So often, employers do not see themselves in the role of teacher/mentor during an internship experience with a student. The relationship is viewed more as an employment opportunity rather than a teachable period. If you find yourself leaning more on the employment side of the fence, I’d like you to consider the tremendous chance you have with your internship program to teach a student valuable, life-long employment skills that could benefit them throughout their entire career.
Let’s Start with the Basics
The types of skills we’re talking about here are often called “soft skills”. These include skills like communication, time management, problem-solving, critical thinking, team work, flexibility, and the ability to work under pressure. It also includes work ethic, a positive attitude, and self-confidence. Each of these skills creates value not just for the student, but also to any employer they may work for in the future. More and more, employers are looking for candidates not just with the technical skills to do the job, but also the skills that let them effectively interact with those around them.
A Model Company
I am always very excited about companies who really take their role as teacher/mentor seriously. One such company is Group Dekko in Garrett, IN. Making a recent decision to have an internship program this summer, and proving that it’s not too late to find great students, in the last month they posted, interviewed, and hired close to 20 interns. During this time, their CEO has created a culture that stresses the importance of being good mentors to their student interns. It’s not only about what the students will be doing for the company; it’s also about what the company will be giving these young people throughout their experience at Group Dekko. To get everyone up to speed, 30 supervisors and mentors have gone through training to understand their interns’ needs, and come up with strong strategies to manage their experiences this summer. What is great about this internship program is that each student has both a supervisor AND a mentor who will teach and train them.
Trust me when I say, this is a company who gets it. They know exactly what their job is this summer. They want to create awesome future employees, even if they don’t end up being their employees. That’s the kind of attitude that helps make all of Northeast Indiana successful. If we can develop the kind of future employees that we all want, pretty soon, companies outside of Northeast Indiana will take notice of it and we’ll become a model region!
Where to Start
Well, if the above story has inspired you to take on the role of teacher/mentor this summer for your intern, then it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get busy. You won’t be just idly sitting back this summer and watching what your intern does for you. You’re going to become a partner in their success and develop ideas and strategies to help them develop into a superstar employee. You’ll start with choosing a supervisor and mentor who has the desire and patience to work with your intern. Take the time to develop projects that provide the intern with a chance to interact and communicate at a high level.
Remember, it doesn’t matter if they become your employee or someone else’s. What truly matters is that they develop the skills and competencies necessary for their future careers. Oh, and by the way…when you take the time to help your intern develop great soft skills, you get an amazing return on your investment in the form of a happy, high performing student. It’s most definitely a win-win…win!
Need a little help getting started? Attend the Supervisor Boot Camp Wednesday, May 18th from 3 to 5 at the Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce. It’s only $15 to attend and offers you great information about how to manage your intern this summer. Have a large number of supervisors/mentors you’d like to train? Contact me at jfisher@fwchamber.org to discuss my on-site supervisor training at a reduced rate.
Using Facebook, Linkedin, and Google to Screen Candidates: Great Idea or Bad Business?
Let’s be honest, it’s very easy to look people up on the internet. In a few short minutes, you can run a Google search or look up a potential intern’s Facebook or Linkedin page prior to your interview and know far more about them then you might find out on an application. It seems harmless enough because a lot of people are doing it. These days, many companies use online searches to replace the traditional vetting methods like background and reference checks, even before they have met a candidate. In 2009, Careerbuilder.com reported that 45% of employers were using Facebook and Twitter to screen candidates. It’s possible that the number is even higher now, but is this ultimately a good idea or is there a potential legal problem brewing?
Let’s start with the basics. There are very specific employment laws which have been created to protect candidates from discriminatory practices on the part of employers. Employers are not supposed to have certain information about potential candidates prior to interviewing them. It’s why an I-9 is supposed to be kept in a separate file away from the application. Interviewers should be making decisions about who to interview based on candidates applications or resumes, references, job history, etc. They should not have access to information like race, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion or other information which could place the candidate in a protected class.
Searching for candidates online, especially before you interview them, can provide you with information you are technically not entitled to have prior to an interview. Now of course you can argue, “But Jen, they posted that information up about themselves and put that picture up on their profile. Doesn’t that make it public information?” Well yes it does, but that doesn’t mean you have a right to look at it before your interview with them. Even looking after an interview is still a little sketchy to me but that’s a discussion for another time.
Honestly, I think a time will come when a candidate will accuse a company of unlawfully discriminating against them because of information that company gained through an online search. I really do think we will see a case like that at some point in the near future. What this means for you and your company is that you have to weigh the pro’s and con’s to screening candidates through internet searches (especially on websites like Facebook) and decide if it’s worth the risk. I always recommend being cautious and utilizing the more traditional methods of candidate vetting. Also, under no circumstance should you look up a candidate before you have interviewed them. It opens you up to potential liability and may mean that you miss out on some really great candidates that you judged before you had a chance to meet them. Remember what your grandma used to say? You can’t judge a book by its cover and in this case you can’t always judge a good candidate by their Facebook profile!
Let’s start with the basics. There are very specific employment laws which have been created to protect candidates from discriminatory practices on the part of employers. Employers are not supposed to have certain information about potential candidates prior to interviewing them. It’s why an I-9 is supposed to be kept in a separate file away from the application. Interviewers should be making decisions about who to interview based on candidates applications or resumes, references, job history, etc. They should not have access to information like race, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion or other information which could place the candidate in a protected class.
Searching for candidates online, especially before you interview them, can provide you with information you are technically not entitled to have prior to an interview. Now of course you can argue, “But Jen, they posted that information up about themselves and put that picture up on their profile. Doesn’t that make it public information?” Well yes it does, but that doesn’t mean you have a right to look at it before your interview with them. Even looking after an interview is still a little sketchy to me but that’s a discussion for another time.
Honestly, I think a time will come when a candidate will accuse a company of unlawfully discriminating against them because of information that company gained through an online search. I really do think we will see a case like that at some point in the near future. What this means for you and your company is that you have to weigh the pro’s and con’s to screening candidates through internet searches (especially on websites like Facebook) and decide if it’s worth the risk. I always recommend being cautious and utilizing the more traditional methods of candidate vetting. Also, under no circumstance should you look up a candidate before you have interviewed them. It opens you up to potential liability and may mean that you miss out on some really great candidates that you judged before you had a chance to meet them. Remember what your grandma used to say? You can’t judge a book by its cover and in this case you can’t always judge a good candidate by their Facebook profile!
Awesome Blog I just wanted to pass along!
I thought this was great and wanted to share it with you!
Flip flops and Facebook breaks, the Millennial Generation invades the workplace
http://www.publicradio.org/columns/marketplace/money-blog/2011/03/maybe_youve_heard_about_the.html
Flip flops and Facebook breaks, the Millennial Generation invades the workplace
http://www.publicradio.org/columns/marketplace/money-blog/2011/03/maybe_youve_heard_about_the.html
Affecting Young People's Career Goals from a Different Angle
Industry to Educator Externship Program
Last week I had an opportunity to participate in the Industry to Educator Summit at the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce. This event brought together teachers and companies who participated in an externship program last year for high school teachers in Northeast Indiana. It was great to meet teachers who are making a difference in the lives of our young people.
As I was listening to the teachers and industry professionals from Raytheon, ITT, Northrop Grumen, and BAE Systems talk about their experiences, I was excited to consider the fact that this experience not only affected these teachers, it impacted the students they teach. It's wonderful to know that a program exists to connect teachers to professionals who are in careers that many of their students want to do. Call it the "bird’s eye view" of a career. I think what really struck me most was one of the teachers explaining that she now had an answer for the student who asks "when will I ever use this information?” Now she knows exactly how students will use it because of her experience last summer in the externship program.
I think the real value here is that educators get the chance to see just how important their role is in teaching young people and inspiring them to pursue careers that are related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. These careers are Northeast Indiana’s future. If we don't have young people who are interested in pursuing them, we'll already be ten steps behind other regions.
Ask a young person why they chose a major or career and often they will tell you that they had a really great teacher in that subject during high school. Our teachers are critical to helping our young people understand their career options and providing them with the skills they need to be successful. A young person who gets engaged in a career path early, and gets experience through internships will be more likely to have then type of skills companies are looking for in their employees.
I am so happy to know that the Industry to Educator Externship program exists to provide teachers with first-hand knowledge of the types of careers and projects that are taking place right here in Northeast Indiana. If you would like more information about this great program, go to www.industry2educators.com or contact jfisher@fwchamber.org.
TECHFEST Is Coming
Make plans now to attend the first annual Northeast Indiana TechFEST on April 16th at Sweetwater Sound. This amazing event, which developed from an idea between the Fort Wayne Mayor’s Office and Atos Origin, provides Northeast Indiana High School students with the opportunity to compete in video game tournaments, a problem solving competition, an IPOD “Battle of the Bands”, a Speed Texting competition, breakout sessions with guest speakers, informational tables about area careers and colleges with STEM related majors, and much more. Young people can register at www.neitechfest.com and the cost is only $10 to participate in up to 2 games. If you have a high schooler, get them involved in this fun and interactive day!
Last week I had an opportunity to participate in the Industry to Educator Summit at the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce. This event brought together teachers and companies who participated in an externship program last year for high school teachers in Northeast Indiana. It was great to meet teachers who are making a difference in the lives of our young people.
As I was listening to the teachers and industry professionals from Raytheon, ITT, Northrop Grumen, and BAE Systems talk about their experiences, I was excited to consider the fact that this experience not only affected these teachers, it impacted the students they teach. It's wonderful to know that a program exists to connect teachers to professionals who are in careers that many of their students want to do. Call it the "bird’s eye view" of a career. I think what really struck me most was one of the teachers explaining that she now had an answer for the student who asks "when will I ever use this information?” Now she knows exactly how students will use it because of her experience last summer in the externship program.
I think the real value here is that educators get the chance to see just how important their role is in teaching young people and inspiring them to pursue careers that are related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. These careers are Northeast Indiana’s future. If we don't have young people who are interested in pursuing them, we'll already be ten steps behind other regions.
Ask a young person why they chose a major or career and often they will tell you that they had a really great teacher in that subject during high school. Our teachers are critical to helping our young people understand their career options and providing them with the skills they need to be successful. A young person who gets engaged in a career path early, and gets experience through internships will be more likely to have then type of skills companies are looking for in their employees.
I am so happy to know that the Industry to Educator Externship program exists to provide teachers with first-hand knowledge of the types of careers and projects that are taking place right here in Northeast Indiana. If you would like more information about this great program, go to www.industry2educators.com or contact jfisher@fwchamber.org.
TECHFEST Is Coming
Make plans now to attend the first annual Northeast Indiana TechFEST on April 16th at Sweetwater Sound. This amazing event, which developed from an idea between the Fort Wayne Mayor’s Office and Atos Origin, provides Northeast Indiana High School students with the opportunity to compete in video game tournaments, a problem solving competition, an IPOD “Battle of the Bands”, a Speed Texting competition, breakout sessions with guest speakers, informational tables about area careers and colleges with STEM related majors, and much more. Young people can register at www.neitechfest.com and the cost is only $10 to participate in up to 2 games. If you have a high schooler, get them involved in this fun and interactive day!
Email vs. Social Media as a Communication Tool
So I admit, it's been a while since I last posted! I said in a previous post that I would get better and clearly I have not.
This months topic is based on a question I received today during a presentation I helped deliver at the 2011 Teaching Conference at IPFW. The basics of the question surrounded student usage of email (or lack there of) and are we enabling them to create bad habits now by our willingness to utilize social media to reach out and connect with them?
That's really a great question and one that has come up before. In a great article on Discovery News http://news.discovery.com/tech/is-e-mail-dead.html the question is asked "Is Email Dead?" According to the article, people just aren't utilizing email as much (especially younger people) to communicate. Other social media outlets and text messaging offer a much quicker mode of communication and is more readily utilized by teens. That's not to say they don't use email, because they do. They just don't use it as much as other services.
Of course we realize that emailing in a business setting is not going away anytime soon, but there have already been some changes in the way professionals communicate at work. I'll give you a few examples:
How much do you want to bet that when email first came out, people thought we would never get rid of our face-to-face interactions and opt for the less personal written communication? Now, both are regularly utilized as acceptable forms of business etiquette. I'm sure there were some who thought email would just be a flash in the pan.
When IM came along, many companies began using that to communicate quickly internally. No need to wait for an email and then a response and then a response to the response...the whole conversation happened in real time.
In LinkedIn and Facebook, those who may never have met you or had access to your email address can now reach out to you and send you a message. If we were only using email, you might miss out on connections!
I read on Twitter that one company sent a text message to offer a candidate a position with their company...and the candidate accepted via text message. Without a single email, both the company and the candidate knew instantly if the person would be joining their team.
The truth is, emailing will probably not go by the way side, at least not yet any way,but the reality is there are a variety of other ways we can communicate with each other. Young people know this already, sometimes the rest of us just have to catch up.
So when the question is posed, are we letting young people get away with not acting professionally by ignoring their emails, because we're trying to reach them through Facebook, LinkedIn, Texting, or other avenues? The answer is yes and no. I think there is a balance here that we can strike between giving in and not budging.
Here's what I recommend...Continue to reiterate to young people that the main form of expected professional communication continues to be email. If they cannot learn to respond in a timely manner or they don't check it, then they might just be missing opportunities. There are always consequences for bad behavior and not checking or responding to email will have a downside. On the other hand though, don't be afraid to try some of the new forms of communication that are out there. Facebook, texting, and other more instant forms of communication can actually be very beneficial to you and young people.
In the end, we all know, email will not be going away for now, so eventually students will have to use it. For now though, maybe it's better that they at least hear your message, regardless of which communication tool it comes through.
This months topic is based on a question I received today during a presentation I helped deliver at the 2011 Teaching Conference at IPFW. The basics of the question surrounded student usage of email (or lack there of) and are we enabling them to create bad habits now by our willingness to utilize social media to reach out and connect with them?
That's really a great question and one that has come up before. In a great article on Discovery News http://news.discovery.com/tech/is-e-mail-dead.html the question is asked "Is Email Dead?" According to the article, people just aren't utilizing email as much (especially younger people) to communicate. Other social media outlets and text messaging offer a much quicker mode of communication and is more readily utilized by teens. That's not to say they don't use email, because they do. They just don't use it as much as other services.
Of course we realize that emailing in a business setting is not going away anytime soon, but there have already been some changes in the way professionals communicate at work. I'll give you a few examples:
How much do you want to bet that when email first came out, people thought we would never get rid of our face-to-face interactions and opt for the less personal written communication? Now, both are regularly utilized as acceptable forms of business etiquette. I'm sure there were some who thought email would just be a flash in the pan.
When IM came along, many companies began using that to communicate quickly internally. No need to wait for an email and then a response and then a response to the response...the whole conversation happened in real time.
In LinkedIn and Facebook, those who may never have met you or had access to your email address can now reach out to you and send you a message. If we were only using email, you might miss out on connections!
I read on Twitter that one company sent a text message to offer a candidate a position with their company...and the candidate accepted via text message. Without a single email, both the company and the candidate knew instantly if the person would be joining their team.
The truth is, emailing will probably not go by the way side, at least not yet any way,but the reality is there are a variety of other ways we can communicate with each other. Young people know this already, sometimes the rest of us just have to catch up.
So when the question is posed, are we letting young people get away with not acting professionally by ignoring their emails, because we're trying to reach them through Facebook, LinkedIn, Texting, or other avenues? The answer is yes and no. I think there is a balance here that we can strike between giving in and not budging.
Here's what I recommend...Continue to reiterate to young people that the main form of expected professional communication continues to be email. If they cannot learn to respond in a timely manner or they don't check it, then they might just be missing opportunities. There are always consequences for bad behavior and not checking or responding to email will have a downside. On the other hand though, don't be afraid to try some of the new forms of communication that are out there. Facebook, texting, and other more instant forms of communication can actually be very beneficial to you and young people.
In the end, we all know, email will not be going away for now, so eventually students will have to use it. For now though, maybe it's better that they at least hear your message, regardless of which communication tool it comes through.
Beyond :"Poking" and "Like it"
Presented at the 2011 Teaching Conference at IPFW with Cindy Verduce and Heather Burgette from Indiana Tech. Great topic and a lot of fun to present!!!
Beyond poking and like it
View more presentations from Jen Fisher.
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