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Finance Intern - Kraft Foods - Northfield, IL

Click Here Finance Intern - Kraft Foods - Northfield, IL or browse our other internship listings!

*IMPORTANT* Please use InternshipGPS as your job referral source if you choose to apply to one of these opportunities. This will help us to grow and continue serving MBA students like you worldwide.

Marketing MBA Intern - Abbott Laboratories - Abbott Park, IL

Click Here Marketing MBA Intern - Abbott Laboratories - Abbott Park, IL or browse our other internship listings!

*IMPORTANT* Please use InternshipGPS as your job referral source if you choose to apply to one of these opportunities. This will help us to grow and continue serving MBA students like you worldwide.

Tax Intern - National City - Alpharetta, GA

Click Here Tax Intern - National City - Alpharetta, GA or browse our other internship listings!

*IMPORTANT* Please use InternshipGPS as your job referral source if you choose to apply to one of these opportunities. This will help us to grow and continue serving MBA students like you worldwide.

Sample Post-Internship Thank You Letter

August 13, 2007

Ms. Susan Smith
Director, Public Relations
XYZ Corporation
225 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02145

Dear Susan,

I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for sponsoring my internship this summer with XYZ Corporation. My experience was extremely rewarding. In addition to sharpening my writing and editing skills, working in direct contact with the media, and maturing professionally, I thoroughly enjoyed working with such a great team of people. It was a pleasure to watch and learn from my fellow colleagues.

In particular, I want to thank you for the time you spent with me discussing my professional development. Our weekly meetings were very helpful and provided me with insightful constructive criticism of my work. The research I conducted for my report on the strengthening of media relationships and public visibility was quite interesting. I hope the report has provided the public relations department with some solid data and fresh ideas. If anyone has questions about my report or the methodology of my research, I can be reached via email at jane.sample@yale.edu.

In addition, thank you for agreeing to write a letter of recommendation on my behalf. It will be particularly valuable to me as I search for full time positions next spring. I will contact you periodically to let you know how my career quest is progressing. Please extend my thanks and appreciation to the entire public relations team for such a substantive internship experience.

Sincerely,

Jane Q. Sample
175 Whitney Avenue
New Haven, CT 06520

For more information, please visit http://www.yale.edu/visvi/students/intern/success.html.

Interview Tips: 15 Things Not To Do

If you are smartly presented, adhere to basic social etiquette and sensibly answer the interviewer's questions then you are well on your way to a new job. However there are some blunders to avoid:

1. Do not arrive late, you must allow enough time from when you leave your house to permit for unforeseen circumstances such as rail problems or traffic jams.

2. Do not fidget with items on the desk, or play with your hair and clothes.

3. Do not mumble, talk too fast, too softly or non-stop. Unless you speak clearly all of your sound comments will be lost on the interviewer and you will not impress.

4. Do not use slang words, crack silly jokes, or chew gum.

5. Do not lean on the interviewer's desk or frequently glance at your watch.

6. Do not hide any aspect of your previous record, overstate qualifications, brag, or become angry.

7. Do not call the interviewer by his/her first name, or become involved in any negative aspect of your current employer, classes, or university.

8. Do not show ignorance about the company, allow your research to come through in conversation.

9. Do not appear half-asleep, go to bed early the night before the interview and sleep soundly knowing that you are fully prepared for the day ahead.

10. Do not bring up the topic of salary. When the time is right, salary will be discussed.
11. If it is an interview over lunch do not order the spaghetti.

12. Do not come across as being passive or indifferent, be positive and enthusiastic.

13. Do not be overbearing, or conceited.

14. Be friendly and open, but do not flirt with the interviewer.

15. Do not use negative body language, or convey inappropriate aspects of your character.

For more information, visit http://www.jobsite.co.uk/career/advice/20things.html.

Sample Cover Letter for an MBA Internship

February 1, 2007

Samantha Johnson, Recruiting Manager
Smith Consulting
666 Avenue of the Americas, 13th Floor
New York, NY

Dear Ms. Johnson,

I am a first-year MBA student at State Business School. I was very impressed with and intrigued by Smith Consulting's approach to management consulting after attending the presentation that your firm made at my school earlier this spring. I also learned more about your firm by talking with Tom Williams and several other summer interns. My discussions with them about their internship experiences confirmed my interest in Smith Consulting, and I am now writing to request an invitation to interview with you for a summer associate consulting position.

After graduating from Northern College with a degree in accounting, I worked as an associate in the Finance department of Ford, the well-known automotive manufacturer. In this position, I gained solid analytical and problem solving skills. I fine-tuned my communication and consensus building skills, as I often needed to present and market my work to middle and upper-level management. I also was responsible for identifying and resolving financial reporting issues, as well as generating innovative methods to improve our processes. Finally, during my last year of employment, I took on a team leadership role, managing the daily work of five junior team members and taking an active role in our training for new hires.

I am excited by the strong potential fit I see with Smith Consulting. I feel that the analytical, leadership and teamwork abilities gained through my corporate and academic experience have provided me with the tools and skills necessary to perform effectively in a consulting career, and will allow me to make a significant contribution at your firm. I am particularly intrigued by the shareholder value focus of Smith Consulting's methodology, since it fits well with my experience in finance.

I have enclosed my resume for your review. I welcome the opportunity to meet with you when you recruit at SBS for summer internships later this month, and I would truly value the opportunity to be included on your invitational list.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,
Lauren MacArthur
314 Broadway, Apt. 15
New York, NY 10007
lmacarthur@business.state.edu

Questions to Ask at Career and Job Fairs

If you're planning to attend a career fair, we suggest reading the article, Making the Most out of Your Career Fair Experience.

As with any situation where you find yourself with a potential employer, job-seekers and internship-seekers must be prepared to ask insightful questions of recruiters at job and career fairs.

There are four categories of questions you can ask recruiters at career and job fairs.

Each category of questions has a specific strategy. Which questions should you ask? It depends on the recruiter, on your interest and knowledge of the company, and how much time you have with the recruiter.

Strategic Comeback Questions

These questions are designed to give job-seekers the chance to respond to the recruiter's answer with a positive spin on how you perfectly fit (and ideally exceed) what the company is looking for in an intern or an employee.

What kinds of skills and experience do you look for in the employees you hire?
What are the characteristics of your most successful employees?
Are graduate degrees important to advancing within your organization? Which ones?
Which courses or experiences do you suggest to be a successful candidate?

Strategic Planning Questions

These questions are designed to give the job-seeker more information and knowledge about the hiring process for each particular employer.

What kind of entry-level positions (or internships) exist within your organization?
Does your company hire on a continual basis or just at certain times of the year?
How long does the hiring process take? What does it consist of?
What percent of applicants are eventually hired? What is the retention rate?

Key Company Information

These questions are designed to provide you with critical inside information you need to know when making a decision about the attractiveness of each potential employer. Remember, a job fair is a two-way street and you should be evaluating these companies as much as they are evaluating you.

Are there specific career tracks within the organization? In other words, what can a typical employee (for the position I am seeking) hired in your division expect to be doing 2, 5, or 10 years after hiring?
What is your organization's culture like?
For how many years does the typical employee stay with the company?
Are there opportunities for ongoing training through your organization?
Do you expect your employees to relocate? How much travel is involved?

Recruiter Information

Some experts advise not asking the recruiter personal questions relating to his or her job, but especially if the recruiter is an alum of your university -- or you have some other personal connection -- these questions are fine. Even if there is no connection, these questions can be asked -- and their answers can provide you with some critical insights.

What made you choose this company and why do you stay?
How long have you been with the company?
What's the one thing that most surprised you about this company?

For more information, visit http://www.quintcareers.com/career_fair_questions.html.

Sample Thank You Letter for a Career or Job Fair

Mr. John Smith
Global Communications, Inc.
3407 W. MLK Jr. Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33607

Dear Mr. John Smith,

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me at the NAWMBA Fair this past weekend. I certainly appreciate your time and attention in the midst of so many students seeking career opportunities.

You were extremely thorough in explaining Global Communications' customer service and marketing trainee program. Now that I have a better idea of what the position entails, I am interested in contributing my skills and efforts as a member of your team to Global Communications.

My solid graduate education to date at Graduate University, as well as my previous work experience at Max Corporation demonstrate a strong work ethic and determination, two qualities that you said were important to success at Global Communications.

I look forward to an opportunity to visit your company's Tampa office and speak to you further about the trainee program. I will contact you next week to arrange an appointment.

Thank you again for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Leddyfern
MBA Class of 2010
Graduate School of Business
Graduate University

Developing Your Network: Informational Interviewing

HOW CAN AN INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW HELP ME?

They give you an opportunity to gather first-hand information (research) about career fields you are considering
They provide an opportunity to expand you network of professional contacts
You will get frank advice about a profession or industry and subtle signals about work environmentsthat you will never read in a book
Get valuable advice about entering and advancing in a field, as well as ideas for locating contacts or job leads within the profession

INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW STEPS

Locate someone to interview within your organization. Get correct spelling and pronunciation of contact’s name and be sure of contact’s job title and salutation (Dr., Mr., Mrs., etc). **If you are currently interning, you may want to ask your supervisor for permission to conduct an informational interview. Once settled in as an intern, ask your supervisor for potential interviewees for your informational interviews. After you
have started forging your own personal relationships within the organization, you will also acquire a sense of the individuals you would like to interview.
Contact: Call for appointment or write a letter to request an appointment. Be sure to state the reason you are contacting them, how much time you are asking of them (20-30 minutes), why you would like to speak with them in particular (your interest in his or her career field), and how you may have come about their name. You can also request a telephone interview (if the person does not live nearby) or an observational visit that lasts a few hours or a full day.
Scheduling: Be prepared to adjust your schedule. Suggest lunch, coffee break, etc. (When is it convenient for your contact to meet with you?)
Confirm: Be sure you have agreed on the date and place of your meeting. A brief note of
confirmation can serve as a helpful reminder to you both.
Research: Research and read about the career field before the informational interview.
Informational Interviews should not be a starting point for your career research – they should supplement what you have already learned. Also research your contact’s place of
work/company/organization.
Preparation: Prepare a list of relevant questions (see following page). Prepare your resume and take a copy with you in case you are asked for it - but be aware that it may be inappropriate to offer it during your meeting. NOTE: Let the interviewee determine the formality of the conversation.
Appearance & Arrival: Plan what you will wear, and how long it will take you to get there. Arrive 10-15 minutes early. This may give you a little extra interview time.
Thank You: Ask for a business card before you leave and send a short note thanking the person for his/her time. Remember, these contacts can continue to serve as resources throughout your career.

For more information, visit http://www.yale.edu/visvi/students/intern/success.html.

Dealing with Internship Issues

Sometimes, even with the best of planning, problems and issues can arise during an internship: conflicts with coworkers or supervisors, not enough on which to work, lack of supervision, or incessant administrative tasks after the promise of a substantial project.

If you are faced with such challenges, we suggest the following action plan:

Discuss your situation with an individual who does not work for the organization - Career Services counselor, a friend, family member - to obtain a new and objective viewpoint. Try to pinpoint where the problem lies.
Brainstorm ways to improve the situation, including ways you can be flexible.
Meet with your supervisor (or other individuals with whom a problem exists) and explain the situation from your point of view. Avoid accusations and ask the individual for his or her perception of the situation.
If possible, try to achieve a consensus and resolve the issues. Do not share your concern with others in the organization who were not involved in this meeting.
Make sure to include all of this in your internship journal. It can help you and your company down the line.

If you fail to resolve your issues, contact a representative from your Career Services office to help guide you through the next step.

For more information, visit http://www.yale.edu/visvi/students/intern/success.html.

Writing a Post-Internship Thank You Letter

After leaving the organization, send a handwritten (if possible) thank you letter to your direct supervisor and any other supervisors or employees who served as mentors to you over the summer.

Your letter should convey your appreciation for the experience, a sense of what you learned, gratitude for any references written on your behalf, and your school contact information.

Here is a sample follow-up Thank You letter written from a student to her supervisor after her summer internship:

Sample Post-Internship Thank You Letter

For more information, please visit http://www.yale.edu/visvi/students/intern/success.html.

Keeping an Internship Journal

Your journal entries do not have to be lengthy, but should capture your general thoughts and reactions to your work.

Ideally, you should maintain your journal on a daily or weekly basis to ensure that you capture details as well as your feelings and reactions to the day-to-day events and your responsibilities while interning.

BENEFITS OF KEEPING A JOURNAL
Your journal entries will prove quite useful when updating your resume in the fall.

It will provide a "record" of your professional growth and development over the course of your internship.
Writing about your internship will afford you the opportunity to regularly reflect on your experience.
The journal will be helpful when meeting with a UCS counselor to discuss your experiences.
It will be helpful as you take on other opportunities and are able to draw parallels between experiences.
The exercise of journaling will be beneficial during interviews and when you are asked to articulate your experiences.

JOURNAL WRITING TIPS

Be consistent with your entries. Set aside a regular time each day (or week), even if only for five minutes, to devote to journal writing.
Find your own journal writing style. Consider keeping your journal on your personal computer or laptop, spiral notebook, traditional journal, etc.
Keep your journal at home. We recommend you do not keep your journal at your workplace. Since you will be recording your own private thoughts and observations, you do not want co-workers accessing your material, intentionally or accidentally.
Your journal is a great place to record the names and pertinent information of contacts you make during your internship. Note the contacts you feel may be helpful to you and how they may help in the future.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER IN YOUR JOURNAL

Before you begin your internship:

What do you expect from this experience? What goals have you set for yourself? What obstacles exist that may prevent you from achieving your goals?
Speak with a counselor in your Career Services office to help define your skills, interests and values in order to assess whether your internship experience meets your definitions of these integral factors.

During the internship:

What do I enjoy most about the work I am doing? What do I enjoy least? What am I best at? When I leave work feeling I had a good day, what have I accomplished? When I feel I have had a lousy day, why?
Analyze the organizational culture. What are the formal and informal power and social structures? Look at communication and friendship patterns, politics, demographics, value systems, and unwritten codes of dress and conduct. Compare these patterns with official power structures and organizational policies and values. What do I enjoy most about this organization's culture? Least?
What are the intellectual, psychological, and physical requirements of this type of work?
What are the costs and rewards? Does this work mesh with my interests, values and skills?
How have my expectations of this work compared with my daily experience?

As your internship ends:

How has my academic background proved helpful to my work as an intern? Specify which classes, subjects, projects, etc. (if any) have been most beneficial and why.
How will your internship experience modify your learning process in future courses?
How has this experience impacted my personal and professional goals?
Would you want to do this internship again? Why or why not?

For more information, please visit http://www.yale.edu/visvi/students/intern/success.html.

About InternshipGPS

InternshipGPS is your #1 free, online source for MBA and graduate business internship postings, as well as for information, resources and tips related to resumes, cover letters, internship interviews and more.

A rising second-year MBA student (Class of 2009) at the Mason School of Business at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, I, Chris Perry, created and launched InternshipGPS at the end of April 2008 with current plans for an official launch this fall in the upcoming first-year MBA student internship search season.

As a recent first-year MBA student who was very thorough in my pursuit of any and all opportunities for an MBA summer internship, I quickly discovered how overwhelming the internship search can be when conducting a search in general, but more importantly, when conducting a search online. While there are many job sites and career search engines available, none of them truly focus on us, the large and consistent target market of internship-seeking MBA students that emerge each and every year. This can be seen in the fact that when we search for “mba internships” on popular sites, such as Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com or Indeed.com, we must filter through many undesirable search results, including undergraduate internships, MBA full-time positions, as well as mass-market, or "spam" job advertisements. This wastes time for us and only adds unnecessary stress to our already-stressful endeavor of identifying internship opportunities.

It was after this discovery that I decided to do something that might make a significant difference for the incoming class of MBA students. I decided to create InternshipGPS, a site on which all MBA internships would be posted after being pre-screened for an MBA and/or graduate business education level requirement. This means more opportunities for you to choose from, and more time for you to apply!

In addition to internship postings, I have also searched and posted some of the best available information, resources and tips on MBA resumes, cover letters, interviews and other internship-related strategies.

The great thing about InternshipGPS is that this service is absolutely FREE!

However, if you find this service valuable in your year-long internship search and are interested in making a donation to support me in the maintainence and continuous enhancement of InternshipGPS, please click on the "Donate" button on left panel to donate securely through Paypal. Any amount is appreciated.

Please feel free to contact me to share your success stories, suggestions or ideas. If you know anyone else who might benefit from InternshipGPS and its services, please ask them to visit http://www.internshipgps.com/ today!

FORTUNE'S 100 Best Companies to Work For

This list of FORTUNE'S 100 Best Companies to Work For (2008) is also a good place to start if you are seeking some ideas for career opportunities.

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2008/full_list/index.html

MBA Program & Career Services Partners

InternshipGPS would like to give special thanks to the following MBA programs and their MBA Career Services teams (ordered alphabetically) for their promotional support.

If your program would like to join their ranks in support of InternshipGPS and its services for MBA students worldwide, please contact InternshipGPS.

Top 100 MBA Employers: Where MBA Students Say They Would Most Like to Work

Think of it as a popularity contest for companies. Each year, research firm Universum surveys MBA candidates on where they'd most like to work. If you are seeking some career opportunities, this list of company links might be a good start.

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/mba100/2008/index.html

Types of MBA Interviews

Types of Interviews

There are many different ways to interview candidates besides the simple one-on-one interview. Here are some helpful articles on different interview styles that can give employers some ideas and let candidates know what to expect.

Group interview: Group interviews are often used to see how potential employees will act in a group setting. This article gives some tips on how to prepare and excel in this format.
Panel/board interview: Panel interviews require candidates to present themselves before several people from the hiring company. Here, you'll find advice on how to handle a panel interview.
Telephone interview: Phone interviews can sometimes be as stress-inducing as face-to-face interviews. This article from Quintessential Careers gives candidates some advice on the proper etiquette for interviewing over the phone.
One-on-one interview: By far the most common type of interview, this article from Monster gives some insight into what the one-on-one interview is all about.
Impromptu interview: Impromptu interviews are often not much like interviews at all, but you still need to know how to handle one. This article can give you some helpful pointers.
Dinner interview: A dinner interview can often feel informal, but you should remember that it can still have a big impact on getting the job. Use this article to help you ace the dinner interview.
Situational interview: Situational interviews attempt to put the candidate in a situation like one they would experience on the job. This article provides tips on how to prepare for this style of interview.
Structured interview: Structured interviews ask all candidates for a job the same questions. Learn how to make this style of interview work for you with this Cando Career article.
Multiple interviews: Multiple interviews can be taxing, as candidates have to talk to many different people. Careerhub.com gives advice on how to prepare for multiple interviews.

http://www.hrworld.com/features/interviewing-cheat-sheet-092507/

Resume Tips for MBA Students With a Great Deal of Business Experience

What to Do If You Have A Great Deal of Professional Work Experience (10 Years or More)

While in general it is true that the more experience you have, the fewer problems you will encounter in the job search, there are some issues of which you should be aware. Many of the jobs that are listed by the Career Services/MBA Placement Office are entry- and mid-level managerial positions. If you plan to leverage your MBA and prior work experience to break into upper management, be prepared to compose your resume in the manner of experienced executives. Consult the resume development publications located in Career Services at 100 Dunford Hall for more information.

If you are planning to use your MBA credentials to make a complete career change, emphasize your accomplishments most appropriate for the new career field. Be prepared for employers to question your decision to make a change at this point in your life. Tailor your accomplishment statements to emphasize transferable skills and include a Career Objective statement that emphasizes your commitment to a new field.

http://www.mbamonster.com/Resume_Checklist.html

Resume Tips for MBA Students With Some Business Experience

What to Do If You Have Very Little Professional Work Experience (Less Than Two Years)

Obviously you want to make the most of the work experience that you do have. Rest assured that some professional experience is preferable to no work experience so you have that to your advantage. The key is to approach your Experience section from the perspective of a recruiter: What skills and abilities did you acquire that could be used in an MBA position? Emphasize those as well as the positions of leadership and influence you held as an undergraduate. These will help to establish a history of accomplishments and responsibility.

http://www.mbamonster.com/Resume_Checklist.html

Resume Tips for MBA Students With "No" Business Experience

What to Do If You Are Entering the MBA Program Immediately After Earning Your College Degree

Recognize that you are competing for the same positions as other, more experienced MBAs. There is no doubt that as an undergraduate you have demonstrated the skills that MBA recruiters seek. The challenge then is to emphasize them on your resume so you will be selected for an interview. Here are a few key things to consider:

If you earned at least 50% of college expenses through work, include a statement to that effect in your education section.

Be sure to list summer internship and co-op positions and describe the impact you had on the organization. Ask yourself, for example, if you played a role in completing a major project, continuing a major project, or conceiving a major project. Wherever possible use numbers to describe your responsibilities and accomplishments (e.g., Administered a budget of $5,000; Negotiated a 10% reduction in costs).
The next best thing to paid work experience is unpaid work experience. List leadership positions and all voluntary involvement in campus organizations. Where you have extensive extracurricular activities of this nature, you may consider grouping it in a "Leadership Experience" section. Keep in mind that recruiters want individuals who can get things done. Accomplishments are what they look for on everyone's resume. The best indication that you can accomplish the desired results is your past. Ask yourself how a particular campus organization or group benefited from your involvement.
Be sure to emphasize extraordinary academic achievements. For example, Graduated Magna cum Laude; Scored in the 99th Percentile on the Graduate Management Admission Test, etc.

http://www.mbamonster.com/Resume_Checklist.html

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