When it comes to pursuing on-campus employment opportunities, make sure that whatever it is, the job works for you, as much as you work for it.  Whether it be work study, part-time employment or even a formalized internship, don’t just settle for anything.  Make sure that you find something that rewards you with something more than just a paycheck.

When considering on-campus employment opportunities, look first for positions with the academic department and/or offices that house your major.  Why you ask?  Well, there are a ton of benefits to obtaining such a position.  Here are just a few:

Relationships with faculty can translate to academic success.  I know, the last thing you want to do is spend more time with faculty, but this can actually play to your favor.  Consider this, you haven’t yet begun your major classes, but you’re working in the academic department that houses your major.  You start to meet the faculty that will be teaching many of the classes you’ll take next year and the year following.  You haven’t yet had them in class, but they come to know you, know your name and a bit about you, etc.  As part of your job, you perform minor duties for them, gain exposure to their syllabus, coursework, readings, etc.  You begin to gain valuable insight on them and the courses you’ll soon be taking.  When it comes time that you do have them for class, they won’t be strangers, you’ll know them, and they’ll know you.  This can be half the battle when it comes to succeeding in your major classes.  Take-away number one, relationships with key faculty is a very good thing for you and your GPA!

Another benefit to pursuing on-campus employment in the department that houses your major has more of a future payoff.  Many faculty members have either worked in industry and/or have significant industry contacts.  They may even lend their expertise from time-to-time as a consultant.  Either way, they know people, that know people, and those people just might be your next employer!  So be sure you give consideration to faculty as a source of finding both internships and/or full-time employment opportunities.  Not only can they serve as a source of opportunities and help network you to key employer contacts, but they can also serve as great references.  A vote of confidence from a well-respected faculty member that you’ve come to know can carry a lot of weight with a prospective employer.  Take-away number two, good standing with faculty can translate to future employment opportunities.

Dave Cofer is President/CEO of Cofer Consulting Solutions, a firm specializing in attracting, developing and retaining young professionals.  E-mail Dave at David.Cofer@CoferConsulting.com.  To learn more about Cofer Consulting Solutions, visit www.coferconsulting.com.

Now, more than ever, interns can serve as a great source of innovation for the employers they are working for.  Every organization, big and small, for-profit and non-profit is challenged with how they can do things better.  This may come in the form of doing more with less, improving efficiency, driving down expenses, increasing productivity, raising customer satisfaction…it all comes back to the same thing; how do they get better.  Well, who better to task with that charge than you, the intern!

Take what I’m saying to heart even if your employer fails to explicitly identify this as an area of responsibility for you.  Why?  You ask.  First, it’s a sure-fire way to stand apart from your peers.  After ensuring that you are exceeding expectations as it relates to your regularly assigned tasks and responsibilities (this is so key, you don’t want to be out brainstorming news ways of doing things, only to compromise your “regular” work; in most environments, this would be bad!), take on the added responsibility of looking for new and better ways of doing things.

Trust me, it sounds like a lot of extra work, but it really will come to you far easier than you think.  You have the benefit if being completely new to the environment and if you simply make a conscious point of being on the look-out for improvement opportunities, they will come to you.  Now, here’s a little secret.  It’s not as simple as going to your supervisor or manager and saying “I know how you guys can be better” at your jobs.  You’ll have to do a little better than that.  Also, when asked to support your recommendations, if you use words like “I think”, “probably”, “I like this way better”, etc. be prepared for a less than supportive response.

You have to bring data.  Tell your employer that you have already developed the “business case” to support your ideas; they’ll love it.  All the business case represents are the facts to support your idea.  Be able to demonstrate how your recommendation improves the business by influencing a key performance driver / metric.  What are these you ask?  Typically they deal with things related to service, cost, and quality.  Think of it as an experiment.  Formulate your hypothesis (if you do x, y outcome will be achieved).  Test your hypothesis.  Absent a “lab” where you can actually perform the test, gather current state and/or historical data, formulate fact-driven assumptions about how the introduction of your recommendation would change the environment and produce a new set of outcomes.  Present your findings and you’re a superstar.

Now, is it really that simple?  Well, probably not.  But if you commit to doing these things, here’s the worst that will have happened.  1.) You will have fully committed yourself to your employer.  2.) You will have done all that you could to advance their business and make them better and 3.) At the end of your assignment you can walk away feeling very proud of the work that you performed.  Not all bad if you ask me.

Dave Cofer is President/CEO of Cofer Consulting Solutions, a firm specializing in attracting, developing and retaining young professionals.  E-mail Dave at David.Cofer@CoferConsulting.com.  To learn more about Cofer Consulting Solutions, visit www.coferconsulting.com.

“Just an intern”: Don’t ever think it!

Whether you are an intern or an employer that hosts interns, I hope that you take notice to this post.  Now, more than ever, interns can serve as a great source of innovation for the employers they are working for.  Every organization, big and small, for-profit and non-profit, is challenged with how they can do things better.  This may come in the form of doing more with less, improving efficiency, driving down expenses, increasing productivity or raising customer satisfaction. It all comes back to the same thing: how do they get better.  Well, who better to task with that charge than an intern (or for that matter, all of your interns)?

Let me be clear, I am not suggesting that employers start to bring interns in solely under the heading of “find ways for us to be better.”  However, it should be included as an area of responsibility in addition to their “regular duties.”  Why is this so important?  Ever heard the phrase “virgin eyes”?  Well, interns have them.  They don’t know a sacred cow from a legitimately tried and true process.  They don’t know what questions or ways of thinking are taboo or “inappropriate.”  They have no assumptions about “the one right way” of doing something.  They only have questions.  As an employer, embrace this.  Embrace the heck out of it!  Listen to what they have to say. When warranted, and this is most important, act on what they have to say.

I’m not suggesting that you should act blindly. Build the business case, perform the required due diligence, etc. But do take action!  If you don’t, you risk two things.  First, you risk the engagement levels and overall performance of your interns.  If you ask for their input and get them excited about the opportunity to respond only to ignore what they have to say, well, that’s a sure-fire way to turn them and lead them to become disengaged.  Second, if you fail to act on their suggestions, who knows what opportunity you might be missing out on to make your business better (remember, that was the point!).

Employers, here’s one last thing to keep in mind when it comes to the benefit of thinking of your interns in this capacity.  When it comes to getting better, it often requires calling into question and asking hard questions about how it is that you’re doing business today. There’s a really good chance that the people who designed and implemented those processes and thought they were the best ideas available at the time are the very people within your organization today making key decisions about your company’s future (heck , you may even be one of them).  Think about how hard it is for you to now dissect these processes and think of new ways of doing things.  By no means is it impossible, and with a structured, disciplined approach to performance improvement, you could probably get there.  But along the way, don’t miss out on a great opportunity to leverage the insights of your interns.  You are so close to what you do that sometimes all it takes is someone new to call-out and identify opportunities to improve.

For interns, take what I’m saying to heart even if your employer fails to explicitly indentify this as an area of responsibility for you.  Why, you ask?  First, it’s a sure-fire way to stand apart from your peers.  After ensuring that you are exceeding expectations as it relates to your regularly assigned tasks and responsibilities (This is so key; you don’t want to be out brainstorming new ways of doing things, only to compromise your “regular” work. In most environments, this would be bad!), take on the added responsibility of looking for new and better ways of doing things.

Trust me, it sounds like a lot of extra work, but it really will come to you far easier than you think.  You have the benefit of being completely new to the environment and if you simply make a conscious point of being on the lookout for improvement opportunities, they will come to you.  Now, here’s a little secret.  It’s not as simple as going to your supervisor or manager and saying “I know how you guys can be better” at your jobs.  You’ll have to do a little more than that.  Also, when asked to support your recommendations, if you use words like “I think,” “probably,” “I like this way better,” etc. be prepared for a less than supportive response.

You have to bring data.  Tell your employer that you have already developed the “business case” to support your ideas; they’ll love it.  The business case represents the facts to support your idea.  Be able to demonstrate how your recommendation improves the business by influencing a key performance driver / metric.  What are these?  Typically they deal with things related to service, cost and quality.  Think of it as an experiment.  Formulate your hypothesis (if you do x, y outcome will be achieved).  Test your hypothesis.  Absent a “lab” where you can actually perform the test, gather current state and/or historical data, formulate fact-driven assumptions about how the introduction of your recommendation would change the environment and produce a new set of outcomes.  Present your findings and voila, you’re a superstar.

Now, is it really that simple?  Well, probably not.  But if you commit to doing these things, here’s the worst that will have happen:  1.) You will have fully committed yourself to your employer.  2.) You will have done all that you could to advance their business and make them better. 3.) At the end of your assignment you can walk away feeling very proud of the work that you performed.  Not all bad if you ask me.

Dave Cofer is President/CEO of Cofer Consulting Solutions, a firm specializing in attracting, developing and retaining young professionals.  E-mail Dave at David.Cofer@CoferConsulting.com.  To learn more about Cofer Consulting Solutions, visit www.coferconsulting.com.

Columbus is a Terrific Place to be a Young Professional

By Robbie Banks, Young Professionals Manager, Columbus Chamber

Earlier this week, Portfolio.com/Bizjournals announced the results of a study in which they analyzed the nation’s 67 metros with populations above 750,000, searching for qualities that would appeal to workers in their 20s and early 30s. Minneapolis-St. Paul and Columbus were tops in the Midwest. This is one of many accolades our region has received recently. Just in the last few months, Marysville was named one of the most affordable suburbs in America by Bloomberg Business Week. Columbus ranked as one of America’s top wired cities and as a top housing market by Forbes. Delaware County was Forbes magazine’s #2 place to get ahead, Dublin was named one of the top seven international intelligent communities, and Monster said Columbus was among top cities for finding an entry-level job. On the other end of the spectrum, U.S. News and World Report said Columbus is one of America’s best affordable places to retire.

I could go on and on! I’m a life-long Columbus resident, and I think these reports confirm what we’ve known all along. The Columbus region offers the best of everything!

As the young professionals manager for the Columbus Chamber, I’m responsible for connecting and engaging young talent in the Columbus region. And I’m eager to share why I think central Ohio is tops for young professionals (YPs). Here are my top five reasons (in no particular order):

• Diversity. There’s a noticeable respect for diversity whether it’s religious, racial, sexual orientation, age, art, personal tastes, or other opinions and ways of life. Columbus embraces cultural diversity in its community leaders, businesses, arts and entertainment scene. The city is accepting of new people and new ideas as it’s comprised mostly of  individuals who grew up outside of Columbus (fondly dubbed as “transplants”).

• Easy to get connected. You have the ability to get engaged at any level. If you so desire, your professional and social calendar could be filled with a variety of events each week, be it events hosted by YP, professional and networking organizations, civic and cultural activities, festivals, or sporting events. If you are looking to get connected to network, socialize, volunteer and keep a pulse on the community, check out the directory of young professional and professional organizations. In addition, I recommend that you sign up to receive Activities and Events for Young Professionals, a weekly email with information that may be of interest to YPs.

• Living is easy. I appreciate how easy it is to make a life here. The cost of living is reasonable, travel time between locations is minimal, and the central location allows easy access to other cities inside and outside of Ohio. Whether you want to live in an urban, suburban or rural area; commute via car, public transportation or bicycle; or be close to shopping, green spaces or schools, Columbus has you covered.

• Opportunity. Job opportunities. Educational opportunities. Entrepreneurial opportunities. Opportunities to make a difference. You can achieve what you want here. For job opportunities, be sure to explore Ohio Means Jobs. The Ohio Board of Regents is a tremendous resource for information on the state’s educational opportunities. The Ohio Small Business Development Center (SBDC) provides entrepreneurial development assistance and high-end business consulting to start-up and emerging business owners free of charge. TechColumbus helps start-ups grow, too. Volunteer opportunities of all kinds are abundant in our area. To learn more about them, please refer to number two above.

• Infinite number of places to see and things to do. Yes, even for non-Buckeye fans. There seems to always be a new restaurant or business to check out. I especially love the free festivals, concerts and performances such as the Columbus Arts Festival, Downtown LIVE! Summer Concert Series and Shakespeare in the Park. To see what’s going on weekly in Columbus, pick up a free copy of Columbus alive! at newsstands or check out the listings on the Experience Columbus web site.

What does everyone else have to say? To hear why other YPs love to live, work and play in Columbus, check out the videos on the Chamber’s YouTube channel. Better yet, join in the discussion and post your own video or add a comment on our blog.

Earlier we shared how the experiences that come with serving as a student leader provide valuable examples and scenarios that can be referenced when formulating responses to behavioral interview questions.  This is not the only benefit of student leadership positions when it comes to providing a competitive advantage in securing both internship and full-time employment opportunities.  Student leadership positions also serve as a wonderful means of developing skills highly valued by employers.  These highly valued skills include Leadership / Management, Project Management, Strategy / Planning, and Financial Management.

Leadership / Management Skills. This one is pretty obvious.  Inherent in the role of student leader is the opportunity to exhibit and develop leadership skills.  On a regular basis you will be called upon to influence, inspire and even mandate to those that you have been selected to lead.  Additionally, you will be called upon to manage.  I’m a big advocate of the saying “you lead people and manage things”.  These things are often processes and procedures.  Student leaders have tons of processes and procedures that often govern the student organizations they have been charged to lead.  This serves as a great proving ground for what awaits you in the work world.

Project Management Skills. Elected student leaders are often put in charge of events and activities that require extensive planning and coordination of a myriad of pieces and parts over an extended period of time.  Coordinating the who, what, when, why and how of a major event represents many of the fundamentals of project management.  Learning to successfully coordinate the various pieces of the puzzle such that your project is completed on-time and on-budget is a valuable skill for anyone looking to succeed in today’s workforce.

Strategy / Planning Skills. Most if not all student organizations operate based upon charters, missions and annual plans.  These may originate at the chapter, university, regional and/or national level.  Regardless of the origin they serve as the guiding light for the organization and direct the actions and decision-making of the elected leadership.  It’s the leadership’s responsibility to pursue a plan aligned with the organizational strategic vision.  They have to decide what’s in and what’s out.  They have to answer the hard questions about where and when to allocate resources both human and financial. They may even be called upon from time-to-time to provide their input to the very charters, missions and annual plans that will guide the actions of future leaders of the organization at every level.  Very few roles are afforded to college students to develop this skill-set other than those of student leader.

Financial Management. When you ask most student leaders about their budgets they’re likely to make a comment about how insignificant it is.  While their budgets may be modest, they are budgets all the same and the qualities of sound and ethical financial decision-making still hold true.  In fact, what better place to develop these skills than as a student leader where the stakes are low in comparison to the “real world”.  The same decision making practices that apply to a budget consisting primarily of member dues, university contributions and proceeds from student-led fundraising activity are the very same practices that will apply to the financial decision-making of a for-profit organization.  Mastery of these skills while still in college can translate to future career success.

Post by: Dave Cofer

Dave Cofer is President/CEO of Cofer Consulting Solutions, a firm specializing in attracting, developing and retaining young professionals.  E-mail Dave at David.Cofer@CoferConsulting.com.  To learn more about Cofer Consulting Solutions, visit www.coferconsulting.com.

Jeana Harrington: What I learned at the Ohio State Fair

As one of three public relations interns for the 2009 Ohio State Fair, I had a very eventful summer: I worked 17.5 hours on Opening Day, I rode two Midway rides on live television with Johnny DiLoretto and I watched a cow give birth; twice. Not only did my summer internship provide these (and several more) unexpected life experiences but it also prepared me for my public relations career in more ways than I could have imagined.

My first major assignment was to develop the 2009 Media Guide, a 50+ page document highlighting every attraction, entertainer and possible random fact a reporter might like to know, from start to finish. It took about two months to complete, as well as more than 20 full edits, but the hard work was definitely worth it. Holding the finished product in my hands and reading stories that included its information were the highlights of my experience.

While I could easily go on for days with stories and lessons I learned from the fair, I’ll highlight the most important lesson instead; the Holy Grail of being an awesome intern.

Always be over-prepared. Have a back-up plan for everything and have another back-up plan for when the first one fails. Know every detail of the organization you’re working for, the media outlets you’re working with, the projects you’re involved with, etc.  When you think your project is error-free, edit it one more time, just in case you missed something. You’ll establish your credibility as an intern and gain your supervisor’s respect.

Follow this rule and not only will you succeed as an intern but you’ll also be able to enjoy what you’re working on, without feeling overwhelmed or stressed.

Jeana Harrington is a senior Public Relations and Journalism major at Otterbein College.

The Columbus Internships intern spotlights put the focus on students, their experience in the Columbus Region, what they do and how they’re involved in internships with local businesses. To submit your student story for an internship spotlight contact Nick Wood.

Student Leadership Positions Provide Experiences Required for Success when Interviewing

I’m sure that friends and family are constantly encouraging you to get involved with extracurricular activities.  They probably tell you things like “it’ll look good on your resume” or “employers are looking for that kind of stuff”.  While all that’s true, you need to understand from a practical sense how involvement in extracurricular activities, and more importantly holding positions of leadership can benefit you.

These days, many employers leverage what’s called Behavioral Interviewing techniques.  In its simplest form, this means that they will ask you questions about prior experiences in an effort to assess your future potential.  The premise being that past performance is a valid indicator of future performance.  Additionally, these questions will seek to better understand your level of aptitude regarding highly valued behaviors, competencies and/or characteristics.  Things like Innovation, Leadership, Communication, Critical-Thinking, Problem-Solving and Conflict Resolution skills, just to name a few.

Classroom and other academic experiences can provide a forum for displaying and/or developing these abilities.  However, student leadership positions offer a much more robust and diverse environment resulting in a greater test of your skills.  When an employer begins his / her question with “Tell me about a time when you…” you’ll benefit from having more than just group projects and lab partner horror stories to reference.  Here’s another tip; when responding to these behavior questions, be sure to structure your response using the STAR method.  This stands for:

• Situation
• Task
• Action
• Result

The combination of a well-structured answer and a robust and vivid scenario as supplied through your involvement as a student leader should not only impress the interviewer but also demonstrate the diversity of your experiences thus far.

For additional resources on preparing for an interview check out these sample interview questions.

Post by: Dave Cofer

Dave Cofer is President/CEO of Cofer Consulting Solutions, a firm specializing in attracting, developing and retaining young professionals.  E-mail Dave at David.Cofer@CoferConsulting.com.  To learn more about Cofer Consulting Solutions, visit www.coferconsulting.com.