How to Leave Your Internship Like a Boss

Before you hit the exits, spend some time gathering feedback and saying thank you.</P><P>Ah, the thankless job of an intern: lots of hustle with little glory and even less (if any) payment. For your next gig, do you want to be a full-time, paid employee instead of an intern? Act like you already are. As you leave your internship, show the confidence to make connections, humility to say thank you and pride to finish your work strong. This maturity and professionalism will leave a lasting impression on your co-workers, who will remember your name when opportunities crop up in the future. </P><P>In essence: Act like the boss you want to be. Here's how:</P><P><B>Don't slack off. </B>Maybe you're giddy about returning to campus. Or if you're out of school, maybe you're distracted with finding your next job or internship. But showing decreased enthusiasm at the end of your internship, or worse – leaving assignments incomplete – is a major no-no. Plus, you really don't want to slack off as you ask your boss to write a letter of recommendation, says Lauren Berger, CEO of InternQueen.com, a website that connects young people with internships and career advice, and author of "Welcome to the Real World." "Until the end of the last day of that internship, you need to put 100 percent effort forward," she says.</P><P><B>[See: The Top 10 Intern Mistakes.]</B></P><P><B>Do something noteworthy.</B> Go out with a bang, says Diane Gottsman, national etiquette expert. She suggests creating a manual of your job responsibilities, along with a step-by-step workbook of your daily activities. This may help whoever inherits your duties and will leave a lasting impression with your boss, she says<STRIKE></STRIKE>, adding that you should make every effort to complete pending projects. Offer to answer questions about your duties after you've left, which Gottsman says will show your co-workers and boss that you genuinely care about the company and want everything to run smoothly.</P><P><B>Ask for feedback. </B>Exit evaluations are built into some internship programs, but if that's not the case for yours, have a 15-minute meeting with your boss before you leave. Ask about your performance and your strengths and weaknesses, suggests Yair Riemer, chief marketing officer at Internships.com. When discussing areas of improvement, thicken your skin and appreciate the value of the critique. "Constructive criticism is actually a good thing," Berger says. "It gives you something to work on, and it can help you really build your goals for your next professional experience." </P><P><B>Say thank you. </B>Berger suggests emailing co-workers to thank them for their involvement in your great internship experience. Provide your contact information, and snag their personal email addresses, in case they leave the company. Follow these emails with a handwritten note, which you should keep "short, sweet and to the point," she says. Thank them for their time, reference a special moment you shared and note that you'll be in touch. And then, of course, be in touch. Berger suggests shooting your colleagues a short note around the holidays and another in the spring, so they remember who you are and receive an update on your activities.</P><P><B>Express your interest in a future job (if you have such interest). </B>Don't assume this is a given. "You have to make sure your boss knows you want to work at that company," Berger says. "In a very polite and professional way, let the employer know that this is your dream job, and you're interested in pursuing a career at the company – if that's the case."</P><P><B>[See: The 25 Best Jobs of 2014.] </B></P><P><B>Secure a reference or two.</B> Listing references from this internship will show future employers that you were confident enough in your work to ask others to recommend you, Riemer says. But use some caution, he says, and confirm – don't assume – this person will happily vouch for you in the future. Always ask if he or she would feel comfortable serving as your reference first.</P><P><B>Ask for a letter of recommendation. </B>While a reference will speak on your behalf should a prospective employer call, a letter of recommendation is typically more useful for academic opportunities, like when applying to graduate schools, Riemer says. "I would really only save this for someone who you worked closely with," he says. "if it was a direct manager, and you worked with them everyday, and they told you were doing a good job and gave feedback, then I would definitely go for it."</P><P>The more time you can save this person as he or she composes your letter, the better. Send bullet points covering the work you've done or even a letter template, so he or she can fill in the gaps and sign it. Ask for the letter sooner rather than later, while you and your excellent achievements are fresh in the his or her mind. </P><P><B>Snag a LinkedIn endorsement. </B>While you're gathering affirmations of your hard work, make sure to get some LinkedIn love, too. Berger suggests first updating your profile to include your current internship. Then ask your boss to write a two- or three-sentence recommendation. Once again, the key is to make this task as quick and painless as possible for your boss. "Send them all the information," Berger says, mentioning hyperlinks and a sample recommendation. "So they have to make no more than like two or three clicks, and it's done." </P><P><B>[See: 16 Things You're Doing All Wrong on LinkedIn.]</B></P><P><B>After you leave, track your company.</B> Set up Google Alerts for your colleagues, company and company's clients, Berger suggests. That way you'll receive an email every time those names appear on the Web. Say the public relations firm you interned with works with Client Z, and you get an alert that Client Z was mentioned in The New York Times. Email your colleagues a congratulatory note on the client's good press. Or perhaps you're alerted when your former internship coordinator is promoted or quoted in a blog – another excuse to drop a line. Staying up to date "shows you're paying attention, you're doing your homework and still have great interest in the company," Berger says.</P><P><B>And finally, leave like a boss. </B>"Don't rush out of there in a hurry and leave like the building is on fire," Riemer says, pointing out that even if you're excited to go back to campus or begin new professional experiences, the internship shouldn't have just been a temp job or bullet on your résumé. The work you've done was, in part, to build a network. Leave your colleagues on a humble, thankful note. Gottsman adds, "before walking out the door, make one more round through the office and say a genuine goodbye. The extra effort will go a long way in building future goodwill."</P><br /><p><a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2014/08/12/how-to-leave-your-internship-like-a-boss" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>

How to Leave Your Internship Like a Boss

Before you hit the exits, spend some time gathering feedback and saying thank you.Ah, the thankless job of an intern: lots of hustle with little glory and even less (if any) payment. For your next gi…

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Corporate Team-Building Activities: The Good, the Bad and the Really Ugly

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <header style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.234001159668px;"><h1 class="h-biggest" style="font-size: 35px; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"> Corporate Team-Building Activities: The Good, the Bad and the Really Ugly</h1> <h2 class="h-big h-slacker h-light h-normal" style="color: #999999; font-size: 21px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"> Best practices so your office's team-building activity goes off without a hitch ... and a lawsuit.</h2> <div class="ndn_embed ndn_embedding ndn_embedContainer ndn-widget-embed-1" data-config-distributor-id="90080" data-config-site-section="ndn1_usnews" id="ndn-video-player-1" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </div> <img alt="A group of happy team members high five in the office." class="img-responsive block-generous" data-size="rectangle652" height="434" src="http://www.usnews.com/dims4/USNEWS/7be1385/2147483647/resize/652x%3E/quality/85/?url=%2Fcmsmedia%2Fdf%2F34%2Fea07fb15477485e41c70362521db%2F140925-teamhighfive-stock.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin-bottom: 25px; width: 652px;" title="(iStockPhoto)" width="652" /><div class="t t-dim" style="color: #666666; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-top: -20px; padding: 0px;"> Effective team-building exercises should lead to new team skills and a sense of unity – not a trip to the emergency room.</div> <div class="drawer block-generous" style="margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;"> <div class="drawer_main bar-sep-overunder t-small" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; width: 652px;"> <span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">There are no i’s in team. There shouldn’t be broken bones, either.</span></div> </div> </header><div class="block skin-editable" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;"> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> But a company’s attempt to increase staff camaraderie by placing employees in out-of-the ordinary circumstances – blanketed under the pretense of team building – could do more team breaking. NPR’s "Morning Edition" recently reported on a Washington, D.C.-area company’s ill-begotten trip to a paintball range for a so-called team-building exercise – where the staff’s emotion and poor judgment took over. Many supervisors returned home having been pummeled with pellets and covered in welts.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> If you’ve been charged with facilitating a team-building exercise for your department or company, you’ve got a tall task. These events now have a soiled reputation for being either too boring to make an impact or too extreme to come away unscathed, and managers with good intentions struggle to make the activity positive and meaningful. Lest your efforts become one more trust-fall-gone-wrong video on YouTube, take these tips to heart.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> <b>[See: </b><a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/the-best-team-building-exercises" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/the-best-team-building-exercises"><b>The Best Team-Building Activities</b></a><b>.]</b></div> <div class="ndn_embed ndn_embedding ndn_embedContainer ndn-widget-embed-2" data-config-distributor-id="90080" data-config-site-section="ndn2_usnews" id="ndn-video-player-2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> First, you need a solid definition of what qualifies as team building. Shawn Dunning, director of the corporate team-building firm <a class="" href="http://www.adventureassoc.com/" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://www.adventureassoc.com/">Adventure Associates Inc.,</a> in El Cerrito, California, says the term is extremely subjective. Still, there are core tenets: “A team-building activity is any positive, shared experience that reinforces positive, team skills,” says David Jacobson, founder of the New York City-based corporate entertainment and team-building company TrivWorks. “It has to have some form of structure and someone who has put it together with clearly defined goals.”</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> Are you hoping to improve employee relations, or do you want to help your staff develop a new skill? Decide your purpose and goals, and let them dictate the type of team building to try, Jacobson says. And while on the subject of type – unless your purpose is to endanger your colleagues, some activities are non grata.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> For example, "there’s something called zorbing,” says Anne Thornley-Brown, founder and president of the Toronto-based management consulting firm <a class="" href="http://www.executiveoasis.com/" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://www.executiveoasis.com/">Executive Oasis International</a>. “It’s this large clear ball that you can put one or two people inside and then push them down a hill. But there have been [recreational] instances where the ball has veered off course, and people have been killed.” Zorbing is a worst-case example, but generally team-building shouldn’t simulate violence, cause harm or humiliate participants.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> <b>[Read: </b><a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/01/17/how-to-spot-bad-company-culture-" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/01/17/how-to-spot-bad-company-culture-"><b>How to Spot Bad Company Culture</b></a><b>.]</b></div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> All physical activities aren’t off limits, though. Adventure Associates Inc. facilitates nationwide team-building activities, some of which get the blood pumping, like indoor rock climbing, geocaching and scavenger hunts. “We’re not doing picnic Olympics,” Dunning explains. “There isn’t a single activity in our repertoire that automatically leads to the most physically fit doing better than others.”</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> What’s important is that employees recognize the parallel between the activity and the workplace and that they’re appropriately challenged. “Every one of our programs includes a discussion with participants about their appropriate level of challenge,” Dunning says. “And challenge is important. Learning happens when you’re outside of ​your comfort zone.”</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> Jacobson’s company, <a class="" href="http://www.trivworks.com/" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://www.trivworks.com/">TrivWorks</a>, facilitates live trivia events for team building. This format fosters good-natured competition, a crucial component of effective team-building, according to Jacobson. His company’s events are also inclusive, even for employees who don't enjoy physical activity​. “We offer live customized trivia for your group, your team goals and anyone can participate and engage,” he says.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> Fun isn’t a dirty word, but remember team building isn’t strictly social. In other words, impromptu happy hours or the annual holiday party aren’t applicable. “Those are just nice add-ons,” Thornley-Brown explains. “It would be as if I invited you to dinner and served an appetizer or a dessert, but no actual meal.”</div> </div> <br /> <a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2014/09/25/corporate-team-building-activities-the-good-the-bad-and-the-really-ugly/*" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></div>

Corporate Team-Building Activities: The Good, the Bad and the Really Ugly

Corporate Team-Building Activities: The Good, the Bad and the Really Ugly Best practices so your office's team-building activity goes off without a hitch ... and a lawsuit. Effective team-building ex…

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8 Sensitive Issues an Interviewer Could But Shouldn't Ask About

<P>A job interview can be stressful. Here you are, face to face with a potential employer, and he or she gets to ask most of the questions. It's complicated enough to answer, "Why do you want this job?" But what do you do when the interviewer asks, "What country are you from?" or "What year did you graduate from college?" Should you think twice before answering?</P><P>There are no federal laws that prohibit what employers may ask job candidates, but there are laws that prohibit what information employers can use to make employment decisions. According to U.S. anti-discrimination laws that span from 1964 to 2008, it is illegal to deny employment to someone based on what are known as "protected classes." However, not every hiring manager is aware of what those protected classes are. Because of this, you may field some inappropriate questions during an interview.</P><P>Below is an explanation of some of the protected classes, plus a few examples of interview questions that may seem innocent but are inappropriate for hiring managers to ask.</P><P><STRONG>[See: The 100 Best Jobs.]</STRONG></P><P><STRONG>1. Race, color, national origin and citizenship. </STRONG>Race, color, national origin, citizenship and/or immigration status cannot be used in hiring decisions. Employers also cannot create policies or procedures that disproportionately target candidates by these factors. If you face questions about these issues or if you're directly asked about your country of origin, Christine Assaf, human resources professional and blogger with HRTact.com, suggests you either refuse to answer or tactfully redirect the conversation by saying, "I don't think that pertains to my experience."</P><P><STRONG>2. Religion. </STRONG>According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, employers are not supposed to ask questions about your faith unless religion is a bonafide occupational qualification. Religious corporations, associations, educational institutions and societies are examples of employers for which this rule is exempt and hiring managers could consider your religious affiliation a qualification.</P><P><STRONG>3. Sex (including pregnancy) and marital status. </STRONG>"The law doesn't prohibit employers from asking whether an applicant is pregnant or has pregnancy plans, but taking pregnancy into account for the application process is prohibited," says Jeanne Goldberg, senior attorney advisor in the Office of Legal Counsel at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This is even true if the job demands extra time or requires travel that could take you away from your family. However, according to the EEOC, an employer may ask about your spouse and kids after you've been hired, for tax and insurance purposes.</P><P><STRONG>4. Disability. </STRONG>Donna Ballman, an employment attorney at Donna M. Ballman, P.A. in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and author of "Stand Up For Yourself Without Getting Fired," says, "Employers aren't supposed to ask questions about disabilities or accommodations until they make a conditional job offer." That is, until the employer makes a tentative offer to employ a candidate, based on that candidate's ability to meet certain conditions. Employers can ask questions about reasonable accommodation or changes to the standard work environment that would enable an individual with a disability to perform the job's duties only when the applicant voluntarily discloses a disability or the need for accommodation.</P><P><STRONG>[Read: A How-to Guide on Job Searching With a Disability.]</STRONG></P><P><STRONG>5. Age. </STRONG>There are federal and state labor laws that mandate a minimum age when minors can start working, as well as a maximum number of hours that are permissible for them to work. In addition, employers may set minimum age requirements for candidates filling positions with certain responsibilities, like serving alcohol. However, it's forbidden to deny employment to candidates because they're too old. Specifically, individuals who are 40 and older are part of a protected class. "Studies showed that many employers would stray from hiring over the age of 40 because they fear health-related issues and/or paying for retirement," Assaf says. For this reason, an inappropriate interview question could be as direct as asking an applicant's age or as indirect as inquiring about what year they graduated from college. "If the answer is somewhere in the '70s, you might be disclosing that you're over 40, which might lead to age discrimination," Ballman says.</P><br /><p><a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2013/11/19/8-sensitive-issues-an-interviewer-could-but-shouldnt-ask-about" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>

8 Sensitive Issues an Interviewer Could But Shouldn't Ask About

A job interview can be stressful. Here you are, face to face with a potential employer, and he or she gets to ask most of the questions. It's complicated enough to answer, "Why do you want this job?"…

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4 Ways Every Employee Can Help Build Positive Corporate Culture

When your team celebrates a win, acknowledge everyone who contributed both directly and indirectly.</P><P>In the high-pressure world where many people work, executives, managers and employees sometimes fail to focus on how to improve corporate culture, which often takes a back seat to a focus on billable hours and producing profits. Bruce Madnick, managing partner of top-50 accounting firm Friedman LLP, believes a positive work culture is key and thinks everyone can contribute to it.</P><P>If you’re interested in helping create a positive, sharing and transparent culture, here are Madnick’s top tips to stand out in the crowd:</P><P><B>1. Be quick to share credit when something goes well</B>. Have you heard the quote: “Leaders take all the blame and give away all the credit”? Madnick believes every manager should recognize contributors on his or her team whenever there is a success to celebrate. He celebrates everyone’s roles in “wins” and does not solely focus on those who may typically receive accolades, such as employees directly involved in landing a new client.</P><P>How can you inspire a culture where the organization values and acknowledges each person’s role, including those who keep the office running or make fresh coffee each day? For example, at Friedman LLP, everyone is recognized via the firm’s “Lead Sheets," which are published to celebrate successes.</P><P><B>2. Raise your hand when nonrevenue activity comes along</B>. “Every charity drive, company picnic, sports team and holiday party is a chance to step up and demonstrate leadership in a way that benefits the whole company,” Madnick says. He explains: “We often find leaders through internal events and charity drives. Often, these are great people who just haven’t yet had the opportunity to lead client engagement, and we learn a lot about them by what they contribute." </P><P>At many companies, it is the employees – not partners or senior managers – who set the bar for community service activity. An organization with a strong corporate culture likely attracts employees who appreciate the opportunity to give back via volunteer work such as Habitat for Humanity and soup kitchens. If you have a favorite charity or cause, consider how you can get others in your organization involved in giving back. When employees and leadership members can rally around a great cause, it can really improve the organization’s culture.</P><P><B>3. Show industry leadership</B>. Getting involved in a professional organization is a great way to represent your company and help create a positive corporate culture. Madnick suggests you volunteer to serve on committees and work on projects. When you are directly involved in solving the problems facing your profession, you gain visibility and enhance both your own reputation and the employer’s brand. While this type of volunteer work does not generate billable hours, it helps produce good will and extends the organization’s networking capacity – each of which improves company culture.</P><P><B>4. Collaborate</B>. Rarely will a firm that silos its employees win any awards for corporate culture. Madnick encourages employees to reach out across silos to educate fellow professionals about new opportunities. He notes: “We recently sent a few people from one office to another to help with a large project and were very happy to see that they reported back on opportunities for more such collaborations. They were creating new links among the staff so more knowledge of each professional’s skill sets spread – and that creates opportunities for cross-selling.”</P><P>Consider how you can suggest opportunities to cross train by both learning from and teaching others in your organization. Every time you reach out, you’re strengthening the company culture. Plus, Madnick notes: “Employees who consistently network from other disciplines and offices are more visible to managers and are more likely to be fast tracked for advancement and new assignments.”</P><P>Keep in mind that when you help contribute to a positive company culture, you’re enhancing your personal brand, and you’re more likely to be appreciated at work.</P><P><B>Miriam Salpeter</B>, owner of<B> </B>Keppie Careers, is often quoted in major media outlets for her job search and social media expertise. Author of three books and a sought-after speaker and coach, she leverages her extensive background and successes to teach job seekers and entrepreneurs how to easily use social media marketing<B> </B>to accomplish their career and business goals. Salpeter also provides strategic advice and support regarding interviewing, résumé writing and personal branding.<BR></P><br /><p><a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/10/01/4-ways-every-employee-can-help-build-positive-corporate-culture" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>

4 Ways Every Employee Can Help Build Positive Corporate Culture

When your team celebrates a win, acknowledge everyone who contributed both directly and indirectly.In the high-pressure world where many people work, executives, managers and employees sometimes fail…

Read more »