises and nonprofit entities. Some of the largest employers in our region are nonprofit organizations who are extremely interested in tapping into the talent of our undergraduate business program. We also have students doing business internships in distant places such as Washington D.C. through the Washington Center, Orlando, Florida at Disney and at Cooperstown Dream Park in upstate New York.

There is no one place to look for internships, some of the best programs might be outside your geographic regions and therefore travel or temporary relocation (such as in the summer) might be required. Some of the best situations to learn about a business might be found in a small business internships or a nonprofit organization where an intern might have to master many tasks in a less specialized and more generalist role.

As I have worked with our talented business students, I have learned a great deal about internships. And I have come to value internships immensely; much more than I did before I became director of our internship program. Therefore, I decided it was important to educate others about internships and to share the information and lessons I have learned. I hope this blog provides you with some valuable insights.

The biggest advantage that I see for the student is that the right internships can truly transform. Upon completing successful internships, many students have told me that they believe it was one of the most rewarding experiences of their lives. My hope is that this blog can help students increase the odds of completing a great business internship. I also hope this blog can be used to guide faculty who might be new to internships and provide professors with a map to direct students through an excellent internship process.

Job market looking up

2010-09-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

This from WSJ article:

After falling off in 2008 and 2009, summer internships this year were almost back to prerecession levels at many schools. Some 74% of business schools saw an increase in internship opportunities in 2010; in 2009, 69% of schools reported a decline, according to the MBA Career Services Council, an industry group that monitors global M.B.A. employment.

The numbers are important because internships typically serve as a precursor to full-time job offers, says Nicole Hall, president of the Tampa-based MBA Career Services Council and executive director of career services at Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business and Management.

For more go to: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704358904575478091651594982.html

The Ball State Daily News - Unemployment increases internship competition

2010-08-31T12:05:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting article about competition for internships in this economy. The Ball State Daily News - Unemployment increases internship competition

Summer 2010 Internship Experience

2010-08-03T05:54:00.001-07:00

My name is Dan Flight and I am an accounting major with a minor in finance. This summer I am interning at Citizens Financial Group in Boston, MA. this summer. I am working in the finance department of the CCO Investment Services division. I work under the direction of the managers on many special projects. Some of these projects include reallocating assets to financial consultants, generating reports to analyze a financial consultants asset/revenue penetration, determining the P&L effect, and the effect it has on a financial consultants compensation. I also assist these managers by completing minor tasks such as entering annuities into the system, entering daily commission checks into the check log, generating weekly referral reports, updating the financial consultants list, filing commission fees to financial consultants, and other tasks that make the manager's job easier.

I've really learned a lot and benefited from this internship. I have gained a valuable knowledge as to the way things run in the investment banking industry. I've strengthened my Microsoft Excel skills a lot more from this internship. All the eeports I've done are generated with Excel and I've learned many little ways to become me more efficient with it. I've also learned how important it is to pay attention to detail with my work and meet strict deadlines. This internship has been a great experience and has prepared me to enter the workforce next year. I feel a
lot more confident now that I have my foot in the door. I have a better understanding of what to expect. It's been great to get actual hands-on experience outside of a lecture hall. I can tell that the hands-on skills I've gained are going to help me tremendously in the future of my career.

International Internship with an Indian Software Company

2010-07-31T20:52:00.000-07:00

Some international companies will sponsor an intern from the states. For example, an India-based company, Extentia Information Technology, recruits U.S. college students to spend a semester interning at their headquarters in Pune. Extentia Information Technology is a software development and consulting organization committed to delivering high quality, cost-effective information technology solutions to large and small companies. Through Extentia’s Connect program, interns acquire international work experience, become part of software development teams and processes, establish an international network of peers and professionals, and gain a unique global perspective.

Extentia hires software interns and looks for students with an IT background, preferably in the field of Computer Science, Software Engineering or Electronics Engineering. For marketing interns Extentia requires a marketing background in the field of Marketing Management, Business Administration or Business Development. For graphics design interns, a background and inclination in graphics and visual design, and an applicable degree in the Fine Arts or computer assisted design is required. I have collaborated with Extentia on a variety of software development projects and they have been excellent to work with. For more information on their internship program (It is called Connect Global Internships) go to www.extentia.com

You can also contact an Extentia representative located in the United States who would be happy to discuss this program. Her name is Preeti Gupte, she is located in Pittsburgh, PA and she can be reach via email at preeti.gupte@extentia.com

Sports Internships

2010-07-30T07:09:00.000-07:00

The Boston Bruins are advertising again for interns. For students looking for sports internships keep this in mind - they are almost always unpaid, involve a lot of grunt work but are they only way to break into the business of sports. And many times multiple sports internships are needed to break in. It is usually a long road. We have had students do sports internships with the Red Sox (usually in concession sales), Bruins (in a variety of areas including outreach), Paw Sox (marketing and ticket sales), the Patriots and the Kraft Sports Group, WEEI radio, and the P-Bruins. I suggest you use a service like Indeed.com to search and send email alerts. ALso follow my postings on Twitter @bizinternships

Summer 2010 Internship Experience

2010-07-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

Jillian, an accounting major from the Charlton College of Business wrote to me today about her Putnam Investments internship and said:

I am doing an internship this summer! My name is Jillian Ferrante and I am a senior accounting major at UMD. This is my third summer working for Putnam Investments, I have been working with this company in the Accounting Department, specifically in the Pricing Room. Here I work with a team of five analysts and one other intern (pricing coordinator) to coordinate communication of pricing information and status to fund groups.

As a team we perform pricing in order to provide client daily net asset
value (NAV).

I have been working with the same group of people throughout my experience and have learned about teamwork and how important communication is. The deadlines that need to be met by the end of the night are crucial--this has shown me that the work being done alone has a large impact on whether or not the team has completed their duties for the day.

This internship was not like I had imagined going into it 2 1/2 years ago,I enjoy the fast paced work environment and I get to work with the stock market! (Which can be exciting or stressful, depending on the day.) I have been able to incorporate what UMD has taught me into my internship and vice-versa.

Summer 2010 Internship Experience

2010-07-29T06:14:00.000-07:00

Here is an email I received from Derek Benjamin, a CCB major who completed an internship with a radio station this summer.

I am actually doing a summer internship at the moment with the 95.5 WBRU Radio Station run by Brown students. Being part of the Event Promotion Internship, also known as the BRU Crew, I generally assist with the preparation and execution of concerts, live broadcasts, movie screenings and other station-related events as well as client-based promotional appearances. Other tasks include but aren't limited too interacting with the crowd/people at the venue, passing out flyers/t-shirts, running small games for prizes, and participating in a weekly meeting to generate marketing ideas.

Summer 2010 Internship Experience

2010-07-29T06:10:00.000-07:00

Here's a post from a CCB senior who is completing a summer 2010 internship.

Yes, I am doing an internship this summer! It was one of the best
desicions I've made. I work as a marketing intern,for Randstad Managed Services. It is located in Woburn,MA, just ten minutes from my home. RMS is a branch under Ranstad,which is the second largest human resources staffing company in the world.
Our division, RMS, focusses on payroll and managing the staff located in all parts of the world, even India! My position as marketing intern allows me to participate in daily marketing meetings and phone conferences. In these conferences I have learned a lot about white papers, case studies, buzz marketing, social networking, and webinars. It put what I learned inside the UMD classrom into real life! A lot of what I learned in my marketing classes all came together and made sense. I am a part of their summer's word-of-mouth and buzz marketing campaign. I have attended Total
Solutions tradeshow in Boston's Expo Summer with the Senior Manager here,Kyra Hartung.

There are two parts of Randstad Managed Services, one team focussing on sales and gaining clients and the other team foccussing on vetting/delivery/payroll. I work more with the sales team by helping develop their marketing plan and promotional items, however do administrative tasks for the delivery team. This summer I have helped develop and carry out ideas for Oracle OpenWorld, which is a large corporate tradeshow with companies like IBM,Sony, etc. I have helped design their booth and have gained clients to help them do so. RMS also is involved in the CWS Conference in Denver, so I've helped design their cocktail party and leave-behinds to the clients.

I have also modified and cleaned up their email database. Without this internship I would be completely intimidated about going into the business workforce after I graduate. I now have confidence and skills that I didn't have before this summer. I was always unclear on what my major actually did or if I really wanted to be involved in marketing. Being here this summer taught me that I can actually see myself doing this for the rest of my life and it has helped me gained knowledge in this career. I have expanded my resume and gained a lot of references, as well as met a lot of awesome people!!

-Megan Coburn

Summer 2010 Internship Experience

2010-07-29T06:05:00.000-07:00

My name is Joseph Krzystofik, and I am a senior accounting student with a minor in finance. My internship this summer is with the Department of Defense, Washington headquarters Services- Financial Management Directorate, in Arlington, Virginia. I am their managerial accounting intern with responsibilities in both, managerial and field accounting operations. The internship has been a fulfilling experience, by gaining exposure of a professional federal environment, having daily interactions with full-time employees and being assigned to multiple senior level reports and analysis. My main responsibilities include, populating and preparing the monthly Senior Level Management Report and the Utility Analysis. I attend weekly division staff meetings; the Managerial Accounting Branch’s working group meetings and the monthly meetings on payroll reconciliation. These meetings are a beneficial, educational component to my internship because of the direct communication and decision-making between me and my co-workers. While interning for a second summer in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, I have discovered this is a great place for interns pursuing a career in accounting. The federal government provides many job opportunities for students beginning their careers in the field.

Thank You,

Joseph Krzystofik

Summer 2010 Internship Experience

2010-07-29T06:02:00.000-07:00

Here's an email I received from a CCB student who is completing her summer internship in San Diego, CA.

Currently, I am interning in San Diego, CA working for the Department of Veteran Affairs at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. My internship is through the Washington Center Program that UMD partners with. My primary duties are assisting the financial clerk with budgeting; specifically, I am managing and reconciling expenses for the operational budget, handling customer inquiries and learning to run an office. I highly advise students to apply for the Washington Center Internships, they are a great way to get a taste of the federal government and consider it as a career move.

I would be happy to talk to any student who is interested in either of my internships. Best advice is to apply early for the Washington Center and be persistent. The details for my current internship were planned only a week before I graduated. The Washington Center is slow with processing applications, just an FYI.

P.S. San Diego is a great city and the view from my office is amazing!

Summer 2010 Internship Experience

2010-07-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

This is a post from a CCB student who completed an excellent internship over the summer 2010>

My name is Samantha. I'm working for the Human Resources Department at Kronos Inc. I've been specifically helping the Compensation Team but have done a few projects for the Benefits Team as well. The internship program has been a great experience and has taught me a lot of things about the business world that you can't get in the classroom. I have been a part of some important projects and have actually been asked to speak at meetings and offer my opinion and recommendations. The experience has been great and has really got me excited about next year and starting my career.

Cooperstown Hall of Fame Internship

2010-07-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

Thomas Ponte, a CCB business major is completing a 10 week internship at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. The internship is in the area of MIS. Congratulations to Tommy on landing such a terrific internship.

Finance Internships

2009-11-10T13:17:00.000-08:00

There are not many finance internships that come to us from this region. There are a few reasons for the lack of finance internships and some of them have to do with the poor economy and the nature of our region. We don't have many large thriving companies in the area - firms that have significant finance departments. We also don't have mutual funds or large banks headquartered here. Boston or Providence, RI are better places to look for finance internships. Some possibilities in finance do exist for students who want to work in the personal finance field or in banking. But even those opportunities are limited to very small concerns such as small agencies, credit unions, community banks. But if that is something students are interested in, I think there are possibilities there because there are insurance agencies, personal financial planning services, and financial services companies and we have had students perform internships there.

Bay State Game Internships

2009-07-09T09:25:00.000-07:00

Here's an idea for next summer (2010). The Bay State Games bring on summer interns. Here's some information from their web site:

GENERAL INFORMATION
Internship Dates:The Bay State Games offers 10 week internships. Most internships begin in late May and conclude in late July or early August. There is some flexibility with start dates to accommodate the end of the school year and graduations. Other opportunities may also be available on an as-needed basis for students to intern during the academic year.

Compensation:All first year interns will receive a $1,000 stipend ($100 per week). MASF will work with the intern's academic institution to determine if internship hours can fulfill credit or graduation requirements. Interns will receive staff gear and other amenities that may become available, and a small weekly stipend is offered to summer interns to cover travel and other basic costs.

Company Description:The Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation (MASF) is a non-profit organization with the primary function of staging the Bay State Summer and Winter Games. The mission of the MASF is to promote personal development, physical fitness, education, sportsmanship and teamwork through amateur athletic training, competition and Olympic-style events to Massachusetts residents of all ages. Games events are held across Massachusetts and attract more than 8,000 athletes in 28 different sports annually. In addition to sports related programming, MASF produces numerous enrichment initiatives including a Scholarship Program, Sportsmanship Program, Sports Medicine Conference and Health and Fitness Initiative - Kids Fitness Challenge.
Intern Qualifications:The Bay State Games provide an ideal environment for candidates who are interested in pursuing a career in sports management. We are interested in candidates who are highly motivated, resourceful, creative and willing to work the odd/long hours which are required in event management. Some positions may require experience or an interest in a specific area including tournament operations, finance, marketing, sports information, etc. It is recommended but not required that interns be Massachusetts residents, as we do not provide housing.

INTERNSHIP POSITION SUMMARIES
The Bay State Games hired seven interns to work on the 2009 Summer Games. These internships concentrate on several different areas of sports management. Listed below are the various categories that we are seeking to fill:
OPERATIONS
Serve as a site director at Summer Games finals.
Assist with event set up and break down.
Assist with needs assessment and appropriation of venues, equipment and staff.
Assist with coordination of coaches and officials.
Coordinate all event rules, tie breakers and other sports event information.
Oversee the organization, recruitment, assignment and confirmation of all Bay State Summer Games volunteers. (responsibility of one Operations intern)
Oversee Sportsmanship Program. (responsibility of one Operations intern)
SPORTS INFORMATION
Compose game recaps from statistical results of various Summer Games sports.
Organize Summer Games results and distribute to the media.
Write press releases for Summer Games and its corresponding events.
Assist with design and production of promotional materials.
Communicate with media outlets including production and distribution of press kits.
Assist with running the press center during all finals competitions.
Help with promotion of all Summer Games events including additional programs such as the Kids Fitness Challenge.
Create, update and organize databases..
Research story leads and pitch to appropriate media outlets.
Oversee Verizon Future Leaders Scholarship program including review of applicants, interviews and recipient selection.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Work on organizing all aspects of the Opening Ceremony.
Be the point person for Hall of Fame program.
Oversee Summer Games Merchandise Program including promotion and sales.
Assist in event operations during Summer Games finals.
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Oversee collection, processing, accounting and tracking of all team and individual sports fees as well as other Summer Games related income.
Oversee payables and receivables and other finance related duties.
Assist with identification, solicitation and fulfillment of in kind sponsors.
Research grant opportunities.
Additional Duties and ResponsibilitiesAll interns will be responsible for assisting with general office related duties including data entry, mailings, preparation of press kits, preparation of rosters and other general duties.

Comment: I don't know about deadlines but I think you need to apply very early in the Spring semester because I saw that by March 2009, all positions were filled. You might want to send an email to: Brittany Rheault at brittany@baystategames.org

Britany was involved in recruiting interns this past year. Ask her about next year's deadline. I know that in past years, at least on UMD student worked the games as an intern. Three of my own children have participated in the games (Basketball) and we found it to be an outstanding experience. Well run. My wife has also volunteered as a RN at the games and was complimentary of the staff and the operation.

Accounting Internships

2009-06-05T10:18:00.000-07:00

In my role as internship director at the Charlton College of Business, I act as a go-between – a link between internship employers and our student interns. Companies and nonprofit organizations contact me with intern opportunities. In turn, I investigate these opportunities and if I think they are worthy of academic credit, I promote these internships to our students via emails and postings to my blog. In addition, I search the internet for internship postings using Indeed.com’s search capabilities and email alerts. I also keep my eye on Experience.com and its internship postings and when I attend local meetings and dinners I am often approached by business people looking for talented students.

As a result of my pounding the pavement and shaking the bushes looking for internships, I have compiled a list of internships, local, national, and international opportunities that you may want to explore. I tend to think of internships using the same functional categories as the business majors that we offer: accounting, finance, marketing, information systems, human resource management, and operations management.

In the sections that follow, I have included brief descriptions of internships our students have completed. I have not provided a comprehensive list but a small sampling. You should not rely solely on these ideas or these employers to find a great internship. I encourage our students to utilize a variety of sources to identify internship possibilities such as the blogs I maintain and the Web based resources such as Indeed.com, Experience.com, and Monster.com.
Accounting Internships
Most of our students have found accounting internships in three places:

In the accounting or auditing departments of profit-seeking companies such as local manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and distribution companies. These are usually staff accountant or internal audit positions.
In the accounting and finance functions of nonprofits such as hospitals, museums, and community service organizations. We have also had accounting majors who have completed internships in the IRS sponsored VITA program, a tax preparation assistance program that helps low income tax payers.
In public accounting firms, particularly during high demand times such as during the tax season (spring semester). Our students have also completed summer internships with the big 4 accounting firms

Hasbro
Hasbro is a major toy manufacturer located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. With brands such as Mr. Potato Head, G.I. Joe, Transformers, My Little Pony, Milton Bradley, Parker Brothers, Monopoly, and Scrabble. For a few years now, we (Charlton College of Business) have had students work in excellent paid internships at Hasbro. Hasbro offers internships in a variety of areas. Our students have interned in accounting and auditing but I have also seen internships posted for communications and IT. You can check on current internship openings by going to: www.hasbro.com/corporate/careers/internship.cfm

The Big Accounting Firms
All the large accounting firms have many internship opportunities. The CPA firms have long been strong believers in internship programs as a feeder system.

Deloitte & Touche
Deloitte & Touche offers internship opportunities to qualified students in offices around the country, which provide participants work experiences with clients ranging from Fortune 500 multinationals to small businesses. Internships are offered in the spring (January - March) and summer (June - August) and are open to college students who have strong academic credentials. Participants get on-the-job training as well as technical and business-oriented education in the classroom. Interns are hired in all functions of the firm: Assurance, Financial Advisory Services (FAS), Enterprise Risk Services (ERS), Human Capital, Solutions, or Tax Services.

For more information about internship opportunities with Deloitte & Touche, contact your campus career center or visit the firm's website at www.deloitte.com/careers.

Deloitte & Touche
National Campus Recruiting
Ten Westport Road
P.O. Box 820
Wilton, CT 06897-0820
Tel: (203) 761-3000

Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young (EY) hires over 1,500 interns each year. These are paid internships in offices nationwide and overseas. If you are interested in an EY internship, contact your Career Resource center at your college or university early in the fall semester to learn about when EY will be on campus for interviews. You can also visit the EY website for more details at: www.ey.com/US/en/Careers/Students/Programs/Internships

KPMG
KPMG has been recognized by FORTUNE as one of the Best Companies to Work For and by BusinessWeek as a Best Place to Launch a Career. This firm offers excellent internships. If you go to www.kpmgcampus.com/job/interning.shtml you can get more information about their internship program and watch several videos on this global program. To inquire about applying for an internship, contact a regional KPMG recruiter. You can go to: www.kpmgcampus.com/whereweare/index.shtml to find the name and contact information for a campus recruiter near you. Here’s some for the New

KPMG Providence, RI office
50 Kennedy Plaza
6th Floor
Providence, RI 02903
Contact: Ana Hurd, Campus Recruiting Coordinator
ahurd@kpmg.com

KPMG Boston, MA office
99 High Street
23rd Floor
Boston, MA 02110
Contact: Jeanne Custer, Recruiting Coordinator
jcuster@kpmg.com

KPMG Hartford, CT Office
One Financial Plaza
755 Main Street, 11th Floor
Hartford, CT 06103-2608

Contacts:
Jeffrey R. Podziewski, Primary Recruiter
jpodziewski@kpmg.com
Anne L. Danek, College Recruiting Coordinator
adanek@kpmg.com

KPMG Stamford, CT Office
Stamford Square
3001 Summer Street
3rd Floor
Stamford, CT 06905

Contacts:
Adam Palazzolo, Partner in Charge of Recruiting – Federal Tax Practice
apalazzolo@kpmg.com

Jennifer A. Lauer, Sr. Mgr. in Charge of Recruiting - Assurance Practice
jalauer@kpmg.com

Jeannie Preziosi, College Recruiting Coordinator
jpreziosi@kpmg.com

KPMG Burlington, VT Office
356 Mountain View Drive, Suite 400
Colchester, VT 05446
—or—
P.O. Box 564
Burlington, VT 05402

Contacts:
Linda J. Goodrum
lgoodrum@kpmg.com

Heather Kuney
hkuney@kpmg.com

PricewaterhouseCoopers
PwC has a very good internship program that is run in the summer. Several of my accounting students have completed the internship and have been very satisfied with the experience. Students interested in applying candidates can complete an online career profile located at: www.pwc.com/ocp.

The following description was taken from the PwC web site regarding its internship program:

The first 1-2 weeks of your internship will be dedicated to comprehensive training. You will attend a local market orientation course designed to help you become familiar with the people, clients and procedures of the Firm as well as provide you with an understanding of the Firm’s culture, behaviors and values. You will also participate in technical and line of service training that is geared to bridge the gap between your academic education and your initial assignments and responsibilities as an intern. Through case studies, practice exercises, communications modules and technology-enabled study, you will learn to identify and solve common problems in business transactions.At the end of this training program, you will be equipped to join a client engagement team as a contributing member. And, you will have begun building a network that will help you for the rest of your career.

In your final week as a PwC intern, students experience an innovative training program held at Walt Disney World. During the week at Disney, students build on the classroom and on-the-job training that they received during their internship.

PricewaterhouseCoopers
Recruiting1301 Avenue of the AmericasNew York, NY 10019Tel: (646) 394-1000Website: www.pwc.com/uscareers

Regional and Smaller Accounting Firms
We (Charlton College of Business) are fortunate to have several area CPA firms that have hired our accounting majors, usually during tax season (Spring semester) as paid interns. The size of these firms range from as many as 50 staff accountants to sole practitioners.

If you are not from our region and would like to pursue a local CPA internship, I advise you to talk to your accounting professors for leads and contacts. Also, investigate which local firms recruit seniors for permanent positions, as they may also be willing hire a junior or even a sophomore for help during tax season. Most smaller CPA firms will not hire summer interns as the summer tends to be a slower time for their firms and therefore they don’t need the extra help nor do they have enough meaningful work to keep an intern busy.

Also keep in mind that alumni who have gone on to be successful in the accounting field are an excellent source of internships. Both in the public accounting field and in management accounting, we have alumni who are very open to taking on an intern. We have had CPA partners, corporate controllers, and accounting managers who have approached us with paid internship opportunities. In addition, many business schools have advisory boards that are populated with accounting and finance professionals that can have ties to CPA firms or know someone who could utilized an accounting intern. I know several students who have sent unsolicited cover letters and resumes to CPA firms and have been fortunate to land excellent internships.

Kahn, Litwin, Renza and Company Ltd.
KLR is a proven leader in the accounting profession. The firm is comprised of over 150 team members serving a diverse client base from three offices, Providence, RI, Newport, RI and Natick, MA. KLR serves public and privately held clients throughout the United States. KLR offer a wide array of corporate and individual financial advisory services that will help you gain real business experience as you grow within the accounting profession.

Position Overview:
An intern generally works for a period of up to four months and participates in various accounting and auditing engagements and tax assignments under the supervision and guidance of firm personnel. The intern develops a basic understanding of public accounting and the firm.

Contact:
Kahn, Litwin, Renza and Company Ltd.
Mr. Steve Loffredo, Human Resource Manager
951 North Main Street
Providence, RI 02904
401.274.2001
401.831.4018 (Fax)
sloffredo@kahnLitwin.com

Burke and Lamb CPA
300 Union St
New Bedford, MA 02740
(508) 984-4800

Fernandes and Charest CPA
1140 State RdWestport, MA 02790(508) 636-6556

Hague and Sahady CPA
126 President Avenue
Fall River, MA 02720.
(508) 675-7889

James F. Driscoll CPA
638 Adamsville Rd
Westport, MA
508-636-0415.

NorthGate Advisors Ltd
11 Industrial Drive
Mattapoisett, MA 02739
508-758-4566
info@northgateadvisors.com

Rosenfield, Raymon, and Pielech CPA
700 Pleasant Street, Third Floor
New Bedford, MA 02740
508-999-4548
508-990-0620 (Fax)
info@rrp-cpa.com
www.rrp-cpa.com

Sullivan and Company, CPA
50 Holden St # 200
Providence, RI
401- 272-5600
info@sullivanandcompanycpa.com
www.sullivanandcompanycpa.com

Sports Management Internships

2009-05-27T10:20:00.001-07:00

The NY Times just ran an article on Sports Internships entitled: In Sports Business, Too Many Hopefuls for Too Few Positions . Many students have told me that they would like an internship in a sports oriented field. We have had students intern for the Boston Bruins and the Kraft Sports Group. We (Charlton College of Business) have also had students at WEEI Boston and this summer one of our business majors is interning at Cooperstown DreamPark, a sports facility near Cooperstown, NY. Breaking into the sports field is not easy, as this article will attest. Many of the internships are not paid and involve lots of menial work. But you must start someplace and for those who work hard, opportunities may come up.