You’ve landed the internship. The boss liked you. He was impressed by your extensive list of extra-curricular activities and leadership roles as a student in college. You’re all set…right? Wrong! Plenty of interns acquire internships with an impressive résumé. These steps will tell you how to impress your employers with the writer of the résumé-you!

• Be a “self-starter.” You will surely hear this phrase in the workplace for years to come. Employers are always looking for “self-starters.” That is, someone who will not wait to be asked to do something, but rather someone who looks for work to do. This means you’re asking anyone you can if there is something you can do to help them out.
• Do the dirty work eagerly! You’re at the bottom of the totem pole when you’re an intern, so it is inevitable that you will be given undesirable work to do. Be excited to do it! Exude enthusiasm when given the chance to answer the phones. Light up at the opportunity to sift through paperwork. If you’re happy to do what most people dread, this will definitely show in a positive way.
• Volunteer your spare time. Even if you and your boss decided on a set schedule, they won’t forbid you from staying a little late. Tackle a project that might take an hour or so longer to complete than you’re supposed to work. This brings me back to my first point: Ask for the assignment in the first place.
• Be talkative! You are at your internship primarily to learn. Ask questions. Present new ideas. Talk to the employees about what they do and how they do it. Just make sure you aren’t spending all your time chatting about how things are going with your girlfriend or what your plans are for the weekend.
• Sell your strengths. Are you a pro at Adobe Photoshop? Have a way with words? Are you the fastest typist this side of the Mississippi? Let others know that! Whether you are mentioning your strengths in the interview process or boasting about them to fellow employees, you may just find that the opportunities to prove yourself in these areas will present themselves.
• Find a mentor. The head honcho of the company might be a little busy, but there is probably another employee that would be happy to be your mentor. Look for a go-to person who seems the most welcoming to you and hang around them for a little while. See if you can shadow them while you work. You’ll find that many people will be happy to act as your internship “guru.” Keep this person as a reference, too – this is a great networking opportunity!

Being proactive at your internship may not be second-nature for everyone, but it really is an excellent way to market yourself. This is your first taste of what life after college will be like, and using these points as your guide will show everyone that you’ll be fully equipped for the real world when you graduate.

For more information please check out our other articles related about making the most of your internships and job search:

1. Internships in College
2. Opportunities after college
3. 50 Social Sites for the Serious Student and Job Seeker
4. 5 Things to do in College To Lay Your Brand’s Foundation

Adrienne is a Syracuse University student from Danbury, CT majoring in Writing and Rhetoric with a Leadership Communication minor. She is a big fan of impressionist art, ocean views and classic rock. She hopes to one day have her name in the credits of a hit film whether behind the scenes or in front of the camera.

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This is our second post in a series that will forever continue about students that brand themselves online and truly create a presence worthy of remark!

Meet Jason Kirby who created his own personal professional website. Why you might ask? “The reason behind creating a website about me is simple, I wanted you to find me online. People use Google to search anything and everything, especially companies looking to hire new potential workers.” That is GREAT!

He found me by commenting on my previous post with an intelligent and intriguing response that provoked me to search for him in Google and was so impressed with what I found that I had to share it with everyone. So lets break his online presence down and find out what we can learn from Jason.

This is directly from his “Who Am I?” tab.

“My name is Jason Ryan Kirby I reside in the beautiful city of San Diego, Ca. I am currently majoring in Entrepreneurial Management at San Diego State University. I am young, motivated, dedicated, self-disciplined and optimistic individual. I love life and everything it has to offer and wish I had more than 24 hours in a day to take advantage of my time here on Earth. I am a family man at heart and put family before everything because without family I am nothing.”

We now know where he is from and currently what he is studying from this short professional bio. The next few sentences describe his traits, personality and his strong beliefs which would impress any employer who stumbled upon it.

If an employer was to stumble upon it they would be able to view is resume as well without asking for it. He has taken the liberty to post his resume online so that anyone can view his past experiences. Web resumes are much more appealing than a paper resume as you have the ability to expand on your experiences rather then being confined to a single piece of paper. You can also see from his tabs on the right that he has a blog and even started his own company. Creating your own blog is a great way to gain visibility and credibility at the same time if you write meaningful and thought provoking content, which he has.

And the last thing that I would like to point out is the reach of his online presence. He has links to all the major social networking sites right on his website so that anyone can connect with him on multiple levels. While I am not friends with him on Facebook (yet!), I would assume that he has nothing incriminating on his site as he is a young professional who values his online presence and professional career. I did however immediately connect with him on LinkedIn WITH a personalized message telling him why I wanted to connect with him. Also I followed him on Twitter because he has a lot of relevant and informative tweets and he RT’s ours!

I feel a big part of personal branding is not only trying to advances ones own career but being humble enough to advocate others as well. So with that being said, I wish Mr. Kirby the best of luck with his endeavors and encourage everyone to do as he has. Please check out Jason’s personal professional website.

Please check out our other post on student branding:

• What you can learn from a well branded student Meaghan Burns

Author: Trace Cohen

Trace has always been fascinated with technology and how stuff works. Once he gets his hands on a new gadget, rest assured it will be taken apart and put back together in a matter of minutes. Trace is a hands-on kind of guy whose first love was video games, which he loves to this day.

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If you were born with one eye, you’d only be able to see in two dimensions. Two eyes allow you to see the world from two different points – your brain then combines these two perspectives into one, so you can perceive depth.

When it comes to your personal brand, are you seeing things in 2D? If so, it’s time add a new viewpoint. There are a number of personal branding books out there, almost all by authors from very different backgrounds. Each approaches personal branding with a unique perspective. Try a new perspective on for size to start seeing your personal brand in 3D.

The top 7 personal branding books on my shelf:

1. Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success

by Dan Schawbel

2. Career Distinction: Stand Out by Building Your Brand

by William Arruda & Kirsten Dixson

3. Be Your Own Brand: A Breakthrough Formula for Standing Out from the Crowd

by David McNally & Karl D Speak

4. The Brand You 50: Transform Yourself from an ‘Employee’ into a Brand That Shouts Distinction, Commitment, and Passion!

by Tom Peters

5. U R a Brand! How Smart People Brand Themselves for Business Success

by Catherine Kaputa

6. The Brand Called You: Create a Personal Brand That Wins Attention and Grows Your Business

by Peter Montoya & Tim Vandehey

7. The Brand YU Life: Re-thinking who you are through personal brand management

by Hajj E. Flemings

8. Bonus (a personal favorite, IMO one of the top 4 books of all time):

Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time

by Keith Ferrazzi

Good luck and have fun! Know of any other books that should be on this list?

Books suggested by our readers

a. Self Marketing Power: Branding Yourself As a Business of One

By Jeff Beals (thanks Susan Baird for the suggestion!)

Author: Pete Kistler

(more…)

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After a long awaited weekend and competition we came in 2nd place and took home the cash prize of $10,000!

It was an exhilarating and tiring few months that led up to the competition. We couldn’t be more excited and over the moon to see that our efforts in the pursuit of our dream is inspiring others to help us make it a reality.

We would like to thank all the other teams competing and congratulate them on their hard work and sterling presentations. Also, a thank you to all the judges who took the time out of their busy schedules to listen to our ideas and supply us with amazing feedback and advice.

If you were wondering, all of the cash prize will go directly back into the company so that we can continue to build out our system and continue to create value.

The Panasci Business Plan Competition is designed to spur the entrepreneurial spirit of our students in creating growth-oriented business models, both undergraduate and graduate levels, at Syracuse University. Entrant teams can range in size from as small as one student to more than five members on the team.  For more info please check out the website.

Author: Trace Cohen

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